Leslie Evans was a runaway bride.

There was more than the usual over-the-top celebration three days ago at the Brentwood Firecracker 5K run, when Evans and Greg Zamule, both of Mt. Lebanon, were married by town mayor Ken Lockhart before the Fourth of July event.

"They probably had a thousand witnesses," said Janice Boyko, who has been the director for nine years and actively searched for an engaged couple to put on a wedding before the race.

"There have been times [as director] when I felt like the mother of the bride," Boyko said, laughing. "You feed people, you clothe people, tell them where to be and when. But nobody tells you you're pretty and nobody gives you any presents."

A steady rain persisted throughout the wedding and the race, which was run by everyone in the bridal party, plus about 1,300 others. Evans wore a red top and blue running shorts, an ensemble capped by a white veil, which she wore the entire race. Although her new husband finished ahead of her, he went back onto the course so he could pick her up and carry her across the finish line.

The Firecracker 5K long has enjoyed a wealth of post-race food and drink for participants -- the beer truck arrived before 9 a.m. -- but this year, sponsor Giant Eagle added something extra: 12 wedding-themed sheet cakes.

The day also was sweet for Baldwin High School graduate Ryan Sheehan, 22, an All-American runner at St. Francis University who now lives in Rochester Hills, Mich. Sheehan was the overall winner in 15:06.37, ahead of runner-up Jason Bodnar, 35, of Biltmore Lake, N.C. It was the largest margin of victory in race history, Boyko said.

The women's race was possibly the closest. Holly Whoolery, 23, a student at Slippery Rock University, edged Ann Mazur, 20, of Upper St. Clair and Notre Dame by two seconds. Whoolery's time was 18:59.

"She was just side stepped by Holly at the end," Boyko said. "Half of our top five were probably college students because they turned down the [prize] money."

An Ultra high

The 70.5-mile Laurel Highlands Ultra has pretty much everything a hard-core runner could want: challenging terrain, great scenery, a competitive field. Throw in cool weather, and things were pretty sweet, according to event director Rick Freeman.

"While the course record remained intact, we had a record number of finishers under 15 hours [17] and under 18 hours [40]. The 18-hour time is significant, as that was the cutoff time for the first 20 years of the race."

There were 68 finishers on the trails June 10, with a finish rate of 80 percent, highest for the race.

"It will be hard to improve on the performances of this year. In the women's race, Connie Gardner [10th overall in 14:21.21, from Ohio] and Donna Utakis [11th, Mass.] were only seven minutes apart," he said. "Both thought they could break the course record, and I expect them both back next year."

Leigh Schmitt, 33, from Massachusetts, was the overall winner in 11:27.13.

Country Roads

The July 15 Country Roads 5K in Apollo's Kunkle Park provides just that: a rolling, scenic, out-and-back course. It's an intimate event, sponsored by Up and Running, a sports store in Valencia, and the Avid Learning Center of New Kensington. Organizers are hoping to break the 100-runner mark in entries.

Custom plaques will be awarded to the top three men and women, and there will be age-group awards as well. New this year is a Clydesdale division for higher-weight entrants.

"Clydesdale is 200 pounds for men, 140 for women," said race director Susan Higgins. "Unfortunately, last year no woman wanted to take our Clydesdale trophy."

Top overall finishers last year and winners of Stetson cowboy hats were Jarrett Prady of North Carolina and Katelyn Grimm of Penn Hills.

The race will start at 9 a.m. for individuals and teams. For more information, go to www.washingtontownship.com or contact Higgins at 724-727-2089.