In the photo below, Stephen Szachta (#275) leads a contingent of midshipmen around the final corner to the finish

". . . Zack's Run is still on!" the Web site announced as early as Friday. Enthusiasm was not dampened at this race. Power or no power, runners can still run. And they did. The run attracts mostly local runners, though lone representatives from Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee took part. More than 300 pre-registered and more registered on the day for both the 5K race and the 1 mile fun run.

The University of Maryland campus welcomed the race participants for the fourth year in a row. The University of Maryland Police Department came out to lend major support and the Comcast Center was wide open for runners to use the bathrooms, which were a luxury compared to the usual porta-johns. Pre-race preparations included warming up by running the center's steps, running the last half mile to the finish line, or just sitting and stretching in the cool, sunny, slightly breezy-and finally cloudless-morning weather. The night before the race, the Maryland Terrapins defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers, 34- 7. The remnants of celebrations in the parking lots on campus were more than evident, and the cleaning crews were already out at 8:00 am.

Race organizers had announced a "new fast course" in the registration packet. In past years, the course has started and finished at Byrd Stadium and made a loop within the University of Maryland campus. This year, the loop stayed almost the same, but the start and finish were moved to the Comcast Center. The one major set of hills, which used to come at the end of the race, is now in the first mile. The last two miles are mostly downhill or flat (with an exception or two). This set up encourages "negative splits" for those who pay attention to such details. It is a relief to find a rather flat course in Prince George's County, which often seems to be all hills for those of us who live and run here.

Soon after the start at 9:00 am, Ben Cooke (26), Kyle Smits (24), and Eric Marenburg (20) led the pack as they crested the first and relatively minor hill on Regents Drive. Spread throughout the field of runners were many Naval Academy runners wearing white T-shirts with blue collars and sleeves and Terp Runners wearing red tank tops. The Naval Academy has always turned out for this race. In 2000, more than 100 came out to run. This year, the number cannot have been much lower.

After the first half mile or so, before the crest of the set of hills at the first mile marker, Cooke pulled ahead of the pack and ran alone for the rest of the race. With a half mile left, he was at least 100 yards ahead of Smits. The training partners and co-workers at the Georgetown Running Company took first and second places, finishing in 15:11 and 15:43, respectively. Jesse Williams (25) claimed third in 15:59. Cooke and Smits were the only two representatives of the Georgetown Running Company today, though other speedy runners work with them. Smits admitted that Cooke often beats him, though "every once in a while I get him." But not today. Cooke described the course as "hillier than I expected." Though the two ran the first mile as a warm up, they did not expect the few uphills in the second mile.

The top two women are more closely connected than merely being training partners or co-workers. They are twins. Halsey Sinclair (14, photo left) sprinted into first place in 19:51. Ashlyn Sinclair followed less than a minute later in 20:44. The two are freshmen at Montgomery Blair High School. Halsey has not only achieved first place in this local race, but she is also a National Champion in the 1500, which she achieved with a time of 4:46.31 this year. Both women have run the race before, Halsey in 2001, when she was third in the women's competition and Ashlyn in 2001 and 2002, when she placed eleventh and eighth, respectively, among women. Taking third place for women was Heather Thomas (20) with a time of 21:20.

Many children and teenagers came out to take part-about one third of the runners were under the age of 20. "Cob's Crew" is a pack of teenage runners from a Bowie neighborhood headed by non- teenage Coach Cob (a nickname earned when he played high school football many years ago). Coach Cob's message to the younger runners is "to get in shape first" then learn whatever sport they are interested in pursuing. For many members of the crew, the goal is to get fit for the spring Lacrosse season at De Matha Catholic High School in Hyattsville. The crew have all earned nicknames that were emblazoned on their white T-shirts, such as DK, E-Man, Goeb, K.I.D. Rock, Mad Dog, and Old Man-by coming out to at least three training runs with Cob's Crew.

The 1-mile fun run started just minutes after the 5K and took a separate route, not just an abbreviated version of the 5K course. Their finish was a fast downhill on an asphalt path curving down from the behind the Comcast Center. One rather unusual participant took part: a poodle who was actually registered with bib number 1004.

After every runner had finished, prizes- such as Terrapins mini basketballs and mini football helmets--were given out according to randomly drawn bib numbers. In the midst of the random prize drawings, T-shirts from last year's race were thrown into the crowd. Pizza, bagels, fruit, and water were abundant during the post-race celebrations. Runners were even encouraged to come back for seconds and thirds.

The race, which has been an annual event since 2000, benefits the Zachary Hebda Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting childhood cancer in honor of its namesake, who died of leukemia in 1999. For more information, see the race Web site.

Award Winners

FEMALE OVERALL
Place Num   Name                   Age City                      Time  
===== ===== ====================== === ========================= ===== 
    1   161 Halsey Sinclair         14 Silver Spring MD          19:51 


MALE OVERALL
Place Num   Name                   Age City                      Time  
===== ===== ====================== === ========================= ===== 
    1   332 Ben Cooke               26 Silver Spring MD          15:11 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 12
    1    81 Kelly Klein            12 Laurel MD                 26:19 
    2   216 Tessa Scheckelhoff     10 Laurel MD                 26:44 
    3   195 Kate Daly              12 Bowie MD                  29:30 


MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 12
    1   297 Andy Bushong           11 Laurel MD                 23:24 
    2   165 Scott Oberst           11 Rockville MD              23:25 
    3   355 Michael Devlin         12 Millersville MD           27:22 


Female AGE GROUP:  13 - 19
    1   160 Ashlyn Sinclair        14 Silver Spring MD          20:41 
    2   198 Sara Nadal             18 Annapolis MD              21:36 
    3   336 Sheena Willis          17 Washington DC             22:51 


Male AGE GROUP:  13 - 19
    1   311 Dan Ryan               19 College Park MD           16:22 
    2   365 Alvin Yew              18 Clarksville MD            16:59 
    3   331 Erik Westlund          19 Annapolis MD              17:16 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 29
    1   218 Heather Thomas         20 Washington DC             21:18 
    2   113 Kristy Boren           24 Catonsville MD            22:11 
    3   304 Rachel Hammond         23 Annapolis MD              22:32 


MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 29
    1   356 Kyle Smits             24 Washington DC             15:43 
    2   347 Jesse Williams         25                           15:59 
    3   250 Eric Marenburg         20 Peabody MA                16:25 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39
    1   362 Paige Waterman         36 Rockville MD              21:27 
    2   185 Dawn Witchey           34 Huntingtown MD            23:01 
    3   367 Donna Cochran          35 Chillum MD                25:36 


MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39
    1   379 Mike Sheehy            31 Chevy Chase MD            17:02 
    2   360 Alden Hall             33 Washington DC             17:10 
    3   301 Jeff Groharing         32 Alexandria VA             17:44 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49
    1   143 Patricia Head          41 Edgewater MD              25:42 
    2   343 Colleen Derber         40 Dunkirk MD                28:10 
    3   208 Pam Winston            44 Takoma Park MD            30:03 


MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49
    1   407 Leslie Wright          40 Glenarden MD              18:19 
    2   338 Greg Langer            40 Arlington VA              18:44 
    3   326 Brian Carroll          48 Silver Spring MD          18:49 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 59
    1   127 Carolyn Hoolihan       51 Laurel MD                 35:27 
    2   227 Ruth Russell           54 Hollywood MD              35:53 


MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 59
    1    28 Herbert Tolbert        56 Gaithersburg MD           19:00 
    2   352 William Scott          56 Glenarden MD              20:51 
    3   380 Eric Gyaki             55 Crofton MD                21:45 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 69
    1   236 Yolanda Perez          61 Silver Spring MD          26:36 


MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 69
    1   405 Lou Shapiro            61 Silver Spring MD          21:03 
    2    24 Terry Derk             62 Dauphin PA                23:00 
    3   382 Bob Hyten              64 Edwardsville IL           24:19 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99


MALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99

See complete results of the Zack's 5K Run.

See our Photo Gallery.