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M&T Bank Stadium

Russell Street

October 16, 2010

7. Miles of Charm

Nervously hitting nearby port-o-potties, re-lacing running shoes,

double-checking race belts and carb packets, 5,000 would-be marathoners squeeze onto Russell Street, behind Camden Yards’ leftfield wall.

On a crisp morning, thousands more line the sidewalks, shouting encouragement and wishing friends and loved ones well. Moments later, the national anthem blares, the Bromo Seltzer Tower clock strikes 8 a.m., and then suddenly a “BANG” releases the penned herd. Confetti pours down, and Gov. Martin and Katie O’Malley, enthusiastically wave to the now flowing mass of humanity.

It’s the 10th anniversary of the Baltimore marathon, a 26.2-mile jaunt up and down the city’s rocky pavement from the ballparks to Druid Hill, from Federal Hill to Patterson Park, Lake Montebello, and Mount Vernon.

“I’ve been training for this for the last three years,” says Baltimore City firefighter Robert Duckett Jr., 34, prior to the start up South Paca Street. “I missed the deadline two years ago. Last year my training got interrupted and I did the half-marathon.”

Filling out a mesh jersey, the 5-foot-10, 230-pound former Edmondson High football player looks like a mini version of Ravens’ fullback Le’Ron McClain. “Five years ago, I was right about 300 pounds,” he adds. “My goal is to finish.”

Behind Duckett, an Elvis-impersonator jogs in a white jumpsuit, offering, “Thank-you, thank-you very much,” to on-duty police officers. Ahead, there’s someone running in a tuxedo and couple of women running in tutus and tiaras. One very tall marathoner juggles three balls the whole way without ever breaking stride.

Along the route, runners pass students cheering outside their schools, wise guys hold up signs at mile 18 and19, asking runners, “Who Needs Toe Nails?” and reminding them, “No One Made You Do This.”

In East Side neighborhoods, families cheer from porch steps. In Charles Village, two fans in a full-body tiger suits dance to “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky and high-five runners while another nearby couple hands out 400 pounds of gummy bears. Through Lexington Market, crowds high-five and fist-bump ragged runners. At the finish line: congratulatory kisses.

“You look at the city today, see all that history, too, and I mean, it’s beautiful, and it can be emotional,” Duckett says after finishing in just over six hours. “The best thing is that you see all these different people, all the diversity. And everybody is cheering for everybody,” he says. “We are not like that every day. We are not good to each other every day like this. But, you know, we could be. We could be.”