WHEELING, WV (WTRF) — Memorial Day Weekend in Wheeling started off with a bang on Saturday as hundreds of people participated in a race to the finish line.
The streets of Wheeling were packed with people today as people from across the country gathered for the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend hosted by WVU Medicine.
It’s an event that gets marked on people’s calendars every year.
Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend always features some of the best characters and costumes in the Ohio Valley.
Since it was Memorial Day weekend, Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty made an appearance to represent WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and talk about how special the event was.
It’s wonderful. People just look over and say, ‘Good morning,’ and it’s like, oh, what a wonderful morning. It’s a wonderful American morning, it’s a wonderful event. So we’re very happy. And it’s about the hospital giving back to the community.”
Jay Myers – Uncle Sam, employee of West Virginia University Medicine Wheeling Hospital
I’m happy to be with my grandpa and do all the crazy things he does.
Julia Myers – Lady Liberty, Jay’s granddaughter
The event brings with it many traditions for some: One group of fantasy football players has chosen costumes and entered their league losers into the WVU Medicine Children’s 5k race for the past three years.
This year, Loser struggled with several injuries during the season and as a result was running as Macho Man.
It’s fun. Today wasn’t fun. It’s more fun watching this guy from the other side of the fence. But that’s okay. I would hate not to do it because I want to keep doing it. I want to keep this tradition going for years. The worst part was getting overtaken by little kids.”
Dave Bonner – Fantasy Football League Loser, Macho Man Randy Savage
The event’s half marathon always seems to be one of the fan favorites, and two of the three Ironmen who’ve been running the event for over 45 years spoke about how special it is to run through the friendly city.
While you’re there, you can take a 13.1-mile tour of the city, which is great.”
Michael LeMaster – 46-year Ironman participant at Ogden Wellness Weekend
One participant has been competing in various races at the event since he was 11 years old, and although he didn’t come in first in the half marathon walking race today, he said there are many more joys to be had than winning.
“I love the spirit, the atmosphere, the energy, the cheering crowd, the announcers, the fans, and getting to see all my walking and running friends and their families. It’s the best. Nothing beats the Ogden Half Marathon. Really nothing.”
Carl Kondrak – 2024 Half Marathon Walk Runner-up
WTRF is a proud media sponsor of Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend.
While it may have been a long day for some, there was plenty of fun to be had in the Friendly City on Saturday, especially if you had food truck coupons.
