Roberta Groner running virtual Pittsburgh Marathon for good cause

Pittsburgh area native Roberta Groner worked as a nurse for more than a decade at UPMC Presbyterian, and the mission of those in emergency care facilities throughout the county in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is a cause close to her heart.

The 42-year-old Groner, a Seneca Valley graduate who has gained fame as world-class marathon runner, is using her long-distance abilities for those on the front lines, and a catalyst for her efforts will be to run the virtual Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday.

“I wanted to do something to give back and show support for everything they’ve been doing,” she said.

Groner, who lives in Ledgewood, N.J., will do a street run in Bergen County, one of the hardest-hit counties in the state. Bergen County is directly across the Hudson River from New York City’s Manhattan borough.

She has planned a 26.2-mile point-to-point route that will take her past five area hospitals. Money raised through her gofundme.com page will go to the hospital staff in these communities.

Groner moved to New Jersey a little more than five years ago and works in a primary care in-office setting.

“What these doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, medical assistants and techs are doing daily to fight this pandemic is truly inspirational,” Groner wrote in a message on her gofundme page.

With several stops planned during the Bergun County run, the Pittsburgh Marathon alum knows her time will not contend for any top finishes or medals. Placement or prizes aren’t on her mind.

“I have decided to run a virtual Pittsburgh Marathon on May 3 in honor of all that have been directly affected by this pandemic,” Groner said. “I want to celebrate the marathon and all the people who also are running it this year. I was supposed to be there in person to run.”

Groner owns a marathon personal best of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 9 seconds achieved one year ago at the Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands. It is the third-fastest time ever for a U.S. Masters woman.

Last September, she posted a sixth-place finish in the women’s marathon at the World Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar. She was the first American to finish and did so in a time of 2:38.55.

Groner planned to run the full Pittsburgh Marathon this year.

“I was originally going to do the half marathon, but after the Olympic Marathon Team Trials (Feb. 29 in Atlanta), I decided to switch it over to the full,” Groner said. “I had never done the full (Pittsburgh) marathon. I said, ‘It’s my home. Why not just go out and do it?’ ”

More than 13,000 runners from 43 states are signed up to run virtual races as part of the Pittsburgh Marathon.

“I think at this time it is important to have a focus or goal outside of everything else that is going on,” Groner said.

“As we’ve seen recently, running and being outdoors is helping people. I’ve seen many people outside running, walking and biking. I think that is good for us mentally, as well as physically, in these trying times. This marathon, and other races I’m doing like it is something that is keeping me moving and motivated.”

Groner, who achieved success as a collegiate runner at St. Francis (Pa.), was to be inducted into the Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame as part of this weekend’s festivities, but the Class of 2020 instead will be inducted with the Class of 2021 next year.

The 2021 Pittsburgh Marathon will be run the weekend of May 2.

Troy Schooley, CEO of P3R, the organization that puts together the Pittsburgh Marathon, is excited to see Groner’s money-raising efforts and that she will be a virtual participant in the marathon Sunday.

“Roberta is a favorite of ours. She grew up in the area. She graduate from Seneca Valley, and she’s run at the Pittsburgh Marathon several times before,” Schooley said.

“What she is doing is impressive. Being a registered nurse, she understands what is going on in the front lines, even though she’s no longer in a position on the front lines herself. I saw one of her quotes where she said she feels like she’s not doing enough. But she is a great example to follow. We have thousands of charity runners who are running virtually with us to raise money for many great causes, which is so important.”

Schooley, who stresses continuing social distancing practices, is pleased with the response to the virtual marathon, which can be run anytime. P3R mapped out 17 courses throughout the region for the 5K, half and full marathons. They are available at pittsburghmarathon.com.

He said any convenient running location — even on a treadmill — is acceptable.

“For this many people to still want to run the marathon virtually shows how big the running community is and how important it is to keep moving during these difficult times,” Schooley said.