Hundreds Put to the Test in Saturday’s Wellness Weekend Events
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WHEELING -- The first day of the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine saw participants of all ages racing through the city of Wheeling in events ranging from a few hundred yards to 13.1 miles.
Events held on Saturday included the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic walk and run, the 5K Twin Pops Run/Walk For Health presented by Ziegenfelder, the Ogden Fun Run presented for Ziegenfelder and the Tiny Trot prevented by Ziegenfelder.
Perry Nardo, general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, said the weekend was a success for every entity involved.
"I thought that (Saturday) was really great, and I thought all of the volunteers and all of the vendors really helped make it a great day for the participants," he said. "I think the participants all seem like they had a wonderful time, and I can't say enough about the city and also the state and how they have cooperated."
Nardo said participation from the local community was so high that it made this year's Wellness Weekend one of the best in recent years.
"I think it was probably our best half marathon day in the last six or seven years," he said. "I think it was really great, and it showed that people were excited about it and that they're truly rebounding from COVID."
According to registration information, almost every event saw an increase in the number of participants. The Half Marathon Classic Run had 366 participants this year, in comparison to the 328 runners that competed last year. In the Half Marathon Classic Walk, 107 participants took off from the starting line, up from 99 last year.
The 5K Twin Pops Walk for Health presented by Ziegenfelder saw 210 competitors, an increase from last year's 202 participants. The 5K Twin Pops Run for Health presented by Ziegenfelder sported 156 runners, down slightly from last year's 160.
The Ogden Fun Run and Tiny Tot Trot, both presented by Ziegenfelder, each had 44 kids register ahead of time. The final totals of each race likely will be higher, as many families registered their children the day of the race.
The race afterparty began at 7:30 a.m. with the opening of the Beer Garden. DJ Jan Jursa also took the stage to provide participants and spectators with music and entertainment.
Joe Lovell, special events coordinator for Ogden Newspapers' Ohio Valley publications, says the entertainment is part of an effort to make the event interesting for even those who aren't participating in one of the races.
"You can see how this is growing," he said. "We've been promoting this idea of having the waterfront, food trucks, our portable bar ... and also the live entertainment so that people will come to town for this."
A variety of food trucks and vendors also lined the Heritage Port area. Lovell said the growth of the weekend was shown by the people who stuck around all day.
"The crowd we had dinner for, all the parents and stuff, was great," he said. "I mean, we had a great thing down at the waterfront for them."