IN West Mifflin Fall 2019 | Page 17

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