Path of the flood 2022 results

Overall Rating

4

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(2 Ratings)  (2 Reviews)

• 14 Miler, 8 Miler, 5K
• Trail (Unpaved)
• Official race website

• 14 Miler, 8 Miler, 5K
• Trail (Unpaved)
• Official race website

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Path of the Flood Historic Races participants said this year’s event on Saturday presented the ideal environment to run any distance of the course.

“Today was enjoyable,” Jean-Pierre Bonasso said. “Perfect weather.”

Runners were met with overcast skies, a slight drizzle and temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s.

This year was the third time Bonasso, of Pittsburgh, ran the Path of the Flood race, which benefits the Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority and Johnstown Area Heritage Association. Bonasso runs a few half-marathons per year and said Johnstown’s contest is one of his favorites.

“It’s a beautiful course,” he said.

Racers could choose the 14-mile course that began near Johnstown Flood National Memorial in South Fork, the eight-mile path starting at the Staple Bend Tunnel trail in Mineral Point or the 5K challenge that kicked off in East Conemaugh.

All three followed the Path of the Flood Trail, which traces the path of water from the devastating 1889 Johnstown Flood through and into downtown Johnstown, finishing at Peoples Natural Gas Park, 90 Johns St.

While runners wound down, they could enjoy music provided by Whiskey River Panhandlers and refreshments.

Jen Le, a first-time runner from Bellevue, said the experience was great.

“It’s a really good race,” she said.

Caytlin Lusk, Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority program coordinator, said roughly 545 people ran the race this year, about the same amount as in 2021. Lusk said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers have seen a dip in runners, but she was still satisfied with the turnout.

Saturday’s event kicked off the area’s Cambria County Trails series of races. That includes the Path of the Flood race, the Ghost Town Trail Challenge in June, September’s Jim Mayer Trail Family Fun Run and the Chernisky Ghost Town Trail-a-thon in October.

“I think what makes this one so unique is the historic aspect of it,” Lusk said of Saturday’s event.

Mark Voelker, who started the Path of the Flood race, said he was glad the weather held out and that the event had a good turnout. In addition to helping get the race started, he ran the 5K this year.

“The trail is in such great condition,” he said.

Brothers Joseph, 16, and Cormac Tracy, 14, of Swarthmore, Delaware County, agreed. The pair had run the 5K before, but took on the 14-miler this time around.

“It was intense,” Cormac Tracy said.

“Definitely a new experience,” his brother added.

The teenagers ran the path with their father and appreciated the course as a whole. Joseph Tracy said he was glad it leveled out after the start.

“It’s a little hilly,” Cormac Tracy said, “but it was really beautiful.”

The boys’ entrance was covered by the 1889 Foundation, which handles the fees for racers 17 years old and younger.

Deb Winterscheidt, JAHA development director and race organizer, said she’s heard from “so many people ... how well coordinated” the race is.

Examining the crowd listening to the music afterward, Winterscheidt said she was pleased with the event and the number of people that stuck around at PNG Park to relax.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5054. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.

Race Calendar / North America / USA / Path Of The Flood Historic Races

The Path of the Flood Historic Races allow runners to experience the historic 1889 Johnstown Flood in its entirety with the half marathon, or in small droplets through the 5K or 12K races. The course follows the Path of the Flood Trail and goes through Staple Bend Tunnel, the first railroad tunnel in the U.S. The finish is at Peoples Natural Gas Park where you can see the historic Stone Bridge, which still stands after stopping the majority of the flood’s energy.

Date: May 28, 2022 on Satruday

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