Results - 26.2K
Results - 5K
Metric Marathon & 5K
The Columbia Metric Marathon (26.2 km = 16.4 mi) has attracted some of the top runners in the Baltimore-Washington area, and this year's race featured a battle between Steve Kartalia, last year's Metric winner, and Jim Hage, a past winner of the Marine Corps Marathon. Hage led the field for the first five miles, and then ran with Mr. Kartalia for about two more miles. But then, somewhere on the hills of Ellicott City, Kartalia took control of the race and, according to Hage, "just motored away after about seven miles." By 12 miles, Kartalia had assumed a commanding lead of over 200 yards and went on to win in 1:29:12.
The women's race featured an intense competition between long-time rivals Stacey Nicholson, Bea Marie Altieri and Denise Knickman. After a dozen miles, just before they entered the infamous bike-path section, Nicholson had gotten ahead of Altieri and quite a bit ahead of Knickman. But local heroine Bea Marie couldn't hold the pace along the last two, wind-swept miles, and Nicholson went on to claim the women's victory in 1:43:19.
The master runners may have supplied the best performances of the day, however. The men's master's competition certainly provided the best flat-out race of the day as 46-year-old Robert Torchia outsprinted 51-year-old Reuben Beauchamp by one second to claim the title of fastest master in 1:43:00. On the women's side, Susan Humphries (48) came within half a minute of Bernadette Flynn's (40) 1:59:27. Flynn and Humphries finished fourth and fifth among all women.
Those runners not agreeable to the full metric distance entered the Columbia 5k, which started at the same time. Gerry Clapper dismantled the men's 5k field in 15:46, and Robyn Humphrey did the same to the women's field in 18:34. Both winners won going away and had over a minute on their nearest rivals.
In spite of the cold and windy morning, nearly 600 runners turned out for the Metric Marathon and 5k, including a record-number of 197 in the 5k. Over 100 registered on race day, an unexpectedly high number. The large fields exhausted the supply of 60 Ledo's pizzas (as well as the bananas) that awaited the finishers, and the last few marathoners actually had no pizza.
Phil and Vicki Lang directed the two races for the fifth consecutive year. The Howard County Striders stage the events each year to commemorate the old town of Ellicott City, MD, and the new town of Columbia, MD. Along their 16.4-mile route, which started and ended at the center of Columbia, MD, the Metric Marathoners negotiated the hills and bike-paths of both towns.
Sponsors included Feet First of Wilde Lake, Apple Ford, Power Bar and Power Gel, Asics, Runners World, and Key Bank and Trust. Apple Ford provided a lead car for the Metric runners, while Power Gel offered runners free samples at 8.5 miles. Overall winners received cash awards, while age group winners took home gift certificates from Feet First and genuine Metric Marathon sweatshirts. All entrants also received a Power Bar, and all Metric finishers received an official pair of Metric Marathon gloves, which they will presumably need this winter.
The Metric Marathon and 5k serve as the final race in the RRCA Maryland Grand Prix series in which area runners earn points throughout the year in team and individual age-group standings. The Striders' Club Challenge Race in February was the first race in the series.
by Jim Carbary