"I am a character, no doubt about it," says Sister Maria, a nun at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Dupont Circle. With that relatively modest admission, Sister Maria (pronounced like the singer, Mariah Carey) kicks off this first in an occasional series on the Characters of Running in the Washington, DC racing scene.

Sister Maria has been described by the Washington Post (okay, by me in the Washington Post) as "Washington running's equivalent of a victory cigar," because when she crosses the finish line, all the horses are back in the stable and the race is over. Truth be told--and since we're talking about a member of the clergy, that seems a fairly basic starting point--Sister Maria actually doesn't run at all.

The Sister, 75, suffers from syringomyelia, a chronic disease of the spinal cord characterized by the presence of liquid&filled cavities which impinge on the nerves and cause pain. The disease was diagnosed by her doctors some 35 years ago. "I can't run, even if I wanted to," she protests. "If I did, I'd land on my face."

Nonetheless, the good Sister is a fixture at numerous area races, including the Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom, the YWCA Race Against Racism, tommy's american 5k, Lawyers Have Heart, and last year for the first time, the Marine Corps Marathon, which she finished in 7 hours 53 minutes.

Last spring, Sister Maria participated in the Avon walk from Frederick to Washington, covering 60 miles over three days. "That was a helluva lot more work than the marathon," she says unabashedly. Despite the implication that she now considers the marathon small potatoes (sometimes we must all pray for first&timers), Sister said she hopes to participate in the 25th Marine Corps Marathon again this fall: "God willing," of course. She is registered, with bib number 77 reserved. "I hope I can improve my time over last year, when I got muscle spasms and really started hurting after 17 miles. I couldn't stand up straight for four days after that one."

Sister Maria never misses the Race for the Cure, since she is herself a breast cancer survivor; last June, she completed the course around the Capitol in 46 minutes. And while Sister Maria doesn't normally compete in her habit and veil, she is hard to miss after a race: she's the one off to the side, copping a smoke like a guilty teenager.

"I do races for two reasons," she says. "First, it makes exercising more fun. I'm not sure I'd get out there otherwise. And second, it's my way to thank God for the fact that I'm still walking."

So, Sister, people of every faith applaud you for exercising. But what's the deal with the post race cigarette? She edifies, exhorts, and clarifies, as is her didactic nature: "Certain neurological diseases such as mine respond well to nicotine. Smoking eases the pain. I've tried the patch, but it just doesn't work. Doctors have explained the benefits and hazards, but smoking allows me to exercise, and that's a trade off I'll take."

She knocks back a pack and a half a day, God bless her.

Sister hasn't always donned the habit of an Episcopal nun. She was married, is widowed, and has a daughter living in California. Before becoming a member of the clergy in 1978, she was a school psychologist. Today, you might find her preaching at the National Cathedral. Or leading a discussion on insects at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where she is a docent.

"It's an odd sort of ministry, but the Bishop is supportive of what I do," she explains. "As far as the racing part, it's really a form of street ministry." In the most literal sense, one might add. How many nuns do you know who distribute blue business cards that read, "Has shoes, will race for your cause"?

But before you dismiss Sister Maria as an ecumenical nut, be aware that she has carefully fostered and knows well her niche clerical status: "People say to me that if nuns can have this much fun, it can't be all bad. But I have a deep respect for all the proper nuns. They have an important mission. I try to appeal to the people who have been turned off by traditional religion."

So when she's not preaching, teaching, or, prominent in her veil, participating in the AIDS Walk or the Gay Pride Parade in and around her neighborhood, Sister Maria will continue to pound the pavement at area races. "I'm not a stuffy nun," she adds unnecessarily. "I like to make a statement: 'Here I am.'"

"I could compete in seniors events, but that's not the point," she said. "I get all my energy from the young people at the races. It's a two way street: I get a charge out of them, and they like to see an old lady run."