8:30 AM Dec 17, 2005
Celtic Solstice Five Miler
in Druid Hill Park
8:30 AM Dec
17, 2005
Shirt designs by reknowned Celtic artist Cari Buziak
8:30 AM Dec
17, 2005
Winter Solstice Race
New for 2005 - ChampionChip Timing!
Druid Hill Park
Stieff Silver Building
Parks and People Foundation
800 Wyman Park Drive
Baltimore, MD 21217
Expect spectacular views!!!
| Fees: | $10 No Shirt, $35 Race Shirt |
| More information about the Shirt: | The optional race shirt is a dark, vibrant blue with Cari's logo in silver.. Make sure that you order the size for your gender. If you register as a female, medium, then you will receive a women's medium shirt. If you wanted a men's medium and want to trade for a women's large, you may be out of luck due to limited availability, first come, first served. Be careful when you make your shirt selection. |
| Shirt Details: | These Brooks long-sleeve winter running shirts consists of a medium-weight wicking material that serve as a great base or mid-layer on those cold, winter days, and they are dressy enough to wear lounging around over a cup of joe in your favorite hangout, whether post-run or apres`-ski.!!! |
| Special Orders: | There will be no special orders of this shirt post-race. Brooks made these shirts in a specific run that included the Celtic Solstice race, and the company has already requested that we return unused shirts for distribution to retailers across the USA. But we can't very well do that once the shirts are imprinted with Cari Buziak's designs. |
| The course: | The course starts with a brief uphill climb that will elevate your heartrate, but then settles into a fairly flat route with a slight uphill grade to the Mansion House. Downhill back to the main drive, then a slight uphill, then flat and downhill to the Zoo entrance. Uphill to the Reptile House turn-around, downhill, slightly rolling sidewalkds to Druid Lake, flat around the lake, and a downhill finish. |
| Is this anything like the Dreaded Druid Hills?: | No. This course is a gently rolling course through Baltimore's famed Druid Hill Park with spectacular vistas of the city and the park. The Summertime Dreaded Druid Hills race take runners into the wicked hills in the backside of the park. These hills area avoided altogether during the Winter Solstice, primarily because the prospect of ice on the course in the back hills would make the event unrunnable. Check back this summer if you want a true challenge. |
| Directions: | From I 83 take the 28th Street/Druid Lake Drive Exit. Take 28th to the first traffic signal at Sisson and turn left. Go to the seceond traffic signal at Wyman Park Drive. Turn left, then left into a large parking lot. Parks and People Foundation offices are in the back side of the Stieff Silver Building. |
| Packet Pickup: | Pre-Race Packet Pickup will be held at the Falls Road Running Store the week of December 12 through Friday December 16, from 11 to 7 pm. The goal is to distribute as many packets as possible to alleviate race day congestion at the Parks and People Foundation. The Falls Road Running Store is located at 6247 Falls Road, which is the building behind 6305 Falls Road, 1 1/2 miles north of Northern Parkway and 3 miles south of I-695. |
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$10 pre-registered, no premium
$35 pre-registered with premium $15 race day ChampionChip Timing - The Celtic Solstice Five-Miler is happy to announce that special arrangement with the Annapolis Striders and the Howard Country Strides will allow us to utilize Championchip timing for the first year. Our association with these RRCA Clubs will help us to keep ChampionChip costs down, but we do ask that everyone be especially cognizant of the need to return the Chip after the race, and especially if you do not run the race. Stieff Silver is an historical renovated factory adjacent to Druid Hill Park. In the first year the building provided sanctuary from a raging electrical storm that delayed the start of the event by fifteen minutes. The start and finish of the race is close to the four mile mark of the Baltimore Marathon course just outside of Druid Hill Park. The course winds around the Mansion House, the Baltimore Zoo, the Arboreteum, Druid Lake, the Moorish Tower, to a downhill finish. |
History
Year 1
2000
A hundred and twenty-six runners braved a torrential downpour replete with magnificent lightning strikes that brought new meaning to the term thunderous during the early pre-dawn hours of December 17th.. Thank goodness that Streuver Brothers had opened up the Stieff Silver Building for shelter.
But those intrepid souls who ventured out into the elements and this long December morning were rewarded when the rains stopped, the lightning faded away, and the temperatures rose into the balmy mid-40's.
The course rolled along by the historic mansion house, through quaint cobblestone streets all the way to the Baltimore Zoo before returning to Druid Lake and the spectacular views of downtown and mid-town Baltimore from the turnaround at the Moorish Tower. The flat, then downhill finish, more than compensated for the rolling hills in the initial miles of the course.
Race officials were chagrined to discover that the second mile was 1,000 feet
short, which resulted in some rather fast times. Another indelible memory
of this event was the discovery of police towing an obviously abandoned, and
probably stolen, vehicle out of a field as the runners passed by.
Age group winners received a hand-drawn caricature of themselves rounding the Moorish Tower at mile 4 1/2.
2000 Results
Runners who elected the premium received a stunning, long-sleeve black PolarTech shirt, designed to retain warmth while transmitting moisture to the outside.
Year 2 - 2001
The week before the race, the Stieff Silver Building was an empty shell, but on race day the interior had been framed out and it was obvious that the famed Baltimore landmark would house renovated offices within a few weeks. The course was re-aligned to bring it to the proper five mile distance, and on a very cold and clear December morning 275 people braved the chilly air for the second running of the Celtic Solstice Five-Miler. 2001 Results
Year 3 - 2002
With organizers wondering how to move the
venue to another sheltered location, the Parks and People Foundation volunteered
their space in the basement of the Stieff Silver Building. The course was
altered to compensate for construction work along the Mansion House loop and the
placement of jersey wall barriers over portions of last years course.
This resulted in the Start/Finish line being closer to the
Stieff Silver Building, where all the post race food was!
The husband and wife team of Greg and Vicki Cauller, down
from Pennsylvania, won the race, but there was spirited competition throughout,
no where more evidenced than in the rear of the back, where Jeff Caldwell, who
can not run because of bad knees, and Eugene Roberts, who runs on two prosthetic
devices, battled it out. Jeff say, " I could get him on the uphills, but
my knees can't take the downhill pounding, and he (Gene) would just fly by me.
Then I would get him on the next uphill. But that last half-mile was all
downhill, and I couldn't keep up with him."
2002 Results
December 21, 2002
Baltimore, MD
James Moreland for the
Washington Running Report
As the
year winds down, there are fewer races available. Next weekend I may
even have to stay home. This weekend there were only four races in the
region. Sunday is the RASAC Holiday 5K. Today's (December 21, 2002)
choices were a Jingle Bell 5K in Boyce, VA (SVR) and the Christmas Caper
8K at Belle Haven (PVTC). Both are good economic choices at $4 and $5.
Boyce was the farthest at 70 miles to 30 miles. I have run at Belle
Haven many times and enjoyed the mostly flat out and back course and the
food age group awards.
Door number three was The Celtic Solstice 5 Mile at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore. Jim Adams of the Falls Road Running Store, former BRRC president and RRCA State Representative, suggested I might like to give it a try. Early fees were $10 and race day was $15. Unlike the other two races, this one provided a long sleeve Nike Dri-Fit shirt valued at $36.00. Say no more, I hauled myself up Route 95 to Baltimore.
Thanks to the generous folks at the Stieff Silver Building, we had indoor facilities and lots of parking right next to the starting line for the nearly five hundred runners. I spoke with race management professional Dave Cooley of the Finished Product and we agreed this third year race could easily double in size. I asked about the course while querying him about the upcoming inaugural Frederick Marathon. He smiled that smile that told me that "gently rolling terrain" may be literally "breath taking." He did tell me that the marathon was mostly flat, though Frederick is up "in them there hills." He cautioned race brochure photographers to point and click away from the Catoctin Mountains in the background.
So, today winter arrived. The day was a beautiful windless forty- five degrees. We lined up at the edge of the bridge over the Jones Falls Expressway. The road turned up sharply just across the bridge. I remembered that the brochure pronounced the first 1K flat. Race director Jim Adams plied us with the good news that last half-mile was downhill. Now I was confused. No time to think, Cooley had just shouted, "Go!" I darted across the bridge in the lead, ready to turn the corner, looking for downhill or at least flat. Oops! The next mile was a serpentine ladder of up followed by up. It was not steep but it was up. Even watching my shoes, I could not help noticing that lots of runners were moving past me.
The course was very easy to follow, even though there were three cul de sacs. As we entered each one, the lead bicycles warned us to move over to the right. Each time the eventual winner Greg Cauller of Manchester, PA was pushing further ahead. Many runners were later heard to comment, "Did you see that guy running so effortlessly?" "He should have at least tried to look as if he were struggling when he came past us."
I had another problem. Those rolling hills were taking a serious bite out of any potential kick that I might have. Finally, about three and a half miles into the race we moved away from the zoo and headed down toward the reservoir. Mile four was an unmanned [turned off] clock but it was a welcome sight. I allowed my momentum to carry me across the flat area to the final half- mile, which was blissfully all downhill.
There was much last second changing of places because the finish was so sharply down hill. Veteran finishers hustled quickly back to the Stieff Silver and the food. Those first inside lined up at the massage table. I brushed past that and headed for the chow line. There was tons of everything, all the old standards of bananas, apples, bagels, and Gatorade. A chorus of pastry, cookies, dozens of doughnuts, hot chocolate, coffee, and plenty of fruit juices followed them up.
Soon the masses changed the already warm building into a sauna. We herded ourselves outside to find bowls of steaming hot chili. After we cooled off some, we could not refrain from more goodies inside, including some decorative cakes. There was plenty of food and drink for every runner with the excess going to a local shelter.
The results were up in less than an hour. I made the cardinal mistake of standing right next to Jim Adams as he announced the winners. He deputized me into making up the random numbers. When asked to pick a number, he said, "What is your marathon PR?" I first tried my own bib number of 445 but he was not buying. He interspersed the randoms with the age groups. The prizes were sporting goods from his store, such as hats, fanny packs, running lights, body glides, and even some pepper spray.
The age group awards were based on pre-registered quantities, so that the larger divisions went deeper. Also, we would all be receiving a special extra bonus. A local artist took photos of the award winners to use in producing individual drawings for us.
For the women, Vicki Cauller made it a husband (Greg) and wife winner's circle, upsetting Denise Knickman of Baltimore. Knickman is a winner of twenty-one of the thirty-five races she has done this year, including a 2:59:19 Marathon in the Parks last month. Matthew Hahn (20) of Pennsylvania was second for the men. Another couple, Connie Buckwalter of Lancaster, PA was third and her husband Marc was an age group winner, making a nearly Pennsylvania sweep. The third man was Justin Scott (21). We were also treated to the return of racing legend Laura Dewald of Monkton, MD. Laura, often a sub-2:40 marathoner, won the Marine Corps Marathon in 1990 in 2:45. In 1993, she won the last Fritzbe's race in 35:10 before heading up to blitz the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 74:00. She says she prefers trail running these days. Winning her age group easily today, she noted that motivation is the key to producing fast times.
Year 4 - 2003
Over 700 people showed up on a clear, crisp December morning. There were several tents set up in the parking lot serving up food and a taste of Wassail, while the feast continued inside. Jesse Williams and Glenn Mays ran side by side for most of the race, with Jesse finally holding on for the win. Participants in the event were treated to hot spiced cider and soup outside with traditional (and more non-traditional) food inside the building. Results from 2003
Year 5 - A record 850 runners posted for the fifth anniversary of the race. Pre-registered runners had covered the race expenses, so race day entries fees were donated to the Parks and People Foundation. Tim Mullen and Greg Griffie reprised their outstanding hot soup in the outdoor tents, while the feasting continued indoors. Quite a bit of excitement ensued among the finish line volunteers when someone dropped a spindle containing about a hundred and fifty names, and it took about two weeks to sort everything out. Results from 2004