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Harmans Park race tagged for identification project
By JOE SHAFRAN
The power of the press. A year and a half ago, some officials at the Anne Arundel County Department of Health read a Capital column describing the need for runners, joggers and others to wear a visible I.D. tag in case something happens and medical attention is needed. They thought it would be a companion to their long-established Learn-To-Live program. And to make a long story short, a week from Saturday morning, March 24, there will be the kickoff of what can be called the ”Runner’s I.D. Project” at the Joe Cannon 5K race and walks at Harman’s Park at Hanover. As the project got rolling, the Department of Health, headed by Frances Phillips, had a company make up and produce several dozen of the wrist band tags. Spearheading the idea were recently-retired Ruth Kershner and Diane Donovan. The new person in charge, Kathleen Browning, took over and in the past few weeks enlisted the County Department of Recreation and Parks and with Wendy Scarborough of Rec and Parks , made arrangements for the kickoff at Harmans Park. And to make a long story even shorter, but just as important, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and its EMS services hopped on the project and will be at the Park to exhibit with their equipment and personnel (with the proviso that they may have to take sudden leave for emergency calls).Your faithful correspondent will be at Harman’s Park, also. The idea of the I.D. tag will start out with runners, but who knows where it might go from there. The tags are free. And as for the Park and how to get there, Scarborough, the ever popular race director is Mrs. Mapquest herself, saying Harman’s Park is under that huge red and white checkerboard water tower on the hill overlooking Arundel Mills at the confluence of the Baltimore -Washington Parkway and Maryland route 100. I will call the Joe Cannon Memorial the Race of the Week . Joe Cannon headed Rec and Parks in Anne Arundel County for many years.
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At the Saturday exposition and packet pick-up for the Sunday B&A Trail runs, March 4, there was a hand-lettered sign on a table at Severna Park High School reading “Complaint Desk” and standing behind it, when she wasn’t flitting about in her green St. Patrick’s Day shirt handling dozens of other chores, was the race director herself, Donna Cogle, amongst a slew of volunteers. A female race director, and I wondered if it weren’t a woman’s touch when I saw a crew of a men scrubbing out about two dozen of those 10 gallon- size orange Gatoraid containers that would hydrate the 8oo or so runners for the various events. I do hope that everyone who had drunk either water or Gatoraid on race day , Sunday, from those containers was aware that they had been hand- scrubbed because of a race director being a woman. There was both a marathon, a half marathon, and at about ten o’clock, there was a children’s race presided over by Susan Noble. It was cold and there was a brisk 20 knot west wind that the marathon winner, Michael Wardian of Arlington, Virginia, told me may have added two minutes to his time of 2 hours and 24 minutes. In my visit to the expo, I can report that I saw no complainers at the complaint desk. Everything seemed to be going like clockwork. Even Evan Thomas, helping to hand out the packets and the black plastic timing chips, was so relaxed that he was seen sitting down at times.
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There were some significant running-world happenings beside the B&A races the past couple of weeks. Craig Harrison of Annapolis has been elected President of the Annapolis Striders, to take office in April. He will succeed Dan Symancyk. Harrison will preside over an organization of runners and volunteers that has well more than a quarter century of running and community service around here.
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Runner of the Week: At that Strider banquet, we came up with our Runner of the Week, Kathleen “Kathy” Hanson, named a most improved runner. Hanson is a busy Anne Arundel county staffer for whom running races or climbing steps is an obsession. Were there medals for all her runs, the walls of her den would be filled... She is nationally recognized as having run all eleven Women’s Distance Festival Runs in the surrounding area, sometimes on consecutive Saturdays in the summer.
Also at the B & A. was an example of one woman’s efforts at collecting used running shoes to help the disadvantaged in third world countries. The collection bins were overflowing and the organizer Nadil Khatikian, saw to it that a plaque was presented to outgoing Strider President Dan Symancyk for the club’s efforts in shoe collection over the years.
Hint of the week : Runners or joggers in a race or just out for some training, and walkers also, for that matter, should wear some sort of visible I.D. if something happens and medical help is needed. A fluorescent wrist-band I.D. tag, measuring 3 ½ x 4 ½ listing vital personal and medical information, can be had free March 24th at the Joe Cannon 5k run at Harman’s Park in Hanover or by calling the Anne Arundel County Department of Health at 410.222.4144 after that date.
Race results
Baltimore and Annapolis Full and Half Marathons. Severna Park, March 4
Marathon Winner: Michael Wardian, 31, Arlington, Virginia….2:24 (according to his watch)
First female, coming in 23rd: Amanda Beal, 26, Hanover, Maryland, 3:36
Half Marathon winner: Thomas Snyder,( possibly a Midshipman) , 19, 1:15
First female : Elizabeth Blom , 27, Forest Hills, Maryland, 1:30, coming in 45th overall.
Running Calendar:
Sat. March 24, 9 A.M. Joe Cannon Stadium, Hanover. The Joe Cannon 5K Run and Fun Walks. Call Wendy Scarborough at 410.222.7313, ext. 3554
Sat. March 31, 8 A.M. Bowie, Spring 5k , Call Annette @ 301.464.1737
Sun. April 1, 8 A.M South River School Complex, Edgewater, Cherry Pit 10 Miler. Striders, 410.268.1165
Sat. April 7, 7 A.M. Ocean City, Maryland, Factory Outlets Half and Full Marathons and 5 K Contact www.extremedreamevents.com
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If you have a suggestion for the runner of the week,
please e-mail me with a contact number.
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