03 November 2002

In going up and down so many hills, the Run Through the Grapevine 8k (5 mi) course at the Linganore Winery criss-crosses itself several times, so when an errant course marshal misdirected runners the wrong way only one runner actually failed to run the appointed distance. Unfortunately, that was the lead runner, Eric Meyers, who was so far in front of the others that race officials didn't have time to re-direct him to another loop before he finished. However, by the time the next three runners- Joe Abernethy, Bobby Van Allen, and Dennis Mickey- crested the "last" hill, race director Mick Slonaker had sufficiently recovered to send them onto another of the "loops" and ensure that they and everyone else who followed actually completed the appointed distance. This real-time correction proved so effective that Denise Knickman, the winner of the women's competition, didn't even know she had gone off course. "There was a '3-mile winner' and a '5-mile' winner," explained Mr. Slonaker, who gave first-place awards to Meyers as well as Abernethy. Many runners didn't even know they went off course, though, and John Worley believed the course was "well thought out."

The Grapevine 8k also featured team competition in a multitude of different gender and age categories. Race winner Abernethy spearheaded the fastest team- the "Old Dogs" from Montgomery County, who all ran under 34 minutes and easily won the Master Male team (there were no other entrants).3

The "King Cobra Booze Hounds" (i.e., wine drinkers) won the Open Coed division, probably the toughest team division, even though their top runner, Eric Meyers, did not score. In the Master's Coed Division, the "Whinos" out-legged "Aged to Perfection," which had won that division for the last five years. Mick Slonaker and president of the Howard County Striders directed this year's Grapevine 8k. The usual race director, Gerry Clapper, was called suddenly out of town to be inducted into the Maine's Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits as a high school and college runner (some of his state records still stand since he set them over 20 years ago). Gerry did, however, conceive the course (in its nominal form) and did bake the 40 loaves of nut breads consumed at the post race party. The Run Through the Grapevine cross country 8k takes place every November entirely within the confines of the Linganore Winery in Frederick County. This year over 430 runners participated in the event. Age group and team winners received wine or gift certificates for wine at the Winery, except for those under-aged runners who got gift certificates from Feet First in Wilde Lake. The Howard County Striders wish to thank Anthony Aellen and his family for hosting the event (as well for providing the good wine!).

-- by Jim Carbary