2020 DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame Class
P3R and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame Committee inducted Roberta Groner, Alex Kasich, Dave McDonald and Kathleen Nachazel as its 12th class of inductees to the Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame. This class was inducted during the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame Program on Saturday, April 30.
ROBERTA GRONER
After a successful running career at Saint Francis University, Roberta Groner took a decade off from the sport to become a mother and focus on her career as a nurse. Groner returned to running to have “her own time” in 2011. In 2019, at the age of 41, she placed fifth at the Rotterdam Marathon with a time of 2:29:09, the third-fastest all-time for a U.S. Masters woman. Later that year, she finished sixth overall and first American at the 2019 IAAF World Championships with a time of 2:38:55. Groner still ranks among the Saint Francis University’s top-10 all-time in the 1,500 (4:41), 3,000 (10:10) and 5,000 meters (17:35). She also was the school’s first four-time all-conference cross country honoree. Groner will compete with this year’s elite field at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. She currently resides in Ledgewood, New Jersey.
ALEX KASICH
A graduate of West Virginia University (WVU), Alex Kasich earned All-East honors in 1974 and 1975 in cross country and All-American honors in 1975. That same year he won the U.S. Track and Field Federation National Cross Country Championship. In 1980, Alex ran the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters and the marathon. The following year he finished 9th at the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:13:20. In 1984, he finished the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:14:22. Alex’s range of running is truly remarkable from his 1:54 half-mile to his 7:03:36 in the JFK 50 miler. He also has achieved personal bests of 29:16 for 10,000 meters, 48:02 for 10 miles and 1:03:31 for the half-marathon. Kasich currently resides in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
DAVE McDONALD
At the University of Pittsburgh, Dave McDonald set school records in the 3 mile with a time of 13:36, in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:06 and in the 10,000 meters with a time of 29:40. In 1978, McDonald won the Glass City Marathon, breaking the course record with a time of 2:23:36. That same fall, Dave won the Richard Caligiuri City of Pittsburgh Great Race. At the 1980 Shamrock Marathon, he ran a 2:20:00 in the world’s fastest three-way tie. He competed in both the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. In 1985, Dave won both the Charlotte and Shamrock Marathons with times of 2:21:19 and 2:20:28, respectively. When he moved to Virginia, McDonald became an active member and eventually president of the Tidewater Water Striders. He has assisted and coached area college runners, as well as youth programs. McDonald resides in Norfolk, Virginia. He will be running this year’s UPMC Health Plan / UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5K with his two daughters.
KATHLEEN NACHAZEL
Kathleen Nachazel is the assistant medical operations director for the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. In her previous role she served as the medical operations director recruiting and assigning medical volunteers and coordinating pre-race health and wellness seminars. For more than two decades, Nachazel was the “right hand” person under medical director Ronald Roth, MD for all medical matters related to the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon and other P3R running events. Nachazel currently serves as the Director of Athletic Training for UPMC Sports Medicine. A graduate of Ohio University, Nachazel currently resides in McCandless, Pennsylvania.