Spider Sillery takes the point!

The competition is fierce to attract running fans in this second running boom. To do that you need a lot of hard work and planning; like the great work by Corrigan Sports Enterprises that helped make the Inaugural University of Maryland Heart Center Baltimore 10 Miler a tremendous success. Legendary races are not built in just one year. Still, this race has it all and is a must for anyone who laces up running shoes.

Perhaps the only other local race to start off its first year with more than fifteen hundred runners was the Lawyers Have Heart 10K, which began in West Potomac Park in 1991. The University of Maryland Heart Center Baltimore 10 Miler got things going by following the footsteps of experienced successes. To start they made sure the distance was certified and that there were mile markers the whole way. Some of the miles even had digital clocks. There were two points out on the course for runners to cross over a ChampionChip scoring mat to assure quality for the results, which were already fully online before the awards ceremony at 10:00 AM.

Next, they learned to think big. Jim Adams of Falls River Running had been instrumental in creating big races in the city such as the always sold-out Celtic Solstice. (Runners were treated to a preview of the ups and downs of that 5 miler. The hose cooling runners at miles 1.5 and 8.5 was on that race's starting line.) His theory was enjoined by telling runners that there would be a limit. Everyone who was anyone would have to be there. Days before the race entries were closed and the course was full.

The three monster ten miles in the area: Army, Credit Union Cherry Blossom, and Annapolis 10 Mile, earned their place. Cherry Blossom has a 36 year history and a dedicated staff and committee that work on just that race. Army has a huge staff and a stellar reputation to uphold. Annapolis is the crown jewel of one of larger running clubs in the area. They are known as the race with bragging rights for the nicest race premiums.

The University of Maryland Heart Center Baltimore 10 Miler borrowed a bit from that late summer race and offered a premium fleece jacket. It was so cool that many of the runners could not resist trying it on after the race. There was another brainstorm originally from Annapolis. Give the race premium at the finish line to runners who had completed their mission.

This race had a lot of competitive runners but it was first about giving runners a fun time. After leaving the corral and returning their ChampionChip, runners were immediately offered water and Gatorade. Utz provided snacks and watermelon was plentiful. Along the way runners noticed a large cooler of ice water. The washcloths doused in the water offered another way to quickly restore runners. Annapolis used this method first. Soon all the big summer races will be looking at this great way to cool down the heated ones.

Do you really need to have a Bud Light at 10:30 in the morning? Hey, you have been up already for at least four hours. There you are corralled on the Baltimore Zoo lawn and a rock band is pounding out hits. So the answer is, yes. First, you want to check your bib. In the bottom right corner is a tear off tag to get your fleece jacket and the left and center are two tags to claim a Bud Light.

Even better for 118 runners, you were given a stick-on tag for earning an "I beat Mark to the Park" T-shirt with the distinctive Baltimore 10 Mile logo on the other side. This T-shirt is a collector's item with none of the "want" ads printed on it.

Before the race, ESPN 1300 Radio Personality Mark Viviano stood up to be counted. This tall runner challenged the field to beat him for a good cause. He agreed to donate $1 to the Police Activity League for every runner who passed him. In addition, race announcer Damon "The Bulldog" Yaffe promised to match the donation.

Viviano blasted out smoothly to a 6:20 mile, well ahead of his predicted pace of 75:00. There was a cyclist riding alongside the tall, lanky runner to help runners spot him and get a shot at passing him. By five miles, Mark had slowed to a 7:15 pace and runners waved $2 fingers at him as the passed him. Mark finished in a solid 74:10 with a mere 118 runners out of 1478 finishers ahead of him. He decided that was not as many as hoped for and pledged $250, which a number of others agreed to match.

Putting on an event is serious work. Sadly, in the last Corrigan Sports event, Mark (Rags) Ragonese, a CSE employee, was seriously injured. Jim Adams of the Falls Road Running Store conceived of the idea to wear a Rag for Rags while running this year's Baltimore 10 Miler. He ordered 100 doo-rags to distribute to his volunteers and regular customers. Part of the proceeds of the race went to a fund to help him with his full recovery.

The race started promptly at 7:30 am to give runners a cooler chance. At the word GO, runners blasted out quickly. After the initial quarter-mile climb, the next 1.5 miles was decidedly down hill and smart runners noted that those same miles would be warmer and "up" hilly on the return trip.

For the women, Alana Van Allen of Baltimore, MD (in photo) was all alone crossing the slightly long 5 mile split in 33:15. Mary Bertram, already a veteran at 21, was a minute behind but came storming after her. Van Allan slowed nearly two minutes to a solid 68:36, while Bertram picked up the pace with a negative split and a 67:51 triumph.

Sixth place Jennifer McKenna of Arlington, VA was next at the split and had a nice even ride in 71:57. Third place Ann Tracy exploded in the tough last two miles, dropping nearly two minutes in the second half. Seventh place Michele Hoffman of Havre de Grace, MD stayed on the heels of McKenna the whole way, coming up a second short.

The battle for the masters was closer than the eyes could see. Fourth place Lisa Fichman (46) of Columbia, MD started a mere five seconds after the gun and hit halfway nearly a minute ahead of Mary Beth Cochran (40) of Bel Air, MD. Cochran had a late start losing 29 seconds. She stormed past a lot of tiring runners andm though she never saw Fichmanm closed to within 7 seconds in chip time.

For the men, Phil Turner of Linthicum was coming off an exciting photo finish 33:53 for fifth overall at the Capitol Hill Classic 10K. He was in second at the split as Spider Sillery returned to the area from York, PA. Sillery blasted out quickly, hoping to steal it. Turner hung with him and at the finish he triumphed over the "Spider" 55:35 to 55:57. Joe Lamonte ventured north from Arlington, VA to take the third spot in a frisky 57:00. Jason Tripp (35) earned bragging rights for Columbia, MD taking fifth, one place head of Pekka Stenholm (35), 57:48 to 59:26. Enos Benbow, Jr. added another state, finishing fourth in 57:40, coming in from Georgetown, DE.

The battle for the masters title came from the older side. Maurice Pointer (52) of Baltimore, MD just missed the hour, winning in 60:17 for eighth overall. One place back and one year from being grandmasterm Keith McIntyre of Ellicott City, MD (in photo) ran 61:04.

Male Award Winners

MALE 
    1 Phil Turner          24 M LINTHICUM MD          55:35 
    2 Spider Sillery       32 M YORK PA               55:57 
    3 Joe Lamonte          27 M ARLINGTON VA          57:00 
MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 99  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Maurice Pointer      52 M BALTIMORE MD          1:00:17 1:00:17  6:02 
MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 19  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Graham Peck          19 M LUTHERVILLE MD        1:06:30 1:06:28  6:39 
    2 Robert Allaway       18 M DARNESTOWN MD         1:07:14 1:07:06  6:43 
    3 Bradley Herson       19 M LAYTONSVILLE MD       1:17:15 1:17:12  7:44 
MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Jordan Chang         21 M BLACKSBURG VA         1:01:42 1:01:40  6:10 
    2 Austin Gee           23 M BEAR DE               1:02:07 1:02:06  6:13 
    3 David Wells          20 M BEL AIR MD            1:07:43 1:07:41  6:47 
MALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Enos Benbow Jr       26 M GEORGETOWN DE           57:40   57:39  5:46 
    2 Mark Barela          29 M WASHINGTON DC           59:35   59:34  5:58 
    3 Denis Brosnan        25 M FAIRFAX VA            1:03:40 1:03:37  6:22 
MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Ben Huron            31 M ARLINGTON VA          1:02:51 1:02:45  6:17 
    2 Jim Lancaster        31 M BALTIMORE MD          1:02:51 1:02:49  6:17 
    3 Jim Smiley           33 M SHERMANSDALE PA       1:04:05 1:04:03  6:25 
MALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Jason Tripp          36 M ELLICOTT CITY MD        57:48   57:46  5:47 
    2 Pekka Stenholm       35 M COLUMBIA MD             59:26   59:25  5:57 
    3 Jonathan Costa       35 M LIBERTY MO            1:06:42 1:06:40  6:40 
MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Victor Papagno       40 M HUGHESVILLE MD        1:04:24 1:04:20  6:26 
    2 Craig Hetrick        41 M BALTIMORE MD          1:04:44 1:04:41  6:29 
    3 Michael Lombardo     40 M ELKRIDGE MD           1:06:12 1:05:54  6:36 
MALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Keith McIntyre       49 M ELLICOTT CITY MD      1:01:04 1:01:03  6:07 
    2 David Cooke          47 M BALTIMORE MD          1:05:27 1:05:23  6:33 
    3 Peter Peterman       49 M ELLICOTT CITY MD      1:06:07 1:06:01  6:37 
MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Joe Hanle            51 M COLUMBIA MD           1:04:49 1:04:47  6:29 
    2 Finley Mears         52 M TOWSON MD             1:12:09 1:12:05  7:13 
    3 Michael Howard       52 M SEVERNA PARK MD       1:12:29 1:12:19  7:14 
MALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 James Moreland       55 M GAITHERSBURG MD       1:12:25 1:12:25  7:15 
    2 Mike McConnell       55 M PHOENIX MD            1:16:04 1:14:05  7:25 
    3 Bruce Wentworth      59 M FINKSBURG MD          1:15:58 1:15:49  7:35 
MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 99  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Ronnie Wong          61 M CATONSVILLE MD        1:10:51 1:10:49  7:05 
    2 Von Jennings         60 M CLARKSVILLE MD        1:14:17 1:14:10  7:25 
    3 Franklyn Archbald    60 M COLUMBIA MD           1:24:14 1:23:36  8:22 

Lisa Fichman wins the masters title.

Female Award Winners

FEMALE 
    1 Mary Bertram         21 F BALTIMORE MD          67:51 
    2 Alana Van Allan      24 F BALTIMORE MD          68:36 
    3 Ann Tracy            29 F ALEXANDRIA VA         71:15 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 99  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Lisa Fichman         46 F COLUMBIA MD           1:11:49 1:11:44  7:11 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 19  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Nicole Delaubenfels  19 F CHESTER MD            1:29:30 1:29:05  8:55 
    2 Erin Velez           17 F PHOENIX MD            1:34:23 1:32:10  9:13 
    3 Courtney Lauren Clem 18 F BALTIMORE MD          1:46:20 1:45:17 10:32 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Lauren Swiston       22 F PHILADELPHIA PA       1:13:20 1:13:04  7:19 
    2 Sarah Stein          22 F COLLEGE PARK MD       1:14:46 1:14:37  7:28 
    3 Holly Miller         22 F REISTERSTOWN MD       1:17:39 1:17:37  7:46 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Jennifer McKenna     27 F ARLINGTON VA          1:11:57 1:11:52  7:12 
    2 Jaime Fine           27 F ELKRIDGE MD           1:13:10 1:12:36  7:16 
    3 Anna Minkowski       28 F BALTIMORE MD          1:16:58 1:15:54  7:36 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Heather Cass         33 F SYKESVILLE MD         1:12:50 1:12:33  7:16 
    2 Tammy Carr           33 F BOYDS MD              1:14:58 1:14:25  7:27 
    3 Gayle Vogel          33 F WASHINGTON DC         1:17:00 1:16:18  7:38 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Michele Hoffman      36 F HAVRE DE GRACE MD     1:11:58 1:11:53  7:12 
    2 Susan Conklin        37 F WESTMINSTER MD        1:12:49 1:12:29  7:15 
    3 Marci Benda          37 F PARKTON MD            1:13:00 1:12:57  7:18 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Mary Beth Cochran    40 F BEL AIR MD            1:12:20 1:11:51  7:12 
    2 Janelle McIntyre     42 F ELLICOTT CITY MD      1:13:32 1:13:29  7:21 
    3 Cheryl Gilman        40 F ANNAPOLIS MD          1:17:28 1:17:04  7:43 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Eleanor Kerr         48 F UNIVERSITY PARK MD    1:13:09 1:13:04  7:19 
    2 Pat Wilkerson        49 F COLUMBIA MD           1:15:27 1:15:25  7:33 
    3 Julie Caprio         47 F PARKVILLE MD          1:17:40 1:17:02  7:43 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Laura Roman          52 F BALTIMORE MD          1:19:22 1:19:09  7:55 
    2 Elizabeth Laschinger 53 F LUTHERVILLE MD        1:25:08 1:24:53  8:30 
    3 Carol English        53 F GERMANTOWN MD         1:27:55 1:26:54  8:42 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Linell Smith         55 F BALTIMORE MD          1:21:00 1:20:38  8:04 
    2 Linda Mills          58 F SALISBURY MD          1:22:59 1:22:43  8:17 
    3 Maria Shields        56 F ANNAPOLIS MD          1:23:42 1:23:21  8:21 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 99  (NET TIME - NET PACE)
    1 Chris Craun          62 F BETHESDA MD           1:21:53 1:20:51  8:06 
    2 Lee McLaughlin       60 F MT KISCO NY           1:22:50 1:22:43  8:17 
    3 Mardee Stone         63 F NEW YORK NY           2:01:42 2:00:36 12:04 

Full Race Day Results
Race Day Report for 2008
Photo Gallery 2008
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