Amid cheers of encouragement and under the blanket of a crystal blue spring sky, 15 runners trekked for their individual lengths in the first "Going For the Gold Community Parish Run," held by the Queen of Angels Catholic School in North Huntingdon.
"The relay is the official kickoff for the annual 'Going for the Gold' dinner that we have every year," relay coordinator Lee Ann Come said.
The relay consisted of volunteer runners from the school itself and also from the four Catholic parishes within the region.
Parents, faculty and alumni joined together for the event, whose popularity may light the way for an annual relay.
"We were really pleased with the response," Come said. "We asked for volunteers and we tried to reach out to all the parishes and I think that we have a nice mix."
The run began at 7 a.m. in the parking area of the Queen of Angels School and proceeded to cover 20 miles. All runners gathered together for a quick word of encouragement and prayer by the Rev. John Moineau of Immaculate Conception Parish in Irwin before setting out.
Each runner carried the torch, symbolic of the Olympics, for approximately one mile, then passed it off to the next participant.
Starting at the school and proceeding to each church, the runners covered highways and byways with the ultimate goal being the completion of the 20-mile loop back at the Queen of Angels School.
Part of the run took place along routes 30 and 993, and runners were never left alone for safety reasons.
"The North Huntingdon Township police made it nice and made it safe for us," runner and parent Jerry Lubinsky said of the police escort. "It was very nice of them to volunteer to help with this."
Lubinsky and his wife Sherry were one of three husband-and-wife teams that participated in the event, but were the only pair to run together.
"We ran it together," Sherry Lubinsky said. "We like to volunteer, and we thought this sounded fun and we also like to support the school. It's a great school with great people."
One of the first runners for the day was Allison McGaughey, who ran a length along Route 30.
"There was a lot of traffic but the police escort made it nice," McGaughey said. "I'm excited about the community participation in this and how it is bringing all four of the parishes together in support of Queen of Angels."
Husband-and-wife team Tom and Karen Welsch of Penn Township have two children in Queen of Angels School and plan to enroll their other two children as well.
Karen ran the first part of the couple's leg, passing the torch to her husband as he waited.
"We were all waiting for her," Tom Welsch laughed. "The kids were all there with big smiles as she came running up. This was great, and we can't wait for next year."
The final runner, Jeff Come, broke through the banner at around 10 a.m. to the delight of the cheering crowd that awaited the young alumnus.
They ran for fun, they ran to help volunteer and they all ran for the support of the school.
"This is the first year we've done this, and the response was great. It fits in with the theme that Catholic schools will light the way," Lee Ann Come said.
Runners included Jeff Come, Lee Ann Come, Brian Goetz, Reyne Brady, Becca Babyak, Christy Gilkey, Mike DeFelice, Gerilyn DeFelice, Sherry Lubinsky, Jerry Lubinsky, Karen Welsch, Tom Welsch, Allison McGaughey, Matt Boyle and Jenna Gigliotti. Rose Sherwin, who planned to run, could not participate.
The relay is the official kickoff for the Going for the Gold fundraising dinner that will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. April 25 at the Bishop Anthony G. Bosco Center, North Huntingdon.
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