WHEELING — Paul Klenowski and the late Wheeling Park baseball coach Steve Myers were friends since childhood, and Klenowski remembers Myers even once stood up to a childhood bully for him.

Now Klenowski is stepping up and running to raise money for the Steve Myers Memorial Scholarship being established at WPHS. Myers died from cancer on Sept. 24.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Klenowski will run a 24-hour ultramarathon in Myers’ honor at the “Black Gold 24-Hour Endurance Challenge” in Belfrey, Kentucky. He explained the track is a one-mile loop, and the object is to “do as many as you can do.”

“In the valley, none of us walk alone,” he said. “I am grateful to honor my friend and we need more people like him. The people he impacted both on the diamond and off is astounding, and I want to help create this scholarship in his memory.”

Klenowski, 49, known locally by his friends as “PK”, is an associate professor of criminology at Pennsylvania Western University at its California, Pennsylvania campus.

“We grew up in Bethlehem and we played little league together,” he said of he and Myers. “He was like a big brother, though he was a year older than me.”

Klenowski’s cousin, WPHS basketball coach Michael Jebbia, had been keeping Klenowski updated on Myers’ health.

“When he reached out to tell me he had passed, I was devastated,” Klenowski said.

Klenowski often uses running to deal with challenges and grief.

He took up running eight years ago, and began running ultra-marathons to raise money after his niece was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer. He discovered how horrific cancer treatment is for young children, and he wanted to assist a non-profit raise money for new treatments that were less invasive to young bodies. Later, Klenowski would lose a 23-year-old nephew to suicide. He then began to run to generate money for mental health causes.

Since these events, he has raised over $30,000 for causes that have had a direct impact on his life or his loved ones.

Jebbia is planning his own fundraiser to benefit the Steve Myers Memorial Scholarship.

An exhibition basketball scrimmage featuring students from both WPHS and Klenowski’s alma mater, Wheeling Central Catholic High School, has been set for Dec. 9. Junior variety players will take the court at 5:30 p.m., and the varsity will play at 7 p.m..

Klenowski plans to present at that exhibition a check for the funds he raised at Saturday’s ultra marathon event.

Klenowski runs 70 to 80 miles each week.

“I run anywhere I can – even in hospital parking lots,” he added.

Klenowski recounts that once when he was hospitalized with Lyme’s disease he asked the nurse if he could possibly go outside to run. It was allowed, though the nurse watched him out the window.

He explained it is all about “healing.”

“It’s amazing how many of us in the ultramarathon community have gone through trauma, and a time of asking why,” Klenowski said. “I do this to bring awareness to causes and honor friends.”