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Monday, May 08, 2000 By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
Scot Hollonbeck is a veteran of marathons and one of the most accomplished wheelchair racers in the country, but even he couldn't beat the heat at yesterday's UPMC/Pittsburgh Marathon.
Hollonbeck, who is a six-time Olympian, won the male open division wheelchair race with a time of 1 hour, 40 minutes, 47 seconds but was disappointed that he did not get the course record of 1:36:59. Last year, he missed the record by five seconds and figured he'd have no problem getting it yesterday.
"I'm pretty unhappy about my time. I really wanted that record, but that's the breaks," said Hollonbeck, 30, of Atlanta. "I didn't ever feel good out there because of the heat. My heart rate was erratic, I had trouble staying cool and even though I was getting a lot of fluids, I just couldn't get comfortable after about 10 miles."
Hollonbeck, who won the event for the third consecutive year, won $600. Tony Nogueira, 32 of Glen Ridge, N.J., finished second (1:50:41) in the open division and claimed $300. Scott Gilger finished third (2:01:50).
Despite Hollonbeck's success, he is not planning on running any more marathons this year and will focus on training for the Olympic Trials in the 5K this month.
"I like marathons, but I love track racing," Hollonbeck said. "There is no greater feeling than what it would be like to race on a track in a stadium in Sydney with 70,000 fans cheering you on. That's where my focus is. I really only ran this race to try to get the record."
In the quadriplegic division, Canonsburg's Jeffrey Dellovade, 30, won the event with a time of 2:24:17. Like Hollonbeck, Dellovade has won the event for three consecutive years.
Another repeat winner came in the relay competition where Pittsburgh Pharaoh Hounds, a local running group, brought home their fifth consecutive trophy. The team picked its name because Pharaohs in Egypt usually had fast dogs. The team finished with a time of 2:29.07. Dick's Sporting Goods finished second with a time of 2:38:46 followed by The Slimy Pebbles (2:41:29).
"It's becoming a tradition for us," said Dan Holland of Friendship. Holland again anchored the team and therefore got to cross the finish line. "We have a lot of fun, although today was a little hotter than usual."
The 5K races were both won by Western Pennsylvania runners. In the men's division, Bill Westover, 24, of Pittsburgh won in 15:51. The pace was nearly a minute slower than last year's. Westover was followed by Dominic Wyzomirski, 40, of Allison Park (15:54) and Robert Murray, 40, of Valdese, North Carolina (16:00).
The women's 5K race was won Mindy Sawtelle, 27, of Indiana, Pa., in 16:48. She was followed by Laura Hruby, 39, of Pittsburgh (18:05) and Evea Fevery (18:27) of Albuquerque, N.M. (18:27).
NOTES -- A record 6,383 athletes participated in this year's event, up from 5,176 last year.
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