JFK 50 Mile
Washington County, Maryland
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Army captain to run for wounded soldiers
Wounded soldiers, friends and strangers, inspire effort to go the distance
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
BOONSBORO, Md. – Pay special attention to Bib No. 325.
Mike Erwin is just one of 1,100 official starters in the 46th annual John F. Kennedy 50-mile Ultramarathon. And though it’s unlikely he’ll finish in under nine hours – well off the leader’s pace – his effort just might top them all.
Wounded soldiers, friends and strangers, inspire effort to go the distance
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
BOONSBORO, Md. – Pay special attention to Bib No. 325.
Mike Erwin is just one of 1,100 official starters in the 46th annual John F. Kennedy 50-mile Ultramarathon. And though it’s unlikely he’ll finish in under nine hours – well off the leader’s pace – his effort just might top them all.
The event begins at 5 a.m. at Boonsboro High School. After nearly 16 miles on the rugged Appalachian Trail, roughly a full marathon on the C&O Canal Towpath and another eight miles on Washington County roads, runners finish at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport.
Erwin, 28, is a West Point graduate and a captain in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group based in Fort Bragg, N.C. The Army requires him to run. And until recently, all he had in mind was to complete his 2-mile Army Physical Fitness Training test and whatever else his superiors required and let it go at that.
Erwin was deployed to Afghanistan in August 2006. That’s until he learned of Captain Kenneth M. Dwyer. And both of their lives changed forever. Erwin and Dwyer and their comrades were attacked with rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. Erwin escaped serious harm. Dwyer didn’t.
“He lost his left arm, his left eye. He had shrapnel in his neck and right arm,” Erwin said in a recent phone interview. “I never even really knew him at that point.” Read More
Erwin, 28, is a West Point graduate and a captain in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group based in Fort Bragg, N.C. The Army requires him to run. And until recently, all he had in mind was to complete his 2-mile Army Physical Fitness Training test and whatever else his superiors required and let it go at that.
Erwin was deployed to Afghanistan in August 2006. That’s until he learned of Captain Kenneth M. Dwyer. And both of their lives changed forever. Erwin and Dwyer and their comrades were attacked with rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. Erwin escaped serious harm. Dwyer didn’t.
“He lost his left arm, his left eye. He had shrapnel in his neck and right arm,” Erwin said in a recent phone interview. “I never even really knew him at that point.” Read More
My JFK time compares to history fairly well, but …
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
ELLERSLIE – My JFK time compares to history fairly well. Just not recent history. And the future doesn’t look so hot, either.
What is the JFK? The John F. Kennedy 50.2-mile Ultramarathon is the nation’s oldest ultramathon, which is defined as any running event longer than the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Yes, 50.2. That “point-2” miles means a lot, too, after the first 50.
I toed the starting line in 2000, the race’s 38th version, wholly unprepared for the experience I was about to put my body through. I lasted about 15 miles and stopped at Weaverton Cliffs. The ride to the finish was embarrassing; I stayed around to see the lead male and female competitors cross the finish line and receive their weighted – and well-deserved – official finisher’s medals. I didn’t get one.
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
ELLERSLIE – My JFK time compares to history fairly well. Just not recent history. And the future doesn’t look so hot, either.
What is the JFK? The John F. Kennedy 50.2-mile Ultramarathon is the nation’s oldest ultramathon, which is defined as any running event longer than the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Yes, 50.2. That “point-2” miles means a lot, too, after the first 50.
I toed the starting line in 2000, the race’s 38th version, wholly unprepared for the experience I was about to put my body through. I lasted about 15 miles and stopped at Weaverton Cliffs. The ride to the finish was embarrassing; I stayed around to see the lead male and female competitors cross the finish line and receive their weighted – and well-deserved – official finisher’s medals. I didn’t get one.
Until the next November. In 2001, some friends talked me into running a marathon after a relatively easy 18-miler in early August, little more than three months until race day. So I signed up for the inaugural Baltimore Marathon, ran well enough, I suppose, and in mid-October, I mailed my $80 (late registration fee) and entry form to race director Mike Spinnler.
Completing my first JFK was a wonderful experience. Other than a minor injury for which I took plenty of generic ibuprofen, there wasn’t anything that could stop me. I remember wearing a dorky smile at the bottom of Weaverton Cliffs, feeling great and knowing I would finally cross the finish line some 35 miles later.
I finished in 9 hours, 46 minutes and 14 seconds. My mentor and training partner for several of my long runs that summer and fall finished less than four minutes behind me. I was proud of myself for having finished; and thankful that he, a veteran of the event, was there to share in the celebration.
My time of 9:46:14 was good for 258th place in 2001 among 818 finishers. The year before – when I dropped out – that time would qualified for 238th place out of 703 finishers. Read More
Completing my first JFK was a wonderful experience. Other than a minor injury for which I took plenty of generic ibuprofen, there wasn’t anything that could stop me. I remember wearing a dorky smile at the bottom of Weaverton Cliffs, feeling great and knowing I would finally cross the finish line some 35 miles later.
I finished in 9 hours, 46 minutes and 14 seconds. My mentor and training partner for several of my long runs that summer and fall finished less than four minutes behind me. I was proud of myself for having finished; and thankful that he, a veteran of the event, was there to share in the celebration.
My time of 9:46:14 was good for 258th place in 2001 among 818 finishers. The year before – when I dropped out – that time would qualified for 238th place out of 703 finishers. Read More
Kevin Spradlin tries to average 30-35 miles a week in Allegany County, Maryland