Open Men
Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K, 24:04, 10K = 30:32

Baltimore's Dave Berdan improved his last year's Twilight 8K to 24:40 this year to earn sixth place in the Open Division.

The season really began the first week of June as virtually none of the top runners raced Memorial Day weekend. John Bitok ran the Race for Our Kids to a second place finish in 31:19 against a tough field. The following week in Fairfax, VA, the CapitalOne 8K was the training ground for two top runners. Biyhanu Wukaw and Abraha Asefa playfully scooted alongside each other. Asefa did not seem to mind when Wukaw surged to be declared the winner in 24:27. Wukaw had raced the Lawyers Have Heart 10K the day before winning easily in 31:19.

Meanwhile, John Bitok was tearing up Baltimore with a Survivor Harbor 7 Mile in 35:13 win. The next week he won Father's Day in 14:58. Doing well at the Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K usually bodes well. His time was an excellent 24:28 but he was sixth overall. Asefa finished second, in 24:04, splitting between the Too brothers from New Jersey.

Five more of the top ten racers were at that race. Dave Berdan is ranked sixth by making a four second improvement from last year in 24:40. Wukaw was close behind in 24:51 as was Christopher Raabe. Raabe gets seventh place. Wukaw moves to fourth with his earlier race. Wardian had a workmanlike 25:20 but earned his eighth place ranking winning the Charm City 20 Mile on Labor Day weekend in 1:49:10 (10K = 31:23).

That final September weekend sure helped Jorge Medina, who had run the Twilight 8K in 25:06. He moves up to fifth place at the Rock "n" Roll HM in 1:08:37 (10K = 31:08). Ninth ranked Ryan Carroll was also there passing over the mats in 1:09:57. Young Stephen Mutisya popped a fast Yorktown 5K in 15:14 for the tenth placing.

The missing third placement goes to teen sensation Ezkyas Sisay who won the Kentlands 5K in 14:50. The final day of the ranking period, at the Bay Cafe, John Bitok closed on the title, falling just short with a 14:45. Sisay was close behind him in 14:51.

PL	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Asefa, Abraha*	        24	Washington, DC
2	Bitok, John***	        27	Baltimore, MD
3	Sisay, Ezkyas**	        18	Washington, DC
4	Wukaw, Birhanu**	24	Washington, DC
5	Medina, Jorge	        22	Falls Church, VA
6	Berdan, Dave	        26	Baltimore, MD
7	Raabe, Christopher*	28	Washington, DC
8	Wardian, Michael*6	33	Arlington, VA
9	Carroll, Ryan*****	24	Portsmouth, VA
10	Mutisya, Stephen**	22	Richmond, VA
11	Carr, Allen	        24	Herndon, VA
12	Spong, Jason	        30	Richmond, VA
13	Kelele, Zereu	        26	Washington, DC
14	Church, Aaron*	        32	South Riding, VA
15	Pugsley, Ray	        38	Potomac Falls, VA
16	Post, Eric*	        28	Centreville, VA
17	Deak, Ryan*	        21	Burke, VA
18	Baxter, David*	        22	Salem, VA
19	Printz, James	        21	Cross Junction, VA
20	Alton, Guy*	        23	Richmond, VA
21	Hurt, Charlie	        24	Scottsville, VA
22	Greene, Jeff*	        36	Richmond, VA
23	Kent, Ryan*	        21	Yorktown, VA
24	McDermott, Randy*	35	Bethesda, MD
25	Mamman, Ryan	        31	Woodbridge, VA
26	Whitlow, Dustin	        21	Ashburn, VA
27	Mehmedovic, Izudin**	22	Columbia, MD
28	Mance, Steve**	        23	Alexandria, VA
29	Reutlinger, Phil	28	Arlington, VA
30	Estrada, Eric*	        35	Parkville, MD
31	Wyss, Jay***	        21	Richmond, VA
32	Furst, Eric*	        26	Catonsville, MD
33	Brame, Nathan	        18	Shawsville, VA
34	Sprtel, Frank	        35	Silver Spring , MD
35	Tullock, Brian*	        25	Centreville, VA
36	Hawkins, Jaron**	24	Frostburg, MD
37	Mock, Doug	        40	Columbia, MD
38	Piggott, John 	        42	Williamsburg, VA
39	Shirk, Kevin*	        27	Winchester, VA
40	Jacoby, Bert*	        24	Fredericksburg, VA
41	Williams, Tom	        32	Columbia, MD
42	Charlesworth, Jonathan	22	Richmond, VA
43	Martin, Lewis*	        22	Charlottesville, VA
44	Colaiacovo, Mike	37	Baltimore, MD
45	Tepovich, Danny	        28	Virginia Beach, VA
46	Smalley, Ware	        20	Berryville, VA
47	Bauer, Dustin**	        21	Timonium, MD
48	Renjifo, Carlos**	24	Columbia, MD
49	Sharp, John	        32	Richmond, VA
50	Lowry, Jared	        24	Arlington, VA
51	Taylor, Eric 	        28	Newport News, VA
52	Sillery, Spider*	35	Baltimore, MD
53	Lamonte, Joe	        27	Arlington, VA
54	Jackson, Sam*	        18	Hunt Valley, MD
55	Ingram, Ben	        30	Baltimore, MD
56	Reaves, Patrick*	22	Silver Spring, MD
57	Crowder, Steve**	33	Fincastle, VA
58	Loper, Shawn*	        29	Bel Air, MD
59	Desilets, Justin	28	Ashburn, VA
60	Kreger, Casey*	        20	Richmond, VA
61	Klaschus, Matt	        20	Street, MD
62	General, Darrell	41	Hyattsville, VA

19 & Under Men
Kentlands/Lakelands 5K, 14:50, 10K = 30:57

Ezkyas Sisay of Washington, DC must have been grinning watching hundreds of teens racing around all summer trying to win the division. Then September 1st he decided to enough was enough. He blitzed his way to the top with an overall win at Kentlands in 14:50. Two days later he was runner-up at Bay Cafe in 14:51.

Erik Anderson of Baltimore, MD made his bones in a deep field at the Twilight 8K, finishing in 25:43 (10K = 32:37). He was only third there. Fourth place Mat Abernethy was fifth there in 26:01 (10K = 33:00). His brother Drew was fourth in 25:49 but only had one qualifying race.

Tim Smith of Roanoke, VA won the Commonwealth Games 5K in 15:44 for third in the division. Nathan Brame of Shawsville, VA was home the Fourth of July to finish second in the 5K in 15:51 (10K = 33:04). His second 5K, the FAB in 15:55, was just enough moxie to get past Abernethy, who had chilled in an overall win at the Capital Crescent 5K in 16:36.

Pl	Name	                      Age	Hometown
1	Sisay, Ezkyas**	               18	Washington, DC
2	Anderson, Erik*	               18	Baltimore, MD
3	Smith, Tim*	               17	Roanoke, VA
4	Brame, Nathan**	               18	Shawsville, VA
5	Abernethy, Mat*	               18	College Park, MD
6	Mahone, Andrew**	       18	Abingdon, MD
7	Jackson, Sam*	               18	Hunt Valley, MD
8	Aougab, Tarik	               19	Potomac, MD
9	Iventichel, Erisha*	       18	Timonium, MD
10	Clark, Jon**	               17	Roanoke, VA
11	Whitlock, Jordan****	       19	Lynchburg, VA
12	Hulleberg, Anders****	       19	Baltimore, MD
13	DeWitt, Daniel***	       19	Frostburg, MD
14	Darmody, Neal	               17	Gaithersburg, MD
15	Barry, Davis*****	       16	Montpelier, VA
16	Lilley, Michael**	       16	Hagerstown, MD
17	Aaron, Robert*	               19	Virginia Beach, VA
18	Garland, William***	       19	Virginia Beach, VA
19	Stasiowski, Ryan**	       19	Baltimore, MD
20	Bowser, Ryan****	       17	Grantsville, MD
21	Merritt, Mark**	               17	Richmond, VA
22	Booth, Alex	               19	Bethesda, MD
23	Leathers, Arthur**	       17	Eldersburg, MD
24	Komen, James**	               18	Burke, VA
25	Gounley, Thomas*	       16	Newport News, VA
26	Ledwith, Brian*	               16	Salem, VA
27	Fearns, Colin**	               18	Eldersburg, MD
28	Rigler, Andrew***	       16	Altavista, VA
29	Keen, Trevor*	               17	Crownsville, MD
30	Lange, Greg*	               17	Cockeysville, MD
31	Haje, Naseem*	               16	Hagerstown, MD
32	Andrews, Kyle**	               16	Columbia, MD
33	Cushman, Simon**	       16	Charlottesville, VA
34	Hairfield, Patrick*	       17	Abingdon, MD
35	Carney, Teddy*	               16	Columbia, MD
36	Koch, Janathan	               18	Columbia, MD
37	Hart, Byron	               17	Vinton, VA
38	Armstrong, Talbot	       16	Marshall, VA
39	Jubb, Greg	               17	Westminster, MD
40	Skarda, Timothy	               16	Baltimore, MD
41	Jablonski, Matthew	       14	Cockeysville, MD
42	Petit, Brian*	               19	Laurel, MD
43	Beasley, Spencer*	       16	Alexandria, VA
44	King, Bill	               16	Timonium, MD
45	Negley, Michael*	       18	Frostburg, MD
46	Kirby, Sean	               16	Clarksville, MD
47	Orndorff, William*	       17	Rockville, MD
48	Silverman, Jake*	       15	Abingdon, MD
49	Shea, Ryan*	               19	Manassas, VA
50	White, Jordan*	               16	Union Bridge, MD
51	Lee, Daniel*	               18	Ruther Glen, VA
52	Faherty, Brian	               15	Greenbelt, MD
53	Saldana, Jesse	               17	Leesburg, VA
54	Stachowiak, Benjamin	       17	Kingsville, MD
55	Ozarowski, Ron	               18	Baltimore, MD
56	Billaud, Keran*	               18	Dublin, VA
57	McCauley, Jeffrey	       19	Hagerstown, MD
58	Capobianco, Stephen	       18	Shawsville, VA
59	Stresing, Andrew**	       16	Annapolis, MD
60	Oakes, Kody*	               18	Chesapeake, VA
61	Bugos, Zachary**	       18	Poquoson, VA
62	Matuszak, Kevin	               18	Baltimore, MD
63	Rooks, Delvaughn**	       15	Baltimore, MD
64	Kingery, Caleb	               16	Roanoke, VA
65	Demaree, Grant	               15	Marriottsville, MD
66	Sufczynski, Christopher*****   16	Dundalk, MD
67	Carney, James	               18	Mt. Savage, MD
68	Teich, Roni	               16	Rockville, MD
69	Cupler, Zac	               18	Grantsville, MD
70	Vernon, Timothy	               16	Forest, VA
71	Coffey, Peter	               15	Alexandria, VA
72	Hawthorne, William**	       17	Richmond, VA
73	Ozarowski, David*	       14	Baltimore, MD
74	Flanagan, Eric	               17	Fairfax, VA

35-39 Men
Leesburg 10K, 32:04

Ray Pugsley started out with a low-key second overall 34:01 at the Cascades Fire Chase 10K, which would have been a course age group record save for an out-of-towner finishing under the fire truck ladders first. In July, he treated himself to a jaunt up to Rockville to win his division at the Twilight 8K in 25:39. Back to Leesburg, he set a new record with his 32:04 10K for third overall.

Jeff Greene of Richmond, VA moved into second place with two swift nearly identical 5Ks. They were the Run for the Future 5K in 15:42 and an overall win at the Race for the Cause 5K with 15:43. Randy McDermott of Bethesda, MD is a new face on the scene. Look out for his swift Twilight 8K in 25:53.

Erik Estrada likes the holidays. Independence Day meant an overall win at the Dundalk 6K in 19:30. Labor Day he was even faster at the Bay Cafe in 15:46. Michael Colaiacovo was second overall at Dundalk in 19:41 for the fifth spot in the division.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Pugsley, Ray***	        38	Potomac Falls, VA
2	Greene, Jeff**	        35	Richmond, VA
3	McDermott, Randy*	35	Bethesda, MD
4	Estrada, Eric***	35	Parkville, MD
5	Colaiacovo, Mike****	38	Baltimore, MD
6	Sillery, Spider**	35	Baltimore, MD
7	Thomas, Ben**	        38	Newport, VA
8	Mower, Bret**	        36	Greencastle, PA
9	Orloff, Conrad*	        37	Columbia, MD
10	Tripp, Jason**	        35	Ellicott City, MD
11	Wolfe, Robert***	35	Washington, DC
12	Lockwood, Max****	37	Washington, DC
13	Mason, Andy**	        35	Hagerstown, MD
14	Harrington, Jeff**	37	Lynchburg, VA
15	Boyd, Matt**	        37	Fredericksburg, VA
16	Inserto, Gene	        35	Gaithersburg, MD
17	Frelich, Pavel*	        36	Chevy Chase, MD

40-44 Men
Rembrance 5K, 15:53, 10K = 33:08
Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, 1:13:02, 10K = 33:08

Talk about a close race! Doug Mock takes off Memorial Day and blasts a 15:53 5K. The final Sunday of the period, long distance superman John Piggott races the Rock 'n' Roll HM in 1:13:02. Both are exactly a 33:08 10K. Still, the decision was simple as these two competitors met up twice during the period. In June, at the Race for Our Kids 10K, Mock was the masters champion in 34:05 with Piggott next in 34:41. Then in mid-July in perhaps the most competitive 5K of the period, Mock was third master and 16th overall at the Derby Day 5K in 16:20. Piggott crossed the line next in 17:01.

Third place Rodney Timpson was third at the Race for Our Kids in 35:21 but he hoped that his Survivor 7 Mile in 38:37 (10K = 33:51) would hold up for the runner-up spot. No joy; Piggott found himself a half marathon to run.

Darrell General has been gearing up for his sixth consecutive Olympic Trials Marathon. Still, he likes to keep his hand in on the small stuff. He coasted to an easy division win at the Twilight Festival 4 Mile in 21:28. Twilight seemed to work for him so he took on Rockville's 8K and won there in 26:58. Howard Nippert of Fork Union, VA followed him discreetly down North Washington Street, finishing shortly afterwards in 27:13 (10K = 34:31).

Nippert just finished ahead of the next five runners, all under 35:00 equivalents.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Mock, Doug***	        40	Columbia, MD
2	Piggott, John*****	42	Williamsburg, VA
3	Timpson, Rodney**	42	Baltimore, MD
4	General, Darrell**	41	Hyattsville, MD
5	Nippert, Howard**	42	Fork Union, VA
6	Stickley, Mark*	        44	Winchester, VA
7	Richards, Matt**	40	Lynchburg, VA
8	Dickenson, Edward*****	43	Roanoke, VA
9	Hoon, Mark**	        42	Kensington, MD
10	Purcell, Tom**	        41	Norfolk, VA
11	Henderson, Jerry*****	41	Bel Air, MD
12	Hamley, Christopher*	43	Hyattsville, VA
13	Schuler, Tim***	        44	Chambersburg, PA
14	Adams, John****	        44	Norfolk, VA
15	Powell, Charles*6	41	Parkville, MD
16	Garster, Jim***	        40	Springfield, VA
17	Lang, Phil**	        40	Columbia, MD
18	Thomas, Derik**	        41	Alexandria, VA
19	Smith, Gene**	        42	Burke, VA
20	Hymes, Craig**	        44	Yorktown, VA
21	Caudle, Kyle**	        42	Annapolis, MD
22	Schaffer, William*	40	Arlington, VA
23	Yurko, Tony***	        44	Cumberland, MD
24	Bloor, Doug**	        40	Charlottesville, VA
25	Mesick, Mike*	        40	Fredericksburg, VA
26	Difonzo, Dan	        44	Rockville, MD
27	Braam, Richard**	42	Bel Air, MD
28	Johnstone, Steve*	43	Virginia Beach, VA
29	Wasiak, Mike**	        42	Towson, MD
30	Goode, Martin	        44	Baltimore, MD
31	Neff, Mark	        44	Rockville, MD
32	Simonds, Daniel*	40	Poolesville, MD
33	Haast, Theo*	        40	Leesburg, VA
34	Rudolph, Chuck**	44	Ruther Glen, VA
35	Rippey, Brad**	        41	Bunker Hill, WV
36	Kileen, Sean*	        42	Richmond, VA
37	Beckley, John	        40	Silver Spring, MD
38	Thatchter, Alan*	44	Manassas, VA
39	Anderson, Matt**	41	Fairfax, VA

45-49 Men
Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal 5 Miler, 26:35, 10K = 33:31

Seventh ranked Gerrit Labuschagne (45) of Richmond, VA won a 5K the first day of the period in 17:10. In his other seven races, he was never slower than fifth overall.

Greg Caulller and Dave Berardi had the 13 best races. Cauller gets the crown because two of his races were head-to-head wins. To start the period, at the Survivor Harbor 7 Mile, Cauller had the fastest qualifier with 39:14, besting Berardi's 39:25. On the very last day, Cauller repeated at the Bay Cafe 5K, 16:36 to 16:42. In between, Berardi struggled at the Twilight 8K, losing to third ranked David Haaga's 27:53. Fifth ranked Doug Kuderna noted that Berardi was clearly sick at the race and used the opportunity to pass him, finishing next in 28:02.

Haaga's best race was a swift 16:50 at the Capital Crescent. Ted Poulos of McLean, VA maintained his long run of age group wins with the second highest total (17) of all divisions. His Run for Shelter 5K in 16:57 was his best race.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Cauller, Greg*8	         47	York, PA
2	Berardi, Dave***	 47	Baltimore, MD
3	Haaga, David**	         46	Rockville, MD
4	Poulos, Ted*17	         45	McLean, VA
5	Kuderna, Doug***	 46	Odenton, MD
6	Marino, Robert*	         49	Hanover, MD
7	Labuschagne, Gerrit*8	 45	Richmond, VA
8	Pineo, Stuart	         46	Columbia, MD
9	Arcaz, Jean-Christophe** 46	Rockville, MD
10	McLaughlin, Terry***	 46	Spotsylvania, VA
11	Spiekerman, Burkhard***	 49	Charlottesville, VA
12	Coleman, Dennis****	 49	Montgomery Village, MD
13	Calhoun, Martin	         45	Herndon, VA
14	Garbini, Hernan**	 45	Charlottesville, VA
15	Dietz, Steve**	         47	Springfield, VA
16	Samley, Chris***	 45	Charlottesville, VA
17	Jarrett, T. Roy***	 47	Virginia Beach, VA
18	Chall, John	         49	Jessup, MD
19	Omara, Pat	         49	Fairfax, VA
20	Page, H.T.**	         47	Wirtz, VA
21	Morrison, Jack*	         48	Hartwood, VA
22	Hattar, Thomas**	 45	Davidsonville, MD
23	Wills, Stephen****	 46	Washington, DC
24	Boman, Bret**	         48	Forest, VA
25	Claro, Antonio***	 45	Rockville, MD
26	D'Amanda, Kevin**	 45	Bethesda, MD
27	Schuler, Greg*	         46	Laurel, MD
28	McFadden, Weems*	 49	Columbia, MD
29	Esser, Dan*	         47	Reisterstown, MD
30	Mace, Matthew*	         46	Arnold, MD
31	Burris, Eric*	         47	Owings Mills, MD
32	Perrotto, Jonathan**	 47	New Market, VA
33	Cook, Tom*	         48	Chantilly, VA

50-54 Men
Vineyards of Williamsburg 5K, 16:50 10K = 35:07

Jeff Stone (51) of Salem, VA had two solid 5K races to earn the 31st spot in the rankings.

Stephen Chantry made winning look so easy that everybody wanted to join the division. Still, the main three contenders were the same as last year. Both Maurice Pointer and Dan Lawson won the division once each last year but it is clear that Chantry is the man to beat. Though he prefers the short distances, too short for qualifiers, he seemed to have no problem winning the Rock 'n' Roll HM in 1:18:07. Fourth Pete Gibson was second in that race in 1:22:14.

Meanwhile, our top three contenders owned the top 21 qualifying times in between.

Pointer started the season with an average 37:19, albeit second overall at McVets. Lawson was the overall winner in a 4 miler in 23:03. Chantry would call those training run times. Of course, Pointer had run a 17:10 the day before at the Stoneleigh Stampede and Lawson would match that exactly the following week at Capital Crescent.

Chantry had just one race in July and did not get real busy until August. His Yorktown 5K in 16:53 was almost enough by itself. The second weekend he took a little 5K called Super Day 5K and finished third overall in 17:16. Not real pleased, he came back the very next day and aced the Vineyards 5K in 16:50 to cap the crown.

Pointer had fourteen wins and he came on like gangbusters late in the period. He notched a fine 17:01 5K September 1 and two days later a 35:13 10K to help keep Chantry hungry. Lawson won at the Twilight 8K in 28:08 so they would know that he was not going away.

James Bates was razor close to Gibson with his 17:54 5K. The next four runners had 5Ks for best races all within five seconds.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Chantry, Stephen*****	52	Williamsburg, VA
2	Pointer, Maurice*14	51	Baltimore, MD
3	Lawson, Dan*****	51	Gaithersburg, MD
4	Gibson, Pete*	        51	Murfreesboro, NC
5	Bates, James***	        51	Hampton, VA
6	Compton, Norton*7	52	Fairfax, VA
7	Skiles, Barry**	        51	Pilot, VA
8	Meadows, Mike***	50	Martinsburg, WV
9	Thornton, Jim*****	53	Seaford, VA
10	Peterson, Paul***	53	Bethesda, MD
11	Hanle, Joe**	        50	Columbia, MD
12	Mears, Finley**	        51	Towson, MD
13	Chall,  John*	        50	Jessup, MD
14	Darmody, Peter***	51	Gaithersburg, MD
15	Ruckert, Tom*****	54	Grantsville, MD
16	Halpin, Bruce***	51	Ashburn, VA
17	Serra, Paul**	        51	Lusby, MD
18	Gessler, Bobby*	        50	Ellicott City, MD
19	Dudley, Robert****	51	Richmond, VA
20	Lemke, Mike**	        52	Richmond, VA
21	McFadden, Weems*	50	Columbia, MD
22	Kirk, Peter	        50	Rockville, MD
23	Burns, Bob	        54	Columbia, MD
24	Sengebusch, Marc***	54	Catonsville, MD
25	Vanderveer, Gary*	50	Virginia Beach, VA
26	Grimsley, Gary	        53	Springfield, VA
27	Mason, Michael	        51	Spencerville, MD
28	Anderson, Wilhelm	51	Annapolis, MD
29	Moseley, Robert	        52	Odenton, MD
30	Koehler, Roger*	        53	Lexington, VA
31	Stone, Jeffrey**	51	Salem, VA
32	Cutchins, Wyatt**	51	Newport News, VA
33	Pifer, Charles**	51	Chesapeake, VA
34	Clardy, Peter	        50	Rockville, MD
35	Dekornfeld, Thomas	54	Annapolis, MD
36	Brooks, Mike*	        50	Fredericksburg, VA
37	Adams, Jim	        51	Baltimore, MD
38	Rodriguez, Roberto**	51	Arlington, VA
39	Carmines, Ed	        52	Midlothian, VA
40	Robinson, Steve	        52	Herndon, VA
41	Trujillo, John	        50	Baltimore, MD
42	Hulleberg, Paul	        51	Baltimore, MD

55-59 Men
Capital Crescent 5K, 17:53, 10K = 37:18

Jim Wright cruised the Capital Crescent 5K course in 17:53 to win the division. The 58-year old runner also was the first runner overall in an age graded 4 miler. Runner-up Richard Adams, Jr. of Herndon, VA is known for swift 5Ks. He busted a nice 18:13 at Tim Harmon to close on Wright. As often happens, the Twilight 8K decides divisions. Wright fended off Adams's excellent 30:17 with an even better 30:00. Last year's champion, Mick Slonaker of Columbia, MD, was a distant third with 31:18.

Steve Bognar of Lynchburg, VA entered the division with an Independence Day 5K in 18:27 and a Percival 5 Mile in 30:43. From out west, Tom Ruckert of Barton, MD entered the fray with a nice 18:41 at Andrea's 5K in August. He briefly supplanted Adams's 10K best of 39:56 at Lawyers with his Moonshine 10K in 39:34. Slonaker moved that aside a week later to take fifth place, winning Leesburg in 39:12.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Wright, Jim****	        58	Gaithersburg, MD
2	Adams, Richard****	56	Herndon, VA
3	Bognar, Steve**	        55	Lynchburg, VA
4	Ruckert, Tom***	        55	Grantsville, MD
5	Sloanker, Mick*****	57	Columbia, MD
6	Weiss, Doc**	        58	Pembroke, VA
7	Platt, Rick****	        57	Williamsburg, VA
8	Eddy, Dan**	        55	Alexandria, VA
9	Morgan, Timothy*	56	Damascus, MD
10	Rust, Roland*	        55	Bethesda, MD
11	Abrahamson, Dale*	58	Yorktown, VA
12	Alto, Bill***	        56	Newport News, VA
13	Ryan, Paul*	        56	Arlington, VA
14	Scott, William	        59	Glen Arden, MD
15	Wind, Jay****	        57	Arlington, VA
16	Carbary, Jim****	56	Clarksville, MD
17	Adkins, Gary**	        56	Salem, VA
18	Hart, Bill*	        58	Virginia Beach, VA
19	Lienert, Ian*	        56	Washington, DC
20	Senior, Malcolm*	56	New Market, MD
21	Stevens, Bobby	        58	Stafford, VA
22	Gary, Patrick*	        56	Manchester, MD
23	Celesia, Angelo***	58	Virginia Beach, VA
24	Trueheart, Wilson***	58	Baltimore, MD
25	Vaughan, Allen****	56	Stafford, VA
26	Pardee, William*	58	Virginia Beach, VA
27	Duffy, Jim	        55	Virginia Beach, VA

60-64 Men
Tim Harmon Memorial 5K, 18:20, 10K = 38:15

Though always a large division, finding the champion has always been easy. However, it has been Patrick Griffith, now in Florida. The only man to challenge him was the speedy Jason Page of Hamilton, VA. Page, who excels in the 5K, won the division with an 18:20 at the Tim Harmon 5K. Last year Griffith won the division with an 18:34 there. Page added an 18:42 at the Liberty 5K to cement the division.

Second place was the easiest spot because Ronnie Wong of Catonsville, MD won 18 of 19 races this period. Number 19 was the Rock 'n' Roll HM in 1:31:37. Annapolis is normally the property of John Fitzpatrick. Wong was positively gleeful, jumping for joy at the finish of the Dawson's 10K. "I beat John! I beat John!" That 40:14 to 40:42 win was the best race for either runner.

Bill Joyce had won against Jim Noone at Lawyers 42:38 to 42:54. A week later at Tim Harmon Noone turned the tables, winning 19:58 to 20:08. Joyce won at the Twilight 8K in 32:19. Wong matched that with a 5 miler in 32:24. Then he pulled off a fine Leesburg 20K in 1:25:44.

Annapolis was the meeting place for the final decision. More than a dozen runners would qualify there. When the smoke cleared Wong was victorious in 68:50 (10K = 41:25). Kirkpatrick was next in 70:17, with Joyce following in 72:02.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Page, Jason****	        62	Hamilton, VA
2	Wong, Ronnie*18	        61	Catonsville, MD
3	Kirkpatrick, John**	63	Annapolis, MD
4	Joyce, Bill****	        63	Herndon, VA
5	Noone, Jim*7	        63	Fairfax, VA
6	Wright, Bernard***	60	Pomfret, MD
7	Bell, Les*	        60	York, PA
8	Warfield, Jerry	        63	Columbia, MD
9	Dyer, Ben**	        64	Colonial Heights, VA
10	Clorety, Joe*	        64	Crownsville, MD
11	Maffei, Merle	        63	Annapolis, MD
12	Villano, Leo****	62	Silver Spring, MD
13	Going, Sam**	        64	Moneta, VA
14	Gammon, Tommy*10	60	Moseley, VA
15	Chase, Bob	        62	Falls Church, VA
16	Daley, James*	        63	Alexandria, VA
17	Horst, Elton***	        61	Hagerstown, MD
18	Golash, Michael*	64	Washington, DC
19	Spencer, Bob***	        64	Daleville, VA
20	Edington, Ronald****	60	Fredericksburg, VA
21	Baca, Ted****	        61	Arlington, VA
22	Christol, Jim*	        60	Yorktown, VA
23	McEvilly, Eamonn	64	Springfield, VA
24	Trost, Robert	        61	Falls Church, VA
25	Revanna, Krupakar	64	Falls Church, VA
26	Hensel, Donald*	        62	Gaithersburg, MD
27	Chaconas, Gregory	61	Washington, DC
28	Hester, Hank	        64	Washington, DC
29	Woodward, Lance*	60	Monkton, MD
30	Pane, Richard	        64	Herndon, VA
31	Loughran, John	        63	Sandston, VA
32	Weimer, Jim***	        60	Moneta, VA
33	Thurston, Robert*	63	Washington, DC
34	Bullock, Jim	        64	Eldersburg, MD
35	Patterson, Mark**	61	Virginia Beach, VA
36	Justice, John	        62	Lynchburg, VA
37	Grant, David*	        60	Radford, VA
38	Baile, Ken	        61	Fredericksburg, VA
39	Casinghino, John	61	Kensington, MD
40	Gaddy, Clifford	        61	Kensington, MD
41	Coleman, Jim**	        61	Norfolk, VA
42	Mayhew, Ed	        62	Winchester, VA
43	Alpern, Stephen*	60	Columbia, MD
44	Fleming, Mike	        61	Columbia, MD
45	Miller, Dan	        62	Richmond, VA
46	Harrison, Jim*	        63	Parkville, MD

65-69 Men
Leesburg 20K, 1:28:21, 10K = 42:10

Tom Patton (66) of Virginia Beach, VA ran well at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

What a difference a year makes! Loping Lou Shapiro of Silver Spring, MD has a Best of 2007 piece of eight of the ten major racing distances. He also has nine age group wins. Still, Shapiro gets better as the distance gets longer and this division has some tough 5K speedsters. Skip Mullaney, with 5:35 mile speed, opened the scoring at the Glen Piper (5K) 3.3 miler in 22:16. Jim Becker of Greencastle, PA opened with a humbler 21:15. Then he quickly cranked out a Run Through History 10K in 43:37. A week later he set the 5K standard with 20:18 (10K = 42:21) at the Vince Tantillo 5K.

Shapiro started the period with a 20:52 at the Capital Crescent 5K. Then he mucked around with quantity, piling up age group wins in local club races. His victory at the Twilight 8K in 34:44 would not be getting it done compared with Becker's Gary Brown 5M in 33:52. He plowed through the sweaty hills at the River Rumble HM and the training paid off. The Leesburg 20K was cooler this year and Shapiro was already roaring through the first mile in sub 7:00. He finished with a dandy 1:28:21 and the division crown.

John Elliott likes the triathlon too. He raced a commendable 21:15 the first weekend to earn the fourth spot but did not really compete the rest of the season. Sammy Merrill gets the lean over Stephen Forman's six age group wins with a slightly faster 5K best, 21:25 to 21:33.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Shapiro, Lou*9	        65	Silver Spring, MD
2	Becker, Jim*****	65	Greencastle, PA
3	Mullaney, Skip**	67	Charlottesville, VA
4	Elliott, John***	68	Columbia, MD
5	Merrill, Sammy*	        65	Fredericksburg, VA
6	Forman, Stephen*6	67	McLean, VA
7	Williams, Mel*	        69	Norfolk , VA
8	Pitarra, Jack**	        66	Baltimore, MD
9	Barber, Sonny**	        66	Falls Church, VA
10	Prunella, Warren*	65	Rockville, MD
11	Blackwell, Lloyd*	66	Warrenton, VA
12	Ellis, Horace****	65	Huddleston, VA
13	Delambo, Nick*	        65	Baltimore, MD
14	Robbins, Chan*	        69	Arlington, VA
15	Hicks, Joel****	        66	Radford, VA
16	Howison, David***	65	Lexington, VA
17	Neuman, Stan****	68	Lutherville, MD
18	Hutmaker, Matthew	65	Gaithersburg, MD
19	Patton, Tom*	        66	Virginia Beach, VA
20	Delaney, Jim**	        66	Frostburg, MD
21	Nilsson, Knut**	        65	Richmond, VA
22	Skelton, Lowell	        67	Moneta, VA
23	Sollers, Bill	        68	Silver Spring, MD
24	Mack, Talbot	        67	Middleburg, VA
25	Cavanaugh, Jim**	65	Arlington, VA
26	Morey, Art**	        69	Columbia, MD
27	Peacock, Dick*	        66	Richmond, VA

70-74 Men
Kentlands/Lakelands 5K, 22:15, 10K = 46:25

Seventh ranked Tidewater Strider, Chris Catoe (72) of Virginia Beach, VA, ran well in a competitive division.

This is an impressive division. We included two runners normally out of the area who have been racing tons of races just over their borders of North Carolina and Tennessee. Amazingly, the fourth ranked runner ran 18 races during the period. He won 16 of them, including wins over two runners ahead of him in the rankings. Those top four runners ran the top 36 races.

Duane Lougee marched into the division Memorial Day weekend and blitzed Tom Ray of Kitty Hawk, NC at the Elizabeth River 10K 47:33 to 48:15. That was the fastest 10K of the year. Richard Williams kicked off June by fending off Ray at the Lawyers Have Heart 10K, 48:14 to 48:28.

Lougee came back with the fastest 8K of the year, the Run for the Children in 37:15 and a swift 22:42 5K in August. Ray moved past Williams with two fast 5Ks, including the Freedom Run in 23:00.

Along came Chan Robbins of Arlington, VA. He raced four major races, winning the Twilight 8K in 37:59 and the Leesburg 10K in 48:26 to put him in the running. Two weeks later he was beaten by Williams at the Annapolis 10 Miler, watching his lead fade on the return crossing of the Severn River.

The final weekend they had a rematch and Robbins glided to victory, 22:15 to 23:21 at the Kentlands 5K to snatch the division title.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Robbins, Chan***	70	Arlington, VA
2	Lougee, Duane*6	        70	Norfolk, VA
3	Ray, Tom****	        74	Kitty Hawk, NC
4	Williams, Richard*16	71	Alexandria, VA
5	Hager, Philip	        70	Falls Church, VA
6	Lewis, Jerry	        73	Reston, VA
7	Catoe, Chris	        72	Virginia Beach, VA
8	Ridar, Alan**	        71	Reston, VA
9	Zambardi, Armand**	73	Charlottesville, VA
10	Jacobs, Gus	        70	Bel Air, MD
11	Jeter, D.T.**	        72	Bristol, TN
12	Kohler, Donald*	        70	New Market, MD
13	Simroth, Don*	        74	Charlottesville, VA

75-79 Men
St. Agnes/Bay Cafe Labor Day 5K, 23:41, 10K = 49:24

George Yannakakis of Sparks, MD came roaring out of the north to take the division last period with eight age group wins. Even his sluggish time at Annapolis in a 70 and over division at 1:30:19 was faster than any other runner.

He did produce a faster 1:21:01 in another 10 miler. Only three of his nine races were 5Ks, which is very unusual. Still, the icing on his cake was a supreme effort of 23:41 at the Bay Cafe 5K.

Jack McMahon of Rockville, MD did not slow his winning ways either. He did not meet up with Yannakakis this period and his best race, the Twilight 8K in 43:35 (10K = 55:17), won him the runner-up spot. He also started the period winning the Capital Crescent 5K in 26:38.

That was the same time Nianxiang Xie of Rockville, MD had run last year to win the Race for the Cure. This year he slowed to 26:42. When he met up with McMahon at the Twilight 8K, he had already moved on to the 80-84 division. Fourth place Keith Olson was also ahead of Xie but his best race, a four miler in 37:16, was not nearly as fast as Xie's 5K.

Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
1	Yannakakis, George*8	75	Sparks, MD
2	McMahon, Jack*****	76	Rockville, MD
3	Xie, Nianxiang**	79	Rockville, MD
4	Olson, Keith**	        75	Silver Spring, MD
5	Coogan, Dick**	        75	McLean, VA
6	Day, Charles**	        76	Potomac Falls, VA
7	Rutkowski, Joseph	78	Dundalk, MD
8	Green, Edward	        75	Washington, DC
9	Portner, Ferris***	78	King George, VA
10	Stanfield, Wheeler*	78	Richmond , VA
11	Silversmith, Ernie***	76	Baltimore, MD
12	Zenchoff, Phillip*	79	Silver Spring, MD

80 & Over Men
Shawsville 5K, 26:41, 10K = 55:40

While five-year age groups are considered fair, in this division, every year makes a big change. On October 12th multiple American record holder Walt Washburn moved into the 85- 89 age group. Though he probably races more than any other, he has slowed. At 80, he ran 28:10 for the 5K. Now on the cusp of 85, he ran 40:43.

As predicted, John Hosner, who currently holds four Virginia state records, would be the new man on the block. At age 74, he ran 21:02 for the 5K. This period he warmed up the first weekend at the AEP Festival 5K racing 27:02. Then he lit the fireworks at the Shawsville 5K in 26:41.

George Brown opened the bidding for the runner-up spot the 1st of July with a 36:44. Wendell Golden pounced on that with a 35:08 three days later. Brown responded at the Run to Cooperstown 5K, winning the second place with a 35:01.

Pl	Name	          Age	Hometown
1	Hosner, John**	  82	Blacksburg, VA
2	Brown, George*	  82	Glen Arm, MD
3	Golden, Wendell** 81	Charlottesville, VA
4	Freestone, Harry* 80	Charlottesville, VA
5	Washburn, Walt*** 84	Vienna, VA
6	Atkins, Bob**	  81	Winchester, VA

See the Women's Summer 2007 WRR Runner Rankings.