SHERMAN NAMED RACE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

HOLLYWOOD BEACH, FLA. (05-Nov) -- She started working for the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race 38 years ago, but it was only today that Kathleen Sherman got the recognition she truly deserved.  Sherman, 63, was named the MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Race Director of the Year at a brief ceremony here tonight on the opening day of the Road Race Management race directors' meeting. 

"It's really nice after all these years for someone to say, 'good job,'" Sherman said in accepting the award which was presented by the Running Network.

Sherman was selected by a panel of 12 judges assembled by Road Race Management, the Bethesda, Md., newsletter and service organization dedicated to road race directing.  Sherman's selection reflected the judges' opinion that she had displayed exemplary service to one of the America's best-known road races, doing jobs as varied as supervising truck loading and handling the race announcing (she sometimes did both of those tasks on the same day).

Sherman's husband, Rich, is a co-director of the event, and he nominated her for the award.

"We've done well working on this race for 40 years," Kathleen Sherman said of her husband.  She also thanked the event's sponsors, some of whom had been with the race for decades.  "I've really been blessed with sponsors woh have stayed with us over the years," she said.

Held on the second Sunday each August on a 7 mile, point-to-point course from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights, Mass., the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race is one of New England's premiere road races.  Founded in 1973 with just 92 runners, the race was held for the 37th time this year.  Race champions include some of the sport's all-time greats: Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Joan Samuelson, Lorraine Moller, Lynn Jennings, Lornah Kiplagat and Catherine Ndereba.  Sherman has been there to see them all.

"I was just a young girl when I started out," she quipped.

PHOTO: Rich and Kathleen Sherman (photo by David Monti)

ENDS