Photo above: Happy racers cross the ChampionChip mats at the finish line. Photo below: The race finished in a riverside park with beautiful views of the Naval Academy.

For many years women's running has been growing. Now, there are often more women than men in races. From the early days of Katherine Switzer's dramatic entry for women into the marathon to the grass roots swelling of the mighty Women's Distance Festivals, women are being empowered to come out and challenge the roads, to challenge themselves in a vigorous, healthy life style.

The ZOOMA series began here in Annapolis, MD on the first day of June. The day before, it was storm after storm. The picturesque Maryland capital has long been a fine traveling destination for road racers throughout the region. Just like the nationally famous Annapolis Ten Miler of late August, the race offers the three H's of running: Hot, Hilly, and Humid. The ten miler, coincidentally, opened registration this morning.

The two races, which started together by the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, gave the runners a wide range of distance to choose from. The 10K offered runners the same beginning and parts of the middle of the 10 mile course, without the arduous climb back over the Severn River on the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge. The finish line was just under the bridge at Jonas Green State Park, adjacent to the Severn Inn, and some two miles from the stadium. This afforded the runners the luxury of the last quarter mile charge down the curve to the finish. There were plenty of refreshments in the little park, which is at the water's edge.

The half marathon worked its way farther, going up the B&A Trail after the 10Kers began their journey home about 4.25 miles into the race. After the finish, buses met the happy racers to shuttle them back to the Stadium for the post race festivities and awards. All the finishers received a commemorative silver necklace with the race date engraved. Noncash prizes were awarded to the top three finishers in the Half Marathon and 10K.

The ZOOMA After-Party Expo was planned as a unique combination of post-race party and race expo with a fun "girls' weekend" atmosphere. Food, wine tasting, mini spa treatments, demos, and shopping pampered runners after the race. Live music helped runners enjoy shopping at the many booths.

The racers charged out the north side of the stadium. Runners were amazed as Molly Pritz (20) of Lewisburg, PA jackrabbited over the ChampionChip mats and out the gate. By the first turn, heading toward Taylor Avenue, she was nearly out of sight. She blasted through the first mile in a sub 6:00 minute mile. Twenty seconds behind, eventual 10K winner Christina Morganti (43), of Severna Park, MD, probably thought she was trailing a 10K runner. Some 30 seconds back, three top masters runners--Sheryl Kline (45) of Arnold, MD, Becky Nathan (42) of Arlington, VA, and Win Persina (48) of Washington, DC--were settling in for the long run. If that fast disappearing racer was in the half marathon, they would not be able to do anything about it.

The night before at the fabulous V.I.P. Reception, the three runners talked proudly of the empowerment of women's running that the race symbolized.

Persina, a 5K specialist, happily noted that she was not trying to run fast, "Maybe a 7:30 pace." She was just running to support her friends. Translation: They had better have the best game on or she was going to race on by.

Nathan was worried about a tight hamstring and planned to take it easy. Translation: Don't expect a waltz in the park. You are going to have to bust one to beat her. It should be noted that Nathan hit the first mile just behind Kline in 6:30 with Persina a few meters back. Nathan gasped and told fellow racers, "This is too fast. I am going to have to slow the pace." She wished me good luck and I prepared to pull away. A mile later, after cresting the Naval Academy Bridge, she was still two paces behind. At the 5K, she was still just one second behind.

We had briefly passed Kline going down off the bridge before she started to move. By 5K, she had a small 30-meter gap which she would never improve on from Nathan. Kline, now 45, had a secret weapon to help give her the impetus to hold off Nathan. Translation: Kline has a new running friend from the same age group but from an entirely different sex.

Kline thinks of herself as a fast twitch sort of runner. Still, her confidence is growing as she works on the longer distances. She needed all her speed in the final quarter mile to hold off Nathan. In fact, she was looking forward to following a Pacer. Elite racer Erin Swain ran the race as a "rabbit" or pacer for the 7:00 pace group. With a balloon tied to her back, she floated across the line just ahead of the determined Kline. Swain did not wear a ChampionChip and was not expecting an official time.

Jennifer Lundeen (48) of Port Republic, MD was ahead of Persina for the first half of the race but slowed on the more than just muggy morning. At the finish she was proud that so many of the top finishers were masters runners.

Brittney Rooks (14) of Baltimore, MD, coached by her dad Remus Medley, is gearing up for a fall marathon. Medley has her training down to a science. Last Friday night she ran a solid workout in Westminster, finishing second at the Falcon 2 Mile in just over 12 minutes. After the race, she and her brother Del'Vaughn ran 400 meters intervals in the 83-85 second range. Rooks hit the 5K in 21:14 today but faltered later in the race to seventh in a close battle with Julia Speer (27) of Washington, DC. Rooks has already been the overall winner in races from 800M to last fall's NCR HM in 1:33:28.

Only 77 men ventured to the event that had more than 1300 finishers in the two races. Daniel Ordaz (32) of Holgate, OH started well off the pace (2:00 behind Pritz at the 5K). He turned on the jets and pushed her to a swift 1:22:53 overall victory. He was the second finisher in 1:23:28. Both were a mile ahead of the next finisher.

In the 10K, Morganti (in photo) cruised to an easy win in 40:18, proving that 43 is the new 23 when it comes to racing. Andrea Williams (37) of Annapolis, MD was next in 41:29. After that it was some time before the next runner appeared around the final curve.

There is always a little confusion with multiple distances. Runners are supposed to sign up for a specific distance and run that distance. With well over a thousand entrants and conditions that started with a flash flood torrent of rain the day before and warm muggy racing in the morning, some runners switched distances. Cresting the toughest hill at mile four, some tired runners turned a bit early, not getting to experience about 500 out and back meters down the wooded trail.

For this reporter, counting heads at the turnaround at three, it was a surprise to see five runners ahead on the way back. The first was passed at mile five. The next two were caught in the final mile, giving this 55-year-old man his first overall win (men's division) in quite some time.

It should be noted that more and more races are having an overall winner (of either sex) be a women. This, of course, happened today in both races, even as the men were outnumbered by nearly 20 to 1.

James Moreland (55) of Gaithersburg, MD is the first male finisher in the 10K.

Awards 10K

FEMALE OVERALL
    1   661 Christina Morganti      43 Severna Park MD         40:18 V 
    2  1544 Andrea Williams         37 Annapolis MD            41:29 V 
    3  1239 Melanie Bryant          23 Annapolis MD            43:44 V 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
    1   860 Samantha Downey         13 McLean VA             V 64:17 
    2   847 Meredith Bloom          13 McLean VA             V 64:57 
    3   190 Caroline Hutchinson     13 Annapolis MD          V 71:43 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
    1  1522 Jennifer Steinweg       16 Arnold MD             V 56:14 
    2  1436 Megan Maguire           19 Rockville MD          V 63:09 
    3   429 Eva Cohn                15 Severna Park MD       V 64:06 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
    1  1359 Stacey Banchek          23 Silver Spring MD      V 55:30 
    2   458 Erika Hyrowski          23 Rockville MD          V 55:42 
    3  1612 Amy Sonntag             24 Crofton MD            V 56:00 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
    1   927 Emily Knapp             25 Ellicott City MD      V 46:36 
    2  1295 Cindy Wolf              29 Nottingham MD         V 47:07 
    3  1589 Jessica Gross           26 Washington DC         V 47:07 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
    1   686 Bryna Dash              34 Fulton MD             V 47:12 
    2   505 Katrina Holloway        31 Wilmington DE         V 47:49 
    3  1274 Michelle Zachry         30 Abingdon MD           V 48:56 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
    1  1242 Amy Reed                38 Arnold MD             V 47:53 
    2  1419 Carolyn Harris          36 Bel Air MD            V 49:19 
    3    54 Karen Butler-Colbert    35 Bethesda MD           V 50:21 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
    1  1601 Cheryl Gilman           40 Annapolis MD          V 45:50 
    2  1640 Elizabeth Sherwood      42 Severna Park MD       V 48:17 
    3   897 Michelle Black          40 Baltimore MD          V 50:38 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
    1  1523 June Steinweg           45 Arnold MD             V 51:36 
    2   668 Cheryl Valvano          47 Millersville MD       V 54:48 
    3   602 Ann Andrews             45 Annapolis MD          V 55:45 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
    1  1595 Liza Recto              52 Lexington Park MD     V 52:56 
    2    34 Robin Gay               53 Owings MD             V 54:32 
    3  1189 Sheilah Ruppert         50 Chester MD            V 58:07 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
    1     5 Jane Godfrey            59 Takoma Park MD        V 54:04 
    2  1287 Jan Sullivan            55 Annapolis MD          V 57:18 
    3  1232 Linda Mills             58 Salisbury MD          V 58:11 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 99
    1  1634 Cheryl Costello         61 Fairfax VA            V 71:15 
    2  1030 Rose Stocker            60 Annapolis MD          V 93:54 
    3  1557 Anne McDonough          62 Chester MD            V 94:34 

Candy Cage (#1140) of Baltimore, MD finishes ahead of another exulting half marathon finisher, Annmarie Jezioro (#959) of Frederick, MD.

Awards Half Marathon

FEMALE OVERALL
    1  1344 Molly Pritz             20 Lewisburg PA          1:22:53 X 
    2   126 Sheryl Kline            45 Arnold MD             1:31:47 X 
    3    58 Rebecca Nathan          42 Arlington VA          1:31:50 X 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
    1  1538 Brittney Rooks          14 Baltimore MD          X 1:35:45 
    2   170 Jean Lam                12 Fairfax Station VA    X 2:14:17 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
    1  1387 Kathryn Goode           17 Gainesville VA        X 1:38:45 
    2  1362 Julia Zewe              17 Haymarket VA          X 1:43:36 
    3   305 Alyson Frederick        18 Newark DE             X 2:04:44 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
    1  1449 Sarah Lebro             20 Columbia MD           X 1:36:56 
    2  1222 Kristen Fallon          24 Washington DC         X 1:45:05 
    3   939 Jessica Urie            23 Baltimore MD          X 1:49:58 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
    1  1420 Julia Speer             27 Washington DC         X 1:35:34 
    2  1305 Carissa Stepien         27 Laurel MD             X 1:40:45 
    3   543 Carrie Crooks           29 Towson MD             X 1:47:19 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
    1   516 Cara Fahey              33 Alexandria VA         X 1:41:24 
    2   628 Chrissy Graham          34 Olney MD              X 1:41:25 
    3    23 Gayle Vogel             33 Washington DC         X 1:42:44 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
    1   124 Amy Wigmore             37 Arlington VA          X 1:38:37 
    2   432 Karen Myers             37 Harrisonburg VA       X 1:39:09 
    3   709 Colleen Carroll         35 Davidsonville MD      X 1:39:52 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
    1  1484 Lori Mennitt            44 McLean VA             X 1:41:41 
    2   556 Geri Nash               42 Annapolis MD          X 1:44:48 
    3   963 Patricia Cuff           43 Alexandria VA         X 1:46:42 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
    1  1541 Win Persina             48 Washington DC         X 1:33:33 
    2  1201 Jennifer Lundeen        48 Port Republic MD      X 1:34:15 
    3  1439 Marie McIntee           48 Middletown DE         X 1:44:40 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
    1   107 Catherine Storrer       54 Columbia MD           X 1:53:09 
    2   562 Anne Ostrenga           51 Derwood MD            X 1:55:57 
    3   384 Linda Allen             52 Alexandria VA         X 1:57:33 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
    1   629 Amanda Falk             58 Annapolis MD          X 1:59:19 
    2   177 Mary Rohde              55 Davidsonville MD      X 2:09:34 
    3   605 Ellen Direneld          55 Arlington VA          X 2:10:51 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 99
    1    26 Sandra May              62 Alexandria VA         X 2:01:04 
    2  1485 Lucy Keough             62 Washington DC         X 2:25:06 
    3  1527 Sharon Wollman          68 Annapolis MD          X 2:59:16 

Full Race Day Results
Race Day Report for 2008
Photo Gallery 2008
Look for the next race in the series at the ZOOMA Race Series Web Page.