photo of Matt Burke
It's a Great Day for Hockey…and RUNNING!
This past weekend, two runners from the Penn State DuBois Cross Country team competed in the 2nd Annual Mario Lemieux Foundation 6.6k. This unique race pays homage to the famous Pittsburgh Penguin, #66, Mario Lemieux. Runners compete in a 6.6k (4.1 mile) loop that starts and ends at the Pittsburgh Penguins' home arena, the Consol Energy Center. Proceeds from the race are divided amongst two of Pittsburgh's finest charities, the Mario Lemieux Foundation and the Pittsburgh Penguin Foundation. After the race, runners receive a commemorative medal and are given free access to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins practice at the arena.
Representing Penn State DuBois in the race were Matthew Burke and Juliann Boddorf.
"It had to have been the biggest race I ever ran in and it went all through Pittsburgh. It was one of the coolest races I ever ran, too. Mario Lemieux was the official starter and my parents even got to meet Dan Potash (the ice-level commentator for the Pittsburgh Penguins)," said Matthew Burke, freshman runner for Penn State DuBois.
Burke finished 41st out of 3977 runners while Juliann Boddorf finished 99th overall. As if their performances weren't impressive enough, Burke took 7th in his age division for the men and Boddorf took 1st in her age division for the women.
Penn State DuBois is preparing this week to compete in the PSUAC Cross Country Championships this Saturday in State College.