Pittsburgh Marathon motivates runners for myriad reasons

More than 40,000 runners will compete this weekend in the 2017 Pittsburgh Marathon races.

A few elites will try to win. Some will try to set personal records or qualify for Boston. Others have different goals, whether it's raising money for charity, just crossing the finish line or even getting married.

Here's a look at different runners and their different reasons for competing:

Three Men in a Dress

Tony D'Abruzzo, Bryan Gerber and Vinh Ly will run the marathon this year dressed as Chewbacca, Kylo Ren and Princess Leia — the version from the Star Wars film “Return of the Jedi,” when she wore that infamous gold bikini.

It's become an annual tradition for the three longtime friends to dress up for the marathon and raise money for charity. They've run in wedding dresses, as characters from the movie Anchorman and as the Mario Brothers.

“Let me tell you something, running in a dress was actually pretty comfortable,” said D'Abruzzo, 35, a Pittsburgh native who recently moved to Albany, N.Y. “It's flowing, it works. But now I really understand the whole strapless dress issue for woman. The first 10 miles, I was constantly pulling it up.”

D'Abruzzo started running in 2004 to lose weight. He weighed 350 pounds and has dropped 80 pounds.

When the Pittsburgh Marathon returned in 2009, he signed up. Two years later, Ly ran with him, and in 2012 they did it again. That time, however, Ly ran in a suit as a way of protesting cuts to local bus routes. On the front of his suit was a sign reading: “Transit cuts = this.” On the back, a sign read: “Late For Work.”

The costume generated strong positive reactions, so the duo decided to stick with the idea. Gerber thought it looked fun, so he signed up, too. This year they are running to raise money for the Kids of Steel Project Run, which encourages kids to run.

“Most people laugh when they see us,” D'Abruzzo said. “When we did Ghostbusters, people would come up to us and say, ‘Who you gonna call?' That's when I realized you have to pace yourself with the responses, because by mile 5 I had lost my voice.”

‘It's Been a Long Road.'

In 1988, British-born Malcolm East won the Pittsburgh Marathon with a time of 2:19:49.

This year, he's just hoping to finish.

“The last two years, I've really been through it,” said East, 61. “It's very complicated.”

While going through a divorce, East noticed himself slowing down on runs. He thought it was stress but got a heart monitor to be sure.

That's when he saw his heart rate shooting up into the 200s while running and slowing to the mid-20s when not.

Doctors diagnosed him with a hardening of the heart muscles, he said, a result of his decades of excessive training. He's had several procedures to treat it and is beginning to feel stronger. So he'll run this year not with the aim of winning, but of enjoying the Pittsburgh experience while raising money for autism research.

“I'm running for a good cause, and I'm also able to show that you can have heart problems and still come back,” said East, who lived 30 years in western Pennsylvania and calls himself a Pittsburgher at heart. “It's a different approach. It's got me motivated again. You compete for so many years and then you start losing your motivation. This has given me new motivation to train, and it's helped me get through all these heart issues.

“It's been a long hard road. It's been difficult, and it's had its challenges. Running this marathon means a lot to me, honestly.”

Age is Just a Number

Ella Jane Custer finished the Pittsburgh Half Marathon last year in just over three hours.

“That's not bad for an 87-year-old woman,” Custer said.

Indeed, she might be the fastest runner in her age group.

Custer, who lives in Wheeling, W.V., began running in her 60s and has completed 300 road races, including seven marathons and dozens of half marathons.

She runs to stay healthy and because it's fun.

“I don't want to be just sitting in a chair,” she said. “I do not have pain. I don't understand it, but I don't have any pain. It's the best thing in the world for your mind and also your body. It's going to make you live longer and it's enjoyable. You just have to get up and go.”

A Wedding to Remember

Samantha Sanford and her fiancé, Vinny, are planning a slight detour on the half marathon course this year: They will stop on one of the bridges, turn to their officiant and exchange vows.

The couple won't say which bridge — they want to keep their very public wedding ceremony as “private” as possible. But their bibs might give them away. Hers says “Bridezilla,” his “Groomzilla.”

The plan is for Vinny to run ahead of Samantha, whose father will meet her at the start of the bridge and “run me down the aisle,” she said. They will say their vows, seal it with a kiss and finish the race together — as husband and wife.

“When we got engaged, my sister jokingly said, ‘Oh you guys should get married at the marathon,” said Sanford, 32, of Shadyside. “And the idea just materialized.”

Sanford also is running this year as a recent cancer survivor.

“I just think it will be a fun celebration for everyone, to celebrate good health and life,” she said.

As for their plans after the marathon: “We'll get our medals,” Sanford said.

Chris Togneri is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5632 or ctogneri@tribweb.com.