Ocean Drive Marathon and 10 Mile
March 30, 2003
Cape May to Sea Isle City, NJ
Time -- 3:25



Home      Marathons      Pictures

Ocean Drive Marathon Website
Ocean Drive Marathon Results

Anders and Jessie on Cape May/Lewes Ferry
Anders and I with ominous sky
The Course
Jen and I
Jen has second thoughts about 10 miles
Too many pictures...
Group Shot on Ferry
Cape May Lighthouse, NJ
Accommodations
Jessie and Anders Pre-race
Anders with DCRRC singlet
3 Runners
At the start
Jen's first 10 miler
Jen and Jessie
Preparing for a wet 26
Group at Start
Mile 3
Anders post-race
Still smiling after 10 miles of wind and rain
A warm car ride home
Fudge.
Group on return Ferry


March 31, 2003

Hundreds take wet, windy 26-mile tour of Cape May

By DAVID WEINBERG Staff Writer, (609) 272-7186, E-Mail

CAPE MAY - As if running 26 miles, 385 yards was not enough of a challenge, competitors in the fifth annual Ocean Drive Marathon also had to deal with other obstacles Sunday.

The streets near the starting line were flooded, a stinging rain pelted them for the first few miles, temperatures dipped into the low 40s and a bone-chilling wind always seemed to be in their faces.

None of it seemed to bother Frank McErleane. The 32-year-old from Haverstraw, N.Y., doggedly kept up an impressive pace and wound up blowing away the rest of the record field.

McErleane, a physical education teacher at Ramsey High School in northern New Jersey, completed the trek from Congress Hall in Cape May to JFK Promenade in Sea Isle City in 2 hours, 48 minutes, 41 seconds. It was the slowest winning time in the five-year history of the event, but given the weather, it was still one of its most memorable performances.

"This was my first marathon,'' McErleane said. "I've always wanted to do one and I picked this one because I heard it was pretty flat, but that wind was brutal. It was against me the whole time.''

He still enjoyed an easy victory, however. Matt Mummert, of York, Pa., finished second in 2:58:50 and was the only other runner among 542 finishers to complete the race in under three hours.

Women's champion Sherri Doebler, a 32-year-old preschool teacher from Williamsport, Pa., also delivered an impressive effort under the conditions. She finished seventh overall in 3:06.12, which was the event's second-fastest winning time, behind the 3:00:29 by Jaquie Merritt in 1999.

Emily Bryans, a 35-year-old technical wrister from Schenectady, N.Y., finished second among women in 3:12:50 Sunday, despite getting briefly lost by taking a wrong turn with about a mile remaining.

Doebler and Bryans were among approximately 150 runners who registered for the ODM after learning that last week's Washington DC Marathon was being canceled because of security concerns. It turned out that they needed every bit of their extensive training to deal with a race that is considered grueling even under normal conditions.

"I enjoyed the course,'' said Bryans, who ran her third marathon. "It was nice to run along the ocean, and I even saw some egrets along the way. But that headwind was there almost the whole time. I only weigh 105, so that made it even tougher.''

So tough that approximately 50 runners were unable to complete the race. Some opted to stop at the finish line of the 10-miler in North Wildwood. Others veered off the course because of fatigue, frustration and/or pain.

But most were determined to finish, even if it meant spending a couple of extra hours in the wind, rain and cold. Only 434 runners completed the race in under five hours. Eight needed more than six hours.

Neither winner was ever seriously challenged. McErleane jumped to the lead of the marathon in the first mile, ran patiently behind eventual 10-mile winner Patrick Dwyer, a Cape May native now practicing law in Boston, until he was done, then smoothly took over the race.

"I didn't know I was in the lead until I caught up to (Dwyer) at the eight-mile mark and I found out he was just running the 10-miler to get ready for (the Boston Marathon),'' McErleane said.

He had no company for the rest of the race. McErleane owned a five-minute lead over Gregory Curtis of Hartford, Conn., at the halfway point and added another two minutes over the next seven miles.

Curtis appeared to have second place locked up but suddenly stopped at the 20-mile mark and leaned over a wood fence to stretch his hamstrings and calves. He continued to have problems the rest of the way and finished 61st in 3:39:22. Among those who passed him was his wife, Karisa Curtis, who finished third among women and 17th overall in 3:20:31.

Mummert, a 33-year-old software engineer, took over second place with five miles to go and held off third-place finisher Seth Dennenberg, a 43-year-old attorney from Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

"I've run three marathons, but this was my first in five or six years,'' Mummert said. "I'm just getting back to it because I spent the last year and a half hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine with my wife (whom he married during his adventure).''

Doebler earned her first win in her sixth career marathon. She was a recreational runner before getting hooked on longer distances while participating in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington in 2000 as a member of Team in Training, which raises money for cancer research and treatments.

"This one was kind of hard,'' Doebler said. "Not only was the wind in my face, but I was by myself for most of the race. I just tried to keep up my pace the whole way.''

Manahawkin's Amy Donlon was the top Press-area runner to finish. She placed 33rd overall in 3:28:25. The first area man to finish was Jim Doran of Del Haven in 3:48:14. He was 98th overall.

In other races, Dwyer won the 10-miler for the second time in four years in 59:48. Kara Rosenbach took the women's division in 1:12:56. Port Republic's Blake Conner led a field of 130 finishers in the 5K-race in 18:05. Margate's Joanne Notaro-Boothby won the women's division in 19:42.

To e-mail David Weinberg at The Press:

DWeinberg@pressofac.com
April 1, 2003

Anders' Race Report



CAPE MAY - Months of tough training in a brutal DC winter of snow and ice culminated in the abrupt cancellation of our goal marathon four days before its running. With the DC Marathon out, Matt and I made a quick change of plans to run the Ocean Drive Marathon in New Jersey the next weekend running point-to-point from Cape May to Sea Isle along the shore. A much smaller marathon the previous year with just 300 runners, DC Marathon refugees quickly ballooned the number of entrants to 550 so we were content with a small but decent-sized race. Travel plans fell into place and a nice weekend was planned. Matt's friend Jen joined us to run the 10-miler, and Jessie made the trip to run the end of the race with us.

After running Disney and Marine Corps with thousands of participants, being able to park right next to the front door of the high school gym for the expo and pick up our race number and shirt in five minutes was a nice perk we discovered of a small marathon. On to the hotel where the Weather Channel was not very reassuring. Given what we'd read about the race from previous years, we were not so much concerned, but resigned to the fact that there would likely be a strong headwind throughout the race. The only question was whether a storm on the east coast would hit on race morning. For a week and a half after signing up, the weather was discussed and analyzed. So by the time the starting gun went off in a flooded street in Cape May, I was mentally prepared for the worst. Sure enough, the rain pounded us with a cold drenching for the first eight miles or so. Add in the wind which was relentless and often gusting, we were in for a tough marathon. But thank goodness for trash bags which kept us dry as Matt and I settled into a solid 7:40 pace from the start and felt good. The course is flat except for four draw bridges (which luckily did not rise like one did last year) and mostly on quiet county roads with a quick jaunt along the bike paths and wooden boardwalk of Wildwood. There was little shelter from the wind, and if it wasnt coming head-on, it was blowing runners off the road from the side.

Matt and I stayed together except for a quick stop on my part at 12. By 15 I rejoined him but was feeling tired and a little bored with the course which, although scenic, was rather repetitive with endless wetlands, beaches, and streets of summer cottages. The runners had strung out so finding packs to run with was difficult. There were also very few spectators being several weeks before the tourist season. But the volunteers and supporters who were out were fabulous and extraordinarily helpful, especially given the 40-degree weather and rain they stood in. Nearing 18 miles, our pace slowed as fatigue from battling the wind took its toll. But there around the corner was Jessie who was just the boost we needed. Our pace quickened and we worked right through a wall that never materialized. Legs ached, but we continued a consistent 7:50 pace through the end. At 25 we turned the corner onto the beach promenade at Sea Isle. The finish line was visible, a long ways down the path. A little too far to pick up the pace, but we did anyway. With a quiet uttering of "miles of trials, trials of miles," we threw down and ran the fastest mile of the marathon there in mile 26. Matt's final 800-yard kick was a decisive finish into the wind leading to a 3:25. My kick was a little quieter but felt strong nonetheless crossing the finish soon after. All of those winter track workouts paid off. I was starving so inhaled delicious and steaming hot chicken broth and a handful of bagels. Sitting there in the finish tent it felt so good to be done knowing we had reached our goal time all while conquering the distance, the small size of the event, and the weather. The organization of the race was superb. But as enjoyable an event as this was, I'll stick to larger marathons. I just hope the next one isn't cancelled.

Home      Marathons      Pictures