Photo Below: Race winner Alex Hetherington strides to the finish line in the 2004 Annapolis Ten Miler. All photos courtesy of Jim G. Kelly.

Aside from the heat--more about that later--the defining characteristic of the Annapolis Ten Mile run is the Severn River Bridge, a high-arcing structure that the field traverses not once but twice, the second time just before the 9 Mile mark.

So while most runners make the second climb in survival mode-- one runner was overheard shortly thereafter to say, "This is so not fun"--it was at that point that Alex Hetherington, 37, from Stafford, Va., took control of the men's race.

"I had been gaining on [Joe Racine, who had led since the 7 Mile mark], but it wasn't until I reached the top of the bridge that I thought I could win," Hetherington said.

Hetherington, a U.S. Marine who teaches officer leadership skills in Quantico, Va., pushed his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame down the final hill and toward the finish line, leaving Racine demoralized and struggling. Hetherington broke the tape in 56 minutes 14 seconds, with Racine 13 seconds back.

"I was just a little tired at the end," Racine said. "I've been training quite a bit this past week and I just couldn't keep it going."

Hetherington said he generally trains midday and possibly was better prepared for the hot and humid race-day conditions. "I was suffering," he said, "but I had an advantage not leading until the end. It's always nice to beat a guy coming from behind."

Women's winner Mary Kate Bailey (photo at left), 29, from Arlington, couldn't agree more. The Naval Academy graduate (class of '98) waited to take the lead until 9 miles--the same place Hetherington made his move--and ran to the finish alone, winning in 1:00:42. Defending A-10 champion Susannah Kvasnicka, 32, from Great Falls, Va., finished second in 1:00:54.

"I didn't want to push the pace early," Bailey said, "because I knew [Kvasnicka] was competitive." The pair finished in reverse order, second and third, respectively, at the Cure Autism 5K in Potomac last July.

Bailey, like Hetherington, an active duty Marine officer, is preparing for October's Marine Corps Marathon. She finished third in that race in 2002.

Not that any of that provided solace to Kvasnicka, who runs for the Potomac River Runners. "I was trying to get rid of her the whole way," she said. "I ran only 15 seconds slower than I did last year, but I wish I had been able to hold her off."

A record field of 4,323 finishers made their way through one of the most difficult racing mornings in Annapolis's 29-year history. But plenty of water stops, hoses in the neighborhoods and shade throughout the middle portion of the course provided some relief.

All that, and the thought that it was mostly downhill after that bridge at 9 Miles.

Susannah Kvasnicka finishes in second place at the 29th Annapolis Ten Miler.

Photo above: Annapolis Ten Miler runner-up Joe Racine crosses the finish line.