06 October 2002

"It's all UPHILL from here," course marshal Mary Brandenstein told the lead Metric Marathoners as they turned her corner at 4 1/2 miles. And so it was, because the field of 358 who ran last Sunday's 26th Annual Metric Marathon (26.2 km or 16.3 miles) had just entered the hills in western Ellicott City.

However, the race winner Neville Anderson didn't seem to mind the hills. "The hills weren't bad, and I let the other guys do the work." For the first 12 miles, Anderson ran in a close pack with Conrad Orloff and Steve Dillard, but the 40-year-old made his move on the downhill at mile 12. "I thought it was a mistake," Mr. Anderson said about his surge which carried him into the lead. But he found himself running alone thereafter, and knew he had the race won when no one was with him at 14 miles.

Anderson finished alone in 1:36:39. Behind him, a more serious competition developed between Dillard and Doug Kuderna, who surged back and forth for the last few miles. "He made the last surge," Kuderna remembered. Obviously pumped, Dillard let loose in celebratory yells and screams as he crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of Kuderna, who settled for first in the master's category but placed fourth overall.

Not more than a mile into the Metric,Vicki Lang blew open the women's race. she simply waltzed away from Julie Thienel and Pat Keating, who wound up second and third in the women's competition. Running most of the 16.3 miles by herself, Ms. Lang covered distance about six minutes faster than she ever had (1:48:52). "I don't know where THAT came from," she said. "I'm more excited about Tiff," Vicki enthused about her daughter's performance in the 5k that accompanied the Metric. "It was Tiffany's first 5k and she won her age group." Not only that, but Vicki's husband Phil placed fifth overall in the Metric, so it was a good day for the Lang's.

Robyn Humphrey out-sprinted Sonya Cucio by one second to win the 5k in 19:45. Pleased with her time, Humphrey had been trying to break the elusive 20 minute barrier, and Sunday was her day. In the men's 5k race, there was no such excitement. Matt Skaggs took the lead early and overwhelmed the men's field in 16:47. The 5k race drew a field of 150 and NOBODY went off course.

The two races took place on a marvelously cool and beautiful October morning just after a week-long heatwave had ended. Some runners had more to celebrate than the weather and the hills of Ellicott City. Sharon Harmon and David Robinson of Bethany Beach got married the Saturday before and travelled all the way to Columbia to run the Metric. They wore special singlets: one said "Just" and the other said "Married." The full message may not have been delivered, however, since Sharon finished far ahead of her new husband. Also, Dorothy Beckett turned 45 the day before the Metric, and she celebrated by placing first in the 45-49 women. "I planned my birthday to coincide with the Metric," she giggled.

John Worley made his debut director of the Metric Marathon, with the able assitance of his wife. He was greatly assisted by the Howard County Police, who directed traffic at key intersections on the route from Columbia to Ellicott City and back, by dozens of Howard County Striders who served as course marshals and at water stations, and by various high school students and Boy Scouts. Finishers received Metric Marathon gloves as they crossed the finish line, and participants could help themselves to bagels, bananas, cider, Subway cookies, and all the Ledo pizza they could handle. (In fact, some of them even took home whole pizzas after the race!). Overall and age-group winners received Lucite awards and gift certificates from Feet First.

-- by James Carbary