Bicolano Penguin: CHESAPEAKE BEACH CRAB-A-THON RUN 2020: Savory Beautiful Swimmers

"Callinectes sapides"

This is the scientific name of the famed blue crab of the Chesapeake Bay in the east coast of the United States of America. There is a saying in them parts that there is nothing more" "Chesapeake" than the blue crab. This crustacean is one of the most recognizable critters in Chesapeake Bay which is the largest estuary in the US, at a size of 64,299-square mile, covering parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, and all of Washington D.C.

Chesapeake Beach Harbor

A part of Maryland that touches the Bay is the small charming town of Chesapeake Beach. It is a popular destination for families looking to escape the urban grind in the big cities in the area like Baltimore and Washington DC. To quote Mayor Pat "Irish" Mahoney: "when you come down that hill and see the bay, all your worries go away." Significantly too, environmental efforts by Chesapeake Beach have earned the town a Sustainable Maryland Award from the University of Maryland. The latest census pegs the population of this town at 6,034. Read somewhere that one of the notable residents of Chesapeake Beach is the author Tom Clancy. From our perspective in Pinoy Runners Global, the noteworthy residents are the members of Pinoy Runners Chesapeake Beach.

Originally from Manila, Team Captain Bernie Marti has been living in Chesapeake Beach for 7 years and counting.

This Barangay is hosting the PRG's Virtual Takbo event "Chesapeake Beach Crab-A-Thon Run 2020 which will run from Nov 5 to Nov 10. The Bicolano Penguin (BP) had a Q&A with its leader - Bernadette "Bernie" Florendo Marti . Here is the Q&A:

BP: How and when was your Pinoy Runners Chesapeake formed? How many members do you have?

Bernie: Our small group consists of 9 women. We are originally called Relentless Running Group. Most of them are non-runners. I introduced running to them when I moved to Chesapeake Beach 7 years ago. Now they are all run addicts. One of our members is actually the wife of the Mayor.

BP: The Relentless Running Group is now known as Pinoy Runners Chesapeake Beach?

Bernie: Yes, since we joined PRG two years ago, Barangay Chesapeake was created.

BP: Why host the Crab-A-Thon virtual takbo? What is the significance of the Blue Crab to your Chesapeake Beach?

Bernie: Chesapeake Beach is small beach town in Calvert County in Southern Maryland and the blue crab come from our bay. Kaya Crab-A-Thon kasi nga sa crabs kami kilala. Saka season namin from August to November.

The ladies in their Relentless Running group shirt at the Chesapeake Beach boardwalk.

Proudly wearing the Pinoy Runners Gobal shirt.

Coach Lorraine is the running guru of the ladies of Pinoy Runners Chesapeake Beach

Pinoy Runners Chesapeake Beach members actively participate in local fun runs. This was is from 2018.

The Chesapeake Beach Mayor Pat Mahoney with his wife Judy who is an active member of Pinoy Runners Chesapeake Beach.

The scientific name of the Blue Crab evokes already images of a delicious experience. The etymology of the genus Callinectes is Latin and Greek. It is a combo of "Calli" and "nectes" which translates to "beautiful" and "swimmer", respectively. The species name is "sapidus" which translates to "savory". Combined all together, the scientific name translates to savory beautiful swimmer. Anyone who is familiar with the blue crab will agree that this is an appropriate name.

The Blue Crab is so named because of its sapphire-tinted claws.

Specially, on the savory part. Blue crabs can be found in waters as far north as Nova Scotia and far south as Uruguay. (Note that this is not to be confused with the Blue Swimming Crab which has a different scientific name: Portunus pelagicus and known locally in the Philippines as "alimasag.") According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, roughly 50% of blue crab harvest in the US is provided by Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program tracks the Blue Crab population in the Bay, and in 2019, about 191 million female blue crabs were estimated to be living in the Bay, up from 147 million in 2018. Blue crab are an essential part of the region's culinary heritage. In the words of an excellent chef in the area, Spike Gjerde of Baltimore's Woodberry Kitchen, "Blue Crab is part of the holy trinity of Maryland seafood, made up of oysters, rockfish, and blue crab." Marylanders prepare Blue Crab hard shells and other seafood by steaming them rather than the boiling that is common along the rest of the East Coast and Louisiana. Marylanders will tell you that boiling makes the crabmeat wet rather than just moist.

Steamed Chesapeake Blue Crabs

Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes

When to eat blue crabs? To answer this, we refer to food and dining network,eater.com which had a beautiful piece on the Blue Crab of Maryland. In answer to the question, this what the expert had to say:

"The Maryland crab season starts in April and runs through December. But much of what is found in crab houses early in the season or in the winter is coming from North Carolina and Louisiana. Maryland crabs that are served in April and early May are typically ones that stayed north during the winter and dug themselves down into the mud. Then around Memorial Day, the initial supply is exhausted, and crabbers await the crabs that are still migrating their way up the Bay. While June through August are the most favored and tradition-laden times for eating crabs, September and October are the best time to get the largest and fattest hard crabs at the best prices."

It was actually middle part of September last year that the BP first tasted the savory Blue Crab of Chesapeake. Nope, I have not had the chance to visit the charming town of Chesapeake Beach. But I was in the DC area, and in the vicinity of the Smithsonian was a fair for agricultural and marine produce from several states surrounding the nation's capital. Since it was almost lunchtime, the BP together with my cousins visited the fair in hopes of getting our fill of local delicacies. There was this long line in front of stall which had a sign saying "Chesapeake Crab Cake." Despite the long line, I decided to go for it as BP's favorite are shrimps and crabs. Plus, I wanted to taste something different from the pizzas and salads I have been consuming the past few days while visiting the US Capitol.

My first Chesapeake Crab Cake Burger.

Outdoor snack for me near the Smithsonian.

How was it? I ordered a crab cake burger and it was sure worth the wait in the long line. Delicious and tasty the crab meat was, I decided to go for a second burger. It was my first and only time to have a taste of the Chesapeake Blue Crab but no doubt in the BP's mind that I will be having another one given the chance.

How about the e amount of cholesterol that shellfish such as oysters, mussels, lobsters and crabs contain? It's true that crabs do have large amount of cholesterol, particularly in relation to their serving size. As the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would show, the Blue Crab from Chesapeake are no different when it comes to bad cholesterol and such. But it is worth noting that despite containing some cholesterol, they contain very little fat.

USDA Nutrition Facts on the Blue Crab.

Which brings us back to running which the energetic women of Pinoy Runners Chesapeake and all the Pinoy runners around the globe are passionate about. Running is a most inclusive and affordable exercise. And exercise is one of the best ways to lower cholesterol. What mechanism? Exercise stimulates enzymes that help move bad cholesterol (LDL) from the blood to the liver. From there, the cholesterol is converted into bile (for digestion) or excreted. So the more you exercise, the more LDL your body expels.

Hoorah indeed for an active exercise lifestyle like running. In that we see the beauty and wisdom of the Chesapeake Crab-A-Thon Run 2020.