Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Runners break from the starting line in the Girls on the Run race at Sandcastle.

Sometimes, a mile is not a mile. Or maybe that's just the way it seems in some ultramarathons.

Each of the 70.5 miles of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail that will beckon about 100 runners and 20 relay teams in the birdsong hour of 5:30 a.m. June 10 is designated by little markers resembling -- as event director Rick Freeman put it -- "tiny Washington Monuments."

Freeman of Peters Township has been involved in working the hiking trail event, part of the Laurel Highlands Ultra, since 2000 and ran it three times in the early 1990s. He knows how such a lovely, point-to-point course can be brutal.

"Normally, you might run an eight-minute mile, a 10-minute mile. But for some of these, you're up there for 18 minutes [between markers] and you say 'Man, I had to have missed one.' "

Twenty-seven years ago, after state officials had just completed work on the trail, brothers Paul and Joe Butchko decided to run the trail's length. They failed in their first attempt, but the Laurel Highlands Ultra was born.

"For the first 20 years, it was an official race but had no aid stations. You had to bring your own [support] crew and there was an 18-hour cutoff. We have stations now and have extended the cutoff to 22 hours, because 18 is really hard," Freeman said.

The extra half-mile is all for show. In 1982, the starting line at Ohiopyle was moved back to accommodate a scenic start by the white-water falls. Runners head north toward the finish in Seward, Cambria County.

There are two other races planned that day, a 50K at 8 a.m. that finishes near Route 31 in Donegal, and a relay division with teams of up to five runners.

"We have four major checkpoints and we'll have the handoffs at the checkpoints," Freeman said. "It's kind of a neat way of getting to do the race without running the whole thing."

The race (www.laurelultra .com) has attracted some big names from the world of ultramarathons.

Connie Gardner, 42, of Medina, Ohio, placed second overall last April in North Carolina's Umstead Endurance Run. The only runner ahead of her, Eric Linder, 26, of Baltimore won the Laurel Highlands event last year and is scheduled to return.

"It's a gorgeous course," Linder said.

Donna Utakis, 38, of Amherst, Mass., won the Laurel Highlands Ultra in 2004 and '05 and finished fifth overall both times. Ian Schouten, 41, of Lititz, Pa., won the race in '03. Todd Walker, 39, of Amherst, Mass., was the '04 runner-up.

"I have come back because of the course," Utakis said. "For an ultra, it's a fairly fast and easy course because once you get to the top of the ridge, it really is 'rolling,' not a lot of hard-core climbing."

Girls on the Run

They are schooled in running, but more important are the lessons that teach young girls how to stand their ground.

The fourth annual Girls on the Run 5K was Sunday at the Sandcastle complex in Homestead. More than 800 girls, their families and friends took part in the event, which was a culmination of a 12-week program run by Magee-Womens Hospital.

"The program is a non-competitive running group for girls ages 8 to 14," director Meredith Colaizzi said. "The idea is to encourage girls to develop self-respect and a healthy lifestyle."

Much like an after-school club, Girls on the Run sessions are throughout Allegheny County, usually twice a week. Colaizzi said about 500 girls took part this spring, and there are programs in Mercer and Lawrence counties as well.

"It's about learning about yourself, your own values, building team trust and cooperation, giving back to the community," Colaizzi said.

About half of the sessions involve running in preparation for the 5K, the girls also prepare a community service project.

"The founder of the [national program, Molly Barker] realized that girls before middle school are more receptive to peer pressure than adult influence," Colaizzi said.

"We try to teach the girls to stand up for what they believe in, to curb those at-risk behaviors such as substance abuse."

The running part of the program does not stress competition. That's why there was a finish line clock at the race Sunday but no official standings.

For more information on Girls on the Run, contact Colaizzi at 412-641-1596 or www.girlsontherun.magee.edu.

Pittsylvania Mile

The Western Pennsylvania Track Club will have its seventh annual Pittsylvania Mile Run June 3 at Mt. Lebanon High School Stadium.

Mt. Lebanon resident and former sub-four-minute miler Jerry Richey will serve as honorary chair for the event, which offers mile races in divisions ranging from 5-and-under boys and girls to seniors. There also will be a race walk to kick off the day at 12:30 p.m.

The defending men's and women's champions are Washington & Jefferson freshman Bobby Regan and Penn-Trafford junior Diana Filtz.

For more information, contact John Harwick, 724-464-2222.