Chaptico, MD – The racers arrived around 7 a.m. and took off running around 8 a.m. Around 8:15 a.m. the summer heat arrived. The cool start and hot finish—refreshed by a local ice cream vendor during the post-race celebration—was part of the 30th running of the Chaptico Classic. Hundreds of runners and walkers—some from as far away as Seattle and Montreal—came to the historic hamlet Saturday, Aug. 29 to be a part of history. The race started and finished at Christ Church Hall.
The event—comprised of a 10 kilometer (K) and 5K—has been cited by a national runners’ magazine as one of the country’s best road races.
“What a crowd—I can’t thank you enough,” declared Mike Whitson, who has served as the director of the Chaptico Classic for its entire 30-year history. “A lot of people have been running this race for years and now their kids are running.”
Whether or not future generations have a Chaptico Classic to race in is something that remains to seen. Whitson announced recently that he is stepping down and during the race’s awards ceremony at least one race committee member indicated to the crowd that the event will not be held next year unless a new director is found.
In its history, the race has raised more than $325,000 for local causes. The entities benefitting from this year’s race included St. Mary’s Caring, Southern Maryland Community Network, Three Oaks Homeless Shelter and the Jude House.
The top finishers in the Aug. 29 race were Jay Hall, 15 of Waldorf in the 5K, with a time of 17 minutes and three seconds and Adam Lowe, 33 of Mechanicsville in the 10K, with a time of 38 minutes and 17 seconds.
Finishing second and third respectively behind Hall in the 5K were Miles Smith, 17 of La Plata with a time of 17 minutes and 50 seconds; and Jet Hall, 15 of Waldorf, who logged a time of 18 minutes and 14 seconds.
The second-and third-place finishers in the 10K were Danny Bennett, 44 of Dunkirk, whose time was 38 minutes and 54 seconds; and Noah Wood, 32 of Prince Frederick, who finished the race in 40 minutes and eight seconds.
The top female finishers were Julia Smith of Tappahannock, VA, who logged a time of 21 minutes and 20 seconds; and Leslie Williams of Mechanicsville in the 10K.
While gasping for breath after completing the course and crossing the finish line, many runners, including several local high school cross country team members, made a beeline for the free ice cream, generously provided by Mrs. Moos of Calvert County.
The race committee showered Whitson with parting gifts in appreciation for his devotion and leadership for the past three decades.
Congressman Steny Hoyer also saluted Whitson during the awards ceremony, commending him for always “keeping the faith.”
The ceremony culminated with a presentation by three-time Olympian Lynn Jennings, who passed around the bronze medal she earned during the 1990 Olympics and left the competitors of all ages with some advice. “You stood on the starting line and faced yourself,” she said. “You can always find something from every race that you did well.”
Complete results of the 2015 Chaptico Classic are posted on the Chesapeake Bay Running Club’s web site at www.cbrcmd.org
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
Photo Gallery provided by Ron Bailey
