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8 WHARF TO WHARF SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2017 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL b y C A L v I N M E N T he 45th annual Wharf to Wharf is going to be different for Jason Wichelmann this year. For the 53-year-old runner, it'll be the first year running it without his dad — Tom Wichelmann. For as long as there's been a Wharf to Wharf race, there's been a Tom Wichelmann to run it. He was the only runner register and run in each iteration of the race since it started in 1973. Organizers began honoring that legacy by giving him a bib number corresponding with the year of the race. but Tom Wichelmann died in March at age 76. And for what would have been Tom Wichelmann's 45th time running the race, his son Jason is running in his place wearing what would have been his father's bib. "Hopefully I can make this a pure celebration of how much fun I had with him," Jason Wichelmann said. "I definitely miss him. It's going to be tough to know that that chapter is closed." Tom Wichelmann's streak earned him notoriety among family and friends as well as the nickname, Wharf Man. In the early days, being Wharf Man meant rallying his kids to train with him so they could run alongside him. He'd invite friends and others to run the race with him, even giving out his own awards to people who traveled the farthest or were the youngest to run the race. As his sons grew up and went to college, they'd make it a point to come back each year for the tradition of running with their father. That tradition grew into a habit for Jason and his father. The two ran seven marathons together, including the 100th boston Marathon in 1996. but there was always Wharf to Wharf and the antics that followed. As that race grew, so did the family and friend's flare to support Tom Wichelmann. Jason said he remembers a group of them running together wearing orange cones on their head to keep track of one another. Other times it would be fake beards or swim caps to poke fun of his father's balding head. The novelty of the costumes faded but the nickname didn't. so Jason printed a banner that he carried during the race as he ran alongside his father during Wharf to Wharf races. "It became a thing where I wanted to be there as a bodyguard," Jason said. In the early days, Wichelmann inspired legions of runners who wanted to catch and beat the Wharf Man. Organizers put him in the lead corral to give him a leg up. "Which is funny because he's really slow," Jason joked. In the last few years, the group had a bullhorn they used to psyche out the runners around them. Even as time slowed Tom Wichelmann down, his name still carried. Thousands of runners would swoop past him during races, but not before some would come by to say how much they loved him. That love shined through the race and at his funeral in April. Jason remembers having people come up and tell stories about his father. "He's always been the life of the party," Jason said. And that party is expected to continue. At least for one more year. JaSoN wIChELMaNN, SoN of wharfMaN dan coyro - sanTa cruz senTinel LEGaCY of thE wharf MaN – toM wIChELMaNN

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