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Before I meander into my senseless banter, let me just state for the record, the winner of this week's race was Mike Ferrari of Shrewsbury. With the speed of a Ferrari, Mike broke the tape in a time of 18:35. Now, let the banter begin: |
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The big news of the week was Hurricane Charley. I'm not talking about that poor excuse for a rain storm that hit Florida and rolled up the coast this weekend. What I am talking about is Hurricane Charlie Salmond that hit the Wednesday night race this week and left a trail of destruction and brokenhearted runners in his wake. |
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After his usual warmup, Charlie socialized with the other unsuspecting Wednesday night regulars. Nothing could've prepared these would-be competitors for the speed and power that was brewing just below the surface. As the ever-smiling race director Sarah Fullen shouted out the runners' command to start the race, Tropical Storm Charlie immediately sent dirt and gravel flying as he gusted ahead of the runners and placed the group in the proper pecking order of being behind him. He tore up the road, and as he ran under the bridge, Mr. Salmond was upgraded to a hurricane. Going by the Lancaster Driving Range, Charlie turned it up a notch and became a Level 2. |
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Now I'm not saying there weren't some storm chasers among this fine group of athletes. There was Bill Sicard, Dan Navaroli, Mike Brodeur, Don Maddocks, and Peter Orni just to name a few who dared Charlie's wrath. They all kept close to Charlie without any concern for their own well-being and without any care for the perils they faced at any given moment. |
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By the turn-around, Hurricane Charlie was quickly upgraded to a level 3. A police car and a tow truck were spotted taking away an unsuspecting woman's car that must've sustained serious storm damage having been caught dead in the middle of Charlie's path. Somewhere along this route, those storm chasers I mentioned earlier in the story dwindled, until there were but two thrill seekers left to face whatever ravages Hurricane Charlie could dish out. These two runners waving their devil-may-care attitudes were none other than CMSers Bill Sicard and Dan Navaroli. The word is Dan was able to handle the dust clouds and flying debris by focusing on Bill Sicard's brilliantly colored running shoes which showed the way for the rest of the runners like a lighthouse safely guides in the ships during foul weather. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah, Charlie passed the Lancaster Golf Range on the return and something must've snapped inside this gentle giant as he plain skipped Level 4 and nailed a Level 5. That was all she wrote. Hurricane Charlie broke the tape at 20:19 and the worn and bedraggled Bill Sicard and Dan Navaroli held close with a 20:23 and a 20:26. |
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As I made my way back from the turnaround in the safety of my car, I just shook my head in sheer amazement as I saw the destruction left behind. The blacktop on the road was completely removed with the underlying dirt exposed. |
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As I got closer to where the center of Hurricane Charlie hit, I noticed CMSer Jim Shope with a sullen and forlorn look on his face. He was wearing a fluorescent vest directing traffic and runners to the safest parts of what was once known to most as a roadway. There were orange and white barrels and orange cones strategically placed throughout the devastated area. Some don't believe that one runner could possess such speed, such strength, such unforgiving fury.
These same people will be the ones who attribute the aftermath to the Target and Lowes being built in proximity to the carnage.
For those of us who were there and who witnessed Charlie first-hand, we will always know the truth of what happened on that one fateful day in August.
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By the way, Charlie was the first senior finisher, Bill Sicard was the first master, and Peter Orni with a time 21:27 was the first veteran finisher. Jan Beckwith was the first female in and she had a time of 23:10, and Catherine Pfau grabbed the first senior female title. We genuinely appreciate the Longcope family who flew over from Kyoto, Japan to run this week's race. Ok, possibly they may have used some other excuse to come to the states, but I am pretty sure the trip was planned around the CMS summer series. By the way, Masami and his dad Peter fared pretty well at the race, coming in with a time of 25:45 and 25:46 respectively. Masami's time of 25:45 garnered him the first junior overall award! |
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In parting, I apologize to Mike Ferrari, the winner of the race, for not giving him more ink than I did. I promise (or threaten, depending how you look at it) if a hurricane hits before the end of the summer series and the hurricane's name is Mike and Mike runs the race that week, that I will write a story like you've never read before. Happy trails, kids! |
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