(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from July 7, 1984).

By Times News Staff

Eight members of the Carbon County based Switch-Back Road Runners Club left the front hill in Jim Thorpe in the pouring rain early Saturday morning in what club officials called the First Annual Switch-Back Marathon.

Although the 18-mile run does not come close to the accepted world marathon distance of 26 miles 385 yards, extremely poor footing caused by an overnight downpour, fallen trees, shrubs, and rocks on the early portion of the neglected landmark trail, as well as two sections of very steep uphill climbs, more than made up for the shorter than Olympic distance.

In all, five men and three women covered the original Switch-Back trail. Bob Thomas crossed the finish line first, followed by Ralph Clay and Dave Matsinko of Nesquehoning, who ran a dead heat for second. Drew Benyo was third, with Joe Duld of Lehighton and Jeanne Strubinger - running the entire distance together - finishing fourth.

Linda Clay and Jolaine Althouse tied for fifth. No official times were recorded for any of the runners, but all finished under three hours.

Matsinko, the club president stated, “The purpose of the club is to promote and encourage long distance running at the local level as a competitive sport and as a means of exercise.”

He was quick to stress “the club approach and social aspect” noting “Saturday morning fun runs conducted from the train station in Jim Thorpe, and combination club meetings and family picnics as a way of including non-running family members into the organization.”

Drew Benyo pointed out the fact that “back in mid October 1971, Ed Gildea and Rich Benyo ran the first Switchback Scamper over much of the same course that was covered Saturday to point out the plight of the historic trail, as land developers came close to wiping out a portion of our area’s history by selling it.

“As a club, we are not protesting land development in the area, however we are certainly not looking forward to NO TRESPASSING signs and swimming pools pock marking the trail next year when we run the course again. We are very much concerned about keeping the course open to all who want to hike, bike, ski and run on a part of local history.

“History is hard to preserve, and if our club Marathon helps the people of the area hold on to some of that history, I guess that is an extra benefit we didn’t plan on when we formed the Switch-Back Road Runners Club.”

The next club meeting will be held in mid September featuring a guest speaker. A 50K Lehigh River run is scheduled for early September.