Seven-year-old Zack May was the Paul Revere of Capitol Hill. As his dad drove the pace car for the Capitol Hill Classic 10K up 10th Street, he alerted spectators to the race's unique leader: "The first runner is barefoot!"

"I run slow when I put shoes on," explained Eron Ferreira, who improved upon his 1995 third place finish in the Classic and covered the course in 33:05. The runner from Olinda, Brazil, is staying in Falls Church, VA, while he prepares for a fall marathon. He does wear shoes to train, and does not always race barefoot.

The novelty of a shoeless racer was just one reason for the exuberance of Zack and his Capitol Hill neighbors who gathered to volunteer or cheer at the eighteenth running of this race, a benefit for the Capitol Hill Cluster School. Because the Peabody Early Childhood Learning Center, the public school that provides the race's staging area, was on the list of 16 District schools slated to be closed, organizers feared this year's race might be the last. Thankfully, the District school trustee board vote the week before the race assured the school and the race would continue next year.

The thunderstorms of the previous evening had swept out all mugginess, leaving only blustery winds and cool temperatures at the 8:30 am start. Nearly 800 10K runners turned out for the sunny and brisk May morning. Runners faced resistance from the west as they exited the road circling RFK Stadium and headed back toward Lincoln Park. "There was a lot of wind out there today!" Capitol Hill resident Isaac Parker said.

The winds didn't help runners who learned firsthand what the "hill" in Capitol Hill really means. The mostly flat course shoots out to the US Capitol Building, where runners get a welcome downhill. After rounding congressional headquarters, they then must charge back up the slope on the north side in the final 1.5 miles of the race, just when the leg muscles feel most fatigued. "Little Capitol Hill seems a lot bigger than it does when I run from the office," Richard Schwartz of Chevy Chase, MD, said.

With a coffee mug in one hand and the loop of a dog leash in the other, Hill residents strolled out of their rowhouses and packed the corners and leafy streets of the neighborhood. "It's a nice crowd . . . a heterogeneous crowd," Ken Hill of Takoma Park said, on why he ran the Classic again this year. "There were a lot of good people out there, yelling for everyone, especially women," said Laura Gillim, the women's ninth place finisher and winner of the 20-29 age division. Wheelchair participant Philip Cephas led the pack of 10K racers with an advance start.

Sean McNatt, David Larsen, and Ferreira established pacing duties within the first half mile, and only shuffled positions slightly over the course. McNatt led through the first two miles, until the runners emerged from the loop around RFK Stadium and headed into their first incline and gust of wind. With McNatt fighting the winds, Ferreira broke from the pack and Larsen followed, matching his stride exactly through the 5K mark. Ferreira pulled ahead after passing Lincoln Park and maintained his lead to win in 33:05. Larsen, always within 100 meters of Ferreira, finished in second with 33:31, and McNatt kept the triumvirate's control through the finish, with his time of 34:18. After not racing for almost a year, Larsen, a member of the US Navy, entered the race to measure his fitness level. "The first few miles were at [a] pace more like I expected," he said, "then [we] slowed down." He noted the steady contact between himself and Ferreira. "After four miles, neither of us was gaining ground."

The women's winner, Capitol Hill resident Hilary Cairns, also allowed her rivals to go out fast and set a premature lead. After completing two marathons last fall, she is easing back into racing. "I try and start slow," she said. Cairns reeled in the women's pacesetter, Patty Turney, by mile four and forged ahead to win in 38:42, for 25th place overall. Turney maintained the spot she'd earned by applying speed early on, and grabbed second place in 39:11, a lead of 1:37 over her next competitor. Suzanne Harter jubilantly placed third for the women in 40:48. "This is one of my favorite races," she said. "I didn't think I'd place; I just came out to run."

Fresh off her PR in a 10K the previous week, Judy Scarabello was the women's master's winner, and the 16th woman with her time of 45:22. "The [younger] woman running with me had people in the neighborhood saying 'hi' to her," Scarabello said. "She kept saying, 'I'm too old for this!'" Scarabello set her sights on runners ahead of her and outdistanced her closest competitor by eight seconds. David Webster took first for the master's men in 35:19, placing seventh overall. "I got stronger in the last mile," he said. Webster chose to come in for the race from Stevensville, MD because he had another appointment in the District. After the running the race to raise funds for the Capitol Hill Cluster School, he spent the afternoon painting Hendley Elementary School in the 8th Ward with a volunteer group.

This race, known for its family-centered energy, teems with children. Two hundred and sixty youngsters registered for the Fun Run around Stanton Park, and the 3K gave 188 more runners a chance to release their energy. Even the prizes for the race emphasized education. In addition to gift certificates to area restaurants for the top three male and female 10K finishers, prizes were awarded to the first male and female teachers in the 10K and 3K and to the top students from each of the three schools comprising the Cluster School. The first parent-child team to cross the line won two tickets to the Shakespeare Theater.