Patti Turissini, 73, of Middleburg crosses the finish line to win the Wyoming Valley Striders Spring Trail Run on Sunday. Turissini crossed the finish line in 53:41 for her sixth win at the event.
Courtesy of Wyoming Valley Striders
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Celebrating their 50th anniversary as a running club, the Wyoming Valley Striders held their third race of the year on Sunday during their milestone year.
Familiar names took top honors at the 33rd Annual Spring Trail 5.3 Mile Run/11th Annual Jen Stec Memorial, with Patti Turissini, 73, of Middleburg, and Sean Robbins, 55, of Dallas, repeating their winning performances.
Turissini and Robbins previously won the 2022 Spring Trail Run, and both earned victories again at the Fall Trail Run this past October.
Turissini crossed the finish line in 53:41, while Robbins followed at 58:16. This marks Turissini’s sixth overall spring win, tying her with Tony Korch and Philip Vogel for the most wins in event history.
Turissini won her first Spring Trail Run in 2017, adding wins in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024 before adding her sixth win on Sunday.
Korch won his six races spanning from 2008 to 2018, while Vogel won six times in nine tries from 1995-2003.
An impressive sub-hour, third place finish came from Danny J. Houssock, 13, of Plymouth, who clocked in at 59:12.
Mario Zarate, 38, of Meshoppen, last year’s top male and runner-up, placed fourth. Melissa Delfino, 55, of Scranton, was the second female and finished fifth overall.
As an age-graded race with a staggered start, Turissini was the first runner to begin. Melissa had to wait 9:32 before starting, while the top male finishers started even later, with wait times ranging from 14:38 to 19:23 based on their handicaps.
Despite recent rain, 51 of the 57 registered runners finished the race, navigating plenty of muddy terrain along the scenic course.
The top 15 finishers across all ages were awarded a special 50th Anniversary medal to mark the club’s celebratory year.
This race also honors the memory of Jen Stec, a beloved runner and six-time top female finisher of this event, who passed away unexpectedly in 2013 at the age of 38.
Next up for the Wyoming Valley Striders will be the 50th annual Cliff Robbins Sr. Memorial High School Cross Country Races on August 30.
The Fall Trail 5.5 Mile Run will follow on Oct. 26 before the group rounds out their 50th anniversary year with the 20K Run, the last leg of the Vince Wojnar Triple Crown.
The 20K Run and accompanying 5K run will be held on Nov. 9 at the Susquehanna Warrior Trail in Shickshinny.