Body in Motion

Run Homestead

What: Homestead Hospital 5K Walk/Run for Wellness
When: Saturday, May 17, 8 a.m.
Where: The 3.1 mile route winds through the campus of the new Homestead Hospital at Campbell Drive and Southwest 147th Avenue. The starting gun will fire at 8 a.m. Parking is available at Homestead Hospital.
Registration: Call 786-243-8112 or e-mail DeliaD@baptisthealth.net. Applications are also available in the Foundation office at Homestead Hospital. Participants can also register on race day from 6:30-7:45 a.m. at the hospital. The cost is $20 before the race and $25 on race day.
Pasta dinner: Homestead Hospital will host a pasta dinner on Friday, May 16, from 4:30-7 p.m. in the cafeteria. $6 per person. For reservations, call 786-243-8112.

Winners' Circle

A round of applause to the top finishers....

Men: Ronnie Holassie, 15:26; Josh Brashears, 16:10

Women: Bobette Stewart (pictured), 18:23; Jo shott, 19:56

Personal record

I ran my fastest 5K today in the Mercedes-Benz Miami Corporate run. I have Lou to thank for that. He didn't start running until he met me, and I didn't start running faster until he started running fast. My goal was to beat my '07 time, which was 26:10. Since there were no clocks or mile markers along the course, I wasn't sure how fast or slow I was going. I felt pretty good, probably because my new Nike Air Zoom Equalon2 shoes were way too comfy. They even felt good on the grated bridge. The other bridge wasn't too much of a challenge because I've been using the incline on the treadmill. The weather was nice and breezy, not too hot or humid. Somewhere near the end of mile 3, when I heard the music blaring, I knew it was time to speed up. "25 and change,''  the announcer yelled. I ran for the finish, fast, but not as fast as I could, and finished in 25:34. My goal for next year: 24:59 or less. Did anyone else set a personal record? Tell us about it.

Annual Corporate Run Guide

If you plan to cheer on your co-workers Thursday, here's how to spot them among the sea of 20,000 in the Miami Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run:
• THE PEACOCK: She's showing off the spandex outfit that she couldn't wait to change into.
• THE COMPLAINER: He's hot, he's tired, he's sweaty, his feet ache . . . and everybody within earshot knows it.
• THE SMOKERS: They'll put on a good run. . .until they reach the bridge.
• MISS SUNSHINE: She's smiling and telling others, ‘You can do it!' while running up the bridge.
• ANGRY GUY: He'll get tired and stop running, then scream when someone bumps into him.
• CASUAL CRETIN: He'll show up in his work clothes and you won't even notice.
• THE HOARDER: She's the one carting off all the Gatorade, and she didn't even do the race.
• THE LOUD TALKER: Everyone speeds up to pass him, but (darn!) he's still ringing in their ears.
• THE INVISIBLE WORKER: He'll arrive late and quit before the race ends.
• THE PUSHOVER: Poor kid is the last guy to cross the finish line.

Top Boston runners

  Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won his fourth Boston Marathon on Monday, running away from the pack in a blistering official time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 46 seconds, The Associated Press reports.
   Ethiopia's Dire Tune, above, outkicked Alevtina Biktimirova to win by 2 seconds, the closest finish in the history of the women's race. Tune's unofficial time was 2:25:25.
  Cheruiyot missed the course record he set two years ago by 33 seconds. He became the fourth man with four victories in the men's edition of the world's oldest annual 26.2-mile race.  Cheruiyot and Tune each earned $150,000.

Boston wheelchair division

  The Boston Marathon has wire-to-wire winners in the men's and women's wheelchair divisions, The Associated Press reports.
   Japan's Wakako Tsuchida won her second straight title, finishing in 1 hour, 48 minutes and 32 seconds, besting her time from last year by 5 minutes.
    On the men's side, South African Ernst Van Dyk, left, led from the start, finishing in 1:26:49 to win Boston for the seventh time. Though it was the second slowest time of his seven victories, no one was near him when he crossed the finish line on Boylston Street.

Weekend races

Saturday, April 19 
  •  7 Mile Bridge Run, Marathon: If you haven't already registered, you're out of luck.
  • Stampede in the Park 5K, Quiet Waters Park, Deerfield Beach, 7 a.m., 786-337-0501.
  • Walk & Roll-athon, Markham Park, Sunrise, 8 a.m., 954-434-3306.
Sunday, April 20
    •  AIDS Walk, Miami Beach, 8 a.m., 305-576-1234.

3 good reasons to walk this 5K

1. 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease -- 400,000 of them live in Florida -- 200,000 live in Southeast Florida.
2. One in eight people age 65 and over has Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Every 71 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s.

What: Alzheimer’s Association Gold Coast Memory Walk 2008
Where: Hollywood North Beach Park, 3601 N. Ocean Dr., Hollywood
When: Saturday, April 12, registration: 8:00 a.m., opening program: 8:30 a.m., 5K memory walk: 9:00 a.m., closing program: 10:30 a.m.
More info: Call Laura Uribe, 1-800-861-7826, Ext. 203.

Holassie trounces competition

 

Ronnie Holassie won the Miami Mercedes-Benz Corporate run last year, with a fellow athlete hot on his trail. This year he was first in the Fort Lauderdale race, and he could have taken a nap before the second-place finisher crossed the line. His unofficial time: 15 minutes, 21 seconds.  My friend Lou was near the front of the line when the cannon went off, and he told me, "That guy started slow, then turned the corner and took off.'' By "slow," he likely meant a 5-minute mile pace, or a wee bit slower. Those of us who are not Olympians would consider that super fast.

I watched the first 100 or so athletes finish, and it was amazing. Drenched in sweat, they give it all they've got when the finish line is in view and they know the end is near. In all shapes and sizes, they run. They run to stay fit; they run to stay healthy. They run for their lives.

More than a T-shirt

Run this race and get a ticket to the hockey game:

What: Panthers Prowl 5K Run/Walk
When: Saturday, March 29
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Place:  BankAtlantic Center, 2555 Panther Parkway.
More info: Check in at 6:15 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Florida Panthers Foundation. $30 registration fee includes race entry, T-shirt and ticket to Saturday evening's Florida Panthers season finale.  954-835-7234.

Celebrity 5K

Run with celebrities on Sunday in the Celebrity 5K, a community partnership for homeless event. Celebs who might be there include: Enrique & Joe, Rey Ruiz, Jim Avila, Belkys Nerey and Lauryn Williams.

Date: Sunday, March 30
Time: 8 a.m.
Place: Miami Beach. The race starts on the MacArthur Causeway on the east side of Watson Island, near the Miami Children's Museum and ends near 1 Washington Ave.
Registration info: www.celebrity5k.com/default.asp
Pictured above: Emilio Estefan runs past Gloria in the 2007 race.