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Memorial honors former navy cross country star McCool
By JOE SHAFRAN
When Navy cross country runners come over the hill just to the north of Greenbury Point Road, they will be energized by the new monument honoring one of their own, the late Willie McCool. McCool, Navy's best cross country runner in the early 1980s, became an astronaut and was killed on Feb. 1, 2003 when STS-107 Columbia disintegrated over north Texas, just 16 minutes from the anticipated touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center. The monument for the 1983 graduate that was dedicated on Sunday is located on a spot just about 16 minutes from the finish line of the Navy cross country course. More than 200 people, including McCool's parents, his wife and three sons, cross country teammates and several astronauts, gathered for the emotional dedication.
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Nothing stops a runner. Neither rain ,nor snow , not even the November 27th Summit at the Naval Academy. I wanted to see how the running community integrated with the historic event, so I went into town that Tuesday and about 6:15 A.M, ran down the Main Street hill and really saw only one runner coming up the hill. Then, when I turned onto Randall Street at the Middleton Tavern and got to the main gate of the Academy, I did a fast 180. The guards there were in combat attire holding their rifles across their chests. I got out of there, did a quick run back Randall Street, and ran by City Dock Café, where I found veteran academy runners Win Hittle and John Booth of the Striders having coffee. Shut out of the Academy, they had done their run instead to Eastport. I would sum up the morning as mostly uneventful for runners other than keeping away from Gate 1 at the Academy and getting a close-up view of the helicopters bringing President Bush and some of the negotiators into the Academy. I didn’t see him, but I do have it on good authority that the leader of the 6:06 running group, Gill Cochran, the lawyer, whom I call the Cal Ripken of running in Annapolis, had to change course but he did get in his run that morning, reportedly barking some sort of rhetoric to the radio and camera crews that were on most of the street corners downtown. It is reported that Cochran continued his 30 year streak of never having missed a day of running, home or away, rain, snow or shine, the flu, or now, summits, notwithstanding.
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Last Saturday another streak continued... the tradition of some of the midshipmen of Company 13 at the Naval Academy, running the game ball to the Army-Navy game . This year it was a short run to Baltimore, but in other years, they had to run to either Giant Stadium at the Meadowlands in New Jersey or to Philadelphia . While they appear to be running in combat boots, I’m told they wear a special brand of athletic shoes.
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The Race of the week is this coming Sunday at 10 A.M, at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis , the 29th Anniversary, 15K run for the Striders, , the eighth and final in this year’s championship series. It is directed by Susan Zevin. On-line registration is closed, but you can register at the park. You may recall my writing about Susan Zevin in the past. A great runner, about seven years ago, she was traveling to do a marathon on the continent of Anarctica, January 28th ,2001 to be exact. She was with another Annapolis Strider, Peter Salmon-Cox When the ship they were on couldn’t dock at the continent because of a rough seas, the pair ran the marathon aboard ship. Zevin and and Salmon-Cox were reminded of their voyage a couple of weeks ago when they watched television coverage of a cruise ship that had hit an iceberg and sank about the same spot off the continent they were at . Thankfully, all 155 aboard were saved.
Runner of the week… Billy Garland, 20, a Naval Academy midshipman from Virginia Beach, who is entering and winning many of the local races... A couple of weeks ago, he won the Johns - Hopkins Run For Your Life at Bay Meadow Industrial Park at Glen Burnie in 16:20. He looked pretty good at that race, but he told me he was recovering from a stress fracture, that apparently healed enough so he could win the 5K .His parents were there waiting for him, so they could get into their van and head for Pittsburgh for the recent Steeler-Ravens football game. Billy says he likes the Ravens but his folks, originally from Western Pennsylvania, are Steeler fans.
Hint of the week for runners... if you don’t think warm-ups and stretching before a run are important try this demonstration, often used by ballerinas and runners to motivate them to stretch first. Place a rubber band in the freezer overnight. The next day remove it from the freezer and stretch it. Guess what? You just tore a muscle so to speak, so remember to stretch and warm up. This is from Dr. Clune’s Guide to Healthy and Happy Living.
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Running Calendar:
Sun. Dec. 9. 10 A.M. Quiet Waters Park , Annapolis
29th Anniversary Striders 15K run.No.8 and final in the championship series.
Call Susan Zevin at 410.573.9424
Sunday, Jan. 13. Disneyworld Marathon, Buena Vista, Florida
Sign up at www.disneyworldmarathon.com
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If you have a suggestion for the runner of the week,
please e-mail me with a contact number.
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