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Running: Don’t head out without a proper ID
By JOE SHAFRAN, For The Capital
The following is for runners, joggers, walkers, bikers, hikers or for that matter anyone.
I have discovered the way to get an instant name change without the red tape. But as you may have guessed, there are some asterisks and there is some fine print. You don’t get a choice. You get either John or Jane Doe and you must have met with some kind of happening that requires the need of medical help or being transported to a hospital. If that happens and you carry no identification, you become a Doe, John or Jane. That’s all there is to it.
I am being told that in general these days, when the EMTs are called for a medical emergency, and if the person they are called for can’t respond, nor can anyone identify or speak for the person, the medics will not go through pockets for a needed I.D. or medical information. If it isn’t readily visible, they will tend to the person, load them into the ambulance or put them on a helicopter and assign the name John or Jane Doe. And the reason I’m making mention of it is that I am also being told that runners or joggers are the worst offenders, according to some area fire departments that run the ambulances.
Just for the heck of it, I decided to do an I.D. poll of my own while doing a run the other morning at Quiet Waters Park just outside Annapolis, which in retrospect is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever attempted. As best I could, I asked three runners and 7 walkers if they carried any I.D. Apprehensive as some of them were, they would think about the question, shake their head no or mutter they didn’t have any I.D. Some just ignored me. One person held up a set of keys that had one of those grocery store tags on it , no doubt suggesting it was an I.D. All 10 looked at me as if I were the pervert they’ve heard about lurking in the woods. Accordingly, after the first 10 prospects, I ended the polling and got the heck out of there, expecting the cops at any minute. It was obvious that people get into their sweats but do not, for some reason or other, include any I.D.
However, in my research, I did hear about a local runner with no known existing condition , who a few years ago dropped dead of a heart attack while out running alone, with no I.D. When he didn’t arrive back home in a reasonable time, the family became concerned and spent more than seven frantic hours trying to locate him, and finally did One of the hospitals suggested that someone in the family come identify a John Doe. True story, I’m told. Make it a must. Carry a very visible, large I.D. with medical information. One of the emergency officials I talked with said that the little I.D. pouch some runners wear in their shoe laces is no good. They can’t use precious seconds unlacing the shoe or trying to dig out the little tag inside. And they don’t have much to say for those commercial or medical wrist bands or dog tags, nor the GPS wrist monitors that are coming into use. The bands don’t have enough space on them to provide significant information and they didn’t think the GPS indicator is designed as an I.D.
On a more cheerful note, let’s talk about those seasonal holiday races. One is the annual Thanksgiving Morning run and walk at Camp Letts. There were the pre-holiday runs on Wednesday the 23rd at Anne Arundel Community College and on Saturday evening, November 12th, there was the Dashing through the Show at the lights festival at Sandy Pont State Park. On Sunday, November 13th, there was the Jingle Bell run for the Arthritis Foundation at Marley Station Mall, where I came across a few interesting things. It was unusual not to see Evan Thomas there in his traditional get-up. He has directed that race in years past. He was off to a family event on what he calls “the left coast. T.J. Harrington was there and had run the race.The last time I saw this long-time runner was at a City Dock ceremony in Annapolis in the summer of 2004,, when he and his wife Doris were presented the coveted Licenses to Sweat by Mayor Ellen Moyer. Since then, he had back surgery and he not only announced that the Jingle Bell was one of his first-post surgery runs, but bent over and showed, for anyone who wanted to look, the incision. And, in the previous column, I told you about the high-ranking cop who runs, not walks the Bay Hills beat. Now, there’s a Maryland candidate for the United States Senate who runs on the campaign trail, literally. He’s Professor Allan Lichtman, 58, who teaches at American University. A runner since high school, he did the Jingle Bell and said he will run races in every Maryland County. He’s run marathons, but for campaign purposes, runs 5K’s, which I see he does in about 26 minutes.
With many local runners in the military in far flung places around the world, we’re seeing more and more “remote” races as was noted in a recent Capital story of people running the Marine Marathon at their duty station in Iraq. It seems the only secure place there was the perimeter of the Baghdad airport.
And in the previous column, I made mention of a “companion” run by the military in Africa, along with the Annapolis Strider’s Cold Turkey 10K in memory of Kati Fisher at South River High School, Sunday, November 20th. I’m finding out that a lot of people here and overseas put in many hours to make this a success including two energetic Strider’s, Penny Goldstein and Donna Cogle. There was mention that in Africa, one might be running in competition with hyenas and camels.
Seems that on Kent Island, they don’t wait for state or federal funding for certain things. When Homeland Security ordered that another emergency warning siren be put up, some people organized a race and raised nearly $2500 toward the cost. It was called the first annual Turkey Trot 10K, and held in Stevensville, November 5th on the Cross County Trail. The results show a 2-year-old coming in at 52:09, not bad for being pushed in a stroller by a mother and two others. Mary Ann Metrinko was race chair, assisted by Lori Parks, Vice President of the United Communities Volunteer Fire Department. Some results are listed below.
Race Results:
Ist Annual Turkey Trot 10K, Stevensville, Kent Island. Sat. Nov. 5 (first ten finishers)
1. Brad Schriefer, 20, Stevensville. 48:36, 2. Trish Dunn ,42, Stevensville, 49:03, 3. Kelly Steel, 37, Stevensville, 50:40, 4. Julie Pearson, 32, Queenstown, 52:08, 5. Laura Hoffner, 33, Grasonville, 52:09, 6. Liam Hoffner, 2, Grasonville, 52:09, 7. Sheila Ruppert, 48, Chester, 56:00, 8. Al Cantello,41, Chester, 56:01, 9. Kalena Carroll, 23,Annapolis ,56:02, 10. Leo Dunn, 45, Stevensville, 58:24.
As was Julie Pearson, Sandy Nicholson was a stroller pusher and was listed as doing the race in 52:10.
Running Calendar:
Sun. Dec. 11: Annapolis, 10:A.M. Quiet Waters Park (you won’t be polled), Annapolis Strider’s 27th Anniversay 15K ( 8) . Number 8 in the Champion Series. See the Strider web site, annapolis striders dot org for details.
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