In 1963 President John F. Kennedy revived the fitness theme for Americans. U.S. News & World Report (February 25, 1963) reported that Attorney General Bobby Kennedy did a "non-stop" 50 miles in 17 hours. Also, Marine Brigadier General R. McTompkins did 50 miles in 15 hours 32 minutes.

The first JFK 50 Mile Challenge was held in the spring of 1963. The first finishers were Steve Cosition, James Ebberts, Rick Miller, and Buzz Sawyer in a time of 13:10. After the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963 the race name was changed to the JFK 50 Mile Memorial in 1964.

Cumberland Valley Athletic Club is the sponsor of the 46th Annual JFK 50 Miler to be held on Saturday, November 11, 2008. The start is 7:00 a.m. with an optional 5:00 a.m. start for a limited number of runners who anticipate needing more than 12- hours to finish. Those who start at 5:00 a.m. will have 14- hours to finish.

The starting field is limited to 1,000 which is first come first serve. Registration is expected to close by the end of August.

Full race details are posted at www.jfk50mile.org. Personal listening devices are not allowed and any one caught or photographed using a personal listening device will be disqualified and their names removed from the official results.

Cash awards will be presented to the top three male and female finishers: 1st--$500, 2nd--$300, and 3rd--$100. There will be a $500 bonus for the establishment of a new men's or women's course record.

The men's record was set in 1994 by Eric Clifton with a time of 5:46:22. The women's record was set in 2005 by Anne Lundblad with a time of 6:29:42.

The start of the race is in Boonsboro, MD which was founded by brothers George and William Boone (relatives of Daniel Boone). The town was drawn up in 1788 and incorporated in 1831.

The first 2.5 miles in along a paved road that climbs to 500 feet to meet the Appalachian Trail. The Trail is 2,175 miles greenway from Maine to Georgia. The next 13 miles of the course except for miles 3.5 to 5.5 miles follows a rocky section of the famous North-South footpath. The rocky portion is very demanding with the up and down and unsteady footing on the sometimes sharp rocks which could cause injury in the event of a fall. There are portions where the runners must walk. The strategy along this section is to remain on your feet.

At 14.5 miles the course goes down a series of steep "switchbacks" which is a narrow path wide enough for one person. The pace through this segment slows. A transition is made to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Canal segment is all flat unpaved dirt from mile 15.5 to 41.8. At Dam #4 along the C&O Canal the course returns to rolling paved roads for the last 8.4 miles. Near dusk all of the runners are given reflective vest to wear. The finish is located at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, MD.

Michael Wardian is a 1996 graduate of Michigan State where he played lacrosse. He ran his first marathon in 1996 and qualified for Boston. In 2006 Wardian had to drop out due to an injury and last year he had a different plan, "I think my fitness level and patience early in the race paid off for me at JFK. Also, I feel like I finally ran a race where everything I have learned over the years came together and I executed my race strategy as thoroughly as possible." Wardian posted the second fastest winning time, 5:50:34.

The JFK can hold surprises for the first timer and words from Wardian, "For a first time runner I would know what your goal is going into the race because when things get "tough" it will help to have that goal in your mind and then you can rally around it."

The competition is always a variable in any event especially the JFK, "I was concerned about everyone in the race. I always am. I knew that I was ready to run but everyone has a chance to win and run well and that is one of the things I like about racing," stated Wardian.

In the JFK there is a choice of running for time or place for Wardian, "I don't think either was more important, I was running based on hitting under a certain time and figured that the place would work out."

Each event is a learning experience and Wardian runs away with, "I learned a lot about myself and I am happy that it was mostly positive. I was pleased that I kept pushing till the end and finishing strongly that was important and so was running a good time at that distance. I am looking forward to running more races in the future and I am always looking to see what other things I can learn from the experience."

The females did not start to run this event until 1968 with the first winner being Donna Aycoth with a time of 10:41:15. Aycot went on to win five more times and is the co-holder for the most wins with Carolyn Showalter. Aycot has a best time of 8:26:07 and Showalter has 7:48:13. There have been six females under 7 hours since 1968. The 2007 winner was the record holder Anne Lundblad.

There are two prestigious clubs (Legends) of the JFK 50 Mile, the "500 Mile," those who have completed 10 running's and to date there are 243 with the newest inductees from 2006 Michael Campbell, Jim Fitch, Louis Jones, Leo Lightner, Danny Losekamp, Paul Mingo, Keith Moore, Phil O'Connor, Dom Quattrochi, Ojars Stikis, and Ronald Temechko. This group sports a sweatshirt with "500 Mile Club."

The other is the "1,000 Mile" with 30 runners who have completed 20 running's with the newest 2006 inductees: Dave Downin, David Janosko, and Dale Rhoderick. This group sports a white polo shirt with "1000 Mile Club."

"After winning my second consecutive JFK 50 Mile in 1983 (6:12:12), I announced my retirement to the press at the finish line of the event. I would later reconsider, and raced the JFK 500 Mile in '84, '85, '87, '88, and '90 before ultimately retiring. At the finish line in 1983, I told Buzz Sawyer that when he needed to give the race up, that I'd be interested in taking over as race director. A few years went by and when he had a scare with a prostrate problem in 1987 we decided that I would take over after he directed the 30th Annual JFK 50 Mile in 1992. I worked under Buzz during the 1991 and 1992 JFK 50 Mile events," stated Mike Spinnler.

"I envision the JFK 50 Mile transcending many generations and a 100th Annual JFK 50 Mile being held in November 2062. I probably won't be around but I hope my sons are there enjoying that event with great pride. A high point was when we became the first U.S. ultramarathon to ever officially finish over 1,000 runners (1,017 in 2006)."

Spinnler shares his thoughts, "When people walk away from the finish line of the JFK 50 Mile I want them to feel like -with hard work and persistence--anything is possible. By and large, the people who finish the JFK 50 Mile are the same type of individuals achieving excellence in every other avenue of their lives."

"The Cumberland Valley Athletic Club measures our success in managing the event by the growing number of people who desire to be part of this great American sporting tradition. Also, that after they come and participate, they then go and spread a positive word about the event," added Spinnler.

Do not delay in registering and be a part of something special.