2002: Changes, challenges

Traffic, construction and Sept. 11 complicated the planning of this year’s event

By Stephanie L. Jordan

In addition to 15,600 feet pounding the pavement from the Gulf of Mexico to Cole Park, this year’s Beach to Bay relay marathon will sport a massive construction project, searches and emergency helicopters.

Although the annual event will still be on its usual route, the logistics of planning the race was a challenge for organizers.

"I was expecting that the base would just tell us, ‘No,’ and we would have to change the route somehow," said Doug McBee, race director. "That’s what they’ve done with other races on military bases across the country since September 11."

Participants and runners for the fourth leg of the race will have to pass through metal detectors to be allowed on the base. Runners of the third leg will not be delayed.


But base officials said they didn’t consider not allowing the runners onboard Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.


"It was started by a Navy member and we want it to be successful," said Capt. Rick Marcantonio, commanding officer of the base. "This is a big event and we’re just happy to be a small part of it."


That was the attitude that prevailed throughout the planning of the event this year, complicated though it was, McBee said.


Each year island residents have expressed concerns about the traffic for the first three legs of the race. The first goes across the beach, the second leads to the JFK Causeway and the third goes over the bridge to Waldron Road.


This year organizers want spectators to stay away from the first three legs of the race to alleviate traffic problems, which will be compounded because of the causeway construction project. Another solution to the residents’ concerns is that an ambulance and a HALO flight helicopter will be on the island strictly to respond to emergencies of island residents.


"This is as big as the event will get," McBee said. "We don’t want it to get any bigger because that will make it too complicated. It would make the exchange points unmanageable. Planning this race each year is a year-round task."


Planning the event was much easier when Navy Cmdr. John Butterfield started it in 1976. At that time there were 25 teams - and 185 runners - paying a $1 entry fee to run and receive a ribbon. Then in 1977 local businessman Ed Hicks pledged $1,000 to the event. That was the year before the Corpus Christi Road Runners running club was formed, adding more structure to the annual event. The number of runners per team is set at six, with each leg 4.4 miles.


This year, a $1,000 sponsorship is a very small portion of the money poured into the race each year. After everything is paid for, there is still about $50,000 left over to give to charity, such as the Special Olympics, the Navy Relief Society and police charities.


This year’s larger sponsorships include Andrews Distributing, which gave $8,000, H-E-B Food Stores which gave $5,000, the law firm Herrman & Herrman which gave $4,000 and also sponsors running teams, and Elementis Chromium, which gave $2,500. That doesn’t include in-kind contributions such as that from U.S. Cellular and the Regional Transportation Authority.


One local company that supports the race is Roger Soler’s Sports. The store, along with Fleet Feet, hosts the exposition the day before the race to show off venders’ new products. Roger Soler’s Sports also hosts a post-race party the week after it’s over, said Gabriel Lucido, managing partner of the store.


For some years, like this one, celebrating one more year is needed more than others. There was the time in 1980 when a high tide that shoved some waters toward the sand dunes, and from 1986 to 1991, runners had to run through the construction projects and deal with detours on the Intracoastal and Humble Channel Bridge.


"The year of the smoke was the worst," McBee said of 1998 when smoke from thousands of fires burning in southern Mexico and Guatemala wafted north to put a haze over Corpus Christi.


"Everyone was saying we had to cancel the race, but there was no way we could do that," McBee said. "Seventy-five percent of our money had been spent already. But our attitude then was the same as every year. The show must go on. The race must go on."


Contact Stephanie L. Jordan at 886-3724 or jordans@caller.com