Running Comes First:

The Hopkins Harriers are an informal running club based at the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University. The Harriers include faculty and students, and all are welcome to join us on our daily runs.

Email list:

We maintain a list to coordinate run times (usually 10:30am). The listserv is maintained here. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] to have your name added.

Our running courses:

Gilman (AKA the Ben 10 = 5 miles)

Lake (<7 unless last name = Parlange)

Greenleaf (7 + a bit)

Buchanan (10 + a bit) the main course

Hopkins Harriers⁽¹⁾

Thomas Haine, Jerry Meyer(2) , Marc Ostermeier, Ben Schafer, Peter Searson, Darryn Waugh, Adam Stover, Patrick Bonner, Doug Barrick, Dan Summerfield, Jackie Birkness, Russ Martin, Orla Wilson and unnamed others

Alumni

Steve Buonpane, Marc Parlange, Sanjay Arwade, Andy Crabb(3), Luiz Viera, Bridget Wildt and unnamed others

(1) No definitive definition of a Hopkins Harrier exists you just know when you are one, it has something to do with running 4 times a week or so for many weeks, listening to Jerry, chasing Tom, and realizing that you are indeed a Harrier whether you meant to be one or not. If you are in doubt about your status Peter knows.

(2) also sometimes self-proclaimed Coach of the Harriers. Contact Jerry to determine current status.

(3) We are always looking forward to seeing Andy's status move from Alumni back to the group

Harrier Runners Favorite PR Running Board
Favorite PR(s) recorded by Harrier runners in the last 3 years
last updated August 2011

Harrier Lore

Any attempt to fully categorize all the lore associated with the Hopkins Harriers is bound to disappoint. However, the following list provides beginning snippets to many of the most famous stories, some of which are alluded to in the Buchanan description.

- Pulling a Reg Penner

- Tom and the applicator in the Bal. Marathon

- Jerry and bears

- Jerry and snakes

- Jerry and mountain lions

- Jerry and stream crossings

- Tom and stream crossings

- Strawberry goo and Marathon running

- Sanjay has sexy legs

- Jerry at your dinner table

- CHC hills

- Alumni CC meets

- The box for containing Peter

- Luiz's 50K stomach

- Tom's terms: what solid means

- Legs by Laura

- Guys, guys, guys

- Sleeping at Gilman School

- New running wear

- England vs. Argentina

- FIFA (pronounced with a long i) rankings

- Reading FC

- Running exponent

- The lower back

- Kinky

- Wonky

- Accelerating downhill

- Thanksgiving on ice

- Pete drives to the track

- FA running

- TKW

- Anna and Pilates

- Remus's pre-race meal recommendation

- Remus coaches Marc

- Remus in the Bal. Marathon

- Greenleaf Sq.

- Lake to Fountain

- Headlamps and track work

- Blue triangle contemplations

- Pete's 3-mile rule

- Fast miles

- Running book club

- Charlie Daniels

- Beckham

- Pete's Man United Jersey

- Jerry's shorts - baggy

- Jerry's shorts - compression & modified

- Jerry's shorts - U.S. flag

- Tom's shorts -  Union Jack

- Tom's shorts - in winter

- High Noon

- High Noon at Boston Maration

- Boston Marathon

- JFK 50 miler

- Gmap pedometer

- Pickups into the wind the Ben way

- Princeton invitational: Sanjay, Ben, Steve

- Breaking up Hollins Hill

- Water main breaks

- Frogs at Robert E Lee
- Tom's 100 miler

- Don't play poker with Adam

- Acupucture
- Grashoppers and long runs
- Tom's feet, tom's blisters
- Jerry's photoshoot
- The Luiz side of the trail
- Adam's river crossing style
- Mongoose protection
- A 2 gatorade run
- ..

send additions to [email protected]

The Buchanan Run

The Course (10.0 miles round trip) (see http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3029296)

The Buchanan run starts at the breezeway between Ames Hal and Hall, as do all HH runs.  Heading across the quad and down past Remsen, we take a sharp left around Mudd Hall and then head up around the practice field between Bloomberg and the gym.  Join St Martin drive and cross University Parkway onto Linkwood.  Take the pedestrian bridge access Stony Run to access the Sony Run trail.  Cross Overhill, Cold Spring Lane, Wyndhurst, until reaching the Gilman School.  Traditionally we run across the practice field and through the parking lot to the pedestrian bridge that crosses Northern Parkway.  After crossing the bridge, proceed up the drive of the Bryn Mawr school, taking a sharp left onto a path that connects to Huntley Square.  Turn immediately right onto Woodlawn, left onto Gilmarys, and right onto Roland Ave.  Turn left onto Lake Avenue and cross under the Boys Latin School pedestrian bridge.  Turn right onto Hollins Avenue.  At the bottom of Hollins, turn right and proceed to the turning circle.  Go through the barriers on the right and then turn left onto the trail.  Follow the trail to the gatepost at the end of Woodbrook Lane.  Proceed to Buchanan Road.  Make sure that you circumnavigate the manhole cover at the intersection.

Alternate return (5.1 miles): including the Luiz Extension and The Bumps (see http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3029359)

The Luiz Side/Extension

On returning to Wyndhurst, take the trail on the east side of Stony Run.  Proceed to the end, turning sharp right and jumping the rocks to rejoin the trail on the west side of Stony Run. (This is now the standard way to run home.)

The Bumps

On crossing the footbridge instead of returning down Linkwood, go up Ridgemeade.  Turn right onto Tuscany, go past the Calvert School and turn right onto Canterbury.  Cross 39th and continue on Canterbury.  Turn left onto to University Parkway and then right into the gym entrance.  Continue on the brick walkway past Mudd Hall and Remsen to the upper quad. (This is not the standard way to run home.)

Approximate mile markers:

Mile 1 Pedestrian bridge off Linkwood

Mile 2 Wyndhurst

Mile 3 Roland Ave at Melrose

Mile 4 Halfway down Hollins

Landmarks

Hollins Ave

Hollins Avenue is a 500 m long Beyond Category climb with a 115 ft elevation change, corresponding to 7.5%.  On any Buchanan run, the first to the top receives the (metaphorical) polka dot jersey and becomes king of the mountains.  At some times during the year, 50 m intervals are marked up Hollins, allowing runners top attempt the infamous TKW (Tom's Killer Workout).  Starting near at the bottom bottom, run hard to the first marker (50 m), jog back down.  Repeat to 100 m, 150 m, 200 m, 250 m, 300 m, 350 m, 400 m, and 450 m.  After completing the 9 intervals, run back to Hopkins.  Excellent for tearing achilles tendons, generating gallons of lactic acid.  Tip #1: take money for a taxi home should it be necessary.  Tip #2: take health insurance details with you on the run.

Woodbrook Lane

From the gate post to the intersection with Buchanan on Woodbrook Lane is about 700 m.  Woodbrook is a Category 1 climb with a 130ft elevation change, corresponding to 5.1%.  Woodbrook has one steep section up to the left hand bend about half way and is good for hill repeats.  Try running from Hopkins to the gate post and doing four repeats up Woodbrook with an easy jog back down.  This workout is almost 13 miles and an excellent workout.

Water

In the summer months water is available at the water fountain on the Gilman playing fields near the pedestrian bridge across Northern Parkway.  Also in the summer, there is a spigot at the Boys Latin school on the north side of Lake Ave almost underneath the pedestrian bridge.

Buchanan History and Folklore

For many years, Coach P. claimed that the Post Run (Hopkins to the gatepost at the beginning of Woodbrook) was 10 miles.  Based on our times, many of us were deceived into thinking that we were running very fast 10 milers.   When questioned on the distance and whether it had been verified, Coah P would roll his eyes and say "guys, guys, guys, trust me."  With the advent of widespread access to satellite imaging, we discovered in about 2004 that this classic run was actually well under 10 miles (in fact, just over 9 miles).  The Post Run was extended to a legitimate 10 miles with the addition of the hill on Woodbrook, finishing at the intersection with Woodbrook.

It is often customary to wait at the turn around point on the Buchanan run for slower runners to catch up.  Very often Hopkins Harriers can be seen clustered around the official turn around point at the manhole cover at the intersection between Woodbrook and Buchanan.   After running up Woodbbrook, most runners spend the time bent over, recuperating from the oxygen deficit.  Presumably due to lack of oxygen, a new member of the Hopkins Harriers was famously under the impression that the manhole cover was called Buchanan.  This misconception was finally corrected several runs later when the runner eventually got up Woodbrook in sufficiently good shape to look around, discovering the street sign for the intersection - Buchanan Rd.

The Bumps

The Bumps has two short hills on Ridgemeade and Tuscany.  This was part of the mini-Boston marathon training course developed by Coach P. to simulate the Boston Marathon.  This loop:  Linkwood to Ridgemeade to Tuscany to Canterbury to 39th, can be repeated several times to simulate Boston during tapering for the race.