It's back.....

It was like starting camp all over again. Seeing old friends who we have not seen since Sept. Hugs, kisses, and high fives. They run, they eat, they drink beer. This is the Seven Sisters Two Brothers run walk series 2010. Today we kicked off the Series at the Rusty Rudder with a 5k. 230 pre registered runners......and another 370 signed up race morning to make it one of our largest race day turnouts. We chip timed this event (EdJaH Chip Timing Systems) and I must admit.....it was pretty cool to watch the folks start over the mats and go on their way getting a chip time and a gun time. Our staff was stretched to the limits and they did a fabulous job. The only issue was when we started to print the results our printer ran out of ink. We took care of this and Barb was on the p a system announcing the winners and giving out door prizes. So many families, so many from out of town, so many locals. It was quite a scene. Hope to see you at one or more of these events in Dewey this summer. It is really Dewey Beach at its finest. Drink up!

Should common sense be “common”?

Here are just a couple items that we had to deal with at our DE Marathon. I received an email from a women marathoner who decided to start with the early bird runners. For those not familiar with the early bird start we email all who write down that their marathon finishing time is 6 hours plus. For the safety of all and to get these folks off the course in a timely fashion we start a small group at 6:15 am. Our lead biker did not show due to injury so staff member Jon Clifton drove his car as lead vehicle. At the first major intersection he told the leader to go left and continue straight ahead to the dead end and follow the arrows onto the river walk. Her email states that she led the early bird group and when our vol stopped at the traffic light she did not know where to go. She was that far in front of all the others. I asked her what she planned on running that day...."a 4:15" she said....HELLO....."why would you start with the early bird runners" i asked? She said she heard the announcement on the p a system and decided she would start early. I said, "if you were in the pack with all others you would not have had any issues." Another issue was with a women who decided to give her race number to a friend who wanted to run the half marathon. Not only did this person place first in the masters age group but the she was a he. This idiot not only wore her race bib but also her computer chip. Thus taking away the thrill of a win for the runner up female. Now...does this make sense?

Something has to give....

I am still sorting through all the emails i have received this week from our DE Marathon. I am averaging about 80 to 130 a day. Folks looking for awards, finishers certificates, lost and found, personal notes and of course complaints. I answer each and every one. I was at the turn around waiting for Mike Wardian to come by when I got the call that lead biker Doug White took a spill and was rushed to the hospital. I felt so bad about this accident and needed answers. Doug fractured his arm in two places and is in a cast for 6 to 8 weeks. We spoke later that day and I asked him what happened. He said he was leading Wardian down Kentmere and runners were coming up toward him and he was yelling at them to move out of the way. " These folks could not hear me due to the fact that they were wearing I-pods or similar." "I got squeezed in and hit the curb and went down." When i was at the intersection of Martin Luther King Blvd and S. Market Street where marathon runners bear right and relay and half bear left I too was yelling at folks to make sure they went the right way. It was like they were all deaf. Sign language may have worked better. I will have to reconsider allowing headphones in next years event. Accidents happen but when you can't hear instructions something has to be done about it.

What a day....

Sunday's Delaware Marathon Running Festival turned out to be one huge party! The weather was perfect, the volunteers were doing their jobs and the police were working to make the route as safe as possible which meant closing roads to traffic. I felt like a conductor leading the orchestra.... everyone was in sync. But with big crowds and the marathon distance comes issues. I have received many emails about the two runners who collapsed near the finish line. I was not there to witness but i did meet with the medical team to find out what happened. Due to the nature of these discussions I am not allowed to discuss in length. But i can give you current updates. Both the gentlemen who were taken to Christiana Care are doing ok. Both did have heart attacks. One was a bit more severe than the other. They were not the only folks taken to the hospital. Lead biker Doug White crashed at Kentmere and Union streets and and a runner in the half marathon went down with a broken leg as he approached the finish line. Two runners on the course were also treated by medical. One with a knee issue and another having leg spasms. Plus one knucklehead who ran the last leg of the relay drunk and had to be taken off the course. I thank all of you for your concerns. A special thank you to my wife Barb for handling the medical aspects of our marathon. And a double thank you to operations director Joel Schiller who has elevated this race to be Delaware's premier running event. My goal was for you to have a fun / safe time. I am only the guy who points folks in the right direction. It was the 300 plus volunteers who make this race a success.

confirmed

It is the Thursday before our 7th CCHS Delaware Marathon. So far so good. This morning I spend my time making phone calls and sending out emails confirming that all my concerns are taken care of and so I will be able to sleep the next few days. Examples are confirming fencing with the City of Wilm Confirming with the traffic department that the no parking signs have been placed on Rosa Park Drive and two areas on route where we place Pack Rat containers for water stops. Confirming my bartender will be there to pour you a Michelob Ultra after your run. Contacting Grotto Pizza to confirm delivery of 150 pizzas Sunday morning. Calling my tee shirt vendor to confirm shirts to be delivered to Tubman Park on Friday, calling High Point Dairy to confirm delivery of ice cream sandwiches, ice teas and lemon aid and of course chocolate milk. More phone calls to Mayors office to confirm the Mayor will be there at 6:50 am to welcome the runners to the City of Wilmington, The list goes on and on.....For those of you running on Sunday I look forward to meeting all of you and wish you the best of luck. Enjoy our beautiful City of Wilmington. I believe May is the prettiest month of the year to be in Delaware.

A view from the back

At the 14th Iron Hill Brewery Race Against Family Violence 5k held this past Saturday I did something that I have not done in over 12 years. I actually participated as a walker in this 5k. I just decided that my staff was very capable of handling this event. EdJaH Chip Timing Systems had all aspects of registration and finish line scoring taken care of and my wife Barb was with me to manage the event. The Girl Scouts handled the water stop and Child Inc. vols were on the route as course marshalls. I did chalk out the route earlier in the morning and worked with the security of U of DE and Newark Police to make sure all was ok on their end. My goal was to walk the 5k in 47 minutes. I was really not in a hurry and had a blast cheering the runners and walkers and taking photos along the way. As I approached the finish line the clock was ticking down to 47:00.....I crossed the finish line in 47:02. So close but wait....my chip time gave me a time of 46:56. Cool! Not bad for a guy with two new hips. I am already planning on walking another of my races soon.

That time of year.....

It is that time of year again....Marathon crunch time. The check list is getting longer each year as we increase the crowd. We are at 2100 runners up from 1800 last year. This was not to be but the demand was there and we will see if the course can handle the crowds. If not....sorry to say we will go back to the 1800 runners next year. We have ordered enough performance tees to handle. We have enough food to handle the crowd, and we have ordered enough finisher medals. My real concern is how the course holds up. A 2 loop course is a touchy subject. We have worked hard on making our mistakes from a year ago a non issue this year. Transition area for relay re arranged. Signage at Market Street Bridge where marathon runners go one way (onto river walk) and half and relay go another.....should be no problem this year. Traffic at Pena Ave...detour signs already made up. Lines for food....should be no problem since we will have double the space. Mylar blankets already in house just in case. Medical plans ...done. Folks....come out and enjoy.....we have worked really hard to please you. Good luck.