KEEPING UP
WITH THE
PACERS
BY W.B. FRESA
The Pacers Track Club makes
running fun for kids of all ages.
A
ll Rie Lauver wanted was to
find something for her then
3-year-old son Alex to do. She
found information about the
Junior Great Race and asked him if he
wanted to try it.
“Alex asked me, ‘Will you be running
the “big person” race, Mom?’” says
Lauver. “What choice did I have? So, we
both became runners.”
At first, Alex could not keep up with his
mom. Now, just five years later, the tables
have turned and Lauver is working to
keep pace with her son.
“Kids sleep better
and do better in
school when they
run. It’s just a terrific
sport for everyone.”
During the last five years, the Gill Hall
second grader has run in various races
around Pittsburgh. Then, Lauver learned
about Pacers Track Club, and, after his
first year as a member of the club, Alex is
part of the same association as Olympic
runners two and three times his age.
“It’s one of the perks of running for
the Three Rivers Association,” says
Steve Meddings, coach of the Pacers.
“To be a member, kids also have to join
the U.S.A. Track & Field Association
(USATF), which is the same organization
Olympic runners belong to. Once the
kids know that, it makes them feel
pretty special.”
Pacers Track Club has been around
since the 1970s, and is one of four
clubs that make up the Three Rivers
Association. Pacers is based out of
the South Hills and includes kids
ages 7 and up.
In November, the Pacers had 35
runners qualify for the regional Junior
Olympics race. Five Pacers runners
received gold medals for winning their
age groups.
The Region 2 Junior Olympics
Championships were also held in
November near Philadelphia. The top
30 individuals there qualified for the
USATF National Junior Olympics, which
included Alex. He placed 21st with a
time of 10:10.22. He then moved on to
the USATF National Junior Olympics
Championship in December in Reno,
Nevada, and placed 179th out of 232 with
a time of 10:44.34.
Coach Meddings sees a bright future
for the Pacers cross-country runners but
says the kids really enjoy it because it
doesn’t have to be competitive.
“Anyone can join, and you don’t have
to run races at all if you don’t want to,”
says Meddings. “But we find the better
kids get, they sometimes want to try a
race, especially if their parents run it, too.
And from a cost perspective, the price is
right—between $70-$80 a season. We
also hear kids sleep better and do better
in school when they run. It’s just a terrific
sport for everyone.”
As for Alex, he’s going to stick with
running with the Pacers and beyond. “He
always looks forward to the Pittsburgh 5k
as a charity runner to raise money for the
Humane Animal Rescue where we adopt
our cats,” says Lauver. “And he’s also been
seeded for this year’s Junior Great Race in
his age group.” ■
»To learn more about Pacers Track Club and the USATF Three Rivers Association, visit usatf-threerivers.org.
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS
❘
SPRING 2019
29