Tri State
Carroll County half-marathon provides 'cheap' but challenging change of venue
Newly dedicated race could mean more this year than previous 25
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
WESTMINSTER, Md. – Runners competing in the 26th annual Bachman Valley Half-Marathon will run along Old Bachman Valley Road, only a few hundred meters from the bottom of the driveway which led to the home of the late Dave Herlocker.
Herlocker, who passed in his sleep in March, loved the Westminster Road Runners Club and nurtured the course over many years and hundreds of volunteer hours perfecting the course and setting a safe and challenging venue for one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s best-kept running secrets.
The race is set for an 8 a.m. start on Sunday, Sept. 21 a few miles north of Westminster in rural Carroll County. The David Herlocker Memorial Half-Marathon carries just an $8 entry fee for club members and $10 for everyone else. Race-day registration also is just $10 (still $8 for club members).
“We wanted to dedicate the race to him because he’d been involved with it from the start,” said race director Beth Weisenborn. “This was one of his favorite races. He was always heavily involved. This is where he walked (with canine pal Badie) and ran.”
Badie, a black-and-white mixed-breed, will not be in attendance on race day. As is her habit, she “gets a tad excited” at the starting line.
“But she’ll be there in spirit,” Weisenborn said.
So will Dave. And runners, especially those new to the challenging, two-loop course, will need all the help they can get as they face hills at all the wrong times (except the downhills) and, most years, run into a strong headwind on the backstretch.
Jim Lebo of Shrewsbury, Pa., set the course record in 2001 in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 8 seconds. Westminster resident – and former Olympic Trials qualifier at 10,000 meters – Steve Kartalia, 43, last year broke his own men’s masters record by 50 seconds, lowering it to a stellar 1:15:05. Kartalia has an advantage, however; he has, and still does, reside along Old Bachman Valley Road and if it’s not his home course, nothing is.
Bea Marie Altieri owns the open women’s course standard in 1:23:50, set in 2006. Laura DeWald in 2004 stopped the clock in 1:33:06 for the women’s masters record. Both Kartalia – who is “in fantastic shape” - and Sue Conklin, 37, last year’s female winner in 1:36:59, are expected to return, Weisenborn said. Doug Kuderna, 47, was sixth overall and the third masters behind Kartalia and Michael Woodman (1:18:18). Kuderna (1:21:31) also is expected back next weekend.
Nearly 85 runners have pre-registered, Weisenborn said on Sept. 12 – which is ahead of last year’s pace. Last year’s total field drew 188 registered runners while 171 toed the starting line and 163 crossed the finish line after completing 13.1 miles. It’s difficult to get a true gauge of the competitiveness of the field because “this race draws a high race registration on race morning just because most use it as a training run,” Weisenborn said. With five water stops, it's a well-supported training run.
It’s not a race for prize money. There’s little glory but plenty of bragging rights. For an entry fee of just $8 or $10 – a race T-shirt is $10 extra if available – the winner gets apples from John Myers’ Bachman Valley Farms produce.
Key volunteers include a seasoned group of racers who’ll be taking a day off on Sept. 21. Those volunteers include Weisenborn’s mother, as well as club staples Chris Reese, Frank Schaeffer, Jim Bullock (deputy race director), Joe Loveland and Bob Leatherman, among a handful of others.
For more information on this race, e-mail Beth Weisenborn at wrrc.web@gmail.com or visit www.carr.org/~wrrc.
Newly dedicated race could mean more this year than previous 25
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
WESTMINSTER, Md. – Runners competing in the 26th annual Bachman Valley Half-Marathon will run along Old Bachman Valley Road, only a few hundred meters from the bottom of the driveway which led to the home of the late Dave Herlocker.
Herlocker, who passed in his sleep in March, loved the Westminster Road Runners Club and nurtured the course over many years and hundreds of volunteer hours perfecting the course and setting a safe and challenging venue for one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s best-kept running secrets.
The race is set for an 8 a.m. start on Sunday, Sept. 21 a few miles north of Westminster in rural Carroll County. The David Herlocker Memorial Half-Marathon carries just an $8 entry fee for club members and $10 for everyone else. Race-day registration also is just $10 (still $8 for club members).
“We wanted to dedicate the race to him because he’d been involved with it from the start,” said race director Beth Weisenborn. “This was one of his favorite races. He was always heavily involved. This is where he walked (with canine pal Badie) and ran.”
Badie, a black-and-white mixed-breed, will not be in attendance on race day. As is her habit, she “gets a tad excited” at the starting line.
“But she’ll be there in spirit,” Weisenborn said.
So will Dave. And runners, especially those new to the challenging, two-loop course, will need all the help they can get as they face hills at all the wrong times (except the downhills) and, most years, run into a strong headwind on the backstretch.
Jim Lebo of Shrewsbury, Pa., set the course record in 2001 in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 8 seconds. Westminster resident – and former Olympic Trials qualifier at 10,000 meters – Steve Kartalia, 43, last year broke his own men’s masters record by 50 seconds, lowering it to a stellar 1:15:05. Kartalia has an advantage, however; he has, and still does, reside along Old Bachman Valley Road and if it’s not his home course, nothing is.
Bea Marie Altieri owns the open women’s course standard in 1:23:50, set in 2006. Laura DeWald in 2004 stopped the clock in 1:33:06 for the women’s masters record. Both Kartalia – who is “in fantastic shape” - and Sue Conklin, 37, last year’s female winner in 1:36:59, are expected to return, Weisenborn said. Doug Kuderna, 47, was sixth overall and the third masters behind Kartalia and Michael Woodman (1:18:18). Kuderna (1:21:31) also is expected back next weekend.
Nearly 85 runners have pre-registered, Weisenborn said on Sept. 12 – which is ahead of last year’s pace. Last year’s total field drew 188 registered runners while 171 toed the starting line and 163 crossed the finish line after completing 13.1 miles. It’s difficult to get a true gauge of the competitiveness of the field because “this race draws a high race registration on race morning just because most use it as a training run,” Weisenborn said. With five water stops, it's a well-supported training run.
It’s not a race for prize money. There’s little glory but plenty of bragging rights. For an entry fee of just $8 or $10 – a race T-shirt is $10 extra if available – the winner gets apples from John Myers’ Bachman Valley Farms produce.
Key volunteers include a seasoned group of racers who’ll be taking a day off on Sept. 21. Those volunteers include Weisenborn’s mother, as well as club staples Chris Reese, Frank Schaeffer, Jim Bullock (deputy race director), Joe Loveland and Bob Leatherman, among a handful of others.
For more information on this race, e-mail Beth Weisenborn at wrrc.web@gmail.com or visit www.carr.org/~wrrc.
