UPDATE: Could train controversy tarnish Via's draw?

Lehigh Valley Health Network's Via Marathon on Sunday was Charlie Young's last-ditch effort to qualify for the 2017 Boston Marathon.

The 22-year-old West Chester, Pa., resident's first attempt to qualify for Boston at the Marine Corps Marathon was sidelined by hamstring issues, so he turned to Via.

Runners stand as a train crosses the course during the Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon in Allentown on Sept. 11, 2016. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Gargano)

The Via Marathon is popular with runners looking to qualify for the storied Boston race because it is flat, shaded and designed by running legend Bart Yasso. It boasts a high-qualifying percentage and is held the day before Boston registration opens.

But some of Sunday's runners remain in limbo, unsure of their official times, after a slow-moving train crossed the course in Allentown -- and literally stopped them in their tracks.

Via issued a statement Monday afternoon indicating runner times will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Affected runners should contact Events@ViaNet.org with data and details on how the train crossing affected their times.

The train crossed the race course as marathon and relay runners near the front of the pack approached mile seven around 8 a.m., coming off of Martin Luther King Drive onto the D&L trail in Allentown.

For some runners already grappling with a humid morning, the train was a major obstacle.

Young estimates he was held up for nine to 10 minutes as the train crossed. Time crawled by as he said he watched his Boston dreams evaporate, along with the cushion he'd built into his 2:57 goal finish, which he'd adjusted due to the weather.

Qualifying for Boston is the holy grail among many long-distance runners. And it seems some of Sunday's marathon runners weren't willing to let that dream go.

They began trying to jump over the train between cars, several race participants reported.

Young saw at least seven runners scramble over the train, some stepping back to take a running jump as it moved by. It was incredibly dangerous, he said.

There were no race officials stationed at the crossing to tell the more than 150 runners gathered what it meant for their time, only one police officer, runners reported.

"People were everywhere on the tracks," Young said. "There was no way I would even think about doing that."

Ironically, Young and Jen Firorillo, a friend from his running club who was pacing him for part of Sunday's race, ran the Allentown-to-Easton course this summer during a training run and encountered a train at the same spot.

"If we knew ahead of time, they should've known ahead of time," Fiorillo said. "They know that the course goes over a train track."

Via agrees.

Norfolk Southern Railroad gave race organizers "absolute assurances" that trains would be suspended from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to Via's statement to runners.

Via's Vice President of Development Gerry Yasso, Bart's brother, held a meeting on June 22 with Norfolk Southern and exchanged many e-mails with railroad officials in which race logistics and runner safety were discussed.

"This is the tenth anniversary of this race, and all 10 races have crossed the Norfolk Southern rail tracks on Albert Street to enter Canal Park in Allentown," Yasso said. "Each and every year, we have contacted Norfolk Southern to assure runner safety, spectator safety and public safety at this intersection, and all other intersections that we cross. The incident is especially regrettable and was quite unexpected."

To get into the Boston Marathon, participants must run a qualifying time based on their gender and age in another marathon on a certain type of course. But in recent years, just hitting the target hasn't been enough. The race has been so popular runners in 2016 had to best their age and gender qualifying time by 2:28.

And registration is held on a rolling basis starting Monday, opening first to those who have beat their qualifying time by 20 minutes or more.

A total of 988 marathon runners finished the race Lehigh Valley race Sunday. A clear number of just how many were affected by the train hasn't been determined.

Marathon runner Matt Cutrona, 46, of Wilmington, Del., expected to easily best his 3:25 qualifying time Sunday. But the humid weather affected him and then the train halted him for about three minutes, he said.

"I ended up running 3:24:07, which puts me pretty close to the cut-off," Cutrona said. "Without the train I ran a 3:21, which would definitely get in. They are expecting anyone that qualifies to be able to get in this year."

But if that changes...

"I'm right on the bubble," said Cutrona, who doesn't think the stop hurt his overall race performance.

On Monday morning, Cutrona was most upset that Via had not yet addressed the train crossing or given runners any direction since Boston registration had already opened for some.

Young is feeling pretty hopeless about his odds of getting in. He needed to finish at 3:05 for his age and he finished in 3:13:48.

Young had trouble getting back into the race mentally after stopping for 10 minutes for the train, he said. And his body had cooled down, too.

Cutrona pointed out that it was tough going for runners when they resumed the race because by then hundreds of racers were converging on a narrow trail.

Young ran hard, hoping to make up the time, but found himself struggling near the end, he said.

For someone who had hoped to finish in a 2:52 -- a goal that he adjusted to 2:57 given the weather -- it's been tough to swallow.

"You put in so much time, money and training and you put your body through a lot, especially with this summer we had, and to just watch it tick away," Young said. "I don't know how to explain, it is just totally demoralizing."

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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