Originally published June 17, 2001
Athletes into serious running can "smoke" the mostly flat, 3.1-mile course. Last year, nine of Howard County's best runners broke 17 minutes. Ralph Massella - who says running helped save his sanity after two of his children died - wants to encourage competition. This year, he has put up $100 for record-breakers - the men's mark is 15 minutes, 27 seconds; for women it's 18:44.
But most intriguing about the fund-raiser is the 2-mile walk. It's not for athletes, although they can participate. It's for people concerned about any form or degree of addiction - some addicted, some recovering, some feeling trapped, others worried about family members or friends, and some who work with addicts and their families.
"The idea is to provide a way people can talk about their problems and learn about resources and what others are dealing with," Massella said. "We have tons of material that people can have."
Word of the event has spread mainly through various avenues of support. Narcotics Anonymous, especially, has been promoting this year's event.
The Massellas are hoping to raise another $10,000-plus in proceeds from entries and T-shirt sales this year, maybe enough to top $50,000 total during what has become over the past three years an intensely personal mission to combat addiction at the local level.
They have distributed past proceeds to a Howard County addiction program, Montgomery County's Phoenix School, which works with addicted teens and the Anasazi Foundation. This year, they gave $1,000 scholarships to two seniors from Glenelg and Liberty high schools interested in pursuing health-related studies.
Ralph Massella, who once dreamed of expanding the event, decided against that last year.
"That was my ego, but I like it the way it is," he said. "I get to talk to the people who come, it's personal, it's a day for me to feel connected to my son and to see the faces of people who are benefiting from it. ... I'm doing what I feel we should be doing."