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.
During the last five years, he 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.
Last 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—$70-$80 a season. We
“Kids sleep better
and do better in
school when they
run. It’s just a terrific
sport for everyone.”
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 Humane Animal Rescue where we adopted 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 MIFFLIN
❘
FALL 2019
15