NDN Half Marathon Notebook: Perkins finishes first, perfect weather and world records

The first person to cross the finish line Sunday at the 29th Naples Daily News Half Marathon in downtown Naples didn’t win the race, and she didn’t need her legs to finish.

Edie Perkins, a veteran of the Naples half marathon, crossed the line at 7:50 a.m. riding her specialized handcycle. Perkins, 47, powered the three-wheeled bike with her hands after being paralyzed from the chest down in a biking accident in April.

After being hit by a car while cycling, Perkins spent four months in the hospital. She got released less than five months ago, in August. Sunday’s race was Perkins’ return to competitive athletics, even though she’ll likely never walk again.

“It was emotional, just to know that I was doing it and having all those people cheering,” Perkins said. “It’s a pretty amazing feeling.”

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Perkins estimated it was her 10th time at the 13.1-mile race in Naples, where he parents own a home. She became a competitive runner while living in New York City, but in 2016 she moved to Los Angeles, where she still lives.

Believed to be the first race to completed the half marathon in a handcycle, Perkins started the race at 6:37 a.m. – 20 minutes before the rest of the field – to avoid interference from the roughly 1,800 runners. In her first race since the accident she finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes, seven minutes faster than her goal.

“It went by fast,” Perkins said. “The miles just kind of ticked away, much faster feeling than when I was running it.”

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At the finish, Perkins was greeted by her parents and friends who came to Naples to support her.

Lauren Capitani, who worked with Perkins in New York and now lives in Boston, was there with her three daughters and her niece. All four young girls held hand-made signs with slogans “Go Edie!” and “Speedy Edie”.

“They were all very excited to see her,” Capitani said of the girls. “They spent a lot of time on those signs.”

Taking a stroll(er): Julie Dinardo placed fourth in the women’s 30-34 age group on Sunday and 24th overall, finishing in 1:32.50.4. The Florida Gulf Coast University graduate and former Naples resident was thrilled with her time – running by herself was a breeze compared to what she’s used to.

When she runs, Dinardo normally is driving a 160-pound sled in the form of her three children, ages 5, 3 and 1. The 32-year-old has gotten so good as powering her three-wide stroller that she set a world record behind it – sort of.

At a half marathon in East Providence, Rhode Island, in August, Dinardo broke the Guinness World Record for running 13.1 miles pushing a triple jogging stroller. The record was 2 hours and 1 minute, and Dinardo finished in 1:57.

However, after Dinardo submitted her record to Guinness and it was accepted, the record keepers later contacted her to say another woman had broken the record. The new record-holder finished a half marathon in 1:54.

“I thought my time to beat was 2:01, so I thought I was good,” Dinardo said. “I’m looking for a race that will accept me so I can break it again.”

Dinardo said she plans to set a record sometime in April or May in Rhode Island, where she lives in the town of Wakefield.

Though Dinardo couldn’t push the kids in the Naples race – it’s too crowded and too many tight turns – her 3-year-old son Lenny was there to watch. Dinardo also was cheered on Sunday by her husband, retired Major League Baseball pitcher Lenny Dinardo, who spent six seasons in the majors including three with the Boston Red Sox. The two met while both lived in Naples.

Running weather: At 7 a.m. Sunday, when almost 1,800 racers crossed the Naples Daily News Half Marathon starting line on Fifth Avenue North in downtown Naples, the temperature was 44 degrees. That’s downright cold for Southwest Florida, but most runners used another word to describe the race conditions.

“Perfect,” Colton Tucker, 16, said. “It felt great after about a mile.”

Sunday morning was one of the cooler ones in recent Half Marathon memory, however the temperature has dipped into the high 30s in the past. Runners always prefer colder temps to avoid overheating, but 44 can be cold for the locals.

However, even the Naples natives were delighted with the cool morning for the 29th running of the local tradition.

“It was great, especially for a big guy like me,” said the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Mike Horn, who grew up in town.

Naples’ moderate temperature and the half marathon’s flat course draw hundreds of out-of-town runners each year. Those from up north – who haven’t seen temperatures rise above 40 for weeks – were relieved to escape the humidity that can swamp Southwest Florida.

“I loved the weather,” said Gabby Nevius, 24, of Kenosha, Wisconsin. “I was nervous it would be super hot.”

Moms’ weekend: Nevius had a good day, finishing in 1:30:26.3 and winning the women’s 19-24 age division. She ran with friend and former college teammate Meaghan Ciochon.

Nevius and Ciochon ran together at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. Sunday was important to them because they are getting back into running after both had their first children about a year ago – Ciochon’s kid turns 1 next week, while Nevius’ child turned 1 in December.

“It’s a way to get in shape again,” Ciochon, 26, said. “It’s a girls’ trip.”

Nevius has an uncle who lives in Naples, so the friends targeted the half marathon for their first race back. It was the second half marathon for both.

Coffee Clutchers: Since Runners’ World magazine named Naples one of the country’s best half marathons in 2014, the race has been a top draw for running tourism. Runners who want a competitive race in a good climate, especially when it’s cold everywhere else in the United States, come to town each January.

This year was no different. One of the biggest out-of-town groups was the Coffee Clutchers running club from Geneva, Illinois, near Chicago. A dozen members of the club, some who spend part of the year in Southwest Florida, raced in the half marathon on Sunday.

“This was the fastest race I ever ran,” Sara Fruendt, 25, said. “The weather was great; the race was great. There were no negatives this year.”

Fruendt and her friend Hannah Larson high-fived emphatically after finishing in right around two hours. They might not be official members of the Coffee Clutchers, but Fruendt’s mother, Suzanne Fruendt, is and she lives in Bonita Springs.

Along with Suzanne Fruendt, other members of the group who spent part of the year in Southwest Florida are Dave Shorr, Diane Cleary, Carol Donahue and Charles Strohmaier.

Sunday’s race was special for Coffee Clutcher Margaret McDonnell, who turned 55 on Saturday. A runner at Iowa State in the 1980s, McDonnell said she has run four or five half marathons before, but she was happy to celebrate her birthday in Naples.

“We really just drink coffee and do a little run,” McDonnell said of her group. “This race is beautiful and well-organized. The volunteers are great; everything is great. It’s a great way to kick off a new year.”

Fan appreciation: One of the things that makes the Naples Daily News Half Marathon special is the community support. Hundreds of people come outside to support runners throughout the course, which goes through neighborhoods in downtown Naples.

Jeff Dill, 28, was so appreciative of the support that he returned the favor on his way to the finish line. The Ontario, Canada, resident hugged the right side of Eighth Street as he approached the line (finishing eighth in 1:12:43.1) so he could hand out high fives to the fans lining the backstretch.

“Everyone comes out here to support all the runners,” said Dill, whose father, Keith, owns a home in Naples. “They’re standing in the cold, the least we can do as runners is show them our support. Without them, it wouldn’t be the same experience.”

Barbara Walker, 37, who lives on Pine Island, ran in the half marathon for the second straight year. She’s a veteran runner, having competed in dozens of distance races, and she said Naples has a different vibe.

“I’ve been on some quiet courses, and it can be tough,” Walker said. “It’s fun to see everyone out there cheering you on.”