(l-r) Karsten Brown, Bill Stahr, Kirk Gordon, & Ronnie Wong did not get enough running at the B&A Trail Marathon in the morning.

Nearly every week the Howard County Striders supply running junkies with another opportunity to race. There are four running seasons. During the winter the weekly racing are called Operation Iceberg. And there were still mounds of ice to sidestep.The races start at 2:00 PM, giving runners a chance to double or triple up on races. Often traditional races start at 8:00 AM and the Westminster Road Runners have races at noon.

The races are run at local schools with a shorter race, usually two miles and a longer one usually 5M or 10K or 15K. The exception is the Athloton 5K race. Runners were blown out to Freetown Road for the start. Mercifully, the wind started from behind and by the time runners had started to circle back the homes in the area helped to block the wind.

Above a runner fights the wind for possession of her jacket

Four racing fools had run the B & A Trail Marathon earlier in the morning. Ronnie Wong (60) of Catonsville, MD won his age group proudly in 3:27:58. It was neither his first marathon win of the year (Washington Birthday in February) nor his fastest (Disney in January - 3:24:02), nor his only country (Bermuda). Yet, he stands fourth of this eclectic group with a mere ten races for 125 miles raced so far this year.

Next in line is Kirk Gordon of Greenbelt, MD. At 51, he is finding his own. Already he has 23 races run this year. After a tough Washington Birthday Marathon in nearly four hours, he erupted to a fine 3:24:55. He averages only half of the 12.5 miles per race of Wong. This is in part because he has run seven races of less than two miles already this year.

Karsten Brown (32) of Front Royal, VA claims to have no plan in his racing. His plan is to race when there is a race. His takes his camera there too. Lately he has been doing well in some of the smaller races. Winning always makes running more fun. Years ago I was told by one indignant runner that, "I run for fun, not to win." My response was of course that, "Winning is fun!"

In photo, Kirk Gordon trails behind a runner determined not to lose to someone who raced a marathon that same morning.

These guys know that they are not elite runners but there is definitely a competition. The fourth caballero, Bill Stahr (46) of The Plains, VA was indignant that he had to work Saturday. Thus, he missed the Retro Ramble and had to settle for a mere two races for the weekend. Brown with 23 races and 173 racing miles made a real gain on his lead of 23 races with 176 racing miles.

Also at the race was Ted Poulos (45) of McLean, VA. Before the race started director Jim Carbary asked if runners knew the course. "No matter, just follow this guy," he noted pointing at the favorite, Poulos. Indeed, Poulos with a mere fifteen races is ninth on the list so far. By year's end, he always catches the front runners, racing 1894 races in the last ten years and winning the title for most races nine of those years.

Howard County Striders Weekly Series