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Stough repeats as Half male walk champ

Pa. native shaved seven minutes off last year’s time

August 17, 2019
By Ron Johnston - Sports Reporter , News and Sentinel Half Marathon

PARKERSBURG - Lee Stough repeated as the 33rd annual Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon male walk champion.

The 37-year-old Glassport, Pa., resident covered the 13.1-mile distance in a winning time of 2:07. A year ago, he won it in 2:14.

Stough crossed the finish line in convincing fashion, like last year.

Article Photos

Photo by Madeline Scarborough
Lee Stough breaks the tape seven minutes faster than his winning time from last season. He repeated as the News and Sentinel male walk champion.

"I don't know where the next person was," said Stough, an antiques and collectibles dealer. "But I always have to assume that somebody's closing in on me."

Stough paused.

"No matter how I'm doing, and no matter where I am on the course," he continued, "I have to assume that to keep me going.

"Another thing that keeps me going is having battles - sort of - with runners. When they would pass me, I would pass them and so on over the course of several miles. Again, it's another good way to stay motivated."

Stough smiled.

"I did seven minutes better this year than last year," he said. "Last year, I was coming back from an injury."

According to Stough, his PR (personal record) for the Half distance walk in Parkersburg is 2:01 in 2014 - and he finished third.

"There was a husband and wife team (Erin Taylor-Talcott and Dave Talcott), who were terrific and won it," Stough recalled. "What they did just blew me away. But I was happy with my time. That's for sure."

Stough wanted to give a "major shout out" to the gym where he stays fit.

"That is Fitness 19," he said. "The numbers one nine in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Those guys are great.

"The gym is great, and it's one of the few place where I can race walk without everybody looking at me weird. Because it is an unusual form for those who don't know about it."

Stough said he's been race walking for over a decade. Before race walking, he'd started running in 2006.

"I was disqualified in my first race walk 12 years ago for using the wrong form," he said, laughing. "At least I knew for the next time....well, they showed me how to walk with the proper form to not have my knees bent. They did not accuse me of cheating. They just assumed I didn't know how to do it properly. And, that was in fact the case."

As for the future....

"I would like to do this (race walking) for 30 more years," Stough said.

Contact Ron Johnston at rjohnston@newsandsentinel.com.

 
 

 

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