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License to sweat a unique tradition
By JOE SHAFRAN
Annapolis has many world distinctions when it comes to running and fitness. It hosts the longest tug of war over water. It’s the place where the shortest sanctioned race in the world, takes place, the.05K over the Spa Creek draw span , it’s perhaps the only city in the world that issues a License to Sweat to runners, tongue-in-cheek and there are other firsts, I’m sure.. As for the license, a committee studies the back grounders, picks out one runner from numerous nominations and sends it to the Mayor for approval This year the man who got the license is John Curley, who appeared at the July 20th City Dock ceremony witnessed by hundreds of curious onlookers. Curious because the license was sort of manacled to the wrist of Curley, 58, of Cape Saint Clair. And why, you ask would a Broadneck Peninsula resident get an Annapolis license.? It is mainly because Curley is Deputy Leader of the 6:06 Club and if you are ever crawl out of bed and get to downtown Annapolis weekday mornings at that hour, you will see this tall, lanky man with a fu man chu., both leading the band of runners from State Circle and then at the end of their approximate seven mile run, dripping from sweat , helping, with others to form an Arch of Hands finish line under which the "leader" of the club , Annapolis lawyer, Gill Cochran, struts and then gets into a waiting SUV with darkened windows that apparently transports him to his home or to his office. Curley’s morning runs are just a warm-up for his running agenda... He is known to do 8 marathons each year, a couple of ultra marathons and enters some shorter races just to keep his muscles from going into atrophy. He has a day job, but in his spare time he is volunteer C.E.O. of the Annapolis Striders’ running wear department but doesn’t work out of an office. You will see him behind the counter at Strider events selling his "wears"...
The important wording on the license issued to him by Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer reminds that this is this first of all is not a new revenue scheme for the City but does restrict his running to certain hours and reminds him that it is against the law to drip sweat on patrons of the city’s sidewalk cafés.
The license is named for Patti Bembe, now Assistant City Manager of La Plata, Maryland, a runner herself and the former longtime Annapolis City Clerk who conceived the idea and issued the first one five years ago to Senator John Astle (D-Annapolis ) In subsequent years they have been given to Attorney Cochran, T.J. and Doris Harrington, and former Annapolis Mayor Richard Hillman.
And speaking of Hillman, did you see the story in the Washington Post last week about the man who claims he has run everyone of the 1100 streets in the District of Columbia? He may have nothing on Annapolis’ Hillman, who along with Ben Moore and others, is a pioneer in running in this area. It may be safely said that Hillman has run every street in Annapolis. However, no matter how many times he’s asked , he errs on the side of caution and says, ’almost’. And on the same subject, every time I see a nice lady at the Eastport Deli, she reminds me of her sister in Connecticut, Karen Rogers, who by this time must have run at least a 5K in every one of the 169 towns in that state. Back in 2004, the New York Times reported that she had 23 to go.
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A new paved trail was dedicated this past weekend on Kent Island. It’s the six mile hiker, biker, running trail that connects Matapeake Park along route 8 and Romancoke on the Eastern Bay. The trail looks kind of level, but coming north, you’ll note a slight rise. The powers that be in Queen Anne’s County are big on trails. There is now the nearly 3 mile Cross County Trail that can be found east of the Bay Bridge at Chester paralleling Rte. 18 that I’m told will be extended a few miles past Kent Narrows in the next few years.
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RUNNING CALENDAR
for those who want a race at the beach:
Sat. Aug 5th Morning. Dewey Beach. Venus on the Half Shell 5k. Call 302.654.6400
Sun, Aug. 6th. 8 A.M. Rehoboth Beach JJ Memorial 5K Call 302.644.8952
Sat. Aug.19th. 7 A.M. Dewey Beach again... BooksandCoffee 10K/5K Call 302.654.6400
Sun. Aug. 27th, Annapolis. The Ten Miler. Registration is closed but sign up as a volunteer. Get a reflective vest and/or stand by an orange safety cone and be a traffic cop. You get a cool t-shirt. Call Craig Harrison or Lisa Fontaine at 410.991.5903
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