Trail Marathon to give walker hour head start

Chuck Bryant will get a jump on the field in the Northern Central Trail Marathon on Nov. 25.

Bryant has asked for -- and received -- permission to begin the race an hour earlier than the rest of the participants.

"We will let him start early," says race director Dave Cooley. "There's a precedent for this in other races. It's better for him; it's better for the volunteers."

Bryant is an amputee and a race-walker who hopes to finish the marathon under 5 1/2 hours.

Bryant, a 39-year-old who lives in Miami, is a teacher for Conflict Resolution PeaceWorks, an organization that trains teachers in the resolution of student-conflict situations -- "before it escalates to the level of a fight," he says.

He has been running since high school, a pursuit that continued through college and graduate school, and even after he lost his right leg to amputation, the result of a motorcycle accident in 1983.

"It wasn't the collision so much as the infection that set in," he says. "It was almost a year later when we decided to amputate."

But Bryant found that the prosthesis was not a good match with jogging.

"I blistered too easily because of the stump," he says. "That's why I switched to race-walking. It's comparable to running in its aerobic benefits, without the pounding."

Kids get a venue

The 10th annual Kids' Cross Country Classic will be held at Goucher College Sunday at 9 a.m.

Dave Patrick, who won the Olympic Trials mile in 1968 in 3:54, will be the honorary starter.

For information, call Jim Harrison at [phone].

Briefly

Volunteers are needed for the Northern Central Trail Marathon. Call Dave Cooley at [phone]. . . . Area finishers in the Marine Corps Marathon: Ronnie Wong, 49, 2:56:27; Andy Baida, 37, 3:08. . . . The weekend's top finishers:

Saturday

BRRC-Annapolis Striders

Cross Country Team Challenge 3-miler

At Baybrook Park

1. BRRC 23; 2. Annapolis Striders, 49; 3. Independents, 59.

Males: 1. James Pryde, 16:47; 2. Maurice Pointer, 17:07; 3. Bill Gale, 17:29. Masters: 1. Pryde. Grandmasters: 1. Jerry Ward, 20:13.

Females: 1. Stephanie Stevens, 22:41; 2. Kathy Hennes, 26:11.

Sunday

RASAC Tucker 10K

At Bel Air

Males: 1. Wilson Gorrell, 41:11; 2. Tim Dougherty, 41:58; 3. Tom Riley, 42:10.

Females: 1. Margaret Starnes, 40:49; 2. Cynthia Carpenter, 41:50; 3. Tracey Lawler, 47:37.

Howard County Striders'

Run Through the Grapevine 8K

At Mt. Airy

Males: 1. Dennis Mickey, 30, 29:24; 2. Matt Adams, 26, 29:54; 3. Chris Samley, 33, 30:38; 4. Steve Ruckert, 46, 30:44; 5. Dennis Albright, 38, 30:54; 6. Michael Bowman, 22, 31:03; 7. George Altieri, 37, 31:09; 8. Rusty Moore, 40, 31:18; 9. Steve Manning, 34, 31:26; 10. Phil Lang, 28, 31:33. Masters: 1. Ruckert.

Females: 1. Bea Marie Altieri, 28, 34:30; 2. Vicki Lang, 27, 35:44; 3. Katie Meyer, 39, 36:11; 4. Barbara Sullivan, 39, 38:52; 5. Sandy Ford, 34, 38:57; 6. Lisa Dedek, 35, 39:24; 7. Joya Fritsch-Fields, 33, 39:37; 8. Nora Storey, 23, 39:49; 9. Jill Fritsch, 31, 40:09; 10. Laura DeWald, 38, 40:12. Masters: 1. Linda Votey, 44, 40:23.

Coming events

Saturday, Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 5K, Columbia, 8:30 a.m., [phone].

Saturday, MCRRC Ken Gar 10K, Kensington, 9 a.m., [phone].

Saturday, White Rose 5-Miler, York, Pa., 9 a.m., [phone].

Saturday, DuFief/Stone Mill Tech Trek 5K, Gaithersburg, 9 a.m., [phone].

Sunday, RASAC Harmony Half-Marathon, Harmony, 8 a.m.

Sunday, Kids' Cross Country Classic (1.5 miles), Goucher College, 9 a.m., [phone].

Sunday, Atlantic Federal 5K Turkey Trot, Ridgely Middle School, 8 a.m., [phone].

Sunday, WRRC Caple's 3-Mile Cross Country Caper, Westminster, 9 a.m., [phone].

Sunday, Tri-Maryland Hagerstown Biathlon (3M run, 16M bike, 3M run), Hagerstown, 10 a.m., [phone].