Hundreds take part in annual Penguins 6.6K Run and Family Walk
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - By the dawn's early light on this chilly Sunday morning, hundreds of people came out to pound the Pittsburgh pavement and raise some money for both the cancer research and patient care initiatives of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, as well as the youth initiatives of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.
This 6.6-kilometer distance race is in honor of Penguins legend No. 66, Mario Lemieux.
Nancy Angus, the President of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, says that this event has been going strong for 11 years, and she said that they were thrilled by both the turnout for the race and the new Penguins season.
"It's amazing, said Angus. "It's the start of a new season, and we are so excited for the possibilities that this team is going to give us this year, and we are so encouraged that we can kick it off with this great race and raise some money for these two charities. It's wonderful."
One of the racers who has been coming out for the last 11 years is lifelong Penguins fan Janet Mikula from Hopewell Township.
"I've been a Penguin fan since I was about 11," said Mikula. "So, I have gone to games all my life. And I just love the Penguins. I have been running for about 12 years now, so once they started the race, I knew I had to do it, and then it just became a tradition to do it every single year."
One of the biggest treats for runners finishing this 6.6K race was getting to slap hands at the finish line with No. 66 himself, who was all smiles. Or to borrow a phrase from Mike Lange, Mario was 'smiling like a butcher's dog.'
For more information on the race and the Mario Lemieux Foundation, check out their website here.
