‘Family-oriented’ Sue Crowe Memorial race welcomes first ‘joggler’ – The Daily Collegian Online

By Staff 5 years ago

‘Family-oriented’ Sue Crowe Memorial race welcomes first ‘joggler’  The Daily Collegian Online

JoAnn Ireland crossed the finish line of the race doing something that no other racer was doing — juggling.

JoAnn Ireland crossed the finish line of the race doing something that no other racer was doing — juggling.

The 44th annual Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Race on July 14 attracted over 300 racers to the area surrounding the Snyder Agricultural Arena on the northeastern end of campus for three different races: a 5k, 10k and a kids race.

This year’s 10k winner overall winner was Andrey Sell, 21, of State College with a time of 33:30. The overall 5k winner was Joseph Clark, 25, of State College with a time of 15:59.

This was the first year that Greenbelt, Maryland resident Ireland, 39, competed in this specific race but said she was happy to provide entertainment to the other racers.

Despite being “visually impaired,” Ireland completed the 10k race, juggling the entire time — except for water breaks. By the completion of the race, she said she had only dropped her props four times.

Ireland was first introduced to the concept of “joggling” when she was a young child. She first mastered juggling and was introduced to juggling festivals, where she continued what started as a hobby.

She competed in her first joggling race when she was roughly 10 years old, but picked up the exercise again in more recent years.

Regarding the separate entities, Ireland said being a “good runner” is harder than learning how to juggle.

“Some might say, “Oh, running isn’t challenging enough, you got to find a way to make it more challenging,’” Ireland said.

Ireland said this 10k race was the longest distance she has joggled.

Compared to last year’s flatter route around campus, previous racers highlighted the more complicated trail this year.

Meteorology professor Jerry Harrington, 50, has completed this race for roughly 15 years and has been an active runner for nearly 30 years.

He said this year’s route was harder, though the added hill along Fox Hill Road would be beneficial to those who enjoy the incline.

“If you’re going for a personal record time, [the race is] slower,” he said, “but if you’re looking for a hill challenge, then you definitely got it.”

Harrington completed the 5k with a time of 19:38, winning first place for his age group.

“I’m competitive but I’m also not incredibly serious,” Harrington said. “I’ll run hard days a couple of days before a race because I feel good and I don’t worry too much about it… I do it for fun.”

Bellefonte-resident David Eggler, 79, was this year’s race director and has previously held the position nine times, he estimates. He also said he “used to run a lot of marathons back in the day.”

Though he was injured this year with a brace on his left foot, Eggler, said he enjoyed seeing the variety of people who participated in the year.

Runners from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina earned awards, which consisted of mugs and gift cards.

He added that this race has “always been a family-oriented thing.”

“We get a few pretty fast runners here, but I think it’s most noted for families coming out and people celebrating the last day of Arts Fest,” Eggler said.

Notably, there was a family — many individuals of which won first place for their respective age groups — from Morogoro, Tanzania.

As he reached the end of the age groups for the men who ran in the 10k, Eggler highlighted that he would typically be honoring George Etzweiler, a 99-year-old retired Penn State professor who often joined the Sue Crowe Memorial races.

Though he did not attend this race, Eggler did say Etzweiler ran in the Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race this year.

Harrington, who joked that Etzweiler is a “celebrity,” called Etzweiler “an inspiration.”

“It’s just amazing to see these people keep going as they get older,” Harrington said. “To make it to that age is one thing, but to keep running at that age is just amazing.”

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