I write this post both to recognize a very deserving race as well as hope that others may also recognize long standing races that may not be as familiar to everyone. A week ago, the 26th and final Chris and Kevin Truskey race was held in Tuscarora State Park near Tamaqua. Wayne and Pat Truskey started this race as a memorial to two of their sons who were tragically killed in separate car accidents, and were both cross country runners at Tamaqua High School. Many years had both a 10k and 5k run and 5k walk. The race organization and post race food were both excellent. The course is hilly and a definite challenge, with much of it on trails. The race has always attracted a large number of area high school cross country teams, who used it as a good pre-season run on the same 5K course used in the Schuykill County Championships. A large number of volunteers from the Truskey family and others also helped out. Perhaps most importantly, all of the proceeds were used to support scholarships for local high school runners -- amounting to over 110 scholarships as of last year. Anyone involved in race organization knows how difficult it is to maintain a race for 5-10 years, much less 26. Perhaps someone else will resume the race at some point. But, regardless of that, I would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to Wayne and Pat and the Truskey family for putting on such a terrific event.
