Annapolis is a different sort of town.

Whereas most cities remain quiet on the morning after New Year’s Day, downtown Annapolis was teeming with almost 200 runners by 8:30 on Sunday morning.

Local athletes from the Annapolis Striders, Blue Point Timing, the Annapolis Triathlon Club, the Annapolis Trail Runners and a handful of local Daily Mile runners came together to put in their first miles of the year in the Annual Resolution Run, an unofficial gathering of runners that has grown by leaps and bounds over almost 30 years.

As I stood on the dock looking at the gathering I realized it was a bit of a Patch reunion, with runners and triathletes who have shared their stories with Patch over the past year all coming together to discuss their achievements in 2011 and their goals for 2012.

The first two people I saw upon arriving were Nancy Cooper and Ron Bowman, the Ironman triathletes who organized groups for Ironman Louisville in 2010 and Ironman Wisconsin in 2011 and are currently working with ATC members for Ironman Arizona in 2012.

As the consummate social athletes, the two had stacked Sunday morning’s field with Iron Crabs, including many who had completed Louisville and Wisconsin. There also was Glenn Atwell who finished Ironman Florida in November and Tucker Hite who completed the Chesapeakeman Aqua Velo in September as a training event to prepare for Ironman Arizona shortly before Thanksgiving.

Kinetic Motion's, Ashley Halsey who, with Bike Doctor owner Steve Ruck, transported 19 bikes all the way to Wisconsin for Ironman Wisconsin, fielded questions both before and after the run from runners who have already begun obsessing over their training scheduled for 2012.

Blue Point Timing coach and Annapolis Trail Runner Paula Carrigan was there once again with her big smile and, of course, her camera, cheering other runners on even as she covered the four mile distance. (See Paula’s slideshow here.)

My hero, Annapolis Strider and The Capital columnist Evan Thomas was once again out on the course coaxing New Year’s Resolutions out of each of the runners.

Rosie Kreiger, who only recently discovered that she is indeed a runner, was in her element among new friends, prepared to run four miles with ease after a year filled with half Ironman distance races.

Megan Moore and Joe Line of the Annapolis Running Shop, both constant sources of information for me as a writer and for local runners and triathletes, filled three key roles for the morning—Megan as runner, Joe as cheerleader and afterwards, both as hosts of the traditional post race mimosa social.

As I stood on City Dock both before and after the run, I had the opportunity to chat with dozens of our local runners and learn more about their plans for 2012, but beyond that I was given the opportunity to thank each and every one of these runners for sharing their stories with our local community.

I look forward to being just as enthralled in their adventures this year.