Nobody believed in them.  They scored 6 points in 2010.  They were tantalizingly ambushed by water-balloons and they weren’t sure they would even have more than 10 people come out for the event.  Stacked against all odds, Baltimore Station stood victorious at the end of the day on Saturday at the 3^rd Annual Wipeout , not only embodying the spirit of Baltimore, but exhibiting a perseverance in the face of adversity that epitomizes the mission of Back on My Feet.

All teams came rowdy and ready to rumble on Saturday though, not just BSTAT.  Helping Up lived up to their reputation with a victory in the cheer category, (HUM Team Cheer) though ARW stole the spirit award from right under their noses, showing up with green face paint and fetching green streamer wigs.  Back on My Feet DC brought their A-game, particularly in the wheelbarrow event and in the tug-o-war, crushing the referees in a dominating fashion.  Although Team CP gave BSTAT a run for their money for the tug of war title, they truly exemplified their talents in the water balloon toss and leapfrog competitions.  TL Sadie also took home the Mike DiJulia Award for rallying her team throughout the day with the CP battle cry.

MCVET proudly boasted the best individual scuttler Greg S., who scuttled like nobody had ever seen before, locking up their victory in the crabwalk relay race.

When the scores were tallied and the field calmed down, teams left to begin plotting their strategy for revenge on the Ivan Drago impostor and the BSTAT team in WIPEOUT 2012.

January was a relatively quiet month for the Baltimore Station team. On January 8th, we ran the Frozen Finger Five Mile race. It was a cold, snowy Saturday morning, and we were thankful that the race swag came in the form of a toasty pair of Baltimore Road Runners Club gloves! Residential member Roy T. ran a particularly fast race alongside Gina R., and BSTAT’s own training coach, Dan Miranda, took home second place! The five miler was our newest residential member Sam’s first race and his longest run to date. He ran the entire course and was absolutely glowing at the end.

This month we also started planning for spring marathon and half marathon training. We have many members planning to run the 2nd annual Nikia Nippy Nor’easter Half-Marathon in March and several hoping to complete the Delaware Marathon in May. We will begin training, including BOMF-Baltimore-wide Saturday long runs, the first weekend in February. Many runners attended marathon informational sessions led by Mike D. (THUMB) and Peter J. (MCVET) this month, where they received training schedules, learned about nutrition and injuries, and were given some race-day tips. All attendees reported that they learned a lot and are excited for the training season ahead!

BOMF-Baltimore’s second Orientation 2.0, which are intended to further educate non-residential members on addiction and homelessness, was held this month and several BSTAT members attended. Rob Aldrich, long-time BSTAT residential member, spoke at the event. Everyone enjoyed his funny, sweet, educational, and sincere story. As each event offers new stories, insights, and information, we look forward to future Orientation 2.0’s to be just as successful.

On January 30th, the Baltimore Station team will come together at non-residential member Katie N.’s home for food and some team fun. As always, we are excited to spend a bit of non-running time together as a team family.

Team Baltimore Station at the Frozen Finger Five Mile

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Members of the Baltimore Station team celebrated the holidays together in many ways during December. We saw the lighting of Baltimore’s Washington Monument at the beginning of the month and enjoyed a BOMF-Baltimore-wide crock-pot-themed potluck holiday party on the 17th. The attendees were dressed festively (including our very own Greg S. as Santa!), were full of good spirits and enthusiasm, and their crock pot dishes were delicious. Our residential members unanimously voted the cheese dip appetizer as the best of the thirty or so crock pot creations, and many are still looking for the recipe.

After the Friday-night feast, our team joined thousands of other runners for the popular Celtic Solstice 5 mile race in Druid Hill Park. Though the hills were tough, members enjoyed the scenic, snow-covered course. Residential member David A. was proud to complete the race, his longest run with our group to date. BSTAT training coach Dan took home 8th place in what was a very competitive field of runners.

On December 21st, the longest night of the year, our team joined many in Baltimore City for the annual Homeless Person’s Memorial in the Inner Harbor. There we remembered those homeless people who lost their lives on the streets during 2010. That same week, many members of our team helped residential member Patrick B. put together holiday gift bags full of healthy sandwiches and snacks. On Christmas, Patrick spent hours handing out more than 100 bags to homeless people living all over Baltimore. Patrick reported that his efforts were enormously fulfilling, and he plans to make his effort even larger next year. Patrick said, “Even I have a lot more than a lot of people out there. I’ve been there, I know that they appreciate it so much.”

At the end of the month, BSTAT welcomed two new residential members to our team, David W. and Sam M. Both are already running strong and they, along with the rest of the team, are looking forward to our next race, coming up in early January.

Baltimore Station - December 2010

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For November’s team update, each Baltimore team decided to share their team video, created for the Baltimore Running Festival. These videos were filmed over the summer and during the training for the Running Festival.  Baltimore Station’s team video is shared below:

BOMF Baltimore – Baltimore Station

Baltimore Station’s November Members of the Month are below:

RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: MITCH N.Shoe size: 12

Member since: September 2009

Number of Miles accumulated: 439.5

Best BOMF moment: When I beat George Hall at the Tuerk House 5K

Biggest challenge with running: Staying injury free, running up hills

Goal in the next three months: Move out on my own

What do you think about when you’re running?: Finishing  

What was your last race and how did you do?: Tuerk House 5K, 30:54 

Favorite Post Race meal?: B12 vitamins for energy 

What advice would you give a brand-new runner?: Stick with it! 

“It’s never a dull morning with Mitch running. Not only does he bring a lot of laughter, but his running has improved dramatically over the past few months.” – Anni Irvine, Team Leader

 NON-RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: CHRIS C. Shoe size: 12

Member since: August 2009

Best BOMF moment: Running with the mayor on our first birthday with all the Baltimore city chapters together. Seeing that many people on the right track in life was inspirational.

Biggest challenge with running: Lugging around 230 lbs at 5:30 in the morning.

Goal in the next three months: Recover from the NYC Marathon, and hit the training circuit hard in the new year for my first triathlon in May 2011.

What do you think about when you’re running?: Running is spiritual for me. I’m usually conversing with God about where I’ve come from and where I’m going in life.

What was your last race and how did you do?: NYC Marathon, completed by running the whole time and squeezed in 21 seconds ahead of my goal at 4:29:39.

Favorite post-race meal?: A big, juicy steak, complete with a regretless intake of calories.

What advice would you give a brand new runner?: There is no better feeling than achievement through adversity. Running may not be easy but it sure is rewarding.

“Chris is always a great person to see at 5:30 in the morning. He is energetic, encouraging, and has such a positive outlook.” – Anni Irvine, Team Leader

Chris C., November Member of the Month

Mitch N., Baltimore Station November Member of the Month

The brutal summer heat has retreated, and early morning runs around Baltimore have been wonderfully pleasant for the Baltimore Station team recently.

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As July has turned to August, BSTAT has continued to enjoy good company and good cheer.

Our residential team grew with the new additions of David, Edward and James. All three of them have already begun earning incentives and adding positive spirit to the team.We all look forward to sharing in their miles in the months ahead. Two of our established members, George and Patrick, reached to 500 mile mark. We are proud of their dedication and determination to keep on running!

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Baltimore Station

BSTAT has met the blazing hot July temperatures with enthusiasm and little complaint. In fact, the heat has helped to solidify the team as we are all looking out for each other, especially during the longer runs in preparation for the BRF in the fall. We continue to enjoy motivating each other to meet and exceed our goals.

The month of July brought change to the BSTAT team. Roy secured a job and moved out of the station. While his quiet determination and leadership will be missed first thing in the morning, he has joined the team for some Saturday runs. David is also gainfully employed and leaves early for his job commitments. His presence is missed in the mornings and we all wish him the best of luck with his job. Read more…

During the Third Annual Stroehmann Back on My Feet 20in24, six Baltimore runners had one brilliant idea: to eat a Philly cheesesteak from a famous shop after each loop they ran.

These six brave souls are Peter Jackson, coach for Back on My Feet Baltimore team MCVET, Jon Lange, a Baltimore Station team non-residential member, Patrick Sullivan, a team American Rescue Workers non-res, Mike DiJulia,  team leader for THUMB, Patrick Range, ARW team leader, and Craig Lindemann, a BSTAT non-res.

Read their story, as told by Patrick Range, below:

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BSTAT enjoyed another successful month of running, socializing, and creating relationships between and among team members.

Highlights for the month include loading up on carbs during the Pasta Party, completing the Baltimore Ten Miler, logging numerous miles, celebrating milestones, and appreciating the support and camaraderie of the team. Read more…

Back on My Feet has the kind of support from its members and volunteers that few organizations boast. It helps make our organization special.

Our Baltimore chapter is no exception.

As testimony to that, Baltimore Station non-residential member Pat Hiban got an assist from his daughters Heather and Kayli in creating a video tribute to the chapter.

Watch the video below or see it here.

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