PHOTO BY ANGIE CHARLES

Participants at the Il Palio Drappo Verde e Rosso 5K charity run in downtown Akron on July 9, 2011, included Woodridge runners Angela DeBord, Rachel Starvaggio and Maria Moore, who won the women's division with a time of 19:08.

AKRON, Ohio – Don’t tell the several hundred runners who showed up for the Il Palio Drappo Verde e Rosso 5K charity run in downtown Akron that there were a few ringers in their midst.

Copley senior Nick Pupino, who placed third in the 3,200 meter at the OHSAA Div. I state track championships, won the 5K race on Saturday with a time of 17:06.  

Maria Moore, a 2011 Woodridge graduate, won the women’s division with a time of 19:08.  The University of Akron-bound cross country and track athlete had just come off a highly successful senior year, with second place finishes in the 1,600 meter and 4x800 relay at the OHSAA Div. II state track championships, and an eighth place finish at the state cross country championships.

Also participating in the event were Moore’s former teammates Angela DeBord, a junior, and Rachel Starvaggi, a sophomore.   Several returning runners from the City Series champion Firestone boys’ cross country team also used the event as a training run.

Firestone coach Tim Carroll, on hand to cheer on his athletes, said the event was a great way to check on the progress of his runners.  “It’s easy for everyone to get to with it being in downtown Akron and the timing is great to see how our athletes are progressing,” he said.  

In a nod to the local competition, Carroll later commented, “Ha, I figured,” when told of Pupino’s win.

In addition to getting some training in, the athletes’ participation and $20 donation went to a good cause.   

The Il Palio Drappo Verde e Rosso run, part of the festivities of the Summit County Italian-American Council Festival, honors an ancient Italian race that dates back to the early 1200s.   This year’s event benefited the Andrea Rose Teodosio Foundation, which provides scholarships and aid to those in need in Summit County.  Ms. Teodosio, a 2006 graduate of Walsh Jesuit who had played basketball and volleyball for several years for the Warriors, died in a skiing accident on Feb. 12.