[SMCARA] Lower Potomac River Marathon Support Report

[Tom Shelton]

I’ll start this with a note I received from the course director, our own
Liza Recto (KB3UMH).

 

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Hi Tom,

 

Thank you so much for serving as Director of Course Ops yesterday, and to
your crew for devoting the better part of a Sunday to the marathon..
Despite the calamitous morning, everything went well, and we got lots of
compliments from runners yesterday, and more complimentary e-mails today.  I
heard about the guy in the white diesel truck who got a kick out of blowing
exhaust on runners.  At our club meeting tonight, someone mentioned that he
does that to the Pax Velo cyclists on their weekend rides.  I think I saw
him as I was driving up 249 on the way home.  I was on the shoulder when he
passed by and gunned his engine.

 

I thought for sure that Tommy Rudowsky, the winner, would crash and burn at
his pace, but he just chugged on like a machine.  Impressive!

 

I hope you can serve as Director of Ops again next year.  It can get pretty
hectic at the finish, so it's a luxury to know that things are in good hands
on the course.  Things seemed pretty quiet yesterday, despite the sellout
field.

 

Thank you again!

 

Liza

 

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We had a smaller crew than normal – several of the volunteers were ill or
injured – but we used our skills to keep the runners as safe as possible.
We had two minor incidents.  The first was a runner who pulled a Ham-String
and needed directions and a guide back to the starting point.  I parked the
bike and walked him the ¼ mile to where other race volunteers helped him the
rest of the way.  A bit further along the route we received a report of a
runner who had stepped in a pot-hole and sprained his ankle.  We were able
to get him to the closest water station and made arrangements for someone to
come and pick him up.  I met him later in the atrium of the Paul Hall
center.  He had his foot up and being iced while he was surrounded with
young ladies that seemed very impressed with his daring-do
 

 

Brenden Diets, KC3CCI, with his dad, Steve, KC3CCB, shared duties as Tac 1,
supporting several different water stations, keeping track of the runners,
and being helpful when and where needed.

Also incredibly helpful, at Tac 2, was Joe Jamison.  

 

Doing triple duty as Director of Course operation, Net-Control, and
Motorcycle-Mobile, was yours truly, ND3N.

 

Several years ago I approached the then club-president, Pete Butt, and asked
if I could teach a ham class.  Liza Recto was one of my students and she
received her ticket at the end of that class.  Liza got interested in Ham
Radio because of what she saw when the club supported the Marathon.  Liza
has been the race director for the last 10 years and the last few years
she’s been part of the Ham support team.  Take this as a little morality
lesson – when we do good things – people notice, and when people notice –
they are appreciative.

 

We had 200 runners running on open roads with typical Southern Maryland
traffic, and as Liza said, “Things seemed pretty quiet.”  

 

In short, small but effective crew, an early morning but a good time had by
all, and finally quiet is a good thing, a very good thing.

 

Tom Shelton, ND3N (ex-AB3IC)

Ham Radio, Motorcycling, and a Loving Wife who lets me play with both

What more could a man need