47th annual Pittsburgh Great Race allows families to carry on generational traditions
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Runners from around Pittsburgh and across the country took on the 47th annual Pittsburgh Great Race on Sunday.
Sunday's weather was no match for the runners and the traditions that carried on generations later. Whether you did the 5K or the 10K, both races finished at Point State Park.
Every runner has a method to their madness. You can give yourself mental motivation, you can take a last-minute sip of water, or you can band together as a unit.
"My wife and I, we just come back each year for different events to run with him," Arizona's Giancarlo Sapelli said.
The person Sapelli is referring to is Bob Gambone. Running with his son-in-law forged a bond.
"It's become a tradition," Sapelli said.
This custom continued on this dreary Sunday.
"I'm gonna put this one up in the top five toughest ones that I've done," runner Ken Balkey said.
Balkey needs the stretch. He's run every single Great Race, and he did this one six weeks post-COVID.
"If the streak wasn't there, I may have sat one out," Balkey said.
He and over 8,500 runners didn't sit out. People gazed with pride, as their family and friends powered through the slick streets.
"This is a big accomplishment for her, so we came out to support," Christina Johnson said. Johnson traveled from Washington, D.C. to see her daughter participate.
That support can mean cheering from the sidelines. It can also be on the race route.
"I lost my father when I was young, so it was really nice to be able to have like a father figure to be able to share these things with," Sapelli said.