Race history from original race director Tom Brown.

The B2B Marathon's first year was 2002. It was as a celebration of Steve Thienel's 50th b-day. And, the night before the race, runners were invited to his home for a pasta carb load get together. The shirt that year has a drawing of Steve on the front (they command a very steep price on EBay when they come up.) We based the "informal" style of the race on the 4 Masochist Marathons put on by Joe Wasserman in 1989-92. That course included the "old" "long" Bagel Run course (Sheppard Lane!!). It started and finished at Wilde Lake Village parking lot with the exception of 1992 when the course went point-to-point out to Mt. Airy, MD on Rt. 144 (to honor a runner in 1991 who got lost and ended up in Mt. Airy. He had to take a cab back to Wilde Lake Village).

I cannot remember which year a hurricane hit several days before the B2B. The course was covered with blown down trees. Some of the runners' homes still did not have power restored. The runners had to get over the trees and several runners got poison ivy from the vines on those trees (funny if you weren't one of the ones to get it). That year the times were terrible due to the conditions.

But, times were never part of the race. If you could climb the steps at the finish to the Rams Head deck finish line who cared about your time? In 2010 we did not run the B2B. Instead, we ran the Patapsco River 60K to celebrate a number of HoCo Striders turning 60. That course was mostly trail, began in Sykesville and ended at Ralph Massella's home in Catonsville. It celebrated the Patapsco River 50K which we ran in 2000 on the same trails from Sykesville to a pavilion in the state park in Catonsville (ran it for the same reason-just a different age-50.)

The yellow arrow on top of an upside down "T"; Rick Hatfield having to mark the course the morning of the race due to the "paint-over" bandit; getting lost on the course; great aid stations (how many races have 2 aid stations 1/2 mile apart-Rusty and Nelson's); post-race party with happy hour pricing (used to be on the deck at the Rams Head-now, at Sonomas), are all part of the B2B "good times". The family aid stations make it really special!! Keep it going!

This year, 2016, is the 14th running of the B2B.