Don't do this.

Remember people, the race isn't over until you cross the finish line.

The Rockets Red Glare

Independence Day. A day many associate with hot dogs, fireworks and the beach. Or for some, an eating contest that rewards overindulgence on nitrate-laced pork byproduct, loud bright explosions and traffic.

Either way, it's AMERICAN and gosh darnit, you'll freaking like it!

And while summer has technically just started, it generally signifies the halfway point of summer, because from here on it, it's going to fly by faster than Maverick buzzing the tower.

Naturally, there are some races held annually on Independence Day, and they attract reasonable sized crowds. The Arbutus Firecracker 10k is a tough course, but top 3 in each age group are rewarded with cash prizes. Erik Anderson was the overall winner in 33:14, and Matt Franco was 9th in 36:06. I originally missed Franco's result because his last name was listed as "France". Dave Berardi ran 37:24 and Joel Gladfelter came in at 38:08.

For the ladies, Megan DiGregorio was 3rd in 39:35 and Suzanne Hurst was 5th at 42:03. Denise Knickman wasn't far behind in 6th at 42:41.

Dundalk has a Heritage Festival that lasts a week and, prior to their parade, racers jump out for a 6k along the parade route. Winning this year's event - in jorts and a t-shirt that read "turn up for America" - was Sean Caskey. He ran 21:05 and then he and his 5 friends proceeded to consume 90 cans of drink. They truly turned up for America. PJ Anderer was 11th in 24:29 and Jen Sheely was 2nd F in 26:29.

Elsewhere there were some great results, such as Tom Stott's 19:41 at the Autism Speaks 5k. Great to see Tommy Stott getting back into action. Another result I missed in the email was Amy Horst's Firecracker 4 Mile in Wisconsin, where she held 6:12 pace and finished 5th in 24:51.

But the race of the day and winner of our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week was Justin Gerbereux, who ran 30:18 to finish 9th at the Southampton Firecracker 8k.

A lot of races with the word Firecracker.

Saturday Soiree

Hi All!

I wanted to post something about perhaps having a get-together/party at my house Saturday night for a few reasons (as if we need a reason to party?): -Celebrate post-Baltimore 10 miler -Kick off the summer ... -Get everyone together for some team bonding!!

I recently moved into a place with a rooftop deck and a decent amount of room to host a small gathering. There would be drinks, snacks, etc. and we can hit up the bars after for those who have the energy to do so.

Let me know if you think you'd be up for it, and if there is enough interest, I'll make an event invite. I live in Federal Hill near Digital Harbor, in those high-rise townhouses. It's a pretty sweet spot! Comments appreciated...

Oh, and if you're doing a father's day race, no biggie... we can start relatively early.

Respect Your Elders

Ben Ingram, left, circa 1874, in Michigan

Since late 2008 we have had many members of our group compete in marathons, producing many fine performances; it wasn't always this way.  Pre-2008, most of us weren't as keen on marathoning.  Just a few of the heartier souls did them in 2006 and 2007, including Kyle Smits and Dave Berdan's attempts at OTQ times, and Spider's unrelenting assault on the distance.

The 2007 New York City Marathon produced what is still one of the best performances from our group, and announced Ben Ingram onto the local running scene.  Ben had moved to Baltimore earlier that year from Chicago, and was one of the first of us to have a banner day in a big race.  On that day, Ben marched to the line in 2:37:09, finishing 72nd overall.  As he came off a 1:11:43 at PDR a few weeks prior, we were all tremendously impressed.

Even more impressive was when, that winter, Ben allowed himself to slip so far out of shape that I put an insane amount of time into him at Club Challenge.  I will keep that moment as one of boastful pride for as long as I live.

But what Ben really did on that day in New York was set the tone for years to come.  No longer would our group accept mediocrity.  Ben was one of the driving forces behind augmented training programs, and continues to stand as a source of leadership and guidance for many of us.  Along with Jake Marren and Brennan Feldhausen, Ben got on board with the Jack Daniels' training formula and used it to great success, from distances of 10k up to the marathon. 

As Ben continued to challenge himself, he took on large goals at Boston 2009, and Army Ten Miler later that year.  He upped his own ante by competing in, and crushing, the JFK 50 Miler, and then re-visited the 10 mile distance with a terrific race at Cherry Blossom 2010.  A disappointing lead-up to Chicago 2011 is probably the only blemish on his transcript, besides the aforementioned beatdown (by me) at Club Challenge.  Even now, Ben continues to pursue more challenging events, as he has tackled the sport of triathlon this year, and pulled the trigger on signing up for Ironman Wisconsin 2012.  Knowing Ben, I expect nothing less than meticulous discipline and focus as he prepares for that event.  Of course, if he gets to Hawaii before I do, I may have to check myself into Arkham Asylum.

This little fluff piece isn't to boost Ben's ego, but rather to let him know how much he has meant to our group.  Some of you may already know, but others may not, that Ben and his wife, Kendra, are moving to Omaha, Nebraska, in just two and a half weeks.  Kendra accepted a great position with the Symphony there, and while we don't get to regularly see them now in Winchester, it is still nice to know he's not that far.  I know a few of us have stopped by their place, and Brennan has gotten together to run with him a few times, meeting in the middle.

The good news is that the two of them will be coming to Baltimore to race the Celtic Solstice race on December 17th, so following that race it will be the Day of Ingram.  As we get closer, we'll organize a social event for after the race.  Whether you ran with Ben for a day or for years, or never ran with him at all, Ben has left an indelible mark in our Baltimore running history.  For instance, the move of leaving the house quietly in the middle of the night during a fierce snowstorm, running 2 miles to Fells Point, getting caught, and then having to run back home - yeah, Ben invented that.  The other move, when you drink a 40 and pass out wherever, probably because you're very old and very sleepy, that's just known as "The Ben" now.

Anyway, I apologize to Ben for blowing up his spot in the event that he wanted to let people know, but I feel like he might have left without saying anything.  Show your love for Ben by sending me your favorite Ben story, or commenting below.

Baltimore 10 Miler Post-race Celebration?

This just in: I (Ke$ha) will be going to San Francisco for 2 months (unless for some strange reason I become completely miserable) this summer. I will be leaving 2 days after Bmore 10 Miler. Now, I will definitely not find as cool of a group to run with there, but I'm sure it will be fun... and hilly.

Anyway, I was thinking since a lot of people would be around after Baltimore 10 Miler, I could get to see a lot of you to say bye for the summer! Unless you want to pay the airfare to visit me in San Fran. So, I'm giving you all a heads up super early in hopes that we can all have some drinks after the race before I leave for the west coast.

Bmore 10 Miler is on a SATURDAY which means we can party hard afterwards and leave me feeling like I left on the proper note. I'm open to places to go, but I assumed Fed Hill or Canton, naturally. Also, for those who witness the debacle that was my birthday, I promise to a) show up to my own celebration at a decent time and b) not be a (drunk) glass case of emotions.

Mark your calendars: June 18th!

Kyle Makes Front Page!

Kyle Makes the Front Page of B, the Baltimore Sun Free Daily!

Check it out. I picked up a few copies. I like the cover picture better cause he's more of the picture. The TITLE of this post is the link to the article. Go get 'em, Kyle!

For the record, I did actually email the Baltimore Sun, suggesting they do an article on some of our local elites that are racing Baltimore - including Chrissie, Kyle, Berdan, Lee and Denise. To the rest of you, I'm sorry.

Read Z's post below!!