The 2024 B&A Trail Marathon and Half Marathon BY TOM LYDEN
O n a sunny Sunday morning, March 24, 2024, the air was cool and the breezes were light such that the running conditions were close to ideal. 785 runners toed the line for the start of the 2024 version of the B&A Trail Marathon and Half Marathon. Although I am hardly what one would consider a competitive runner, I still feel a certain tension at the start of a race. Even though I was not running, I felt this same tension prior to sounding the horn for the start. Maybe it was the contact high I got from being in the presence of the throng of runners poised to race. The results of the race revealed that 499 runners completed the half marathon and 286 completed the marathon. Michael Wardian was the first-place male finisher in the marathon race with a time of 2:37:24. This was not Michael’s maiden voyage on our race course; he won the marathon in 2001 and in 2007, a race in which he set the course record of 2:25:30. This year Michael demonstrated that not only is he an excellent distance runner, he also has a flair for fashion. For this year’s race he channeled his inner Forrest Gump, wearing a collared shirt and a Bubba Gump Shrimp hat and sporting a long flowing beard and an unruly head of hair. The first- place female marathoner was Joy Lewis with a time of 2:55:56. Joy had a somewhat more conventional ensemble featuring a Howard County Striders singlet. After winning the 2023 B&A Marathon, Daniel Rowe tried his hand (or, I guess I should say his feet) at the half marathon dis- tance for 2024. He showed us that he can also prevail at the shorter distance, crossing the line first in this year’s half marathon with a winning time of 1:12:36. Lauren Pearlman was the first woman to cross the finish line in the half marathon with a time of 1:27:26. The overall feedback I received from those who participated in this year’s races was that they enjoyed the experience and thought the races were well organized. Most folks seemed to like this year’s premiums: red hoodies bearing the B&A Train logo, caps with the Maryland flag motif, and a tote bag emblazoned with the Annapolis Striders logo. Runners also seemed to like the post-race
again this year providing both pork and chicken sliders as post-race nourishment for the runners. We had significant quantities left over and fortunately the Mids who were on hand at the end of the day graciously ac- cepted several trays of sliders. We also had a variety of other snacks available, including the iconic Hostess Twinkies, and some rather green bananas (they were ripe two weeks lat- er when we put them out as a post-race snack for the Cherry Pit 10 Miler). This year’s races were photographed by Chris Bernacchi and his crew from Enduro Photo. They did a great job of capturing the runners as they negotiated the race course. Of course, no race hosted by the Annap- olis Striders, including this one, would ex- ist without the sustained efforts of a host of volunteers. The presence and hard work of our volunteers make the positive experience of the runners in our races possible. Many thanks to each volunteer for the hard work they put in to make the event a success. I think the efforts of our truck crew for this year’s races deserves special thanks. Although, as mentioned above, on race day there was not a cloud in the sky, but for the second year running, the day before the race was marked by a dark sky and a steady downpour. Notwithstanding the inclement weather, the crew, which consisted of Robin Gower, Al Kasmer, Ethan Goldberg, and the
recovery massages provided by Leona Schultz and her crew of massage therapists. The National Running Center set up shop on Saturday morning in the school cafeteria and offered their wares for sale during packet pick-up and after the race. I think their efforts were successful and they will likely be back next year. The Mission BBQ folks were with us once
Daniel Rowe, First Male, Half Marathon
Joy Lewis, First Female, Marathon
8 THE STREAK I A PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE ANNAPOLIS STRIDERS
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