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Moore Keeps Rivalry with Army Running
By JOE SHAFRAN, For The Capital
You may have seen the front page picture in the Capital last week, the Friday before the Army- Navy game showing the Company 13 midshipmen at the start of the traditional relay run from Annapolis to Philadelphia to deliver the game ball. That was going to Philadelphia. But did you know that one year the game ball was run back to Annapolis and it wasn’t a relay? Here’s the way I got the story. Ben Moore of Annapolis was one of the running backs for Navy in that 1947 game. You must recall that Ben to this day is a consummate runner. Anyway, in the 1947 game, Navy was getting a good shellacking by Army. The entire Navy squad couldn’t wait for the final whistle , that is, except Ben Moore. Ben had the ball in his hand when the officials signaled the end of the game, but Ben in his mind thought that there were a few seconds left on the clock and he began to argue with the referee that there was time for one more play which he was to run . The referee asked for the ball. Ben refused to give it to him and a little scuffle ensued. It was Ben versus the referee and perhaps the entire NCAA. Ben insisted there was time for one more play. Most all the players had taken off for the locker room . It was at that moment, that Ben, still wearing his helmet and his cleated shoes, looked out the corner of his eye and saw 50,000 Army fans leaving the stands and charging onto the field toward him. The tellers of this story say that Ben high tailed it out of the stadium, ball under his arm, and ran all the way back to Annapolis and to this day he hasn’t stopped running. When I tried to verify the story with Ben this week, as it began to snow , he was doing a run on the indoor track at the Halsey Field House at the Naval Academy which wasn’t a conducive place to talk about a run nearly 50 years ago. You may know that Ben Moore became a marine after graduating from the Academy and rose to the rank of Colonel. He was known as a fearless runner as a marine. They tell another whopper of a story about Colonel Moore, that one night, on a dare, he ran from Mount Hood in Oregon to the Pacific coast, something like a hundred miles. Someone says that in truth a van loaded with Gatorade ,bagels bananas and an air mattress was not far behind. Here in Annapolis these days, if he and his Betty aren’t running a race they are volunteers handing out the packets to the runners. One thing more. In that ’47 Army Navy game, it is said that not only was Ben the Clinton Portis of his day on offense, but he was also put in the game as the last line of defense to keep that awesome duo of Davis and Blanchard of ever reaching the goal line.
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My mention in the last column about I.D.’s for runners brought a significant response. In the article I suggested that runners and others should wear a visible I.D. around their neck or on the wrist in case something should happen to them and there is need for an ambulance. I’m told that if you carry no visible identification the EMT’s will not go through pockets for identification and will list you as a John or Jane Doe. One reader, citing a personal experience, said that it can happen to other than runners and cited a car accident where the injured had no visible I.D. Another reader, Bill Tshirhart of Annapolis is the proud grandfather of a champion runner at American University and said he was going to look for a suitable I.D. and give it as a Christmas present. As for those I.D’s, I did another poll, this time by telephone to some of the running stores in the area to see if they carried I.D.’s and in general found that not only did the people who answered not only know what I was talking about, but said they didn’t carry them. .In their defense, perhaps they are part-time holiday help. At the Fleet Feet store in Washington, D.C., the person who answered at least knew what I was talking about, and told me that they refer all their shoe customers who don’t have an I.D. to an on-line firm that sells them.
Speaking of D.C., there may be another marathon for the District. As with the baseball team, they use the word National, and I see in their release that they are pretty certain that the race will be March 25th and it will be called The National Marathon that will begin and end at RFK stadium, 17 blocks east of the Capitol. It also says that 8 miles of the race will be in Prince George’s County . It will be limited to 5,000 runners. I give the planners credit .They are staying away from that part of Washington and the Northern Virginia suburbs that seem to be constantly under code orange in our security set- up which can cause race disruptions or cancellations.
Race Results
Downs Park , Pasadena. 5 miler. Nov. 5 166 finishers.
1st Ten Men
1. Chris Moody, 17, 29:02, 2. Matt Gelety, 16, 29:25, 3. Patrick Kiley, 30, 29:37, 4. Ronald Hess, 44, 29:435, 5. Chris Daubert, 35, 30:17, 6. James Anderson, 45, 30:24,7. Hamilton Tyler, 41, 30:33, 8. Matt Sponar, 16, 30:37, 9. Mark Rosasco, 46, 31:05, 10.Bob Keating, 45, 31:16.
The women, Overall place, age and time
20, Marjorie Boyd, 44, 33:15, 23. Holly Marcum, 39, 33:48, 30. Carole Rosasco, 46, 34:50, 39, Laurel Bell, 43 , 36:26, 45. Maria Shields, 54, 37:16, 48. Karen Vogt, 46, 37:26, 51. Megan Lee, 16, 37:36, 57. Becky Rau, 29, 38:18, 58. Patricia Hicks, 30, 38:32. And of course the indomitable Yvonne Aasen placed 143rd at 54:05. She’s got it good at 74. Next year she may have it even better. when she’s in the 75-80 age group, about the age some of her competition tends to slow down a bit..
Running Calendar
The Annapolis Striders have been around long enough that their races are now called anniversary runs. Sunday at Quiet Waters Park, just outside Annapolis at Bay Ridge, there is the 27th anniversary 15K (9.3 miles) run. It starts at 10 A.M. From the entrance, you drive or run about a half or three quarters of mile into the park until you see some buildings on a hill above what looks like a swimming pool. That pool has about a foot of water with fountains in it, but is designed to be an ice rink that the county will work on and hopes to have it ready for skating next fall. Above the pool is a building in which there is the Blue Heron room, and that’s where you sign in. This is the 8th and final leg of the Club Championship Series. Awards go to the top three male and female finishers and there will be age group awards based on the number of entrants. You will run on blacktop roads and trails with rolling hills. And do me a favor, at this race and wherever else you run, wear some sort of visible identification either around your neck or on your wrist. It should also list any medical history. It could be life saving.
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