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Running: It´s no longer a sweat for former mayor
By JOE SHAFRAN, For The Capital
The story goes that when William Donald Schaffer was Baltimore’s mayor, on Sunday mornings he cruised every street and alley in the city in his own Pontiac Catalina and every Monday morning, the department heads would get a memo about things that had to be taken care of. In Annanpolis, former mayor Richard Hillman, is said to have done something similar, but rather than in a Pontiac Catalina, he ran every street and alley in the City and is still running .And on Monday, August 22nd, he ran to to City Dock where the present Mayor, Ellen Moyer presented him with a “coveted” , License to Sweat, only the fourth such license to be given in the 300 year history of the City. The license goes to someone whose pastime is running the City streets. Past recipients were Senator John Astle, Attorney Gill Cochran, and T.J Harrington and his wife, Lt. Doris Harrington of the Annapolis Police Department. The license spoof, and it is one of those tongue in cheek things, started about six years ago, when then City Clerk, Patti Bembe, a runner with a sense of humor, had her husband, a ranking officer in the police department, pull over Astle as he was running and asked for his license to sweat. Not having one Astle was taken to City Hall and presented the first license by Ms. Bembe and the tradition goes on with it being known as the Patti Bembe license.Bembe is now Assistant City Manager at LaPlata. The wording on Hillman’s license reads as follows:
Issued to:
HONORABLE RICHARD L. HILLMAN
(Human Greyhound)
and
Originator of City of Annapolis
Sweat License Department
Lifetime advocate of healthy perspiring while perambulating at any speed
Valid anywhere in the City of Annapolis (When not accompanied by the ultra-fastidious Larry and Roman)
Some of the earlier licenses limit the hours of running and on the one given two years ago , it forbade the holder, Cochran , to drip sweat on patrons of the sidewalk cafes.
Hillman, an active Annapolis Strider, tells me he’s been running since 1977
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Susanna Kvasnicka has a delightful dilemma. Which race to run. Susanna, 33, of Great Falls, Virginia , was the first female across the finish line at Sunday’s Annapolis Ten Mile Race. As a matter of fact, she was 16th overall in a few seconds under an hour She’s signed up for the Army Ten Miler this fall in Washington, but all her running laurels got her an invitation to run the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota on the same day as the Army race and at the moment she’s leaning toward the Twin Cities. The run in Minnesota is the National Marathon Championship and a stepping stone to the 2008 Olympics , something she would like to compete for. Kvasnicka was Susanna Mastran at Langley High School in Northern Virginia and ran the mile in 5:08. Married, a CPA, she’s the mother of two. She tells me she will leave the window open a bit on the Army race, which if she is again the first female, will have given her the “triple crown” of running, worth a few dollars and more fame.
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At the Annapolis race Sunday, a lot of people got up at the crack of dawn to either run or help out But Dave Finkelstein and his staff at Bagels. and in Annapolis pulled an all nighter to bake two hundred dozen assorted bagels, that were delivered hot, fresh and crisp by about 8:40 as the winner, Jeff Olenick led the horde across the finish line.
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I’ve talked before about President George Bush, in referring to him as the first Runner but I can’t say that anymore because we are told that because of a sore knee, he has given up running and taken up mountain biking. I don’t know whether you caught it this past week, but this man is in pretty good physical shape. He had is annual physical and passed with flying colors and it was revealed that his resting heart rate is 43, something found only in accomplished athletes. They say Lance Armstrong has a slow rate. Alberto Salazar, who beat me in the Boston Marathon by about an hour and a half, a couple decades ago, was know to have a resting rate of 38 . Hearing about the President, I inquired about our Governor, Robert H. Ehrlich, Jr. It’s been a while since I‘ve talked to him about fitness, when he told me he works out every day, sometimes at midnight and one can see in his pictures and on television that he has tight abs. He e-mailed me the other day with his thoughts on fitness and I find it’s uppermost in his mind. He says, “it’s a family affair, Kendel and I think it’s important to teach Drew and Josh about living a healthy, active lifestyle including good eating habits and exercise. He wrote more but ended his message with “ exercise is a good habit to start and keep. A healthy diet, exercise and plenty of rest gives me the energy to keep up with my two young sons, as well as the legislature! Get fit Maryland!” In his note, he did say that he does get in a round of golf course every once in a while.
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Running Calendar
Sunday, Sept. 11, Glen Burnie, 8 A.M. The Annapolis Striders B&A 10 K. Begins at Baltimore-Washington Medical Center ( formerly North Arundel Hospital) . If you register on line or my mail before Sept. 4th, the fee for Strider Members is $3, and non members , $4. It’s $5 on race day. Lots of awards, honoring grandparents on their day. This is leg six of the Club Championship Series. Call Neil Hinkle at 410-987-8649.
Sun.Oct 2. South River Colony, . Second Annual Jodi Reitz Commemorative 5K fun run/walk Registration at 7:30 A.M. Proceeds go to Anne Arundel County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program for abused and neglected children. Call Ginny Meerman at 410-798-0124
Sunday, Dec. 4, 6 A.M. The first annual Las Vegas Marathon along the Strip, with the lights still on.
Sunday May 7th, 2006. The return of the oft-cancelled Bay Bridge 10 K run. Cross your fingers that it sticks this time. Put it on your calendar.
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