The 30th Annual Brookline Breeze
5K Fitness Run and Walk was held on Saturday, August 13, 2011. Nearly 650 runners
and walkers came to Brookline Memorial Park to participate in what has
become an August tradition here in the Brookline community.
Planning of the commemorative
running began back in January. Twenty-six corporate and local merchants
signed on as sponsors. The 2011 banner was first seen during the Memorial
Day Parade on May 30. Shortly afterwards, registrations began.
Brookline Park's Breeze Week
festivities kicked into high gear on Friday night, with the 6th Annual
Breeze Car Cruise, hosted by the Brookline Memorial Recreation Center.
While a steady crowd roamed the park to see the variety of classic
vehicles on display, the package pickup and late registrations began
in the gymnasium.
As part of the 30th anniversary
celebration, Breeze organizers added a dog walk as part of the one-mile
Mini-Breeze. Several dog owners brought along their furry friends for
a short jog around the block. All registered dogs received a bandana
while all walkers and runners received a commemorative t-shirt.
The Mini-Breeze began at 8:30am.
Ten year old Jack Motznik crossed the finish line well ahead of the pack
with a time of 5:56. The first pooch to cross the line was "Missy",
accompanied by her owner Zachary Adamerovich.
The 5K starting gun sounded at 9:00am
and the crowd of Breeze participants began their advance up Brookline Boulevard.
As the sixteen minute mark drew near, the top runners approached the finish line.
Mark Grogan, a native Pittsburgher now living in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, crossed
first with a time of 15:59. Two minutes later, two-time defending female champion
Jessica Zozos of Glenshaw made it three-in-a-row with a time of 18:10. The top
local runner was Pittsburgh Firefighter Ed Hurley, who chimed in at the 19:00
mark.
The Awards Presentation began as
the final walkers reached the park. Before announcing the winners, a special
presentation was made to two of the founding fathers of the Brookline Breeze,
Citiparks Director Mike Radley and Dan O'Brien, who both put on their running
shoes and proved they still have the right stuff! Once the trophy presentation
and gift prize raffle concluded, the band Yinzide Out belted out a few more
classic numbers before calling it a morning.
This was a year for new twists. For the
past three years, Brookline merchants have held the Boulevard BreezeFest, a
sidewalk sale and stroll to complement the Breeze activities. The Community
Festival attractions, that for the past several years have been in Brookline
Park, were moved to locations along the Boulevard to enhance the festive
atmosphere on Brookline's main artery. From 10am to 5pm the Boulevard was
alive with food, games, rides and plenty of bargains in the many tents that
lined the walkway.
It was another fantastic day to
Breeze through Brookline. The community would like to thank all of the Breeze
participants, Citiparks Director Mike Radley, Race-Director Clint Burton,
Debbie Brust, the Citiparks Special Events staff and Soundcrew, the Brookline
Recreation Center Staff, and the many volunteers who came to help. Special
thanks to our many corporate and community sponsors, whose generous assistance
will ensure that the Brookline Breeze tradition continues to
flourish.
<Race Results>
<Dormont-Brookline Patch Video and Photos of the
Brookline Breeze>
Thank You Daniel Nephin, editor of the Dormont-Brookline
Patch
Note: A local correspondent was granted
access to the Brookline firehouse tower to capture some images of the race from above.
The photos of the inside of the century-old tower and the rolling Brookline hills
were worth the effort.
Click on images below
for larger photos
* Photos provided by
Clint Burton, Doug Brendel and John Malicky * |