Photo by Joselyn King Emma Romanek of Wheeling prepares for the start of the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic on Saturday.

WHEELING – For Wheeling resident Emma Romanek, running the Ogden Newspapers Half-Marathon Classic is a family tradition.

Romanek, 28, works as a math teacher at Triadelphia Middle School when she is not running.

The Romaneks have long been associated with the race. Her grandfather, John Romanek, was inducted into the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic Hall of Fame in 2016.

“I just decided to do my first Ogden a few years ago, and this is my third,” she said. “I wanted to keep the family legacy going as much as possible, and I’m excited for this morning.”

Romanek typically runs each day after her classroom work is completed.

“I do it to relieve stress, and keep my head on straight,” she said. “I’ve also been doing Saturday morning long runs to train for the race.”

While her parents and other members of her family inspired her to run, Romanek noted she typically runs alone and likes it that way.

Before running, she drinks lots of water.

“I carb load on Thursday, and on Friday I have lean chicken breast and veggies and rice,” Romanek said. “I make sure I get electrolytes in.

“This morning, I had coffee, a banana and a protein bar.”

She trained for the race over the past couple of months she has put in extra running, and cross trained with weight training.

“I’m just happy to keep my family legacy going,” Romanek said. “My grandfather passed away a couple of years ago, and he loved this race. I just want to keep the tradition going.”