Ready...set....go.....

I had an interesting email the other day. At the Tour de Lance 5k I was on the PA system and introduced Congressman Castle who said a few words prior to the start of the 5k. With over 1200 runners and walkers at the starting line not all were paying attention to what was being said. When I thanked him for joining us I yelled into the PA system that "Cannon Man" TJ Healy will start the race with his cannon. So the cannon goes off and 1200 folks cross our timing mats and head down Justinson Street. I have used a cannon start for many of my events including the Caesar Rodney Half and DE Marathon. At my Seven Sister series in Dewey Beach we have a couple pirates (Pete & Woody) who start our events using a cannon. The email i received was from an irate walker who was not aware of the cannon start. She stated that she almost had a heart attack when the cannon was fired and that I should reconsider using a cannon start for our events. She went on to explain that she does have a hearing problem and that loud noises are harmful. I am not the only race director who uses a cannon to start events. NYC Marathon and Marine Corp Marathon use cannons the size of a small car to start their events. I did apologize to her via the email. But to be honest with you.....cannon man will most likely continue to start our huge races.