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Sunday, May 07, 2000 By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
The Pittsburgh Marathon kicks off today with the start of the U.S. Olympic men's trials at 7:55 a.m., but that is only a small part of the activities.
At 8:50, the running of the 16th annual UPMC/City of Pittsburgh Marathon gets underway for the field of about 6,000 participants expected to compete in a variety of competitions.
And this year, unlike years past, the winners in each of the various classifications will receive little more than a year's worth of bragging rights, because all of the prize money is tied up in the Olympic trials.
But that doesn't mean the race won't be just as competitive and as much fun for participants. It just means many runners are only competing for the love of the sport.
"This is the first year we haven't been able to give out prize money to the winners of the general race," Marathon Director Larry Grollman said. "But it obviously hasn't deterred people from wanting to be a part of the race. I think most runners understand the enormity of having the U.S. Olympic trials here in Pittsburgh and what it means for the city and the race and so they are just happy to be a part of such an incredible event."
Last year's open division winners were awarded over $5,000 each and the top male and female runners from Pennsylvania were awarded $1,000 each. The top finishers from Pittsburgh also won $1,000.
The top male and female finishers in all of the divisions will be given plaques along with the medals awarded to every runner that finishes the race. The competition will again be divided into men's and women's divisions. The top Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh runners in both categories will be recognized.
Grollman said he expects the field to be about 10 to 15 minutes slower than last year when Alfredo Vigueras (who is in the Olympic Trials this year) won it at 2:14.
"I'd say about 2:25 to 2:30 depending on the weather conditions," Grollman said. "But you never know, it could be a very hot day and the field could be much slower. "
The one competition where there is prize money on the line is in the wheelchair division, which could be one of the best races of the day because of the level of competition.
The race features six-time Olympian Scot Hollonbeck, considered to be the premier wheelchair track racer in the country who finished last year's race at 1:37:04, only five seconds off the course record. Pushing Hollonbeck will be Scott Gilger and Tony Nogueira, who have each won the race in the past.
"Scot is eager to break the record this year, so he has a lot of motivation going in," said wheelchair race coordinator John Sikora. "But overall I think we have strong field and there two or three other guys who are capable of winning the race."
Sikora, who is the director of the Hope Network which works to incorporate sports, fitness and recreation into the lives of people with disablities, said he is a little disappointed there are only 12 racers in the wheelchair division, but said the number should grow over the next few years.
"Let's face it, running a marathon is not the easiest thing to do," Sikora said. "It takes a lot of dedication and commitment and not everybody is cut out for it."
Along with the regular and wheelchair races, there are several other interesting competitions within the marathon that give a lot of different runners with varying degrees of ability a chance to participate.
For those not cut out to run the 26.2 mile course, there is the popular 5K race. Grollman expects about 1,100 runners to participate in the 5 K.
Mellon Bank will sponsor the relay team competition. More than 400 four-person teams will compete for a host of different prizes. Each of the team's four runners will run varying pre-determined distances.
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