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Great day for Train Race

May 3, 2010 12:36 am

BY RYAN MARR

When Taylor Clark was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome as an 18-month-old, doctors told her parents that she would never walk.

Yesterday at the Great Train Race, Clark, now 18, did more than just walk. She finished more than three-quarters of the mile-long race before succumbing to exhaustion and accepting help from her father, Mike Clark, who wheeled her across the finish line to a cheering crowd.

"She went much farther then we expected," said her mother, Robbin Clark. "I think it had a lot to with her excitement at the start, being with all the kids and all the clapping and cheering."

This kind of community encouragement is what drew more than 3,000 kids and their families to downtown Fredericksburg yesterday for the 16th annual Great Train Race, which organizers bill as the largest youth-oriented race on the East Coast.

These large numbers translate into hefty donations to various charities around Fredericksburg, too, through the Fredericksburg Area Service League, whose members volunteered to help put on the race. The event is sponsored by The Free Lance-Star and VA Runner.

However, for race director Debi Bernardes, who organized the first Great Train Race in 1995 to raise money to fight leukemia, the race is still all about the kids.

"Other races include fun runs for the kids, but they just send them off like a herd of cattle," Bernardes said. "We try to acknowledge their individual accomplishments by providing times for each runner and awards for each age group."

Kids seem to appreciate that individual attention, too. With the exception of the youngest participants in the Caboose Run--a quarter-mile race for kids 5 and younger sponsored by Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen--most of the kids who lined the finish line at City Dock with their families were seasoned veterans.

Some of them, like 16-year-old David Pennisi, have literally grown up with the Great Train Race. Currently a sophomore on Colonial Forge's track and field team, Pennisi first caught the running bug while participating in the race as a first-grader. According to Pennisi, the dynamics of the race have changed quite a bit for him since then.

"Once you start racing high-schoolers in the 14-and-up heat, it gets a lot more competitive," he said.

The winner of this year's heat for the oldest age bracket, Pennisi was accompanied by two track and field teammates from Colonial Forge, 15-year-old Brian O'Loughlin and 18-year-old Taylor Torino. They all decided to run together after a year's worth of training.

Though perhaps not as competitive as the high school teams, many middle and elementary school jogging clubs also were represented in the race. What they lacked in competitiveness the younger jogging clubs more than made up in team spirit.

The 135 students representing Sealston Elementary were particularly visible as a sea of shouting orange and black paw-printed T-shirts stationed about 100 yards from the finish line.

Not surprisingly, the Great Train Race's school spirit award is named after Sealston P.E. teacher Lori Ann Libby, who has been organizing an active jogging club at the King George County school since its doors first opened five years ago.

"I'm all about team," Libby said. "That's what I preach."

Beyond just area schools, though, many families decided to form recognizable teams of their own.

The Shannon family sported custom-made electric yellow T-shirts with their name, "The Shannon Family Fantastic Four," emblazoned on the back. The eldest of four Shannon children participating in the race, 11-year-old Daniel Shannon, took a slightly more realistic approach to motivating himself for the race.

"The faster you run, the faster you're done," Daniel said. He also listed the bananas and bagels available at the end of the course as significant motivating factors in his performance.

Other families, like the Murphys, didn't go all out with shirts but still appreciated the competitive spirt and the community atmosphere downtown.

Besides getting the chance to cheer on his 12-year-old brother Michael and 9-year-old sister Jillian, Andrew Murphy, 14, also enjoyed the day's festivities.

"It's all about the entire community coming together and having a good time," he said.

Ryan Marr: 540/374-5000, ext. 5617
Email: rmarr@freelancestar.com