Anne Arundel County runners have a bounty of races coming up this spring and three local events highlight the diversity of experiences for competitors that venture a little further afield.
The Saint Michael’s Running Festival is scheduled for Saturday and features a half marathon, 10K run and 5K run/walk. Organized by Charm City Running and presented by Brooks, this race is contested on a flat and fast course through Saint Michael’s and into picturesque country lanes and waterfront views along the Miles River to a finish back downtown.
This is a true community event that swells to double its population to accommodate over 2,200 total finishers in 2023 with the local municipalities, police department, fire department, emergency medical services and over 300 volunteers stationed on the course ensuring that all the runners have a safe and fun event.
Although there is a small town feel to it, the race has all of the expected amenities or larger city races with pre and post-race events as well as live tracking and custom finisher’s awards.
Runners are treated to a run through history, a preview of things to do after running the race for the rest of the day, including a visit to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with its outstanding collection of historic bay vessels.
Event information can be found by visiting charmcityrun.com/event/st-michaels-running-festival-presented-by-brooks/
The Baltimore 10-Miler, scheduled for June 1, is another great opportunity for the local runner to get in a race with a different big city feel. Billed by organizer Corrigan Sports as the “annual summer kick-off party,” the B-10 has become a mainstay of the late spring racing calendar, with the 2023 event seeing 2,278 runners cross the finish line.
The challenging yet fair course features a loop that starts and finishes at the scenic Druid Hill Park, home of the Maryland Zoo. Runners have a generous three hours to finish the course.
Those that are interested in running the fall Baltimore Marathon will get a preview of parts of the marathon course as the B-10 uses many of the same roads in north Baltimore, including passing by the former site of Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street, through the shaded area around Johns Hopkins University and a trip around scenic Lake Montebello with music to keep the energy levels high on the way back to the Maryland Zoo and up over the last hill where a cold towel and watermelon await the finishers.
Race information is at corrigansports.com/event/baltimore-10-miler/
Rounding out the trifecta of fun spring races is the Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic and Run for Radcliffe 10-Miler and 5K on May 25.
Held in conjunction with the annual Chestertown Tea Party festival, this event benefits the Radcliffe School that primarily serves kindergarten through eighth grade students with learning differences. It is a great opportunity to take a trip to scenic Kent County to enjoy a flat course just outside downtown Chestertown and into the countryside for a fast finish at Wilmer Park where runners are treated to a post-race festival.
For those runners that stick around afterward, the Chestertown Tea Party festival is a great event to recover from the run and soak in the small town atmosphere and learn some history along the way. And if you finish before 10 a.m. you can even see the tea party parade during your cool down run.
Race information is at raceroster.com/events/2024/85468/chestertown-tea-party-distance-classic-and-run-for-radcliffe
No matter your distance, there are big city and small town races that will scratch the racing itch and offer opportunities to get out and see different slices of our area, while soaking up the local history that is all around us.
Calendar
Saturday: St. Michael’s Running Festival, St. Michaels, Information: https://www.charmcityrun.com/event/st-michaels-running-festival-presented-by-brooks/
May 25: Chestertown 10-Miler, Chestertown. Information: https://raceroster.com/events/2024/85468/chestertown-tea-party-distance-classic-and-run-for-radcliffe
June 1: Baltimore 10-Miler, Baltimore. Information: www.corrigansports.com/event/baltimore-10-miler/
June 1: Maryland Half Marathon and 5K to support UMMS Greenbaum Cancer Center, Maple Lawn, Columbia. Information: https://secure.ummsfoundation.org/site/TR/RunningTeam/MarylandHalfMarathon?pg=entry&fr_id=1320
June 8: Crofton Kiwanis Club 10K and 5K, Crofton Country Club. Information: www.croftonkiwanis.org
June 16: Dawson’s Father’s Day 10K, Severna Park High School. Information: www.annapolisstriders.org
July 13: Catoctin 50K, Catoctin Mountain near Frederick. Information: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112755