New Champs Crowned at Hyner Half Race

RecordStaffAugust 26, 2018Last Updated: August 26, 2018

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The top four finishers in Saturday’s Hyner Half trail run: Steve Templin of Muncy (160) was first, followed by Lee Strappello of James Creek, PA (right), Nicole Yokum of State College (156) and Mike Delorso of Mifflinburg at left.
Photo courtesy Clinton County Visitors Bureau

HYNER – A challenging course and perfect racing weather resulted in the highest turnout to date for Saturday’s third annual Hyner Half trail race. The 14-mile event starts and ends at Hyner Run State Park and takes participants through trails in the Hyner Mountain area of Sproul State Forest. Limited to runners and speed hikers, the race continues to grow and this year saw more than 140 finishers from a field of about 170 registrants.

And for the first time, there were new faces in the top spots.

Matt Lipsey of Kersey, PA, has won the event the past two years but was unable to make Saturday’s race, leaving the field wide open. Steve Templin, 45, of Muncy was first to cross the finish line, completing the difficult course in two hours, six minutes.

“It was a really good course, and well marked,” said Templin, who added he was hoping to better Lipsey’s time of under two hours, but came up short. A trail and marathon runner, this was his first time to compete in the Hyner Half.

The other top finishers were also first-time Hyner Half participants: Lee Strappello, 35, of James Creek, PA, finished second with a time of 2:11:13; Nicole Yokum, also 35, of State College, was third and the first female to finish, with a time of 2:11:28; and Mike Delorso, 33, of Mifflinburg was fourth with a time of 2:12:12.

Carl Undercoffler of Woodland, left, at 80 years young, was the race’s oldest participant and is a familiar face in the trail race community. Another familiar face is Jane Kone of Howard. They’re shown here with Gregory Harding, right, of Cumberland, Maryland. Photo courtesy Clinton County Visitors Bureau

The PA Trail Dogs host the Hyner Half, with Craig Fleming serving as race director. Participants this year came from five states. The youngest was 15-year-old Tristan Amell of Coudersport who finished 47th with a time of 2:52, while the oldest was veteran trail runner, 80-year-old Carl Undercoffler of Woodland, who finished 137th with a time of 4:25.