Great Pumpkin Race in Zelienople raises funds for St. Gregory
ZELIENOPLE — Over 200 runners of all ages helped raise money for St. Gregory School at the 16th annual Great Pumpkin Race on Sunday, Oct. 25.
According to Janel Edwards, race organizer and president of the school’s parent-teacher guild, at least 199 runners signed up prior to race day, with others signing up on the day of the event.
“Today I counted 199, and that does not include the walk-ups that we’re seeing today, so we might be pushing 225 to 250,” Edwards said.
All proceeds from the race, along with funds raised through the sale of raffle baskets, benefit programs at St. Gregory’s School, including the parent-teacher guild and the school’s cross country program. Although figures for this year’s event were not available late Sunday, Edwards estimates that last year’s Great Pumpkin Race brought in around $2,000.
“It’s funding assemblies and field trips and Bibles for the kids. We’re raising money for the PTG in order to cut costs for the kids, to benefit their learning,” Edwards said. “We never know how much we’re gonna get. It all depends on the weather and how many participants, and this is by far our best year.”
The Great Pumpkin Race featured both a one-mile fun run and a 5K race. Both races started and finished at the school’s rear parking lot and passed by the Harmony-Zelienople Sportsman’s Club. The 5K race took runners through the back roads of Zelienople.
The overall winner of the 5K was 32-year-old Brad Mueller of Harmony, with a time of 18:53.12.
