Ninth Annual 10-Mile Run fpr the Heart Results

From the Peninsula Track Club (February 6, 2021)

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 5480 - benefiting the American Heart Association

The 2021 edition of the 10-Mile Run for the Heart was held under perfect running conditions; sunny and cold with a slight breeze and a temperature of 40 degrees at the race start. Two hundred and twenty-four runners entered the 10-Mile Run for the Heart with 191 completing the 10-mile course on the scenic Yorktown Battlefield.  Runners were spread out in nine waves and were instructed to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines during the event, including mask-wearing at all times while not running.  Social distancing and masking guidelines were followed for this completely outdoor event. 

The course started and finished near Surrender Field on the Yorktown Battlefield.  The 10-mile course is USATF certified #VA12072RT.

Four new age group course records for the 10-Mile Run for the Heart were set.

Winner and 1st Male Overall, Roger Hopper, 30 of Chesapeake, VA bettered the age group record for men 30-34 with a time of 56:41, improving on the mark of 1:01:31 that set by Ryan Doupe in 2018. For the women, Bethany Spector of Virginia Beach paced the field, winning in 1:12:29.

TOP OVERALL MEN

    1     1 ROGER HOPPER               30 CHESAPEAKE VA         56:41  5:41     

    2     2 JONATHAN TORRES            31 NEWPORT NEWS VA     1:02:29  6:15     

    3     3 TOBY WORM                  47 SMITHFIELD VA       1:03:18  6:20     

TOP OVERALL WOMEN

    1    18 BETHANY SPECTOR            31 VIRGINIA BEACH VA   1:12:29  7:15     

    2    21 GWEN RILEY                 27 PORTSMOUTH VA       1:12:54  7:18     

    3    24 JESSIE JAPZON              34 CHESAPEAKE VA

For men 60-64, Robert Whitaker, 62 of Yorktown VA set a new age group record with a time of 1:08:19 beating out the time of 1:10:07 set by Dale Abrahamson in 2013.

On the other hand, for men 70-74, Dale Abrahamson, 71 of Yorktown set a new age group record with a time of 1:19:40 beating the time of 1:20:44 set by Langston Shelton III in 2018.

Finally for men 75-79, Ronald Kellum, 76 of Hampton, VA set an age group record with a time of 1:43:13, beating the record of 1:45:27 which Ronald himself set in 2020.

Finish line and results services were provided by the Peninsula Track Club.  A copy of the results, links to pictures from the race and listings for future road races can be found on the PTC website: www.peninsulatrackclub.com. 

(Black History Month) From the Archives - Who is Boo Williams?

Do You Know Who Boo (Williams) Is?

MileStates 2017

(In honor of black history month, I  present one from the archives - an article I wrote for Milestat.com back in 2017 on Boo Williams, a Hampton, VA native who is also one of the nation's foremost youth basketball coaches and mentors. A genuine living legend.)

On Friday afternoon, I decided to give a short, impromptu quiz to several of the coaches and co-workers at the Boo Williams Sportsplex. It wasn't a tough test; in fact, it was only one question. To my surprise and amusement, many of the test takers failed.

"Do you know who Boo Williams is?"

Of course, the initial response was, "Sure, the guy that owns this building." However, there weren't many second and third sentences in the answer. Here's one -- "the multi-millionaire who donated the building."

One person was surprised when I mentioned that Boo Williams would probably be walking around at the meet later. Another was shocked when I said he had to leave his "9-to-5" job as an insurance agent with State Farm before coming over.

Around 5 PM, Marcellus "Boo" Williams made his entrance into the track facility. At almost six-foot-eight, he was hard to miss. Williams regularly makes an appearance at the state track meet, and many other non-championship track events. In fact, he is a regular fixture in the building that bears his name, and hosts events almost every day of the year.

However, his legend is more recognizable on the other side of the Sportsplex building, where many athletes warmed up among the numerous banners on either side of the State Farm gymnasium.

Boo Williams is a native of Hampton and attended Phoebus High. Because of his basketball prowess, a scholarship to continue playing at St. Joseph's University followed, and then a professional basketball career in Europe. Upon returning to Hampton in 1982, Williams started his work with State Farm, but was also bitten by the coaching bug.

On a $400 investment, he formed the Boo Williams Summer League. And the rest, as they say, is history. Starting with forty-six players, the league transformed into the Boo Williams Nike Invitational, and with over 200 teams and 2,500 players is known as one of the premier AAU leagues in the United States. To list his former youth players is to read a "Who's Who" of basketball players from Hampton Roads. Players such as Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning and Joe Smith have called Williams their coach, helping bring many AAU national titles back to Tidewater.

Along with his collaboration with Howard White of Nike, it was some of the former players whom Williams called for financial support, when his vision for a major sports facility to house the basketball tournaments came into reality. White, the Nike vice-president in charge of the Jordan brand, was a huge supporter of the project, and is the reason for the "Howard White" with a Nike swoosh in the northeast corner of the track area.

Another fact that may be unknown to many is that the "Booplex" was originally planned to be mostly a basketball-only facility. However, after realizing that a whole section of the converted warehouse was wide open, the planners went to then-Bethel High coach Eddie Williams and asked for his advice on designing a track. City leaders, realizing that a high-level track was sorely needed in the Hampton Roads region, and that a suitable facility could attract high-level meets, and boost money into the Hampton economy, made sure that a track with state-of-the-art features was built.

In all, it cost $13.5 million to complete the Boo Williams Sportsplex, which utilizes 135,000 square feet, seats 4,000 between the two sides, and holds eight basketball courts, which can conduct games simultaneously, as well as twelve volleyball courts and eight indoor hockey fields.

On Friday, Williams was told of the comment about being the multi-millionaire who donated the building. He simply laughed and responded with one word -- "No."

To view some of our Coach Williams' former players, one only needs to look for their names on the banners hanging in the State Farm gymnasium across from the track. To view the Coach, on Friday, he was the tall gentleman near the medal table with the gray and black Nike Jordan jacket.

Of course, for identification purposes, one could say that the biggest name on the building was probably also the tallest man inside of it.