2 More Bibs to Watch in Boston - Asia's Running Partners

Meet Asia Renning....

Photo credit: Brightroom Photography

Two weeks ago, Asia ran her first full marathon, the Martian Marathon in Dearborn, Michigan. She finished in 3:57.09, 10th in her age group (Asia celebrated her 28th birthday the day before). Like Alex, Asia is autistic.

As has been Alex's experience, "The running community wholeheartedly accepted Asia". She trains with the Running Fit 501 marathon and half marathon training team. Although she usually runs alone, when she ran her first full marathon, her two pacers and friends, Aaron Pratt and Katie Sytniak, ran with her to keep her from going out too fast.

Aaron & Katie are running Boston tomorrow. We'll be watching them along with the Island runners and Andy Bryant. Katie's bib number is 16257 and Aaron's is 9854.

http://www.milannews.com/stories/040909/loc_20090409003.shtml

The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication

Run Renning Run

Asia Renning completes first marathon despite odds against her

By Jana Miller, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: April 9, 2009

Photo courtesy of Adair Renning Asia Renning (center, orange shirt) of Milan completed her first marathon despite her disabilities. She is pictured with her running partners, Aaron Pratt of Saline and Katie Sytniak of Ann Arbor, as well as other supporters and family. Pratt started the race with her and Sytniak joined them at the halfway point. Both helpers will be running the Boston Marathon in two weeks.

Asia Renning of Milan completed her first marathon Sunday afternoon, a feat for anyone. But what makes Asia's story special are the lesser-known challenges she and her family faced before this was ever possible.

An adopted Korean orphan to Adair and Jerry Renning, Asia began life with several disabilities and challenges. She was born with a bowel problem that required a colostomy at 13 days old, and spent the majority of her first two years traveling from hospitals to orphanages.

"At 2 years old, she couldn't roll from front to back, sit unsupported, crawl, stand or walk," Adair said.

When she did learn to walk and run, at roughly 28 months old, her troubles continued and a number of disabilities were misdiagnosed, along with surgeries and failed treatments.

"She used only a few single words, which were hard to understand. She dug holes in her fingers and clawed at her arms when (she was) upset," Adair said. "When she was 10, she was diagnosed as having pervasive developmental disorder and Ritalin was prescribed, but it nearly destroyed her."

That year, the Renning family began researching on its own and discovered food allergies may be a culprit in Asia's condition. After months of observation and testing, the family learned she was allergic to 19 different foods.

"We removed the foods she was allergic to and added supplements she was deficient in. We've been able to control the dietary issues," Adair said. "It brought about amazing changes in Asia."

Following the dietary changes, Asia's diagnoses were changed to autism and hearing issues. She worked with an auditory integration therapist on her hearing after the family learned she hears some frequencies too well, some barely at all, and experiences a five-second delay between her left and right ear.

"It's something she's learned to deal with," Adair said. "She has a really great way of phonetically sounding out words when she's reading and has quite clear speech now."

With many of her disabilities and challenges under control, Asia's passion for running became more and more prominent, which led to her participation on the Milan school cross country team.

"She always liked to run when she was young, and when she entered middle school, we really wanted her to be a part of a team," Adair said. "And running is great because it has that, but it's more competing against yourself.

"We spoke to the cross country coach, Steve Porter, who was more than willing to take on the challenge of an autistic athlete. I can't say enough good things about him and his program. They were instrumental for Asia in personal growth, friendships, and learning to be around and communicate with other people."

Throughout high school, Asia improved to join the "A" running squad, earning points for a team that won the regional championship her junior year and placed 12th at the state meet. She also carried the Olympic torch in 1996 as it passed through Detroit.

But what really led to Asia's current accomplishment began in 1998, after her coach encouraged runners to stay active during the summer off season. Asia's answer was to run every day. With the exception of one break because of an injury in 2003, Asia has continued that tradition, and for almost 11 years has run every single day.

After high school, she averaged five miles each day and competed in local 5- and 10-K races.

In 2006, running became a team sport again when she met Kathleen Gina after an Ann Arbor race. Gina is head coach of the Running Fit 501 marathon and half marathon training team. She invited Asia to the next practice.

The running community wholeheartedly accepted Asia, who was welcomed to the team. As a result, the team helped Asia to reach many more milestones, including her first half marathon.

This year marks Asia's seventh season training with the Running Fit team, and she has now completed seven half marathons and 14 other races last year alone.

Asia turned 28 April 4 and has come an incredibly long way. A day after her birthday, she competed in the Martian Marathon in Dearborn, her first full marathon.

Asia finished with a solid time of 3:57.09. Although she typically runs alone, her two pacers and friends, Aaron Pratt and Katie Sytniak, ran with her to keep her from going out too fast. She finished in 10th in her age group to a very proud and joyful family.

"This marathon is particularly exciting because she never wanted to run a marathon," Adair said. "Someone told her early on in her running career that a marathon was a terrible, painful run and it scared her. She's come a long way."

Since finishing a marathon is an accomplishment for a person under average circumstances, Asia's feat is particularly special considering there are only a handful of autistic marathon runners in the country.

"It's excited to think that she's doing something that such a small number of the normal population does. The fact that she's running the marathon, with the challenges she faces, to me is just phenomenal. My husband and I are both so proud of her."

Asia's only goals for the future are to continue to run and hopefully set a new personal record each time she goes out, and continue working with her team.

"Being a part of the Running Fit training team has been such an amazing experience for her," her mother said. "It brought people into her life that don't see her as a person with autism, but see her as a dedicated runner, and that's what matters to her."

Staff Writer Jana Miller can be reached at 429-7380 or jmiller@heritage.com.

More on Asia and her 1st Marathon

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-238475

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-238946

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-242060

Asia's Blog

Congrats Asia!

Katie & Aaron - Have a good run & great fun tomorrow...

Autistic runner is one of the guys — only faster. Andy Bryant

Autistic runner is one of the guys — only faster

Seattle's Andy Bryant doesn't let autism get to him

and will run in his second Boston Marathon on Monday

By Jerry Brewer

Seattle Times staff columnist

Andy Bryant, an autistic 27-year-old, will compete in his second

Boston Marathon on Monday. He was recently honored by his

former high school, Ingraham.

THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Andy Bryant doesn't run. He vanishes — out of his mind, out of his autism. His coach says he moves as if he's in another world, weaving a little, defying textbook running strategy. If he could learn to maintain a straight line and pace himself, Bryant might be an elite marathoner.

Instead, he must settle for being an inspiration.

It's a consolation only because, with Bryant's unceasing thirst to race, there's rarely time to reflect. Besides, his mind doesn't work that way. He survives on routine, so a distance runner's detailed training schedule matches him perfectly. It fulfills his foremost desire: to be accepted.

"I don't want to have autism," Bryant says often. "I want to be one of the guys."

In a pack of runners, he is. In fact, he's more than accepted. He's admired. And it's not for fighting autism, either.

Two years ago, Bryant finished in the top 6 percent of all participants in the Boston Marathon and did it with a personal-best time of 3 hours, 5 minutes, 36 seconds.

On Monday, he will run in the world-famous event again, with a goal of breaking the three-hour mark.

"I want to get a '2' as the first number this time," the 27-year-old says.

If he paces himself, he might be able to do so. But he doesn't understand pacing. He prefers to dash at the start and will himself the rest of the way. Somehow, he's strong enough to handle it.

Bryant has always been a natural runner. When he was 13, he joined his mother and stepfather, Colleen and Jerry Engle, in a family 5K fun run. They planned to walk the course. When the gun went off, however, Bryant took off sprinting, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. The parents grew nervous. They thought the crowd would make him panic, or he would get scared after he reached the finish line and realized he was alone.

But after they crossed the finish line, they saw Andy holding three sports drinks, four cookies and a hot dog.

"Andy, you OK?" Colleen asked.

"Yeah, there are lots of snacks," he said.

Since then, he's been a distance runner. They knew he was special when he started beating Jerry in races.

"We used to do these 3-mile circuits, and at first, Andy would ask me, 'Can we walk now?' " Jerry said. "And I'd say, 'No, we're almost done.' Now, I ask if we can walk, and he says almost done."

Jerry works as a pilot, so the family moved around a lot before settling in Seattle seven years ago. While living in San Diego in 1999, Andy ran his first marathon with one of his teachers. It took him about 4 ½ hours. Then he competed in half-marathons until 2005, when he ran the Portland Marathon.

After posting a time of 3:18, Bryant started dreaming of the Boston Marathon. He needed to shave eight minutes off his time to qualify, and he came in 10 minutes faster in the 2006 Portland Marathon.

In 2007, on an icy, wet and windy Boston day, he achieved his dream. He stepped in ankle-deep mud at the staging area and endured 50 mph wind gusts throughout the race. The conditions were so bad that officials considered canceling the marathon, but Bryant was undeterred. He accomplished his personal best and placed 1,372nd out of more than 20,000 runners.

Now, after recovering from a broken foot in 2008, he wants to do better.

"I feel great," he says. "I feel happy and confident."

Colleen marvels over her son. He can't read or write functionally. When he broke his foot, he had trouble figuring out how to use crutches. But he can bench-press 170 pounds, and his muscular body almost protects him from his brain's limitations.

"He has an IQ of 75 maybe," Colleen says. "Maybe. But what he does with the deck of cards he's been dealt is amazing, really. Amazing. He just figures out a way. His life revolves around running."

Every month, Bryant puts his training regimen on the refrigerator and follows it to the letter. He can't read most sentences, but he can comprehend that schedule.

Once a week, he cleans a QFC grocery store to earn some money. He loves puzzles and model airplanes and painting. Colleen and Jerry proudly display his artwork throughout their home.

He's made great progress from his childhood, when he would throw temper tantrums and bite his hand because he didn't know how to communicate.

"It's just a different path," Colleen says. "When we have a newborn, as parents, it's like we have this blueprint in mind. With an autistic child, what happens as time marches on, that plan unravels more and more. You give up some things, but you redirect and you reset your goals. Running has given him a new life plan."

On Friday, that plan included a celebration. Bryant went to Ingraham High School after he moved to Seattle (special education students are allowed to continue high school after they turn 18). So Ingraham treated Bryant to a send-off.

As Bryant entered the auditorium, the student body stood and clapped, the drum line delivered thunderous beats, and the cheerleaders waved their pompoms. Mayor Greg Nickels declared it Andy Bryant Day. Chants of "An-dee! An-dee! An-dee!" filled the room as Bryant took the microphone following a few presentations.

"Thank you everybody!" he yelled.

The students broke into a "Let's go, Andy!" cheer.

"I think he puts the message out there to everyone that regardless of any disability, you can do anything," said Mary Ellen Eagle, Bryant's Special Olympics coach.

"You can walk downstairs. You can work. You can run in the Boston Marathon. So parents should not give up. Anything can happen if they believe in their sons and daughters."

Soon after Eagle spoke, a student walked over and asked Bryant to sign his cast.

Acceptance? No, adoration.

Just one of the guys? No, he's so much better.

He's so much faster.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

Autistic man lives to run - Andrew Bryant running the Boston Marathon

http://www.nwcn.com/sports/stories/NW_041709WAB-autistic-runner-KC.e5c54a71.html

Autistic man lives to run

By ALLEN SCHAUFFLER / KING 5 News

SEATTLE – Andy Bryant is a runner, a long-distance runner good enough to finish in the top 6 percent of the field in the Boston Marathon two years ago.

The Seattle man, 26 years old, is also autistic.

As a Special Olympics runner he never lost a race and he was the first Washington Special Olympian ever to qualify to run in Boston, the big-daddy of American road races.

Today the student body at his high school alma mater, Ingraham in North Seattle, gave him a huge, rowdy sendoff in the auditorium.

The entire student body roared and clapped and chanted his name. The mayor sent along a proclamation declaring this "Andy Bryant Day."

Good energy – just what he'll need for the 26.2 miles this Monday when he takes on the Boston Marathon and Heartbreak Hill again.

Andy says the cheering students made him feel good.

"I feel great, I feel happy and confident," he said.

It will be his sixth Marathon and he is hoping to break 3 hours for a personal best.

Ask any recreational runner and they will tell you that is very, very good. Andy says he doesn't feel pain and will never stop running. He likes it too much, likes it mostly for the camaraderie of training with a team, and the feeling of being part of a big event with lots of people.

His race strategy? Pretty simple: "I just go," says Andy Bryant.

Watch the video

Andrew's bib number, if you want to track his progress, is 3776

Autistic marathon runner races past expectations - April 17, 2007

Runner's Boston quest - McCosham leads P.E.I. contingent into the famous marathon

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=243365&sc=99

Runner's Boston quest
McCosham leads P.E.I. contingent into the famous marathon

CHARLES REID
The Guardian

For some the 113th Boston Marathon on Monday is more than a challenge, it’s a quest.

Leo McCosham fits that description.

“I’ve been running hard 80 to 100 miles per week on the hills from Cornwall to DeSable and back,” said McCosham. “I did not run all winter to jog Boston.”

He is one of 27 Islanders running the marathon proper (42-kilometres) and five more in the five-kilometre run.

The Charlottetown native is P.E.I.’s top qualifier after a fourth-place finish, time in two hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds, at the Island Marathon in October.

His Boston jersey number is 1,444, which means he starts 444th in the first corral in the first wave of 14,000 runners.

The next 14,000 runners start in a second wave.

It also means 443 people qualified with faster times, so McCosham, who leaves today for Boston, has no illusions about winning in his third straight appearance.

“There’s an old runner’s saying — trust your training. You have to trust your training, run it as a race and see what happens at the end,” said McCosham, who won the Marathon-by-the-Sea in Saint John, N.B., in September in a time of 2:51.

The former arm wrestler said the course in Boston has relatively easy downhill start, but its many small ups and downs wear on legs and can show up later in the race around the 20-mile mark — and the dreaded Heartbreak Hill at 21 miles.

It’s where many fatigued runners “hit the wall” as energy stores in the legs are used up.

The back half of the course is largely uphill with its own peaks and valleys, but the front half does most of the damage.

“The old saying is if you don’t train for Boston, Boston will destroy you,” he said. “(I think the) secret is the 80 to 100 miles of pounding I've given my legs.”

Maybe the 45-year-old is on to something.

His previous finishes in Boston were 2:55:13 (729th overall) last year and 3:05 in 2007. This year he’s hoping to crack 2:45.

The top 15 finishers in the men’s and women’s divisions earn equal prize money race starting at $150,000 for the winner, $75,000 for second, $40,000 for third and descending to $1,500 for 15th place.

It’s not much, at least out of the top three, especially with hotel rooms roughly $250 to $900 per night.

Most runners complete the marathon off the money list so Boston’s done for the love of running.

But a few perks might be found along the way — hobnobbing with well-known personalities is one.

“I ran with (Tour de France cyclist) Lance Armstrong for 20 kilometres last year,” said McCosham, who won the P.E.I. Road Runners Club’s male roadrunner of the year award.

The top three Island Marathon finishers, Mike MacKinnon, Stanley Chaisson and Scott Clark, are not running in Boston.

(creid@theguardian.pe.ca)

*****

Competitors from P.E.I. entered in the 2009 Boston Marathon on Monday (by bib number starting position, subject to change):

MARATHON

Women

14758 - Beverley Walsh, 47, Charlottetown

16198 - Anne MacLaurin, 36, Miscouche

16686 - Linda MacIsaac-Gallant, 40, Summerside

16976 - Jackie Chaisson, 38, Charlottetown

17191 - Natalie Mitton, 36, Stratford

17862 - Kimberley Bailey, 43, Cornwall

18365 - Loretta Van Ekris, 42, Charlottetown

18690 - Diane Boswall, 48, Charlottetown

19100 - Mary Stewart, 43, Summerside

19521 - Elaine G. Burkholder, 51, Kensington

19852 - Sandra McConkey, 48, Stratford

20283 - Maureen Leard, 48, Cornwall

20322 - Dianne Pye, 50, Charlottetown

20791 - Jo-Anne Shea, 50, Stratford

21317 - Judi Coughlin, 56, Summerside

Men

1444 - Leo McCosham, 45, Charlottetown

1780 - Steven Baglole, 32, Charlottetown

3860 - Chris Matters, 36, Charlottetown

4081 - Tyler Sellar, 21, New Haven

4432 - Edwin Gillis, 45, Summerside

4510 - Sean McCormick, 39, North Rustico

7810 - Gary Simmonds, 50, Morell

8033 - Garth Simmons, 45, Kensington

9749 - Mark Victor, 45, Charlottetown

11875 - Paul Dalton, 50, St. Edward

13427 - David Beaton, 50, Charlottetown

17473 - Paul Atkinson, 58, Cornwall

*****

FIVE-KILOMETRE RUN

Women

444 - Meghan Boswall, 17, Charlottetown

785 - Diane Boswall, 48, Charlottetown

3354 - Carrie Drake, 17, Stratford

Men

946 - Billy Van Ekris, 16, Charlottetown

3065 - John Drake, 48, Stratford

(Note - Some Island runners may be missing as they are not lised as being from P.E.I.)

SADD 2009

It was sunny and -2 degrees and wind chill of -7 degrees.

It was the first race I have runs 6 times.

Billy MacDonald won the 10km and Nancy Morris for the top female. Mark McCosham won the 5km and jogging at 2nd half of race with me and Rebecca Pike for the top female.

I finishes in 46:34 and came in 11th out of 37 runners.

I stretching the calf muscle for pre race. It was still hurt but getting better.

Official Result: 11th out of 37
10K in 46 minutes, 34 minutes

2008 SADD Run
2007 SADD Run
2006 SADD Run
2005 SADD Run
2004 SADD Run

More Photos

SADD Run Photos 2004-2009

Running For Autism

Not Against It
acceptance not cure

More Boston Marathon Goodies

More Boston Marathon Goodies.....

*** Boston Weather ***

FAQs:

• From start time to Porta-Potties, we answer all questions, big and small.
• Record Holders

The Course Map:

• Read About The Course
• Slideshow - Get a bird's-eye view of the course stretching from Hopkinton to Boston.
• Watch an Aerial Tour Of The Course

Boston Marathon Discussion Forum

Boston Marathon Podcasts - From hydration advice to race history to motivation, our podcasts cover the spectrum of the Boston experience

TIPS:

• Run Fast, Run Smart in Boston - Tips for reaching Boylston Street in one piece.
• Boston Course Tips - Mile for legendary mile, these insider tips will help you run a smart, strong Boston Marathon.

Websites:

• The Boston Marathon Website
• Runner's World Boston Marathon Website
• WBZ's Boston Marathon Website

Our Earlier Posts:

• Boston Marathon Coverage
• PEI's Boston Marathon Runners
• Here Comes Boston..... Trivia and a Couple of News Stories

This Saturday's Races - SADD 5K & 10K and Run for It 7K & 10K

This Saturday's Races

Colonel Gray/McDonald's Run for SADD Road Race

10K Run and 5K Run/Walk
(10K is a Points Race)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Start Time: 9:00
Registration: 8:00 am at Colonel Gray High School
Sponsor: McDonald's Restaurant
Fundraiser: SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving)
Contact: Steven Shoemaker - 368-6860 or seshoemaker@edu.pe.ca

2008 SADD Run ~ 2007 SADD Run ~ 2006 SADD Run ~ 2005 SADD Run ~ 2004 SADD Run

~*~

PEI Chapter of The Canadian Hemophilia Society's

Second Annual Run For It
7K & 10K Run & Walk
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Green Valley Market, Rte. 2 in Milton
Registration is at 9 and the run will begin at 10 a.m.

More information
PEI Chapter of The Canadian Hemophilia Society Contact

~ 2008 Run For It ~

Find these Races on the Map

Paper, Sugar, Cool, Sweet...... Celebration....

Just for the fun of it....
(because today is my birthday and I take such liberties)
a couple of fun things, recently shared with me, today's gifts to you....

Peeps Show III
from the Washington Post
"With over 1,100 gooey submissions, it was hard to choose a winner.  
Take a look at the top 40 entries to our third annual Peeps Diorama Contest: 
They're sweet."
My vote goes to:

#5
M.C. Escher's "RelativiPeep"

by Mark Rivetti

and #11 !!
Peepster's Kill Room

by Chad Brobst & Stamatia Loverdos

Have a great day...


Photo by tsallam

Boston Marathon Coverage

Watch the race live...

• on WBZ-TV and wbztv.com (*Online viewing in New England only) on Mon. April 20
• Heartbreak Hill - Live Streaming Camera All Afternoon On wbztv.com
• Online at UniversalSports.com

Follow:

• BLOG: Boston Marathon Countdown (WBZ)
• TWITTER: Boston Marathon (WBZ)

PEI's Boston Marathon Runners

PEI's Boston Marathon Runners

(click on image to enlarge)

Good Luck Islanders!
Safe travels - have a great run!

Here Comes Boston..... Marathon Trivia and a couple of news stories

http://wbztv.com/bostonmarathon/boston.marathon.trivia.2.572231.html

Boston Marathon Trivia

• The Boston Marathon course is 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 kilometers)
  
• About 25,000 runners compete in the Boston Marathon
  
• Runners begin the Boston Marathon in two waves of approximately 10,000 runners each
  
• The total prize money package for the Boston Marathon is $806,000
  
• The winners of the Men and Women Open Division Winners each receive $150,000
  
• Prize money was first awarded at the Boston Marathon in 1986
  
• Since 1969 the Boston Marathon has always been run on Patriots' Day, the third Monday in April
  
• About 500,000 spectators line the marathon route each year
  
• Wheelchair athlete Jean Driscoll holds the most Boston Marathon victories (8)
  
• Johnny Kelley started a record 61 Boston Marathons, won twice and finished the race 58 times
  
• There were only 15 runners to start the first Boston Marathon in 1897
  
• John J. McDermott won the first Boston Marathon in 1897 in a time of 2:55:10
  
• Greg Meyer was the last American Man to win the Boston Marathon (1983)
  
• Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach was the last American woman to win the Boston Marathon (1985)
  
• 1966: Roberta Gibb became first woman to unofficially run the Boston Marathon
  
• 1967: Katherine Switzer became first woman to receive official number, by using her initials to register
  
• 1972: Women were first allowed to officially enter the Boston Marathon
  
• In 2004 the Elite Women runners were given a separate, earlier start time from the main field
  
• The largest field of runners was for the 100th Boston Marathon in 1996, when 36,748 runners started the marathon
  
• Clarence DeMar was the oldest winner of the Boston Marathon at age 41 (1930)
  
• 18 year-old Tim Ford was the youngest winner in Boston Marathon history (1906)
  
• 173-pound Lawrence Brignolia is the heaviest runner ever to win the Boston Marathon
  
• 1975: Boston became the first marathon to include a wheelchair division
  
• 1936: Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason nicknamed "Heartbreak Hill" in Newton
  
• In 1988 Ibrahim Hussein finished 1 second ahead of Juma Ikangaa in the closest finish in Boston Marathon history
  
• Robert Cheruyiot, Clarence DeMar, Bill Rodgers & Cosmos Ndeti are the only champions to win the open division three consecutive years
  
• In 1961 the racers faced 38-degree temperatures and snow squalls along the course
  
• Water and Gatorade are provided every mile of the course; PowerGel is provided at mile 17
  
• 4 tons of pasta and 500 gallons of tomato sauce are cooked for the pre-race meal

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

~*~
http://wbztv.com/bostonmarathon/boston.marathon.hudson.2.981024.html

Marathon Bib 1549 For Hudson Splashdown Controller

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
BOSTON (AP) ―

The No. 1549 Patrick Harten will wear on his chest for the Boston Marathon is no ordinary bib assignment: Race organizers gave it to the New York air traffic controller to honor his role in the dramatic safe landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River.

"For me, it was more of a sentimental value," Harten said last week in a telephone interview during a break from work at the Westbury, N.Y., radar facility. "For me it's a way to acknowledge my role in the miraculous events of that day. And being able to do that participating in an event that I love is a beautiful thing."

Harten was part of a crew of 50 managing the air space over the three major New York City-area airports and several smaller ones on Jan. 15 when Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese while taking off from LaGuardia. Harten tried in vain to find a runway the plane could reach before pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was forced to land in the river; all 155 people aboard the plane survived.

Harten, who has been a controller for 10 years, had been involved in other emergencies but always managed to get the plane on the runway. What he calls "the Cactus event" -- "Cactus" is the air traffic call name for US Airways -- was "a reminder that what you do is very, very important."

It also gave him an idea.

"That got me thinking," he wrote Boston Marathon organizers last month. "It would be very neat if I ran with the number 1549."

Bib numbers help identify runners to fans and family along the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston -- about the distance from LaGuardia to Teterboro Airport and back. The defending Boston champion gets No. 1 and the top contenders fill out the first 100 or so; the rest of the more than 26,000 runners are assigned numbers in order of their qualifying times.

Harten ran Boston in 2 hours, 58 minutes, 58 seconds last year, a time that he estimated would earn him a bib number in the low four digits.

He asked if he could have No. 1549 instead.

Race organizers don't generally allow runners to pick their bib numbers for fear of opening the door to every hoofer with a lucky number or favorite date. Exceptions are made rarely, such as when two-time winner Johnny Kelley was given the numbers corresponding to his record 58th, 59th, 60th and 61st time competing in the race.

The No. 13 was once given to 1984 Olympic silver medalist John Treacy -- a late addition who didn't mind the unlucky omens that had led organizers to skip it when originally assigning bibs to contenders. Past champions will sometimes be given numbers corresponding to the year of their victories.

Harten's request was granted.

"He was part of a life-changing event, what turned out to be a very positive story," Boston Athletic Association executive director Guy Morse said. "He was obviously looking forward to running anyway. We just thought this would be an extra motivating factor to help him have a great day."

Harten, 35, took up running three years ago and completed two other marathons before posting a personal best in Boston last year; he's also run the 26.2-mile distance as part of two triathlons.
He's found that running helps relieve the stress of a job that requires constant and total concentration because, as he was reminded in January, life-and-death crises can arise without warning.

"And it's a healthy way of doing it, too," said Harten, who last month adopted a 20-month-old boy from Russia who enjoys his rides in the running stroller. "I found that through the training and the racing my stress levels have definitely gone down a lot. It definitely works for me. Overall, I found I'm happier."

Harten testified before Congress in February, telling the House aviation subcommittee that when Sullenberger told him he was "going to be in the Hudson," he thought the pilot had pronounced his own death sentence.

"When he first said it, my mind couldn't absorb the statement that he made," he said last week. "I thought that was going to be it for him. I thought I was going to be the last one to talk to anyone on that plane alive."

Hundreds of thousands of fans line the Boston Marathon course each year -- more than a few named "Sully," no doubt -- cheering for their friends and families but also for every other struggling runner who limps by. Morse said the support will certainly grow if the crowds recognize bib No. 1549.

But Harten says the fans offer great support to every competitor.

"I could tell you from running Boston last year, the crowds are unbelievable, and they're going to cheer for you no matter what," he said. "With the cheering, I don't think I could have slowed down if I wanted to."

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

~*~
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/3/3_1/boston-marathon-announces-3.shtml

Boston Marathon Announces New Mile Field
Olympians, Record-Holders to Line Up for Inaugural B.A.A. Invitational Mile

Posted Friday, 10 April, 2009

Boston, Mass. -- Six Olympians, a trio of national-record holders and a three-time U.S. champion are among the professional athletes set to compete in the debut of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile on April 19, the Boston Athletic Association announced today.

The Invitational Mile, to be held in conjunction with the inaugural B.A.A. 5K the day before the 113th Boston Marathon, will feature mile races for professional men and women, plus mile races for scholastic girls and boys from Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston - the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course. The races, which will be run criterium-style in the Back Bay, will begin and end at the Boston Marathon finish line.

Headlining the women's professional mile will be 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan, a native of Marblehead, Mass. Flanagan, 27, won the bronze medal at 10,000 meters in Beijing and holds four American records.
Flanagan will be challenged by a trio of top American milers: Anna Willard, a 2008 Olympian in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and reigning U.S. Indoor Champion at 1,500 meters; Erin Donohue, a 2008 Olympian at 1,500 meters; and Lindsey Gallo, 1,500-meter runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Outdoor Championships and 2009 Boston Indoor Games mile champion. Willard is a native of Greenwood, Maine.

Challenging them for the win will be Amy Mortimer, winner of the 2008 Falmouth Mile; Michelle Sikes, who represented the U.S. at the 2007 World Championships; Marina Muncan, the Serbian national-record holder; and Carrie Tollefson, a 2004 Olympian at 1,500 meters.

Leading the roster in the professional men's race are Rob Myers, a three-time U.S. Indoor Champion at 1,500 meters; Ireland's Alistair Cragg, a two-time Olympian; and Adam Goucher, a 2000 Olympian and husband of Kara Goucher, the top American woman in the field for the next day's Boston Marathon.

Providing tough competition will be Pablo Solares, Mexico's national-record holder at 1,500 meters; Jon Rankin, winner of the 2008 Falmouth Mile; Steve Sherer, third at the 2008 U.S. indoor championships; Darren Brown, former University of Texas star; Bret Schoolmeester, former standout at the University of Colorado; John Richardson, a top miler just out of the University of Kentucky; Patrick Tarpy, a local favorite from Providence; and Jonathon Blackledge of Great Britain, who competes for Oxford University.

Total prize purse for professional miles is $14,500 divided equally between men and women, including $3,000 for the champion.

The series of races in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will begin with the girls' scholastic race at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, April 19, immediately after the B.A.A. 5K, a new road race that will begin at 8 a.m. The mile will follow a three-loop course, beginning on Boylston Street, left on Dartmouth Street, left on Newbury Street, left on Exeter Street then left onto Boylston. Both the 5K and Mile will begin on Boylston Street near Copley Square Park, and end at the Boston Marathon finish line. Registration for the 5K is available at www.baa.org; the field is limited to 4,000 runners and is filling up fast.
Additional information about the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, the B.A.A. 5K, the Boston Marathon and the Boston Athletic Association can be found online at www.baa.org.

~*~

Hemophilia Society plans second Run For It event

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=238371&sc=98

Hemophilia Society plans second Run For It event

PETER CORBETT
The Guardian

Joanne Craig laces up her sneakers as she prepares a training run for the P.E.I. chapter of the Canadian Hemophilia Society’s second annual Run For It event. The run will be held on April 18 and will start and end at the Green Valley Market on Rte. 2 in Milton. Guardian photo

The P.E.I. chapter of the Canadian Hemophilia Society is finalizing plans for its second annual Run For It event.
The run will be held on April 18 and will start and end at the Green Valley Market on Rte. 2 in Milton. Registration is at 9 and the run will begin at 10 a.m. It will start at the market and move up Rte. 2, with about half of the run taking place on the Confederation Trail.
JoAnn Craig, president of the Canadian Hemophilia Society, said the run is an attempt to raise both money and awareness for those living with inherited bleeding diseases such as hemophilia.
“We are doing it for those who can’t and trying to raise awareness at the same time.”
This will probably be the society’s only major fundraiser this year and money raised will help with things such as travel expenses for people living with bleeding diseases who have to travel for treatment, as well as a children’s summer camp, said Craig.
“The key thing is that the money that is raised here stays here.”
Craig also wants the public to know the run is for people of all ages and abilities. She said there will be both seven-km and 10-km routes and participants can walk if they wish.
“There will be volunteers at each corner and refreshments at the end.”
Craig, whose husband and daughter both have severe hemophilia, estimates there are about 30 people currently living on P.E.I. with hemophilia and other inherited bleeding diseases.
She said both she and her husband will be participating in the run.
“My 7-year-old daughter will also be participating in the run.”
Craig said she also wants to spread information about the diseases for those not yet diagnosed.
She said things such as strange bruises or heavy bleeding from extracted teeth could be signs and people with these symptoms should see a doctor about being tested for the diseases.
“It’s just a blood test.”

Through the years - Successful P.E.I. athletes like Jared Connaughton, Kara Grant and Collin Affleck show no signs of stopping

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=241230&sc=99

	Kara Krant receives the senior female athlete of the year award from Sport P.E.I. director Brian Chambers during the recent Sport P.E.I. awards banquet in Charlottetown. (Submitted photo)

Through the years

Successful P.E.I. athletes like Jared Connaughton, Kara Grant and Collin Affleck show no signs of stopping

CHARLES REID
The Guardian

Jared Connaughton, Kara Grant and Collin Affleck know a bit about the phrase body of work.

Combined, the trio — aged 23, 30 and 45, respectively — won five honours at the recent Sport P.E.I. awards banquet in Charlottetown.

All have been in their sport a long time and show little signs of stopping.

Stratford native Kara Grant’s chosen sport is the modern pentathlon, a grueling one-day combination of shooting, running, horse jumping, swimming and fencing.

She has competed in Summer Olympics in 2004 in Athens, Greece, and 2008 in Beijing, China — the only P.E.I. woman to score two Games.

That, along with a World Cup modern pentathlon bronze in Mexico, earned Grant her second senior female athlete of the year award and seventh Sport P.E.I. honour since 1995.

“I’ve certainly come a long way and it’s thanks to many, many people. I’m very proud of my career and my efforts over the last 12 years,” said Grant, who’s been on the national and international scene since 1997. “A lot of it is a personal journey. It’s quite an adventure.”

Just two weeks ago, Grant finished 31st at a World Cup event in Mexico (the same placing at the 2008 Games) and has another World Cup competition in Hungary in May.

But times are changing and Grant must change, too.

Late fall, International Modern Pentathlon Union combined the three-kilometre cross country run and the shooting portions for 2009.

Competitors used to shoot 20 shots at targets 10 metres away and the three-kilometre run came later in the day.

Now they shoot at five targets three times, each followed by a 1,000-metre run.

It’s a switch-up Grant is still adjusting to; after all, she’s honed her skills for over a decade under one format.

“It’s going to take some work,” she said.

Also life is reshaping her outlook.

After spending much of the last decade off-Island training and earning towards a degree at the University of New Brunswick, she returned to P.E.I. full-time last September with a husband (Jamie Whynacht), a business (Sportykids) and new perspective as she trains for the 2009 season.

“I do see my retirement in the future. Just have to see how it all develops.”

Often development bursts rather than slowly percolates.

Connaughton’s 2008 did that.

A 10:15, 100-metre time at a race in Texas and a 200-metre title at the Canadian track and field championships in Windsor. Ont. made him a lock for Canada’s Olympic team in Beijing.

China was kind to Connaughton.

He made the 200-metre semifinal and ran the third leg on Canada’s 4x100-metre men's relay team which finished sixth in its first final since 1996.

Connaughton, who chalks up his 2008 to consistent training and work, rarely returns to P.E.I. from his training base at the University of Texas-Arlington.

He’s been there since he was a freshman in 2003.

He graduated last year with an anthropology degree and the school’s 60-metre record (6.68), a Southland Conference athlete of the year award in 2006 and a SLC outdoor 200-metre championship in 2007.

So three award nominations offered him a chance to return to his native New Haven.

He won senior male athlete, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for athlete of the year and the Bill Halpenny award for an international competitor at the Sport P.E.I. banquet.

“To come home and be with my family is reward enough. This is just icing on the cake. I haven’t been home this time of year for a very long time,” said Connaughton.

But it’s been worth it in two memories from the 2005 Canada Summer Games that will always stay with him — his gold medals in 100 and 200 metres were P.E.I.’s first since 1969 and first double-golds at the Games.

Now in his second year as a professional sprinter, he won’t likely get back home soon.

He opened the indoor season in Russia in February (fifth in 60 metres, 6:74), then the KBC indoor championships in Belgium (fifth in 60 metres, 6:64).

Sunday, he heads to a Canadian relay team training camp in Ontario before moving on to the Canadian championships in Toronto in late June with a pre-championships meet beforehand.

In August, it’s the world championships in Berlin, Germany.

“Almost as busy as ’08,” said Connaughton.

The training-is-life-mentality is the often overlooked part in an athlete’s results.

Their sport is their life, training is everything, practice makes perfect; it’s what they hope on race or game day.

Couch potatoes can yell and throw drinks cans at the television when an athlete doesn’t meet expectations, but spend three hours five nights a week training like Affleck, and most of your waking hours thinking, eating and breathing your sport, and, well, cracking open another cold one seems like the wiser choice for most.

Affleck, from Mount Hebert, has a wisdom borne of 21 years of striving to perfect 1,000-year-old karate manouevers.

He won Sport P.E.I.’s masters athlete of the year award thanks to a bronze medal in the masters category at the national black belt championships in Saint John, N.B.

It was his first Sport P.E.I. award.

As an instructor at the Charlottetown Chito Ryo dojo, he helped train Trevor Cochrane, who won gold in the 14- to 15-year-old division at the nationals.

The mental side, said Affleck, is key to karate, original designed for battlefield use, as time creeps.

“Even more so. It’s a martial art. When you’re younger that’s what is focused on. As you age the art form comes into it. (You’re) always looking for that perfection,” said Affleck.

At it’s simplest Affleck pegs karate as a stress reliever following a long work day.

And maybe that’s the best outlook.

“(After) these (young) guys trying to punch you in the head all night, work has long since left you.”

(creid@theguardian.pe.ca)

PEI RoadRunners Race Map - 2009

Our Google Map of PEI RoadRunner Races
has been updated for the 2009 Run/Race season

PEI RoadRunner Race Map - Click Here

• The blue point on the map marks the start line and/or registration location.
• Click on the blue point mark on the map or the Race name in the left column for the full race details.
• The link to this map can always be found over in the column on the right.
• The link for this map is: http://tinyurl.com/roadrunner2009map
  
• A .pdf of the race schedule alone can be found on the PEI RoadRunner's Website HERE.
• Please let us know of any errors.

Dairy Queen Bunny Hop 10K 2009

It was cloudy and 2 degrees.

The Dairy Queen Bunny Hop run at Charlottetown.

It was the first points race of 2009. It also 32nd annual Bunny Hop.

I finished in 45:48 and came in 39th out of 137 runners.

Kris Taylor won the race and Jen Nicholson for the top female.

My Achilles is better but my calf muscle is sore and my blister bandaid are still on heel.

Good Luck for the large team of PEI to Boston Marathon!

Official Result: 39th out of 137
10K in 45 minutes, 48 seconds

2008 Bunny Hop
2007 Bunny Hop
2006 Bunny Hop
2005 Bunny Hop

More Photos


Allan give me a medal for 3rd place male in last week WR3 race because they corrected the results.

Running For Autism

Not Against It
acceptance not cure

Olympian scores big - Jared Connaughton claims three Sport P.E.I. awards, including athlete of the year

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=240754&sc=99

	Jared Connaughton receives the Lieutenant Governor’s Award as the overall athlete of the year for 2008 from Sport P.E.I. president Wendy Reid, left, and Lt.-Gov. Barbara Hagerman at the annual Sport P.E.I. awards banquet Wednesday in Charlottetown. (Submitted photo)

Olympian scores big
Jared Connaughton claims three Sport P.E.I. awards, including athlete of the year

CHARLES REID
The Guardian

Awards are old hat to Kara Grant and Jared Connaughton, but that didn’t stop the Olympic duo from grabbing four more trophies at the Sport P.E.I. awards banquet Wednesday night in Charlottetown.

Connaughton, a 200-metre semifinalist at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, earned senior male athlete, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award as the overall athlete of the year and the Bill Halpenny award for excellence in international competition.

Grant, who competed in modern pentathlon in Beijing, took home the senior female athlete award.

Combined, Connaughton and Grant have won 18 Sport P.E.I. honours since 1995 and were shutout just three times in 13 years.

Still, Connaughton believes winning awards is always special.

“This one is the most unique because it’s the first one I could attend,” the New Haven native said of Wednesday’s banquet. “I had to pull every string I had to get here. It doesn’t get routine.”

It’s Connaughton’s second Lieutenant Governor’s Award (he also won in 2005) and second senior male athlete award (the other also came in 2005).

Throw in a pair of intercollegiate athlete award and he’s running out of display room.

Grant’s the same.

She’s won a trio of senior female athletes, two all-around female athlete (now defunct) and junior female awards and a Halfpenny honour.

That’s 18 walks to the podium, 18 acceptance speeches. So do the accolades still carry have meaning?

Grant thinks so.

She’s been winning since 1995, the year of her first junior female athlete of the year honour, so she has an idea of what performances might put her in the running for an award.

“Yes and no. Certainly you can never expect anything,” said Grant, who finished 31st in her event in Beijing.

“(Each have) different experiences leading up to them. It’s always great to be here.”

Other award winners Jim Rand, Ashley MacDonald, Brandon Gormley and Stephanie Ramsay were unable to attend the banquet.

Connaughton ran the third leg of Canada’s sixth place 4x100-metre men’s relay team at the 2008 Games.

(More on the Sport P.E.I. awards banquet in Saturday’s edition of The Guardian)

*****

Sport P.E.I. award winners for 2008:

* Masters Athlete: Collin Affleck, karate.

* Team of the Year: Avondale Islanders soccer.

* Coach of the Year: Jim Rand, gymnastics.

* Official of the Year: Justine Lewis, soccer.

* Intercollegiate Male Athlete: Paul Craig, soccer.

* Intercollegiate Female Athlete: Ashley Macdonald, UPEI rugby.

* Junior Male Athlete: Brandon Gormley, Moncton Wildcats, hockey.

* Junior Female Athlete: Stephanie Ramsay, University of Alberta, hockey.

* Premier's Award: 55-plus Games Society.

* President's Award: Margaret and Frank Parslow, badminton.

* Senior Female Athlete: Kara Grant, modern pentathlon.

* Senior Male Athlete, Lieutenant Governor's Award, Bill Halpenny Award: Jared Connaughton, athletics.

WR3 - Wear Red Road Race

Half-Marathon Runners off to the Start Line in Pownal

5K & 10K Start

It was cloudy and 8 degrees.

The WR3 Run at Queen Charlotte Armories in Charlottetown.

The 10km at 5km loop course around Victoria Park and half marathon start in Pownal.

I wore a red shirt for the wear red road race.

I finished in 45:54 and came in 5th out of 41 runners in a 10km.

Connor McGuire won the 10km and Jennifer Perry for the top female.

Steven Baglole edges Leo McCosham for the half marathon by 2 seconds and Jen Nicholson for the top female.

Rob Mackenzie won the 5km and Rebecca Gallant for the top female.

My achilles are little stiff and I have a blister from the wet road and my new shoes. My right calf muscle is a little sore after wards.

More Photos

Official Result: 5th out of 41
10Km in 45 minutes, 54 seconds

5K Results
10K Results
Half-Marathon Results

All proceeds to the

PEI Military Family Services Centre

Serving Those Who Serve

WR³ - Wear Red Road Race Website

Running For Autism
Not Against It
acceptance not cure

World Autism Awareness Day 2009

Me and Michelle

The Autistic Self-Advocacy Conference at World Trade Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I met Michelle Dawson from Montreal and lots of people from Nova Scotia. Dennis Debbaudt was there and speaking at the conference too. We heard Michelle talk about science and ethics and research and I speaking with mom after that about raising positive awareness. Danny Melvin from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Council - Nova Scotia (ASAC-NS) and Michael Price from the Provincial Autism Centre and Michelle and mom and dad and I went out supper after the conference. It was a good day and tomorrow we're back to PEI.