The second Annapolis Running Festival took place March 9 and showcased the best running in the city. Despite overcast weather, the rain mostly held off and an impressive 2,787 total finishers were treated to beautiful views of Main Street, the Severn River and B&A Trail on the challenging but fair 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles) and half-marathon (13.1 mile) courses.
Organized by Corrigan Sports, the races featured the fixtures of a big city event on a more intimate scale and highlighted that Annapolis is truly a town that thrives on pedestrian friendly events.
The festival attracted runners from all over the country to experience the joys of our city and spend time getting to know all the area has to offer, while also raising money for local charities such as the Friends of the Anne Arundel County Trails.
The half-marathon saw 878 finishers with Alexander Horgan from Wilmington, Delaware, taking first overall with a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes, 4 seconds. Meaghan Murray of Baltimore was the first female finisher and came across 11th overall in 1:22:08. Michael Johnson of Annapolis was the top local finisher with a 1:19:31, which was good for sixth overall.
The 10K race saw an impressive 1,036 finishers with Caleb Goodie of Middletown placing first in 35:23 and Amanda Ray of Brooklyn, New York, taking first female (fifth overall) in 40:25. Joe Ward of Annapolis was the best local finisher and finished fourth overall in 40 minutes flat.
The 5K had 873 finishers and Tanka Magar of Nottingham was the overall winner in 17:58. Ashley Roe of Catonsville was the top female (sixth overall) finisher in 19:57. Brian Heatherington of Annapolis topped the local entrants and finished fourth overall in 19:44.
Large scale events such as the Annapolis Running Festival and the Annapolis 10-Mile Run are more than just economic drivers; they are goodwill ambassadors for the City of Annapolis as well.
There are few areas in Maryland that can boast such well-organized and well-received events and the few hours of use of the streets in the early morning hours pay dividends that showcase to local and non-locals that our area can come together in a community event that celebrates healthy living and giving something back to the community that charitable giving, something the city is correct to encourage.
Striders Awards
The Annapolis Striders Annual Awards Banquet was held March 9 and celebrated the accomplishments of the best runners and volunteers in the area.
The Ben Moore Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tom DeKornfeld, who has been a leading voice in the community for the benefits of running and volunteering for decades — always leading by example. Larry Puglisi earned Strider of the Year Award, while Eva Coale was named Volunteer of the Year.
Female Runner of the Year went to Kristin Dubinski, while Maksym Petrenko was named Male Runner of the Year. Griffin Tabar was chosen as the Junior Strider of the Year, while the Most Improved Runner award went to Steve Coleman.
The Annapolis Striders Championship Series, which consists of runners in five-year age groups competing over eight races ranging from one mile to 16.3 miles, highlights the skills required to be proficient in different disciplines. Runners who finish every race in the Series are bestowed with the title of Ironman.
Of particular note are four runners for whom consistency and dedication are the name of the game. For decades, come cold weather, hot weather, rain or snow, through injury and illness, these runners have run every race in the Championship Series.
A special congratulations to Ironmen Matt Mace, Will Myers and Derek Ammons. Mace has competed in every Championship Series race for 36 years, while Myers has done so for 35 years and Ammons for 27 years.
Local legend Eric Peltosalo, who placed first in the 70-74 age group, also has a streak going of at least one age-group champ series year title for every five-year group since the first series in 1980 when he won age group 30-34. As Peltosalo notes, “it’s not a measure of speed but consistency and stubbornness and has required using every physical and mental trick I learned in 47 years of competitive running.”
Congratulations to all the well deserving award winners. They are inspirations to all of us of the power of “showing up” and working hard, year in and year out, either as a runner or a volunteer or both.