Top of the Morning, April 30, 2024

Pancho Moore had his own marathon Saturday.

After working the finish line at Memorial Stadium for The News-Gazette, he lugged his cameras to another assignment that night at The City Center. That made for a mighty long day for the 45-year-old from Champaign.

“That’s what I do,” he said, “and I love it.”

We were happy to have Moore on board to help our vast coverage of the Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend. As photo editor Robin Scholz patrolled the many race routes, Moore hunkered down with staff writer Joey Wright inside the stadium.

His highlight: women’s marathon winner Lexie Dorsey’s dramatic finish in which she collapsed into the arms of family members. She was so tired “but so happy and so thrilled,” he said. “It was so cool to see.”

In February, Moore stepped aside after a long run as Champaign Central girls’ basketball coach to pursue “my first love,” he said. After studying film at Columbia College in Chicago and returning to C-U after a stint in Los Angeles, “I set my camera down the whole time I was coaching.”

Freelance work has kept him busy since, including gigs with University of Illinois athletics, the WNBA and the NBA G League.

Visit news-gazette.com and flip through our photo gallery from Saturday. To reach Moore, email morebymooremedia@gmail.com.