DUBOIS – Two Penn State DuBois Cross Country runners, Matthew Burke and Juliann Boddorf, competed in the Second Annual Mario Lemieux Foundation 6.6k over the weekend.
Burke finished 41st out of 3,977 runners, while Boddorf finished 99th overall. Burke also took seventh in his age division for the men and Boddorf took first in her age division for the women.
This unique race pays homage to the famous Pittsburgh Penguin, No. 66, Mario Lemieux. Runners compete in a 6.6k (4.1 mile) loop that starts and ends at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home arena, the Consol Energy Center.
Proceeds from the race are divided among the Mario Lemieux Foundation and the Pittsburgh Penguin Foundation. After the race, runners receive a commemorative medal and are given free access to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins practice at the arena.
“It had to have been the biggest race I ever ran in and it went all through Pittsburgh. It was one of the coolest races I ever ran, too. Mario Lemieux was the official starter and my parents even got to meet Dan Potash (the ice-level commentator for the Pittsburgh Penguins),” said Burke.
Penn State DuBois is preparing this week to compete in the PSUAC Cross Country Championships on October 11, in State College.
