High Drama Unfolds at Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon

Hardiman's Fastest Leg Too Little, Too Late as HLB's Team II Upset's Team I

Los Angeles, California
Hooper's Troopers II Team Captain Stacie Neroni surveilled her rag-tag team prior to the start of this year's St. John's Health Center Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon, and she didn't like what she saw. "From top to bottom, Hooper's Troopers I is superior," lamented Neroni, as she laced up her shoes for what promised to be a very long day.

On paper, she was right. The opening leg pitted Neroni against Hope "The Natural" Levy-Biehl, whose innate athleticism has allowed her to get into competition shape in just two months of training after a long lay-off to have 2 children. The second leg offered no more promise for Team II, which offered up sacrificial lamb Jordan Keville against Hope's father, Mark "The Ringer" Levy, the favorite to bring home the fastest leg of the day. Neroni had little to no confidence in her third runner, Franklin Paniagua, as he faced Team I's Khalil "Blast" Mack, who recently began training with the HLB Triathlon Team. "My fourth leg worries me the most, because Carlos Villafuerte is unproven," said Neroni of her rookie who was slated to face marathon runner Irene "The Dream" Paniagua. Finally, since no one else wanted to participate, Neroni had to assign Team II's anchor leg to asthmatic Arnold Pamplona, who would face nemesis and star distance runner Mark "Where Did He Go?" Hardiman, who honed his speed this year ducking irate clients.

"They have nicknames, we don't--that says it all," said a resigned Keville as he waited for his team captain Neroni to finish the first leg. But surprisingly, Neroni finished her portion of the race a full minute in front of The Natural Levy-Biehl. "When I saw her struggling, I decided right then and there to punish her," remarked a content Neroni after she handed off the baton to Keville, who was expected to put up only token resistance against The Ringer. But Keville also surpassed expectations, finishing in exactly the same time as the Mark Levy, giving Paniagua a one-minute lead when he started his leg against Blast. "Although he spent the off-season eating powdered donuts, I have confidence in Frankie," said Pamplona, who witnessed Paniagua finish the 2003 Los Angeles Marathon without doing a single training run. Pamplona was right to believe in Paniagua, who ceded only one minute to Blast, giving fourth-leg Villafuerte some room to work with.

With the rookie Villafuerte starting the course at the same time as The Dream, no one knew what to expect. But Villafuerte put in the run of his life, finishing the fourth leg an astonishing 6 minutes ahead of Irene Paniagua, who excels in marathons, but struggles in middle distances. "No one was more surprised than I was," said Villafuerte, whose large head gives him a distinct aerodynamic disadvantage (his enlarged cerebrum earned him the nickname "The Head" amongst his college friends--true story!).

With a six-minute cushion, asthmatic Pamplona cruised into the finish line five minutes ahead of Team I's anchor Hardiman. Although Hardiman ran the day's fastest leg at 44 minutes, he caught the ire of his teammates. "I can't believe that a seasoned runner can't make up a 6-minute gap against a weakling with a debilitating respiratory illness," complained a disappointed Team I captain Levy-Biehl. Sulking, Hardiman blamed Team I's poor performance on the absence of Sharon Lee, who had been the team's Manager in prior years. "Sharon whipped us into shape and brought us Capri Sun" said Hardiman, in tribute to Lee. "Things are just not the same without her."

Neroni and Levy-Biehl rest after a competitive first leg



The Paniaguas raced on different teams this year


A touching moment as Levy-Biehl hands the baton to her father, Mark "The Ringer" Levy


Hooper's Troopers II's Keville, Pamplona and Villafuerte


Mack v. Paniagua III lived up to its billing


Pamplona and Villafuerte demonstrate a text-book baton handoff


Pamplona cruises into a Hooper's Troopers II victory


Hardman's record setting leg would be for naught


Team I's Mack spends time with his adoring fans


Members of the HLB Running Team sport their team shirts, designed by Villafuerte. This picture begs the question, "Why do older men insist on tucking their T-Shirts into their shorts?"


The HLB Running Team: a Family Affair