21 April 2002

Recovering from an nagging injury, Vicki Lang didn't expect to come anywhere near winning the 24th Annual Clyde's 10k last Sunday, especially when she saw Vanessa Cox at the starting line. Cox had beaten Lang by over two minutes at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler the week before, and the latter reckoned she'd just be trying for an age-group award. But through the first two miles, Vicki tenaciously held her place within a group of several of the top women runners and, at the bottom of the hill on Columbia Road, found herself right behind the leader Vanessa. "When I saw her sort of struggling up the hill, I got pumped," Vicki said. Lang surged resolutely past Cox, taking the lead at the top of the hill and going on to an unexpected victory in 39:08. Cox finished second in 39:45.

Columbia's Chris Chattin, Howard County Strider Runner of the Year for 2001, was likewise recovering from an injury, but his race was not so successful. He stayed with the lead pack, which had started "conservatively," for about half of the race. Then, at the same hill where Cox succumbed to Lang, Matt Green, Bobby Van Allen, and 16-year-old Matt Sanders swept past Chattin. "I knew I was racing a legend," said Green, who picked up the pace on the hill. Green passed Sanders near the top of the even longer hill on Route 108, taking the lead and running by himself until he crossed the finish line to win in 33:45. "I wanted to break 34 [minutes]" he said.

Peter Kirk earned award for top master runner, while Patricia Keating won the same award for the women's gender. "I didn't like the long hill," Kirk said, but he had a good race nevertheless and might even have run a little faster than last year. Ms. Keating was actually not the first woman over 40 to cross the finish line- Vanessa Cox and Lisa Coleman finished second and third and claimed overall prizes.

Winners and age group winners received gift certificates for Clyde's of Columbia. Courtesy of Clyde's, all participants and volunteers enjoyed a fabulous post-race brunch on the shore of Lake Kittimiqundi. The fare included chicken sandwiches, pasta salad, fresh fruit, hot dogs and chili, bagels, Coca Cola soft drinks, and four kegs of Bud and Bud Light. The awards ceremony was held back 30 minutes so everyone could have a helping or two.

This year the race became the second race in Howard County (the Columbia Triathlon was the first) to use the ChampionChip scoring system whereby runners' times are automatically recorded when they run, with their chips attached to shoes, over electornic mats at the beginning and end of the race. The Annapolis Striders lent their ChampionChip mats to the Howard County Striders for this purpose, and Jim DiScuillo's software handled the rest. In fact, the complete results had been tabulated by 9:30 am, a half hour before the awards ceremony began. Only one runner out of 1230 finishers reported a mis-scoring (his start time was not recorded). Another runner didn't wear his 'chip and was not scored, while a third runner dropped his chip but recovered it and carried it to the finish, swiping it across the finish mat by hand. "I used a newer, faster 'beta-version' today," Mr. DiScuillo boasted.

Charlie Brown directed the Clyde's 10k, his first race as director. He also did the announcing at the awards ceremony. The Howard County Striders put on the race, which has enjoyed the same sponsor- Clyde's of Columbia- for nearly a quarter of a century. The Striders wish to thank the Howard County Police Department for flawless traffic control and the Annapolis Striders for the use of their ChampionChip system.

-- by James Carbary