Runner

Cherokee cross-country runner Marc Pelerin completed the 3.1-mile course at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y., in 15 minutes, 40 seconds yesterday to finish sixth in the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championships. The finish enabled the senior to qualify for the national meet Dec. 8 in Orlando, Fla. Last year, Pelerin missed qualifying by a half-second. Runners from 11 states and Washington, D.C., competed yesterday. The top eight finishers advanced to nationals, which will feature just 32 runners.

Stacy Robinson had the nerve to think she actually had a chance to beat Amy Rudolph of Kane (McKean County) in the 1,000-yard race at Saturday's state indoor-track championship meet. "I always think I can win, no matter what," said the Phoenixville junior, who started running track for the first time just four months ago. "I've always been competitive. " In Rudolph, Robinson faced an opponent of national stature. The Kane runner won the state cross-country championship in the fall and had the nation's best time this winter in the 1,000 - 2 minutes, 37.4 seconds - heading into Saturday's meet.

Gloucester Catholic coach Browning Ross was preparing his team for a dual meet against Bishop Eustace on Tuesday afternoon when his star runner, Ted Callinan, brought him bad news. "Before the meet," Ross said, "he said his hip was killing him. Then, right before the race, he came to me and said he was going to go out and run hard. " The confused Ross watched as Callinan showed no ill effects from a sore hip and ran the New Brooklyn Park course in Sicklerville in 15 minutes, 15 seconds - 35 seconds faster than he had run the same course a week earlier and 90 seconds faster than his closest pursuer.

No matter how strong she feels, Katie Van Horn will not go to the starting line without a small brace on her right knee anytime soon. "My mom's like, 'I could see you all the way over there. Wear it every week,' " said Van Horn, a Triton sophomore. "Now I'll wear it so people can pick me out. " Spotting her on the course may not be that difficult. If her first major cross-country meet is any indication, Van Horn, who says she usually does not wear the brace when she trains, will be one of the girls at the front.

Karen Hauck of Bishop Shanahan took advantage of the ups and downs of the cross-country course at the Briarwood Classic at Belmont Plateau (Fairmount Park) to win the big-school race in 20 minutes, 4 seconds Saturday. "I just kind of went out and tried to stay with the lead pack," Hauck said. At the mile mark, Council Rock's Kristin Williams and North Penn's Jenae Strader took the lead going up the very long and steep Parachute Hill. But Hauck caught them on the way down and pulled away on another long downhill section of the race.

While others tense up at the start of a race, Cheltenham's Kate Dempsey takes it easy. A standout in track for the last two years, the senior is also a backup guard for the Panthers basketball team. She is running indoor track again this winter but concedes that it is more for fun than glory. "I'm just sort of running indoors to build a foundation for the outdoor season," she said. "This way, it's a little bit more relaxed and more fun. " But taking it easy for Dempsey is better than full speed ahead for most runners.

Jon Drummond was disqualified from his quarterfinal heat in the men's 100-meter heat at the World Track Championships in Saint-Denis, France, yesterday when he became the second runner in the group to commit a false start. The heats were thrown into chaos when Drummond, who attended Philadelphia's Overbrook High School, refused to leave the track after his disqualification. He lay on his back on the track for several minutes, saying, "I didn't move, I didn't move," as race officials tried to get him to leave.

Lansdale Catholic cross-country coach Steve Probert has a problem with his star senior, Mark desGarennes. The kid runs too much. "After practice sometimes, he'll go home and run another six miles with a flashlight," Probert said. "I don't like it at all. He's out there in the dark, and there are things called holes and cars and creatures hanging out in the weeds, especially in Quakertown. " During the summer, desGarennes trained especially hard for his senior year, and he developed a genuine enthusiasm for practicing and for long-distance runs.

Seamus McElligott, 29, a nationally acclaimed long-distance runner for Haverford College and a computer consultant, died Sunday of smoke inhalation in a garage fire in Mississauga, Ontario, while visiting relatives. He lived in Rose Valley, Delaware County. Regional police in Mississauga said Mr. McElligott accidentally started the fire as he was getting a lawn mower ready for use. Mr. McElligott had been accepted by seven law schools and was undecided which school to enter in the fall, his family said.

Two runners collapsed and died in separate running events yesterday. An unidentified runner from Virginia died during the Army Ten-Miler race, collapsing near the finish line at the Pentagon. The runner collapsed about 200 yards from the finish line, said Col. Jim Yonts. Arlington County medics took the runner to George Washington University Hospital. The cause of death was not known. The runner was a civilian, not a member of the military, Yonts said. A Michigan man died while running the Chicago Marathon as stifling heat and smothering humidity forced organizers to shut down the course midway through the race.

NOT MANY people were eyewitness to both lethal jihadi attacks on America - 9/11 and the Boston Marathon. Benjamin David was and wonders why - what is God's message to him? He thinks in terms of heavenly messages being sent - God doesn't IM or tweet - because David is a rabbi, the senior rabbi of Congregation Adath Emanu-El in Mount Laurel. In 2001, he was a third-year student in a graduate rabbinical school a few blocks from the World Trade Center and remembers hearing the scream of the first jet flying over, very low. Twelve years later he was in Boston, where he had just finished his first Boston Marathon, when he heard two loud explosions.

IT STARTED as a chilly, overcast morning, but it turned into a bright, sunny day celebrating the human spirit. The Blue Cross Broad Street Run 's 34th installment was its most successful, with 40,000 runners registered. The runners came from all over the world, in many cases bringing family and friends with them. And many wore red attire, including red socks, to show solidarity with Boston. The race began promptly at 8:30 a.m. yesterday after a moment of silence honoring the Boston Marathon bombing victims.

With a profound sense of patriotism and a sea of red socks to prove it, up to 40,000 runners will participate Sunday in the 34th annual Broad Street Run . Less than a month after the Boston Marathon bombings, Philadelphia's signature foot race, sponsored by Independence Blue Cross, also will be marked by heightened security and a sense of apprehension. Most runners interviewed said they would not be deterred by terror, and many planned to wear red socks - trademark of the Boston baseball team - as a symbol of their support.

IT IS AN EVENT that attracts runners from all over the world and a day that Philadelphia treasures. The first Sunday in May has been a special one in Philadelphia since 1980 with the Blue Cross Broad Street Run , but this year will be extra special. In its 34th year, the Broad Street Run, which is sponsored by Independence Blue Cross, has grown into the largest 10-miler in the country. This year, nearly 40,000 runners are expected to compete, which would surpass the 2012 runner count of 34,068.

Villanova men's track coach Marcus O'Sullivan joked that the victory by the Wildcats' women in the distance medley relay on the opening day of the Penn Relays took a little heat off his team. But it's the Penn Relays, and the Wildcats are expected to perform well. That's something both the men and women did Friday in their races although they fell short of victory. The men got a terrific anchor leg from freshman Jordy Williamsz in the men's DMR but wound up second to Penn State.

The Inquirer is presenting a daily profile of participants in the May 5 Broad Street Run, considered the country's most popular 10-miler, with 40,000 participants. See full coverage at www.inquirer.com/health_science/ and www.philly.com/broadstreetrun When Rocco Maiorano was 3, his parents divorced. He was raised by his grandmother Livia Colavito, whom he loved more than anyone. She made him bathe and brush his teeth when 10-year-old boys would rather not. When he was home sick, she cared for him and they watched her favorite show, The Price Is Right.

Nine days after twin bombings killed three people and injured nearly 300 at the Boston Marathon, Philadelphia officials said Wednesday that the Broad Street Run on May 5 will have an increased security presence and that every runner will wear a symbol supporting Boston. As hundreds of residents and employees gathered at Rittenhouse Square for an annual walk, Mayor Nutter announced that the 40,000 runners in this year's run will be given a sticker with the phrase "From Philly to Boston With Love.

On my Monday afternoon run, I visualized the end of the New Jersey Marathon. It's an old runner's trick, one meant to help you prepare for the last hard miles of the race. I pictured myself running strong and tall, with solid legs, even cadence, and perfect form. I saw myself moving through the 15,000 people who line the last mile in Long Branch, a fraction of the 40,000 who will come to town for the weekend to support the runners in both the New Jersey Marathon and Long Branch Half.