Ave Maria fundraiser succeeds despite the weather
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Race volunteer Kathy Kelly shares a laugh with Maddie Patcher while Lisa Radzanowski checks the registration forms for her parents, Kristen and Michael, and older sister, Leah, during the Ave Maria Academy fundraiser event at Scott Park.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Caleb Krebs breaks the tape as the first finisher during the 5K Shamrock Shuffle held at Scott Park to raise funds for Ave Maria Academy. Krebs won the 3.1-mile run in 18:37.51.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Runners pounded the pavement on March 20 in an effort to race funds for Ave Maria Academy.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Anthony D’Eramo has rainbows painted on his face by Amy Yester. Face painting was one of the activities available at the Ave Maria fundraising event held March 20 at Scott Park.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Evelyn Smith and Lily Cramer pick out fruit for their post-race snack. Water, oranges, bananas, energy bars and Gatorade were among the refreshment options for the runners.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Evelyn Smith and Lily Cramer pick out bananas for their post-race snack. Water, oranges, energy bars and Gatorade were among the refreshment options for the runners.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dom Blatt receives a post-race massage from Dr. Ryan Eggert from the Next Level Spine and Sports Injury Center LLC, which has an office located in Mt. Lebanon.
Cold temperatures and rain did little to dampen the spirits of the participants in the Shamrock Shuffle 5K held March 20 at Scott Park.
The event, which also included a family fun walk, served as the biggest fundraiser for Ave Maria Academy, which has campuses at the former St. Thomas More School in Bethel Park and St. Bernard School in Mt. Lebanon. More than $20,000 was raised during the event.
“Even in the small ways, God has us appreciate him,” said the Rev. Michael Ackerman, who laughed at the weather. “So maybe he wanted us to run a little faster. The cold certainly propels you.”
It surely put pep in the step of Caleb Krebs. The Chartiers Valley graduate won the race with a personal record time of 18:31.51.
“It was pretty cool,” said Krebs. “It was awesome to win this because it was my first major 5K and first time I ever made it in first place.”
Krebs typically runs in half marathons. He decided to enter the race because he had just completed an eight-week student teaching semester at Ave Maria.
Krebs attended St. Thomas More in grade school. He is currently in his second placement in the Moon School District before he graduates in May from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.
“Since I got to know some of the students here, they were chanting my name throughout the race and as I crossed the finish line. So that was pretty neat,” Krebs said.
“This was a great event,” he added. “I would highly recommend it for anybody. It was a great atmosphere and had a great community feel.”
That was lacking when Ave Maria Academy established the event two years ago. Because of COVID-19, the event had to be completed virtually.
So race director Katie O’Keefe wasn’t going to let the weather rain upon her parade.
“Even with the weather, this was perfect,” O’Keefe said. “It was great to finally get together and spent time with each other particularly with what we’ve gone through these past years because of the pandemic.”
Ackerman agreed.
“It was a fantastic event especially since we weren’t able to bring people together these last couple of years. So anything you can do to get people together to celebrate their faith, family and Catholic education is a wonderful thing,” he said. “I’m glad they did it.”
O’Keefe’s husband, Bernie, placed seventh overall while daughters, Elly and Kelly, finished in the top 35.
“Despite the weather, they were ready to participate. People always show up,” O’Keefe assured all the runners.
In addition to actual runners and walkers, the event was conducted virtually. People from across the country participated. The farthest entrant hailed from California.