I have always been enamored with the athletes who make time and space in their lives to make their sport of choice an integral part of their journey on this earth. Since moving to the DC area some seven years ago, I have been blessed to meet scores of these folks in the local DC area running scene. Alisa Harvey, Chuck Moeser, Jim Hage, Jay Wind, Matt Boyd, Liza Recto, are but a few. These folks are all great runners who made a choice to integrate running with their home and career lives. Thus, when my friend Jake Klim used the term "citizen runner" in reference to himself and others, to describe runners who try to squeeze in runs while managing a career and other personal obligations, I thought this would be a good theme for an article.

I have chosen to focus this article on four local citizens who make the time to not only run, but also become outstanding runners, while juggling family, work, and other personal obligations. These runners have all qualified for the Olympic Trials. Two of the men will be running in NYC this November, and two women will be running in Boston in April.

Since I first starting running races around the area, there is one person I expect to see at almost every race. The long and lanky frame of Michael Wardian is hard to miss. Mike, who grew up in nearby Oakton, VA and went to college at Michigan State, has been living in the DC metro area for approximately ten years. At the ripe old age of 33, it is safe to say that he is becoming a longtime fixture in the area.

Unlike many of the elite runners competing for a spot on the Olympic Marathon team this November in NYC, Mike's sole focus with running is not just on making the team. Yes, he would love to, but it is clear from his actions he loves to race and compete at all distances and at all times. He is the only runner I know of who has consistently run well at anything from the 5K to the marathon, on a regular basis, without getting hurt, over a four-year time span. Mike loves to compete so much that it is common to see him run races on consecutive days. Earlier this season, he took on the Charm City 20 miler on Sunday and then a half marathon the next day on the Mt. Vernon trail. He won the 20-miler and came in third in the half.

When asked what makes this possible, Mike emphasized the support he receives from his immediate family including his wife, brother and sister, and Mom and Dad. Furthermore, he is strongly supported by local restaurants, gyms, Pacers running stores, and other businesses that provide him with shoes, entries, and transportation to races. This support is vital for allowing him to run twice a day, travel to races, and make the time to train at such a high level.

Mike is a competitor and a creative person and this allows him to focus on multiple goals at all times. For example, while training for the trials, he took the time to break the world record for running a marathon while pushing a baby stroller. In similar fashion, he held the world record for running a marathon on a treadmill. Many ask, "What if Mike just focused on running one or two races; wouldn't he be much faster?" Maybe so, but Mike is a unique athlete and loves to compete. One event is as good as the next, so long as he gives it his best and enjoys himself.

In concluding our exchange, Mike emphasized the great qualities of the Washington area running scene, from the trails and nice areas to run, to the great group of runners to race against and train with.

Another local citizen, Susannah Kvasnicka, a lifelong resident of Great Falls, VA, like Mike, discovered her talent for running after high school and college.

I first noticed Susannah at a race several years ago when, at the awards ceremony, she was holding one of her kids and the announcer could not pronounce her last name (pronounce "Kwasnicka"). Susannah's name is frequently associated with the word "winner" at local races. Not too long ago Susannah and I became friends via our association with the Georgetown Running Company. We both discovered we had the same overuse injuries and began to provide each other with some advice on how to rid ourselves of these nagging injuries. After a few training runs together, I realized that, like me, Susannah fell into running almost on a whim. After her first son was born, she decided to try running a marathon. It is not clear what motivated her to take on this punishing task, but she went for it and ran the GW Birthday Marathon in 3 hours 40 minutes. Time progressed and along came another son and Susannah, once again, took on the marathon. This time, she ran the same time, but decided to continue along with more disciplined training. To do this, she began working with local running coach Ron Kulik. Ron quickly saw her talent and created a very regimented and challenging training course for her to follow. Soon enough, Susannah's dedication, combined with a serious training regimen, paid off as she began to crank out victory after victory. While doing this, she was also dedicating her time to raising both her sons and managing a family with her husband, Kevin, who is very supportive and encourages Susannah to pursue her passion for running.

In October 2006, she qualified for the Olympic Trials at the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA.

Like Mike, Susannah is great person who is easy going and broad minded. Her running brings balance to her life and she is grateful to have discovered such a healthy activity.

She appreciates that the local running community is supportive of her and all runners. Susannah is not sure whether she is good enough to make the Olympic marathon team. She will be going up against professional runners who are paid to run. However, unlike these other runners, whose sole focus is running, Susannah brings a calm and pleasant demeanor to the trials that will serve her well there and for many years of running and racing thereafter.

A few years ago I began running with some blazing young runners from the Georgetown Running Company store. Store manager Ben Cooke organized runs from the store and various runners would join in. One was a quiet and rather reserved chap from Minnesota. So quiet in fact, that you would not know he was there until the run started. Then he would fly off into the trails and it would be our job to try to catch him. This was my introduction to Chris Raabe. Some years have passed and Chris is still running really fast, albeit while trying to work his way up the ranks of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Unlike the other three folks highlighted in this article, Chris did run in high school and college, and, therefore, has been aware of his talent for some time. For Chris it's about figuring out where he wants to go with the sport. He loves to run; he is good at it. However, he is realistic. As he so eloquently states "I hold no illusions about ever making a living through running. I just continue running more out of habit than anything else." At present, he is focused on the trials, for which he qualified in October 2006 at the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon.

Chris attributes much of his success to the support he has received from the local running community. The Georgetown Running Company provides Chris shoes and runners to keep his A game on. Wilson Komen, from Kenya, who has been living in the area for a few years, spent many days working out with Chris. I have many memories of Wilson taking a group of us on a fartlek run and Chris really making the effort to keep up with Wilson and in the process becoming a stronger runner.

Vanessa Hunter, the last of the citizen runners featured in this article, is another runner who picked up the sport later in life. As a youngster growing up in Seattle, Washington, Vanessa was a soccer player. Running was a part of her household, though, as her brothers and father ran for sport and recreation.

Several years back, while living in Germany, she decided to run a marathon. Like most of us who tackle this endeavor, she was humbled and vowed never to try it again. However, the competitive athlete in her did not listen to the aches and pains she received from the marathon and she continued running and training. She has been running competitively for approximately six years.

When asked about how she fits in running with her work and personal life, her assessment was similar to that of Susannah, Mike, and Chris. She receives great support from friends, family, and the DC area's running community.

At present, Vanessa works for the Department of State at the Foreign Service Institute. She is not sure what her future plans are. A most humble person, when asked about the Olympic Trials, she quite bluntly stated that she does not expect to make the Olympic Marathon team. I will note, however, that as an observer of local running talent, I believe that on the right day and with the right training, she might be good enough to be right up there with the leaders.

As with all Citizen Runners, her ego is not totally controlled by running and she has other goals and aspirations in life. When asked about what she plans to do with running after the trials, she said, "Sure-I'd love to run faster but not at the expense of missing out on other important parts of life. At this point, I'm just taking it day by day."

In conclusion, I want to thank Susannah, Chris, Mike, and Vanessa for taking the time to answer my questions and make themselves available.

Eric Post of Centreville, VA and Mary Kate Bailey of Arlington, VA, among others, have also qualified for the trials. However, I was not able to contact them.

These Citizen Runners, who inspire us all, are an example of what hard work, a local support system, and a balanced approach to life can lead to.

Good luck at the Trials. All of the other Citizen Runners of the DC metro area will be rooting for you!

Editor's Note: The Men's Olympic Marathon Trials will be run on Saturday, November 3, in New York City. By the time you read this, the results may already be in. Other local male qualifiers include Jacob Frey of Oakton, VA, and Chris Graff of Arlington, VA.

The Women's Olympic Marathon Trials will be held on April 20, 2008 in Boston. Other local female qualifiers include Samia Akbar of Herndon, VA, Dana Coons of Charlottesville, VA, Cheryl Anderson of Virginia Beach, VA, and Renee High of Virginia.

Some of these athletes were profiled in past issues of the Washington Running Report. They can be found on the Web at:

Cheryl Anderson (September-October 2007)

Mary Kate Bailey (September-October 2005)

Susannah Kvasnicka (May-June 2005)

Michael Wardian (November-December 2003)

Chris Raabe (November-December 2007)