Mon/Yough Trail Council to hold annual Boston half marathon, 5K

The Mon/Yough Trail Council will host its 11th annual Boston Trail Half Marathon and 5K along the Great Allegheny Passage on April 12.

The Mon/Yough Trail Council has been busy preparing for its 11th annual spring fundraiser, the Boston Trail Half Marathon and 5K, and asks Mon Valley residents to put on their running shoes and join them.

The marathon and a 5K run/walk are scheduled for April 12 at the Boston Access of the Great Allegheny Passage in Elizabeth Township. Council President Richard Kundman said the event is accessible for everyone, even those who would prefer not to run.

“Every year it gets better and better,” Kundman said. “This year, we’ve done really well with sponsors, probably better than any other prior year.”

The event already has more than 400 people signed up and runners still have time to register if interested. Registration is open until April 10 and closes at midnight on that day.

Participants can also expect some goodies if they take part in the event with half marathon runners receiving a long-sleeve technical fiber shirt and 5k runners (or walkers) receiving a short-sleeved cotton shirt.

Medals will be awarded to the top three overall and age group finishers, men and women. An open division for those who may identify as nonbinary or who prefer not to select a gender, will award medals to the top three runners.

Participants in the half marathon can still expect a finisher medal at the end of their race.

The event will raise money for the Mon/Yough Trail Council, which maintains a 15-mile section of the Great Allegheny Passage in Allegheny County.

The trail — which extends 150 miles from Cumberland, Md., to Pittsburgh — is a flat, crushed limestone surface.

Hydration and aid stations will be available every 2 miles of the course until 1 p.m.

“Even if you don’t run, come on and take a walk,” council Vice President Ken Medved said. “It’s a beautiful trail, it’s picturesque, and the river is right there, a lot of life. Even if you don’t want to walk, just come and participate, cheer the runners on.”

Among the participants, Medved said they’re expecting to have 80 members from the cross-country club at Penn State. He added that they’re excited to have all the different runners come in.

Medved and Kundman said they’re thankful for this year’s sponsors and how much they’ve helped.

The presenting sponsors for the event are: Levin Furniture and Mattress, Olympus Energy, and Steel Strong Federal Credit Union. Additional sponsors include TBI Contracting, Allegheny Health Network, PAAmerican Water, Warhold Mechanicals and Cardello Lighting and Electric Supply.

According to the council, the half marathon is USA Track and Field certified and will be led by members of the MarathonPacing.com team. Timing services will be done by Runners High and participants will be able to find results at www.runhigh.com.

To register for the half marathon and 5k run/walk, participants can go to www.thebostontrail.com.