Sports History
A Pearl of a Race
By Anne Madarasz

On your 25th wedding anniversary, the traditional gift is silver. If you reach 30 years, it's pearls. This September, the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race will hit that pearl milestone - celebrating three decades of competition. Debuted in 1977 as a 10k race, it has grown from a local event to one that is increasingly international. Each year about 10,000 runners register, traveling from 35 states and 30 countries to compete.

Now named in honor of its founder, Richard S. Caliguiri, the Great Race is more than just a competitive sporting event. It is also a major civic happening - the race showcases the city to out-of-town visitors, brings together many neighborhoods and people in the planning and execution of the event, generates economic revenue, and casts a positive image of the city to all who participate or watch.

Carl Hatfield, now a resident of Clarksburg, West Virginia, won the first race. He's also one of the "perfects," the 26 men who have participated in and finished all 29 races to date, a group that includes former mayor Tom Murphy. They are joined by one honorary female perfect, Eileen Petrone, who began competing in 1978.

The race, relatively simple when it began, has grown in both size and complexity. By the 25th anniversary, more than 250,000 runners had competed. The 10k runners had logged over 1.4 million miles, enough to circle the globe 56 times. The number of races and support events has also blossomed, attracting some elite runners over the years. In 2002, Kenyan runners dominated the top finishers, with Gilbert Koech winning with a time of 27:32, followed by seven more Kenyans. The first two women finishers that year, Gladys Asiba and Naomi Wangui were also from Kenya.

Technology has also kept pace. Runners the first year were handed popsicle sticks at the finish line to mark their place. Now timing chips provide all runners with not just their final time, but with benchmarks throughout the race.

More than just a competitive race and a civic event, the competition also gives back to the community. A portion of the proceeds each year are donated for research on amyloidosis, the rare disease that Mayor Caliguiri died from.

Anne Madarasz is the Director of the Western PA Sports Museum which features a special section on the history of the Great Race.