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<p>We are just starting the third week of January and there is already a lot of news locally on the running scene.</p><p>In case you haven&#8217;t heard, The Wyoming Valley Strides will host a triple crown this year.</p><p>The inaugural Vince Wojnar Triple Crown will consist of Winters End 4.5 Mile Run at Penn State Wilkes-Barre in March, the Cherry Blossom 5 Mile Run in Kirby Park in May and the year-end 20K Run in Lehigh Gorge State Park in November.</p><p>The event is in honor of local running legend Vince A Wojnar, who passed away last January at the age of 80.</p><p>Wojnar was one of the founders of the Wyoming Valley Striders, along with a host of other accomplishments.</p><p>In 2015, the club placed a bench in Kirby Park in Wojnar&#8217;s honor near where hundreds of local runs have been held over the years.</p><p>According to a Bob Miner story last year, Paul McGrane, Coughlin High School&#8217;s running coach, said at the dedication of the bench: &#8220;Vince is running in the Wyoming Valley. He is road running. He is cross country. He is track and field. He is the man.&#8221;</p><p>The Triple Crown series is open to all runners, whether they are a member of the Striders or not.</p><p>For more information, check out the Striders&#8217; Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WyomingValleyStriders" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/WyomingValleyStriders</a>.</p><p><strong>National championship at Montage</strong></p><p>Do you enjoy trail running?</p><p>Are half marathons your thing?</p><p>Ever had the urge to run up the side of a ski mountain?</p><p>Well if you answered yes to those three questions, does USA Track and Field have an event for you.</p><p>The Montage Mountain Trail Half Marathon will be held on June 9 at the Montage Mountain Ski Resort.</p><p>According to the race&#8217;s website, the &#8220;course is a super challenging and scenic tour of the Montage Mountain Ski Resort and surrounding forest lands. The course has approximately 3,500 feet of elevation gain with terrain that includes single track trails, double wide quad trails, grass paths and 1 creek crossing. The trails are true Pennsylvania style trails that can be technical, steep at times and fast as well.&#8221;</p><p>A creek crossing, that&#8217;s something that I haven&#8217;t seen in a local run.</p><p>The race will also serve as the USATF National Championship.</p><p>Many local runners will be familiar with just how challenging of a course this will be from the Black Diamond Series of trail runs held at the resort each summer.</p><p>Somehow, I managed to get myself talked into doing this one, and I&#8217;m somewhere between terrified and looking forward to it.</p><p>To put in perspective on how I expect to do, last year it took me 54 minutes to finish the Black Diamond 5K. In fairness, I struggled all season last year with a host of ailments. In 2017, I did finish the Black Diamond 8K in just a little over an hour.</p><p>To register or for more information, go to ultrasignup.com and search for Montage Mountain.</p><p><strong>Wyoming Valley Multi-Sport</strong></p><p>Wyoming Valley Multi-Sport members met recently to discuss ways to expand the club&#8217;s membership, along with a variety of other topics.</p><p>If you are not familar with WyomingValley Mutli-Sport, it&#8217;s a local organization who&#8217;se mission is to support and grow swimming, bike and running in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It currently does not charge membership fees and holds a few social events throughout the year. It&#8217;s open to anyone with a desire to be active in the local fitness sports scene.</p><p>At the recent meeting, the club also discussed the upcoming season and possible races to participate in.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Joseph Soprano. Times Leader Executive Editor.  12/22/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_Joe-Soprano.cmyk_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Joseph Soprano. Times Leader Executive Editor.  12/22/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Joe Soprano</p><p>jsoprano@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Soprano at 570-991-6393 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Running and more: Striders revive Triple Crown, honor Wojnar