Glory be; the temperature is rising so fast the gasoline prices can hardly keep up! We do need the April showers but the tiny droplets squeezed out early this morning would be embarrassed to call themselves rain. Normally, this is a weekend to get away on vacation and for many to spend time reflecting on the spiritual things in life. Road racing often takes a pause during these times.

The 5K event was listed as a fun run. Clearly, newly anointed "runner to beat" Gurmessa Kumssa of Oxon Hill, MD considers winning fun. While the rest of the more than two hundred fun runners were milling around contemplating the word GO, he and his friend Maile Gelavcma were tearing off in a cloud of dust. Only third place Joe Gilvary (45) of Huntington, MD was within a half mile from these speedsters when the tape was broken. Kumssa's time of 14:57 was a workman-like effort barely faster in pace than his 1:04:27 runner-up spot at the Killian's Irish Red Shamrock Sportsfest Half Marathon and certainly slower in pace than his 23:36 victory at the St. Patrick's Day 8K the week before that. Gilvary, at 45, will be turning some heads with a 15:54 third place finish. The women took it out at a leisurely pace with Linda Patterson of Arlington, VA winning in 25:23.

In the 8K, Jacob Frey of Oakton, VA (in photo above) was credited with the win in 24:33. When two different distances are run simultaneously, taking the correct turn is more difficult. New to the streets of Washington, DC, Demesse Tefera, coming off a 15:50 Scope It Out 5K three weeks ago, was second in the awards. Zereu Kelele was third. Kelele had run St. Patrick's 8K in 25:59 and the next week the Shamrock 8K in 26:02. Today's time of 24:47 suggests a missed turn. Fourth place Bert Rodriguez may not be a hot weather runner or maybe he added a turn. He had run the Scope It Out 5K in 15:29 and earlier the St. Patrick's 8K in 25:33.

For the women, masters phenom Alisa Harvey (center in photo left) was credited with the win. Casey Smith of Arlington, VA had run fourth overall in 28:03 at the St. Patrick's Day 8K ahead of masters champion Harvey's 29:11. Today, with warm weather, the times were slower. Smith had missed a turn and knowing that does not help your pace at all. Harvey, with 2:07.5 800-meter speed and 57.8 400-meter speed, would have relished a head-to-head sprint at the finish. Chesapeake's Mary Davison was third in 31:27. Win Persina (46) of Washington, DC continues to lower her times, racing 32:53. Ofelia Perotti (49) of Alexandria, VA had been way back at St. Patrick's Day 8K, finishing 35:00 for sixth in the division to Persina's 32:55 win. Today, she took a final pre-move to the 50-54 division stab at it, improving vastly to 33:30 for fifth overall.

The Wizards Dance Team (in photo below) warmed up the crowd and cheered runners on at the start.

8K Awards

MALE OVERALL
    1  1751 Jacob Frey              24 Oakton VA            24:33 X 
    2  1762 Demesse Tefera          23 Washington DC        24:45 X 
    3  1763 Zereu Kekele            25 Washington DC        24:48 X 
FEMALE OVERALL
    1  1511 Alisa Harvey            40 Manassas VA          29:59 X 
    2  1753 Casey Smith             26 Arlington VA         30:01 X 
    3  1617 Mary Davison            33 Chesapeake VA        31:27 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 14
    1  1055 Stephen Caviness        14 Clifton VA           37:01 X 
    2  1572 Elliot Howe             12 Washington DC        37:04 X 
    3  1831 Nathan Thatcher         13 Manassas VA          40:01 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 14
    1  1417 Rebecca Dean            11 Unknown MD           52:31 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  15 - 19
    1  1733 Peter Brandt            18 Montclair VA         29:21 X 
    2  1737 David Bernstein         19 Chevy Chase MD       29:30 X 
    3  1734 Zack Williams           16 Triangle VA          29:57 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  15 - 19
    1  1208 Katie Millet            17 Silver Spring MD     39:40 X 
    2  1741 Banlee Hansen           18 Golden CO            49:13 X 
    3  1742 Amanda Nolte            17 Golden CO            49:18 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24
    1  1591 Cameron Berg            23 Washington DC        27:38 X 
    2  1044 Brian Aurelio           21 Washington DC        32:33 X 
    3  1326 Michael Poerstel        23 Midlothian VA        37:48 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24
    1  1019 Lisa Bowles             23 Alexandria VA        34:09 X 
    2  1224 Emily Ruppel            20 Washington DC        34:56 X 
    3  1542 Anna Ford               22 Washington DC        35:26 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
    1  1641 Bert Rodriguez          26 Arlington VA         26:28 X 
    2  1818 Ronald Nelson           26 Washington DC        29:28 X 
    3  1015 Jeremy McLaughlin       28 Washington DC        29:57 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
    1    92 Elizabeth Jones         28 Fairfax VA           34:09 X 
    2  1046 Melissa Davenport       27 Washington DC        36:47 X 
    3  1597 Meghan Edwards-Ford     25 Washington DC        36:47 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34
    1    93 James Ouellette         33 Burke VA             36:47 X 
    2    95 Dave Witkowski          31 Oakton VA            38:06 X 
    3  1362 Mark Wiest              31 Washington DC        39:35 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34
    1  1327 Heather Schneider       31 Washington DC        36:45 X 
    2  1039 Tatiana Arriagada       34 Washington DC        38:52 X 
    3  1020 Danielle Rolfes         30 Washington DC        39:05 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39
    1  1764 Tamrat Debalka          39 Washington DC        27:44 X 
    2  1814 Mark Hand               39 Arlington VA         31:10 X 
    3  1337 Art Kirkpatrick         35 Arlington VA         32:15 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39
    1   117 Stephanie Hammond       38 Springfield VA       35:11 X 
    2  1479 Adrienne Urbina         36 Washington DC        35:36 X 
    3  1526 Kris Finney             36 Arlington VA         40:42 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44
    1  1830 Alan Thatcher           42 Manassas VA          30:44 X 
    2  1073 Clyde Delong            43 Ashburn VA           34:46 X 
    3   996 Robert Bowes            44 Bethesda MD          34:56 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44
    1   961 Patricia Keating        44 Dayton MD            34:08 X 
    2  1234 Margaret Crowder        41 Gainesville VA       42:19 X 
    3   123 Penney Azcarate         40 Falls Church VA      42:58 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49
    1   962 Paul Keating            45 Dayton MD            30:13 X 
    2   119 Kevin Shaw              45 Alexandria VA        33:56 X 
    3  1857 Dan Mendelson           48 Washington DC        35:13 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49
    1  1537 Win Persina             46 Washington DC        32:51 X 
    2  1323 Ofelia Perotti          49 Alexandria VA        33:28 X 
    3  1845 Mary Greer              47 Washington DC        39:39 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54
    1  1827 Fred Kaiser             53 Holland NY           31:06 X 
    2  1843 Larry Parkinson         51 Alexandria VA        33:40 X 
    3  1076 David Landau            50 Washington DC        33:45 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54
    1   126 Suanne Shocket          52 Manassas VA          39:39 X 
    2  1008 Merrilee Seidman        51 Alexandria VA        40:53 X 
    3  1405 Linda Sheaffer          50 Washington DC        42:10 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59
    1  1752 Carlos Valle            55 Land O'lakes FL      33:08 X 
    2   124 Richard Carlisle        55 Springfield VA       34:34 X 
    3  1838 William Scott           58 Glenarden MD         37:12 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59
    1   102 Jane Poole              58 Washington DC        40:40 X 
    2  1841 Penelope Farthing       55 Washington DC      1:11:59 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64
    1   122 Thomas Fox              64 McLean VA            46:05 X 
    2  1324 John Poerstel           62 Midlothian VA        49:46 X 
    3  1820 Don Blue                64 Manassas VA          50:45 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64
    1  1821 Bj King                 61 Crofton MD           40:29 X 
    2  1621 Sandy Kerby             63 Washington DC      1:02:53 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69
    1  1045 Tom Willging            65 Washington DC        38:14 X 
    2  1600 Rush Fritz              66 Washington DC        42:27 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69
MALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 74
    1   101 Richard Williams        70 Alexandria VA        39:26 X 
    2  1761 Jay Wyatt               70 Winston-Salem NC     40:50 X 
    3  1755 Roger Hauge             74 Excelsior MN         49:25 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 74
    1  1071 Jacqueline O'Neil       74 Washington DC      1:06:27 X 
MALE AGE GROUP:  75 - 99
    1  1536 Philip Zenchoff         78 Silver Spring MD   1:00:58 X 
    2  1534 Bill Osburn             82 Bethesda MD        1:22:02 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  75 - 99

Full Race Day Results