Pancake 5K race to honor teen runner

BELFAST – The 14-year-old Belfast Area High School student who died Saturday while running in a cross country meet will be honored at a race Sunday, Oct. 12.

The 11th annual Pancake 5K, a race organized by the high school’s track and cross country teams, will be run in honor of Joe Diprete-DiGioia. Diprete-DiGioia apparently collapsed during a cross country race at the Troy A. Howard Middle School in Belfast.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office has conducted an autopsy, but no cause of death has been determined.

The Pancake 5K race, which includes a 14-and-under division and often draws seniors as old as 80, is expected to include 100 to 150 runners in all, organizers say.

The course begins near the exit to Belfast Area High School on Waldo Avenue, and winds through downtown Belfast.

Those registering for the race can enjoy the pancake breakfast after the run.

Registration at the high school will be 8:30-9:15 a.m. and costs $12. Anyone who wants to walk the course can do so for free, and will be given ribbons to wear designating them as participants.

The annual race is a fund-raiser for the track and cross-country teams, but this year the student athletes decided they wanted all the proceeds to go toward creating a college scholarship in Diprete-DiGioia’s honor.

The pancake breakfast is open to nonrunners as well, at a cost of $3.50.