Are you thirsty?

June 18, 2022

If the News and Sentinel had any more water stops it could officially become a swim meet. I’m only exaggerating a little. Hydration is important. The hotter it gets and the harder you run relates directly to how much liquid you need to drink before, during and after a long race. The News and Sentinel Half Marathon has 15 water stops along the 13.1-mile course. That is of course, more than one per mile. Some of you will need every one of them, others will not take water the entire race. You be you – drink what your body needs. Your hydration plan should start a few days ...

Volunteers are the heart of the race

June 11, 2022

If you have ever raced in the News and Sentinel Half Marathon or Two-Mile Race you know how great a group of volunteers we have. Many people have told us over the years how much they enjoy doing the races. That enjoyment is largely based on how great the volunteers in Parkersburg really are. The race is run on the efforts of close to 1,000 volunteers. I can’t name them all here. But I will describe some of the things they do to make sure the races go off smoothly. The bulk of the volunteer efforts start a few weeks before the event. I have had the privilege of watching them do ...

PATRICK: State track still resonates with Tredway

June 7, 2022

COLUMBUS — The legacy of Belpre’s lone state championship in boys track and field from 1952 is for the most part always present year after year at the Ohio State Track and Field Meet in Columbus. Dick Tredway at 88 years young has missed attending only a handful of state track meets since he graduated from Belpre High School and placed in four events during the Golden Eagles’ title run 70 years ago. During the Division III boys 3200 final Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Tredway was encouraged by the public announcer to stand so the fans could recognize his ...

SMITH: Half-marathon takes you through Parkersburg

June 4, 2022

Racing in the News and Sentinel Half Marathon means that you will cover much of Parkersburg on foot on Aug. 20. The race course offers a little of everything as you travel in and out of the City of Parkersburg. The starting line is on Juliana Street near the Court House, your race starts when you cross the black plastic starting mat and your time officially begins to register. You will make your way up a slight hill right from the start, passing our offices at 519 Juliana St. in the first quarter mile. Here is a tip. This is a great place to park, you will be parked one block ...

Two-mile race is perfect for family

May 28, 2022

Looking for something a little less intense than a half marathon? Sign up for the News and Sentinel Two-Mile Race. Historically the News and Sentinel Half Marathon gets a lot of attention in August. It’s big, takes up the whole town and it is truly inspirational to watch. It’s also hard, in a good way. If you are looking to be part of a great event but not ready to take 30,000 steps to do so, sign up for the Two-Mile Race. Both the half and two-mile events start and stop at the same spot. A few minutes after the half racers get on their way on Aug. 20, the two-mile racers ...

You can do this: Finishing half marathon is a solid goal

May 25, 2022

For years, you may have wondered if you could run a half marathon. I used to have the same thought. After years of watching others cover 13.1 miles I decided to see if I could in fact, finish such a distance. I will not sugar coat it, doing a half marathon is hard. Hard in a good way, hard in a way that if you plan for it, most people can complete it and most will find joy in the fact that they did. People run long distances for a variety of reasons, for me it was a medical reason to drop a few pounds. Preparing to take part in a half marathon was the motivation that I needed to push ...