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Incline troubles on bridge on the decline
By JOE SHAFRAN
The runner of today must not be the runner of 25 years ago. Of the nearly 2200 who finished the Bay Bridge 10K run Sunday, I couldn’t find anyone who had any trouble with the nearly 3 mile, 7 percent rise, that I warned of in the last column. Could be that all the runners accepted my suggestions of severe hill training but I doubt it. Obviously, for today’s 20, 30 and 40 something runner, a hill is just part of a race and with plenty of energy and determination, they all made it. After the race, the Medics in the Anne Arundel County Fire Department ambulance from Riviera Beach that sort of brought up the rear said the worst thing they encountered was a runner who had an ankle problem. First-timers or 20 year veterans, no problem, and the last person to finish did this so-called difficult race in an astonishing 1 hour and 23 minutes. The winner, 25 year-old Derek Eckenrode of Catonsville, finished in 34 minutes and, like Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, pulled away in the stretch and was at least 6 ½ lengths in the lead at the finish. There weren’t too many surprises in this race. Dr. Tom Hatter, one of those 40- somethings, came in 8th in 36.50 and his buddy, Nate Nudelman of Annapolis, who just turned 30, was breathing down his neck, coming in 9th at 37:21. And there were loud cheers for Sheryl Kline of Arnold, who just about matched her age with her time as the 31st runner and the first female at 40:42.
This is the race that was conceived about twenty years ago in the term of Governor Harry Hughes by familiar names in running: Mike Van Buren, Dick Hillman, Ben Moore, Ron Jarashow and others. There is no record of a Governor having run it. However, on Sunday the race was kicked off at Stevensville by Kendel Ehrlich, the Governor’s wife who put down the microphone and ran the race coming in 743rd in 55:26. I did know that the 40 something Kendel runs most morning around Annapolis and she looks in great shape. I caught up with her after the race on Sunday as she was talking with Karen Hosler, a 50 something running notable from Annapolis. who, at my urging, doesn’t mind recalling that not too long ago, a couple of our Presidents invited her along on their runs to pick her brain on the sport. For many years in the terms of George Bush Senior and Bill Clinton you would see Karen with both fellows anytime they were running wherever in the world. Karen was White House correspondent for The Sun for several years but about the time that George W took over the White House, Karen was promoted to a job at the Sun at its headquarters on Calvert Street in Baltimore and gave up her seat at the press conferences. I found out Sunday that Karen, who’s been running most of her life, had knee surgery in July and did the 10K Sunday without a whimper. As for Presidents as runners, she says she’s disappointed that George W. Bush doesn’t give in and do something about his knee that supposedly caused him to give up running for bike riding a couple years ago. So into knees, is Hosler, who says if she were to write a book, it might be entitled “Mr. B’s Knees”.
The Striders web site, listing the finish times as preliminary, shows the last person to finish was runner 2144, Catherine Ferguson, 24, of Waldorf in an hour and 23 minutes. The oldest was 82 year old Charlie Boyle, who might have done his infamous race walk coming in at an hour and 51 minutes. And the youngest may have been 13 year old Brian Bowling of Huntingtown who came in 26th at about 40 minutes. Conditions were perfect for this race: sunny, 55 degrees, with a slight north wind that was at the back of all the runners the half mile to the finish. And, of course, there were the Walsers of Lusby, young Dave, 24, coming in 25th in 40 minutes and his “old man”, 47 year old Dave, coming in 67th in 43 minutes. And I find that not all the veteran runners stayed at the Park for the awards. I found Mary Watko and her husband Greg at Bagels And in Annapolis .. Mary says she has done all 20 of the runs and is well known at her day job helping run Quiet Waters park since it opened. She says on the first bridge run she had to do it backwards, constantly turning around to urge her Greg to speed it up ..There has never been a need for it since. And possibly because the owner of Bagels and Dave Finkelstein will stay up all night to supply bagels to many of the runs in his area that, Washingtonian Magazine has just named the product from Bagels And… the best bagel in the Baltimore - Washington area.
At the finish line, while it was in the capable hands of many others including Dick Hillman, it was unusual not seeing Al Toth, the master timer of them all. Trouper that he is for the Striders, he agreed to switch gears to make sure that all was correct at the Stevensville start line and he must like that because after the race when I saw him, he was as relaxed as I’ve ever seen him, sipping something cold from a cup at the finish.
I mentioned that the Riviera Beach ambulance crew had a somewhat easy time of it at the race, but there were some doctors also “in the house” so to speak. Tom Hatter, who was out front and almost won the race, could have helped if needed at the finish line. But, just in case, well behind him, was Dr. Howard Young, a first- timer in the race, whose day job is in both the I.C.U and the emergency room at Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Running Calendar:
Saturday, Annapolis - 8;30 A.M. Hillsmere Elementary School, Vincent’s 5K run and walk. In memory of 5 year old Vince DiBerardinis. It’s been 4 years. Call his mom at 410-280-6226.
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