Rain doesn't faze area runners

Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer; Carroll County Times; 15 April 2004
[http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2004/04/15/news/local_news/news1.txt]

The wind picked up as the dark, gray clouds moved across the evening sky in Westminster Wednesday.

Small groups started to gather under the awnings along East Main Street. Then, just as the city clock struck seven, the whole block became lined with spectators, waiting for the first runner to cross the finish line during the annual Westminster Mile.

The Westminster Mile is a yearly run that starts at Fair Avenue and ends at the Westminster library every April. Turnout was lower than usual this year, but organizers from the Westminster Road Runners Club said they expected that would happen, because of the rainy weather. About 525 people participated in the race, said club member David Herlocker.

Mark Gilmore won the honors of crossing the finish line first this year. Gilmore, 36, said he grew up in Westminster but now lives in Columbia. The last time he ran the Westminster Mile was in 1990, he said, so it was nostalgic to return to the run.

During the second heat, 12-year-old Andrew Gear and 10-year-old Bryan Ek were neck and neck for the last block, making it difficult for the bystanders to determine who had actually won.

"I just came from soccer practice," Andrew said, which had him a little tired before he had even started the race.

Nick Carberry, of Monocacy Valley Montessori School in Frederick, ran the race with his father, Dana Carberry, though he didn't see his father most of the race.

"You were about 10 seconds [ahead] the whole time," Dana Carberry said.

"Mom, I broke 6 [minutes], I think I broke 5:52," Nick Carberry bragged.

The Westminster Mile was also a family event for Charlotte Gyory, her daughter Dana Walton and grandchildren Leah and Jonas. Walton carried 5-week-old Jonas while Gyory carried 2-year-old Charlotte, running a slow jog most of the way, Gyory said.

"The wind was coming at you so hard it felt like you were standing still," Gyory said.

After the race was over, many of the participants headed to the fire station for ice cream, even though the temperature was only in the 40s.

Herlocker said the entry fees from the Westminster Mile goes toward the costs of other races the club supports, including the YMCA run and the Mount Airy Flag Day run.

Reach staff writer Carrie Ann Knauer at 410-857-7874 or carriem@lcniofmd.com.