Team O'Neill, Lava Man participate in Preakness 5K

by Brisnet.com

Preakness week unofficially started Saturday morning at Pimlico Race Course

with the running of the "Down the Stretch for SGK" Preakness 5K. All 643 runners

began the race by breaking off through the starting gate. The entire 3.1 mile

race took place on Pimlico property, which included one trip around the dirt

course, finishing in the famed Infield.

Doug O'Neill, the trainer of Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another,

participated as did every member of Team O'Neill. Stable pony Lava Man, who

earned nearly $5.3 million during his racing career, led the runners around the

track.

"We just want to embrace everything about the event," O'Neill said. "Who

knows if we'll ever be back so why not enjoy the entire Preakness experience and

be part of the Baltimore community."

On Sunday, he and the team will attend the Baltimore Ravens rookie mini-camp

in Owings Mills. On Tuesday, the 43-year-old will pay a visit to the Johns

Hopkins Children's Hospital before moving on to Orioles Park at Camden Yards to

throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the O's game against the New York

Yankees.

On Wednesday, O'Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez will visit the Boys & Girls

Club at CC Jackson Recreation Center, near Pimlico.

Other notable runners included Sheldon Russell, Maryland's leading rider, who

finished ninth overall in 19:26, and trainer Tim Keefe, who placed 16th in

21:11. Keefe is expected to saddle Eighttofasttocatch in Friday's Grade 3,

$300,000 Pimlico Special with Russell in the saddle.

"What a great experience," Davey said. "We are in town to visit Heather's

parents for Mother's Day and decided to run about a week ago. Her father and

sister also ran today. I run in a lot of road races back in San Francisco so it

was fun to run on the track. We'll be back next year and plan on staying through

the Preakness."

Tanner grew up in Howard County and graduated from Centennial High School.

Her parents reside in nearby Towson.

Every runner received a beer stein adorned with the Preakness 5k Logo and

will receive a 10 percent discount on any regular infield admission ticket to

the 2012 Preakness InfieldFest, featuring headliners Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa.

Baltimore sports marketing and event management company Corrigan Sports

Enterprises (CSE) organized the event, with part of the proceeds benefiting the

Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

CSE is well known to both area runners and Preakness attendees. The company

puts on the annual Baltimore Marathon, which attracts more than 25,000 runners

from all over the world, and also arranged the participation of World Champions

and reigning Olympic Gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers in this

year's National Volleyball League tournament at Preakness InfieldFest. It will

be the only event the U.S. Olympians will play domestically prior to the 2012

games in London.