On June 21st, as many as 2,000 runners will hit the road for the inaugural Baltimore 10-Miler. The event is being coordinated by Corrigan Sports, the organizers of many local sports events including the Baltimore Marathon. A 10-mile race is a good fit and it fills a void between the marathon and the many 5K and 10K races in our area. The Baltimore 10-Miler will benefit the Baltimore Police Department and the University of Maryland Heart Center.

Corrigan Sports has asked me to run the race to give participants something to feel good about when they beat me to the finish. I’m up to it, and I’ve added to the stakes. For each runner who finishes ahead of me in the Baltimore 10-Miler, I will donate a dollar to the Police Athletic League, and my radio colleague Damon “The Bulldog” Yaffe has volunteered to match my donation. With 2,000 runners in the field, I have a lot to lose and PAL has a lot to gain!

But I will proudly step up for the cause of the Police Athletic League, and I’d ask you to do the same. PAL of Baltimore City and Baltimore County do extraordinary work with the youth in our area, providing positive guidance for young men and women with after-school programs and activities.

I recently met Baltimore County police officer Kevin Womack who attended PAL programs as a young man, and the experience saved his life. Kevin’s parents were drug abusers who were in and out of the prison system. Kevin and his brothers found themselves in and out of the care of extended family, and on the street. Kevin took part in a PAL program that kept him out of trouble and his remarkable story is that he grew up to become a police officer who now reaches out to kids in the very program that saved him.

So, join me on June 21st, and try to beat me. I don’t mind if you do- it’ll aid a great cause.

Posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm.
Categories: Opinion.
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