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Running: Runners dodge more than foot traffic
By Joe Shafran, For The Capital
In a recent column, I made mention of John "Johnny Boy" Simms, one of Annapolis´ legendary long-distance runners, who in the 15 years he ran it, wore a little niche in the berms of Generals Highway on his daily morning runs from his Parole Street home to the Eisenhower Golf Course. It was 20 years ago in May that Johnny Boy was killed on one of his runs, hit by a truck whose driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and veered onto the berm.
Just about the same day that the column appeared, there was the report in The Capital of a man, doing his morning jog in Severn, hit by a car and injured. Sgt. Shawn Urbas, spokesman for the county police, said the driver of the car that hit the runner had fallen asleep at the wheel. Urbas mentioned that most anything can happen to someone on the road in those early morning hours and just like at dusk, one has to be extremely careful.
He recalled he wasn´t running, but on traffic duty at the side of the Interstate a few years back when he, too, was hit and injured by a driver who may have dozed off.
In the published report of that accident in Severn, there was mention that the driver of the car that hit the jogger was treated for cuts from shattered windshield glass.
On a related note, working out at the Merritt Athletic Club, I have come to know the Rev. Fredric Muir, Ph.D., pastor of the Unitarian Evangelical Church in Annapolis, who I find had been a seasoned runner until his back started to give him problems. Muir, who now works out in the gym, tells me he recalls the times as a runner in and around Annapolis when he too ended up on the hoods of cars. By the way, the Reverend reminds that it wasn´t landing on the hoods of cars that did his back in. It was riding on the backs of motorcycles in the Philippines, the accepted mode of transportation in getting to remote Unitarian congregations.
And then there´s Milt Taylor, the 72-year-old runner from Odenton. He does his training runs every morning at 4. He wears a reflective vest and hasn´t been hit. Before 9-11 he ran in the safe confines of Fort George G. Meade, but since then he runs on the sidewalk in his Seven Oaks neighborhood. Taylor had always said that in those early morning hours, he keeps his eye on drivers, many of whom he says are on the phone or drinking coffee.
Taylor is just back from Alaska where he ran the Craig marathon in 4:48:34. It was sponsored in part by Alaska Airlines, but as usual Taylor drove his VW Beetle to Alaska, taking a ferry to Craig on Prince of Whales Island. He was 17th out of 25 runners. Taylor began his running career after retiring from the Maryland State Police about 30 years ago and this was his 172nd marathon.
Also , the Alaska run is the start for him of the third time around of running all 50 states. He hopes to get to Hawaii next month for his 173rd and then will begin running races again in the 48 contiguous states. He´s done all the continents in the world and many of the Canadian Provinces.
He has no bad knees, no bunions, no calluses, a good heart. Taylor and I agree, it must be his genes and a very understanding family.
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RETIRING KIND: Cpl. Joe Hatcher, one of the better known runners in this area, reminds us on his voice mail that as of the end of May, he has retired from the Anne Arundel County police after more than 20 years. Hatcher once told me the story of one of his foot chases a few years ago when a slim young fellow he was questioning took off running, something you just don´t do with Hatcher. By instinct, Hatcher assumed he was at the start line of a race and took off after the suspect. Trouble was, there was Hatcher in uniform and street shoes and wearing about 12 pounds of equipment on his belt. He said the kid had a 50-foot head start and was doing about a 5-minute mile along one of those sound barriers on one of our Interstates. Hatcher was doing his marathon pace of about a 7- minute mile. But after about a mile, the suspect began slowing down to an 8-minute mile and there was Hatcher, working up a good head of steam as the suspect ran out of gas, flopped on his belly and put his hands palms up on his back. Hatcher was soon on his radio, giving headquarters a play-by-play of the run.
RUNNING SIGNS: In my never ending quest for good running paths in this area, I came upon a sign that caught my eye. It was at the Citgo/Highs across from Red, Hot and Blue on Old Mill Bottom Road in St.Margarets. It read: Your car runs a marathon every day. Feed it well.
COVERED: Have you seen the June 6 edition of Time? The cover story is on fitness and health, and in the story they quote Dr. David Jacob, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who must be speaking of runners when he says being a stringbean is all right, but it´s possible to be large and fit. That may be all right, too, but I always ask, would you run a marathon with a 10-pound sack of sugar strapped to your waist?
Race results
St. Anne´s Day School, Annapolis Spirit Weekend, 5K, May 22
First Overall Male: Corey Dietrich. 18:47
First Overall Female: Jenna Nugent 24:48.
Youngest: Rebecca Tweedie, 4, 41:06
Oldest: Charlie Boyle, 81, 35:01
Male age winners: 8 and under, Ben Tweedie; 9-11, Nathan Udell; 12-15, Thomas Petty; 16-19, Mike Owens; 20-29, Corey Deitrich; 30-39, Dean Hunter; 40-49, James Anderson; 50-59, Dennis Nugent; 60-69, William Kamenoff
Female age winners: 8 and under, Olivia Jenner; 9-11, Elisa Heacock; 12-15, Caitlan Farnan; 16-19, Ashley Gorski; 20-29, Jenna Nugent; 30-39, Nancy Peterson; 40-49, Paula Heacock; 50-59, Mary Ellen Mason
Running Calendar
Saturday: Crofton, Crofton Country Club, 8 a.m. Kiwanis/Team Surlis Realtor 10K Challenge 410-451-3998.
June 12: Baltimore, Inner Harbor, 7:30 a.m. Survivor Harbor, 7 miler. See www.ActiveSurvivor.org.
June 19: Severna Park Dawson´s Father´s Day 5 miler, 8:30 a.m., No. 3 in the Annapolis Striders Championship Series. Visit annapolisstriders.org.
July 9: West Annapolis Elementary School, 6:45 a.m. Women´s Distance Festival 5K and the Men´s 5K Run after the Women. Visit annapolisstriders.org
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