New police chief pounds pavement

For approximately two hours tomorrow afternoon, new Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood will once again be a cop on the street.

Norwood, sworn in less than two weeks ago, will tour a big chunk of the city by running in tomorrow's 13.1-mile McDonald's Half Marathon. The 42-year old police chief, a former football, basketball and cross country athlete at Masuk (Conn.) High School, said he will arrive at the starting line with but one goal:

"To reach the finish line," he said. "That's the only thing I really want to do: just finish the race. That's one of the nice things about running. There's a definite sense of personal accomplishment -- of having set a goal, trained for it and achieved it -- when you complete a race like this."

Then he permitted himself a quick, self-deprecating smile. "Besides -- I'm a little out of shape, to be perfectly frank."

Out of shape? By his standards, perhaps. By everyone else's standards, Norwood appears fit, trim and eager to run. Norwood is, in fact, an ardent practitioner of martial arts, in particular judo, Brazilian jujitsu and taekwondo. Long-distance running, he said, is a training tool that prepares him for and enhances his participation in those undertakings.

"There is an eternal discipline that accompanies running," Norwood said. "That's a trait that running shares with so many of the martial arts. The sense of quiet calm; the deeper and truer sense of being -- I believe [running and martial arts] are actually quite similar in that regard."

The appeal of road racing, Norwood said, isn't entirely cerebral. He said the bond that exists between runners is unique in its depth and intensity. He called it "a camaraderie like no other." Then he cited an incident that occurred during a recent running of the Philadelphia Marathon.

"I was struggling at the 19-mile mark and here comes an elderly woman" -- the recollection made him chuckle -- "and she passes me without any problem at all. Then she looks back at me and says, 'Come on. Run with me. I'm trying to catch my daughter and granddaughter.' Believe me: That took the concept of motivation to a whole new level."

Norwood said he holds three legendary professional athletes -- baseball player Roberto Clemente, soccer player Pele and football player Jim Brown -- in very high regard. All, he said, excelled as competitors while carrying themselves in a manner that transcended sport. In each case, he said, "It wasn't strictly about sport. It was about the character of the individual."

Perhaps for that reason, Norwood seems to regard athletic endeavor as more a means than an end.

"If I'm going to stay focused and sharp on a daily basis, for me, personally, it's a definite advantage to stay physically fit," he said. "If I'm where I want to be physically, if I'm on top of my game, I not only feel better, I feel I perform better. I think that's true of anyone in any leadership role: You do your job better if you're able to maintain a [consistent] level of fitness."

Norwood said he finds it appropriate that Richmond's police chief will be sharing the streets tomorrow with approximately 14,000 local and out-of-town runners.

"It's always special when you're part of a large group of people and you're all working to reach a common goal -- in this case, to finish a race," he said.