Open Women
DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 33:58

Alemgena Desta (26) living in Silver Spring, MD sizzled at DARCARS Pike's Peek, finishing third overall in 34:34.

The Elite Division was again huge with 71 runners, bolstered by 25 age group entrants. As always, the top spots are highly contested. Hirut Mandefro of Silver Spring, MD finished second at DARCARS Pike's Peek in 34:24 ahead of third place, in both the race and the rankings, Alemgena Desta of Silver Spring, MD, who ran 34:34. Mandefro also ran the Apple Blossom 10K to victory in 36:06. She ended the period with a Germantown 5M win as well (29:04). Desta's only other race was a really tough course, Run for the Animals 5K, which she won in 18:18.

Meanwhile, Silver Spring also had the silver medal as Kristen Henehan won the prestigious Shamrock Half Marathon in a lightning 1:16:12, just a hair short of Mandefro's 10K. Her second race placed her second at the Germantown 5M in 29:39. Four and fifth were very close but Teyba Naser proved quantity is sometimes better than just quality. Maria Elena Calle's Carytown 10K in 34:48 matched exactly Naser's National HM at 1:17:00. Certainly, her third place at Ukrop's in 35:14 was close to Naser's Shamrock Festival HM in 1:17:27. Yet, Naser had won the St. Patrick's Day 8K in 28:53 the week before that and just the day before had run the Shamrock 8K in 28:39.

Briana Whalley of Culpeper, VA moves to sixth with her National HM in 1:18:17. Laura Turner leads the next trio at Pike's Peek in 36:12, followed by Christine Ramsay (36:21) and Sarah Spalding (36:31). After that it is even closer. Johanna Allen is 20th at Credit Union Cherry Blossom in 61:05, leading 14th place Erin Swain (61:24) and 11th place Caroline White (61:31). White earned her spot topping 13th place Lindsay Wilkins at DARCARS Pike's Peek 36:43 to 36:47. Aidan Van Cleef had a rousing Shamrock HM in 1:21:06 for 12th place.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Mandefro, Hirut***	23	Silver Spring, MD
2	Henehan, Kristen*	28	Silver Spring, MD
3	Desta, Alemgena*	26	Silver Spring, MD
4	Naser, Teyba*	        21	Hyattsville, MD
5	Calle, Maria Elena*	32	Richmond, VA
6	Whaley, Briana*	        29	Culpeper, VA
7	Turner, Laura**	        28	Washington, DC
8	Ramsey, Christine	25	Baltimore, MD
9	Spalding, Sarah	        26	Washington, DC
10	Allen, Johanna*	        26	Woodbridge, VA
11	White, Caroline*	22	College Park, MD
12	Van Cleef, Aidan	22	Chesapeake, VA
13	Wilkins, Lindsay*	30	Arlington, VA
14	Swain, Erin	        25	Clifton, VA
15	Wallace, Barbara	34	Alexandria, VA
16	Bekele, Yihunilish***	27	Washington, DC
17	Carlson, Melinda	28	Washington, DC
18	Fenske, Tara*	        31	Washington, DC
19	Pruitt, Crystal*	22	Poquoson, VA
20	Tanner, Melissa*	27	Bethesda, MD
21	Merz, Martha	        45	Annandale, VA
22	Maldeis, Pamela*	25	Washington, DC
23	Swarts, Heidi**	        34	Rosedale, MD
24	Schrank, Brenda	        36	Winchester, VA
25	Bailey, Mary Kate**	33	Arlington, VA
26	Slusser, Tammy*	        42	Monroeville, PA
27	Baker, Amy	        24	Manassas, VA
28	Funk, Jennifer	        21	Washington, DC
29	Taylor, Kelley	        23	Virginia Beach, VA
30	Stick, Sherry***	29	Eldersburg, MD
31	Jenkins, Laura	        29	Arlington, VA
32	Davison, Mary	        35	Bristow, VA
33	Smith, Julia**	        39	Tappahannock, VA
34	Fleck, Eileen*	        31	Baltimore, MD
35	Pak, Colleen	        37	Virginia Beach, VA
36	Thorstenson, Mina*	24	Blacksburg, VA
37	Cairns, Hilary	        37	Washington, DC
38	Kirby, Samantha*	39	Arlington, VA
39	Green, Carmin	        23	Harrisonburg, VA
40	Wright, Andrea	        46	Charlottesville, VA
41	Knickman, Denise***	39	Baltimore, MD
42	Ramos, Laura	        29	North Bethesda, MD
43	Devine, Kelly	        24	Arlington, VA
44	Cox, Vanessa*	        46	Laurel, MD
45	Kline, Sheryl**	        45	Arnold, MD
46	Rooks, Brittany****	14	Baltimore, MD
47	O'Connell, Eliza	37	Earlysville, VA
48	Nemmers, Erica	        36	Herndon, VA
49	Schnidel, Allyson	33	Glen Allen, VA
50	Foley, Linda**	        46	Oak Hill, VA
51	Ratcliffe, Nicola	41	Crozet, VA
52	Catanese, Anna*	        41	Mechanicsville. VA
53	Peterson, Heidi****	14	Williamsburg. VA
54	Bloom, Elizabeth*	28	Frederick, MD
55	Weinmann, Emily	        26	Washington, DC
56	Krycinski, Sarah**	27	Bedford, VA
57	Nathan, Rebecca	        42	Arlington, VA
58	Waldhauser, Courtney*	18	Fallston, MD
59	Sowa, Megan	        24	Arlington, VA
60	Tung, Audrey	        30	Arlington, VA
61	Cunningham, Michelle*	33	Centreville, VA
62	Gruendel, Jacqueline*	33	Burke, VA
63	Conant, Cindy	        47	Kensington, MD
64	Haupt, Diane*	        42	Virginia Beach, VA
65	Trzcinski, Christine	25	Baltimore, MD
66	O'Rourke, Christine	25	Glen Allen, VA
67	Popp, Kristen*	        24	Hampton, VA
68	Olson, Ruth*	        45	Fredericksburg, VA
69	Braner, Elyse*	        24	Washington, DC
70	Quinn, Caitlin*	        23	Virginia Beach, VA
71	Humphrey, Robyn	        44	Ellicott City, MD

19 & Under Women
Dundalk Pondskipper 5K, 18:51, 10K = 39:15

Brittany Rooks is training for the marathon. That may seem a surprise as she has the Best of 2008 times for six distances from 1500M to 4 miles and she won the division with the fastest 5K, the overall win at the Dundalk Pondskipper 5K in 18:51. After all, of her four longer distances, her marathon victory in 3:17:01 at the Shamrock is the slowest. Remember that she just turned 14. Her best four races were 5Ks, finishing second only once. Her fifth best race was a Cherry Pit 10M overall win in 68:04. That bests fifth place Anya Oleynik's age group win at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (69:45).

Heidi Peterson is the darling of Williamsburg, VA. Also 14, she tends to be the overall winner as well (5 times). Her slowest effort was also a longer race, the Yorktown 8M in 55:39, though no woman could catch her there. She pulled out the stops the last weekend at the Red, White, and Blue 5K, winning in 19:04 to move from fourth to the runner-up spot.

Courtney Waldhauser of Fallston, MD is no stranger to overall wins either. She had the second fastest marathon (3:19:32) and a faster half than Rooks. She ran Frederick in 1:28:45 to Rooks' MAC in 1:29:50. Still, she earned the third spot the last weekend, winning the Armed Forces 10K outright in 40:03. Emily Ballatyne of York, PA topped the bill at the most competitive 5K of the period, Kelly's Shamrock, in 19:15. Three runners made the Open Division.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Rooks, Brittany*7	14	Baltimore, MD
2	Peterson, Heidi*6	14	Williamsburg, VA
3	Waldhauser, Courtney*6	18	Fallston, MD
4	Ballatyne, Emily*	17	York, PA
5	Oleynik, Anya**	        19	Gaithersburg, MD
6	McCallum, Caitryn**	19	Charlottesville, VA
7	Pollard, Brittany**	13	Falling Waters , WV
8	Lang, Tiffany**	        13	Columbia, MD
9	Hexter, Melissa*6	13	Bel Air, MD
10	Twigg, Elaine**	        18	Falls Church, VA
11	Ryba, Anya**	        14	Bethesda, MD
12	Rich, Holly*	        17	Charlottesville, VA
13	May, Audrey*	        16	Annandale, VA
14	Ulmer, Lauren	        18	Chesapeake, VA
15	Ferro, Amy*	        15	Rockville, MD
16	Dickson, Candice***	19	Bowie, MD
17	Ford, Mandy	        19	Powhatan, VA
18	Healy, Charlotte*	17	Baltimore, MD
19	Hubbard, Christine**	19	Virginia Beach, VA
20	Dickerson, Kara*	13	Richmond, VA
21	Richardson, Malina*****	12	Ashland, VA
22	Bethune, Nicole**	14	Virginia Beach, VA
23	Gessler, Julie**	14	Ellicott City, MD
24	Ferri, Andrea	        18	Falls  Church, VA
25	Kissel, Rachel***	13	Chesapeake, VA
26	Mantelli, Sophia*	14	Baltimore, MD
27	Gustavson, Erica	19	Charlottesville, VA
28	Turner, Rebekah*	13	Colonial Heights, VA
29	Morrissett, April*	17	Mechanicsville, VA
30	Sacker, Katie****	17	Columbia, MD
31	Starnes, Hannah	        12	Street, MD
32	Glueck, Gaylin*	        13	Williamsburg, VA

35-39 Women
Shamrock Festival Half Marathon, 1:17:44, 10K = 34:49

Brenda Schrank of Winchester, VA made waves leapfrogging her way from eighth in the winter past six of the runners. She took the crown when the seventh, Susannah Kvasnicka, had but one race, though her Shamrock HM was a beauty. Fifth place Hilary Cairns started with an opening salvo at the St. Patrick's Day 8K, winning over sixth place Samantha Kirby 30:44 to 31:27. The next day Colleen Pak of Virginia Beach, VA ran the hometown Shamrock Marathon in 3:00:37 to take the fourth spot. By the end of the month, Denise Knickman, who turned 40 in May, secured the seventh spot, finishing second overall at the National Marathon with 3:01:40.

April is the breakout month for the period. Schrank unloaded a powerful 63:04 at Credit Union Cherry Blossom ahead of Kirby's 64:21 to earn the title with the only sub 38:00 10K equivalent. Mary Davison of Bristow, VA joined the fun at DARCARS Pike's Peek, winning her division in 38:25 to clinch the runner-up spot. Cairns was just behind her in 38:41 to stay ahead of Kirby in the rankings. Julia Smith busted an excellent 38:42 at the "month earlier" Civitan 10K the same day. Smith's second race was the Run for Hospice 5K overall win to match exactly Pak's marathon and take the third spot. Pak's second race was the Dismal Swamp Stomp HM in 1:28:07.

For second races, Shrank ran the cult Apple Blossom 10K for third overall in 38:21. Nine runners made the Open Division.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Schrank, Brenda**	36	Winchester, VA
2	Davison, Mary**	        35	Bristow, VA
3	Smith, Julia***	        39	Tappahannock, VA
4	Pak, Colleen*	        37	Virginia Beach, VA
5	Cairns, Hilary****	37	Washington, DC
6	Kirby, Samantha***	38	Arlington, VA
7	Knickman, Denise*6	39	Baltimore, MD
8	O'Connell, Eliza**	37	Earlysville, VA
9	Nemmers, Erica*	        36	Herndon, VA
10	Dumbrell, Jeanette**	39	Falls Church, VA
11	Quarles, Jennifer***	36	Williamsburg, VA
12	Himes, Suzanne	        38	Alexandria, VA
13	Traub, Jean	        38	Alexandria, VA
14	Greeson, Laura	        38	Alexandria, VA
15	Sporidis, Christy****	39	Potomac, MD
16	Cochran, Mary Beth*	39	Bel Air, MD
17	Lewis, Suzanne**	38	Richmond, VA
18	Gardner, Jennifer*	38	Richmond, VA
19	Price, Kimberly*	35	Gaithersburg, MD
20	Emerson, Meredith	35	Richmond, VA
21	Wiggins, Barbara	39	Barbousville, VA
22	Myers, Karen	        37	Harrisonburg, VA
23	Zeilinger, Laura	35	Washington, DC

40-44 Women
Van Metre 5M, 29:43, 10K = 37:28

Becky Nathan (42) of Arlington, VA had the fastest 5K in her division this period, winning the Scope it Out 5K in 19:13.

The youngest masters division subsided to a mere 36 runners. The division also missed shoe-in champion Alisa Harvey, who had only a single race, albeit the fastest race, winning the Van Metre 5M in 29:43 outright. With the door open, Tammy Slusser motored south in March for an excellent Shamrock HM in 1:24:16. She ended the period winning the Frederick HM entirely in 1:24:42.

Elizabeth Feldman of Chevy Chase, MD surprised a lot of people. She quietly dipped into the new division with a runner-up masters placing at the Cherry Blossom in 64:53. Though she won her next race, it was a subdued 20:07 at the Westland Wild Dash. Paula Pels of Bethesda, MD started her masters run venturing downtown for the St. Patrick's Day 8K in 33:01. Her triumph came in late April, scurrying down the pike in 39:28 as second master to win the third spot in the rankings. As with Feldman, she proceeded to win a 5K, the Bulldog, with a less than inspired time (19:58).

The next four spots are disputingly close to Pels. Nicola Ratcliffe of Crozet, VA measured a superb Martha Jefferson 8K in 31:07 to nearly match Pels. Anna Catanese of Mechanicsville, VA nudged back Anne Colevas of Washington, DC. Catanese surrounded Colevas's third master spot at Pike's Peek in 39:44 with an overall win at the Ashland 10K in 39:41 to start the period. Then she ended the period third overall at the competitive Carytown 10K in 39:47. Speedy Becky Nathan of Arlington, VA had the fastest 5K in 19:13 for lucky seven.

Six runners made the Open Division.

Pl	Name	                 Age	Hometown
1	Slusser, Tammy**	 42	Monroeville, PA
2	Feldman, Elizabeth*	 40	Chevy Chase, MD
3	Pels, Paula***	         40	Bethesda, MD
4	Ratcliffe, Nicola**	 41	Crozet, VA
5	Catanese, Anna***	 41	Mechanicsville, VA
6	Colevas, Anne****	 42	Washington, DC
7	Nathan, Rebecca**	 42	Arlington, VA
8	Grillo, Monica**	 43	Arlington, VA
9	Haupt, Diane**	         42	Virginia Beach, VA
10	Humphrey, Robyn***	 44	Ellicott City, MD
11	Strouse, Darcy***	 43	Frederick, MD
12	Hauschild, Veronique*	 41	Joppa, MD
13	Hunter, Joan**	         44	Purcellville, VA
14	Beven, Helen***	         42	Kensington, MD
15	Freres, Anita**	         43	Reston, VA
16	Salomonsky, Jessica*	 44	Richmond, VA
17	Hall, Maureen****	 43	Lavale, MD
18	Fedon, Leslie**	         44	Norfolk, VA
19	Kinnecome, Susie	 44	Bethesda, MD
20	Morgan, Cynthia**	 41	Arlington, VA
21	McIntyre, Janelle**	 42	Ellicott City, MD
22	Rico, Monique**	         40	Aldie, VA
23	Glueck, Connie***	 44	Williamsburg, VA
24	Delaney, Nancy**	 44	Virginia Beach, VA
25	Carreras, Maria**	 43	Richmond, VA
26	McLaughlin, Debbie**	 42	Vienna, VA
27	Ramsing, Rebecca	 40	Columbia, MD
28	Merena, Caroline*	 42	Arlington, VA
29	Benante, Susan*	         44	Norfolk, VA
30	Hendrix, Kerry**	 43	Charlottesville, VA
31	Echenique, Diana	 41	Bethesda, MD
32	Conroy, Theresa*	 43	Richmond, VA
33	Buckley, Michele**	 40	Arlington, VA
34	Fritzsche Caple, Jenny** 42	Westminster, MD
35	Thumel, Vivian*	         44	Virginia Beach, VA
36	Kehoe, Rose	         41	Arlington, VA

45-49 Women
Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 62:10, 10K = 37:22

Martha Merz of Annandale, VA looks so relaxed as she speeds away from her competition. Most races she is found among the overall winners, not the age groups. At the Credit Union Cherry Blossom she finished in the cash at 25th place overall in 62:10. She would have been top master save for the appearance of world record holder Colleen De Reuck. Then she took on the inaugural Marine Corps HM to end the period with the second fastest race in 1:24:51, second overall.

Second place Andrea Wright of Charlottesville, VA had a fine 10 miler in 64:40, third overall. This was right after she finished second overall at the Martha Jefferson 8K to start the period in 30:52. The next few places were set at Credit Union Cherry Blossom and DARCARS Pike's Peek. Vanessa Cox was second at the 10 mile in 65:19 ahead of last period's champion Linda Foley (66:04), Cindy Conant (67:25), and Ruth Olson (67:52). At DARCARS Pike's Peek, Cox was tops in 39:15 ahead of fourth place Sheryl Kline of Arnold, MD (40:01) and Conant (40:32). Kline muddied the waters with a swift 18:46 at the Run4YourLife 5K for the fastest 5K of the period.

Fifty runners made the division. Seven made the Open Division.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Merz, Martha****	45	Annandale, VA
2	Wright, Andrea**	46	Charlottesville, VA
3	Cox, Vanessa****	46	Laurel, MD
4	Kline, Sheryl****	45	Arnold, MD
5	Foley, Linda****	46	Oak Hill, VA
6	Villani, Leisa**	49	Virginia Beach, VA
7	Conant, Cindy**	        47	Kensington, MD
8	Olson, Ruth***	        45	Fredericksburg, VA
9	Shannon, Laura***	45	Williamsburg, VA
10	Lovett, Pamela**	45	Newport News, VA
11	Persina, Win**	        48	Washington, DC
12	Zerfas, Patricia**	45	Kensington, MD
13	Trent, Jeanie**	        47	Richmond, VA
14	Kerr, Eleanor**	        49	University Park, MD
15	Fichman, Lisa*	        46	Columbia, MD
16	Keating, Patricia**	46	Dayton, MD
17	Betz, Jean	        49	Cabin John, MD
18	Lent, Teresa*	        46	Arlington, VA
19	Cooke, Jennifer	        45	Washington, DC
20	Bernetti, Kathy*	46	Fulton, MD
21	Abbott, Eileen*	        45	Chesterfield, VA
22	Scott, Janeth*	        46	Columbia, MD
23	DeFries, Christiann*	48	Gordonsville, VA
24	Haghighian, Hosni*	49	Charlottesville, VA
25	Abbamonte, Karen****	49	Boonsboro, MD
26	McKnight, Katherine	45	Arlington, VA
27	Santarpia, Gloria**	46	Odenton, MD
28	Layson, Lynda	        47	Severn, MD
29	Speidel, Sophie*	45	Charlottesville, VA
30	Chapman, Laura*	        45	Washington, DC
31	Nanda, Sushila**	47	Arlington, VA
32	Lorenzoni, Cynthia*	49	Charlottesville, VA
33	Black, Beverly**	47	Boonsboro, MD
34	Rushin, Blake	        46	Vienna, VA
35	Cowan, Maribeth	        46	Richmond, VA
36	Bell, Laurel	        46	Crownsville, MD
37	Griffing, Sharon*	48	Springfield, VA
38	Galliani, Paula	        48	Gaithersburg, MD
39	Knox, Anne	        45	Charlottesville, VA
40	Wilson, Paige*	        46	Midlothian, VA
41	Rall, Tammy	        45	Stafford, VA
42	Jones, Ellen**	        45	Fredericksburg, VA
43	Tata, Kendall	        47	Virginia Beach, VA
44	Carl, Joan	        49	Richmond, VA
45	Goodwin, Robin*	        49	Timonium, MD
46	Fertal, Linda**	        45	Oakton, VA
47	Amini, Ellahe	        49	Ellicott City, MD
48	Black, Tracey*	        46	Winchester, VA
49	Kennedy, Linda	        47	Alexandria, VA
50	Frackleton, Beth*	46	Lynchburg, VA

50-54 Women
St. Patrick's Day 8K, 32:36, 10K = 41:23

Ofelia Perotti of Alexandria, VA continues to work her magic. She turned back runner-up Deborah Flynn of Gaithersburg, MD opening day at the St. Patrick's Day 8K, 32:36 to 34:46, and for the division that was "all she wrote." Flynn kept pushing all period. She took on the moneymakers. At Credit Union Cherry Blossom she won handily in 1:09:26 ahead of fourth place Carole Roeder of Ashburn, VA (1:12:47) and sixth place Dorothy Beckett of Columbia, MD (1:13:31). Then Flynn took down last year's champion at DARCARS Pike's Peek, Gretchen Triantos, at the signature Rockville event 41:37 to 41:53. The last weekend she improved her 5M time to 34:01 winning at Germantown.

The following day Perotti's win at the Capitol Hill Classic was deceptively close in 41:35 until you find out that the course was long by nearly a seventh of a mile. Fifth place Soozie Lewis of Glen Allen, VA squeezed a mere second ahead of Roeder's second fastest race, Pike's Peek, in 43:52, at the Carytown 10K, also the last day of the period.

Thirty-six runners made the division.

Pl	Name	                      Age	Hometown
1	Perotti, Ofelia***	      51	Alexandria, VA
2	Flynn, Deborah*****	      51	Gaithersburg, MD
3	Triantos, Gretchen*	      50	Rockville, MD
4	Roeder, Carole	              51	Ashburn, VA
5	Lewis, Soozie**	              50	Glen Allen, VA
6	Beckett, Dorothy*	      50	Columbia, MD
7	Castillo-D'Amico, Mercedes**  50	Newport News, VA
8	Kidder, Linda***	      51	Williamsburg, VA
9	Starnes, Margaret****	      54	Street, MD
10	Parker-Perez, Carol*	      53	Mount Airy, MD
11	Mowbray, Peggy***	      52	Charlottesville, VA
12	Beck, Lisa**	              53	Blacksburg, VA
13	Talley, Carol**	              53	Toano, VA
14	Gammon, Karen***	      52	Moseley, VA
15	Johnson, Julie**	      51	Mechanicsville, VA
16	Lauzon, Jean**	              54	Fredericksburg, VA
17	Lewis, Donna*	              53	Bel Air, MD
18	Mutziger, Linda	              50	Laytonsville, MD
19	Weeks, Sharon****	      54	Virginia Beach, VA
20	Recto, Liza****	              52	Lexington Park, MD
21	Washington, Myra****	      51	Montgomery Village, MD
22	Bustin, Ellie**	              51	Yorktown, VA
23	Evans, Cynthia**	      52	Randallstown, MD
24	Starr, Elizabeth**	      51	Aldie, VA
25	Lau, Claire	              50	Chesterfield, VA
26	Seidman, Merrilee***	      53	Alexandria, VA
27	English, Carol	              53	Germantown, MD
28	Mertz, Leslie	              53	Arlington, VA
29	Snodgrass, Patricia**	      53	Annapolis, MD
30	Clark, Julia	              51	Bethesda, MD
31	Lang, Mary***	              54	Pasadena, MD
32	Ferguson, Layne*	      50	Moneta, VA
33	Wilson, Cristi	              53	Richmond, VA
34	Reilly, Cheryl*	              50	Nottingham, MD
35	Kaime, Elaine	              50	Middletown, MD
36	Carvalho, Manuela*	      53	Washington, DC

55-59 Women
DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 42:00

Betty Blank of Falls Church, VA was so eager to move into the new age group she could hardly stand it. She darted out to win the prestigious St. Patrick's Day 8K by more than two minutes over fourth runner Valerie Campbell of Silver Spring, MD, 35:18 to 37:08. That would not get it done. Last period's champion, Lynn Swanson of Norfolk, VA, swept to the lead with a swift 34:29 at the Shamrock 8K the following week.

That just geared Blank up to race the way she knew she could. At Credit Union Cherry Blossom in April she hosed the division in 1:10:23. Third place Linell Smith of Baltimore, MD was next in 1:15:23 ahead of Campbell's 1:16:58. Then, to cap it off, with Sallie Mae gone, DARCARS Pike's Peek provided the fastest course and the division title in a blistering 42:00. Blank noted after the finish, "I am really happy with this time." Swanson could only answer lightly with the Chesapeake 10K the day before in 44:07. Linda Gulick ruled the Richmond area with six age group wins, including the fastest 5K at the SPCA in 22:42.

Thirty runners made the division

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Blank, Betty*****	55	Falls Church, VA
2	Swanson, Lynn**	        55	Norfolk, VA
3	Smith, Linell*	        55	Baltimore, MD
4	Campbell, Valerie	57	Silver Spring, MD
5	Gulick, Linda*6	        56	Richmond, VA
6	Franks, Alice**	        59	Rockville, MD
7	Greenberg, Freyda	58	Falls Church, VA
8	Davis, Peggy***	        56	Vienna, VA
9	Shields, Maria	        57	Davidsonville, MD
10	Mills, Linda	        58	Salisbury, MD
11	Rose, Linda	        56	Baltimore, MD
12	Wamsley, Christie*	55	Colonial Heights, VA
13	Miffleton, Terry*	57	Richmond, VA
14	Mills, Julia*	        57	Richmond, VA
15	Whittaker, Linda*6	58	Williamsburg, VA
16	Miles, Sue*	        56	Buckingham, VA
17	Ferrier, Judy**	        55	Alexandria, VA
18	Cooper, Ellen	        57	Rockville, MD
19	Golden, Wendy	        55	Earlysville, VA
20	Bone, Jean	        55	Richmond, VA
21	Kern, Peggy**	        55	Virginia Beach, VA
22	St. Clair, Christy***	59	Glen Arm, MD
23	Jones, Helen*	        55	Ellicott City, MD
24	Nusbaum, Maria	        55	Reston, VA
25	Carbary, Judith**	57	Clarksville, MD
26	Matte, Jeanine	        58	Washington, DC
27	Godfrey, Jane	        59	Takoma Park, MD
28	Forsna, Anne	        57	Derwood, MD
29	Wilfore, Bonnie*	55	Earlysville, VA
30	Sommer, Debra	        55	Norfolk, VA

60-64 Women
Civitan 10K, 45:54

In photo, Sandra Buck (61) of Monkton, MD had a solid Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile to propel her into the top twenty of her division.

The Craun (Chris) dynasty nearly doubled in size to 38 runners this spring. But trouble was brewing for the perennial leader. Nancy Crippen of Stafford, VA opened the period with a smashing 1st master at the John Robbins 8K in 36:18. Craun fired back with her typical Credit Union Cherry Blossom win in 1:16:37, nearly three minutes faster than in 2007. The showdown appeared on April 27 in two different states. When Craun had crossed the DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K mats by White Flint in 47:02, Crippen had already finished her Civitan 10K in Fredericksburg by 1 minute and 8 seconds. That made her the division champion.

Linda Kearney of Oak Hill, VA is granted the third spot, rushing behind Craun in Rockville with a smashing 47:23. She also finished second at the fastest ten miler in 1:19:35. She bested fifth place Nancy Avitabile at the top 8K, the St. Patrick's Day 8K in March, 39:15 to 40:42. Avitabile's best race was DARCARS Pike's Peek in 49:07. Fourth place went to Deborah Gebhardt of Adelphi, MD. She ran fastest at her National HM victory in 1:46:46. Still, she had perhaps her finest effort finishing second to Craun at the Capitol Hill Classic 10K in 48:25. That course, though certified, went long at one turnaround adding some 200 meters to the distance.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Crippen, Nancy**	60	Stafford, VA
2	Craun, Chris****	62	Bethesda, MD
3	Kearney, Linda*	        61	Oak Hill, VA
4	Gebhardt, Deborah*	60	Adelphi, MD
5	Avitabile, Nancy	60	Bethesda, MD
6	Rosasco, Marge**	60	Baltimore, MD
7	Tice, Linda****	        62	Timonium, MD
8	Glover, Elizabeth*	62	Bethesda, MD
9	Jacobs, Janice	        61	Arlington, VA
10	Hays, Lynne***	        62	Arlington, VA
11	Nelson, Dee*8	        64	Gaithersburg, MD
12	Welch, Pat	        63	Vienna, VA
13	Jones, Catherine*	61	Lovingston, VA
14	Sterling, Cris*	        62	Natural Bridge, VA
15	May, Sandra**	        62	Alexandria, VA
16	O'Neill, Betsey	        60	Virginia Beach, VA
17	Himelright, Colleen**	60	Fredericksburg, VA
18	Davidson, Lucia	        62	Arlington, VA
19	Buck, Sandra*	        61	Monkton, MD
20	Crawford, Claudia	61	Germantown, MD
21	Moyer, Barbara*	        62	Powhattan, VA
22	Peters, Linda*	        61	Concord, VA
23	Lee, Punkin**	        61	Middleburg, VA
24	Owens, Linda	        60	Earlysville, VA
25	Hirn, Ann*6	        62	Portsmouth, VA
26	Marano, Janet	        60	Reston, VA
27	Fiorito, Concetta	62	Reston, VA
28	Kautz, Karen	        64	Silver Spring, MD
29	Hawes, Felicity	        64	Gaithersburg, MD
30	Stark, Barbara****	63	Suffolk, VA
31	Evans, Sally	        63	Roanoke, VA
32	Yarr, Linda	        64	Bethesda, MD
33	Murtagh, Therese	60	Reston, VA
34	Dodson, Christina*	61	Richmond,  VA
35	McGinn, Toby*	        60	Gaithersburg, MD
36	Nuse, Leslie*	        62	Myersville, MD
37	Attardi, Barbara	64	Rockville, MA
38	Patrick, Patricia***	64	Falls Church, VA

65-69 Women
Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 81:32, 10K = 49:00
Shamrock Festival Half Marathon, 1:48:26, 10K = 49:00

Just like last year, Janice Stoodley (65) ran one race, Credit Union Cherry Blossom. It was tied to the hundredth of a second with our new champion's best race. Along with her Shamrock Half Marathon race in 1:48:26, Joan Coven of Williamsburg, VA easily had the fastest 10K at Ukrop's, 55:24. Less than a week later she ran the snow-covered Queens Lake 5K in 24:31 for the fastest 5K of the year.

The next four racers also ran at Cherry Blossom, finishing 4, 5, 6, and 7 in their division after two out-of-towners and Stoodley. Nancy Linck was tops with 1:33:59, followed by Rosemary Schwartzbard, 1:35:49, Betty Smith in 1:36:39, and Setsu Rosen in 1:39:22.

Linck was also tops at Sallie Mae. Smith ran fastest at Pike's Peek. Fifth in the division, Setsu Rosen of Washington, DC, is back on the roads, where she won the Capitol Hill Classic in 60:14.

Pl	Name	                  Age	Hometown
1	Schwartzbard, Rosemary**  66	Arlington, VA
2	Hicks, Janice***	  65	Bristol, TN
3	Berglund, Mary Kate*9	  66	Richmond, VA
4	Hocheder, Ellen**	  65	Mount Airy, MD
5	Linck, Nancy*	          66	Alexandria, VA
6	Murray, Brenda	          68	Chevy Chase, MD
7	Wright, Sharon	          65	Washington, DC
8	Smith, Betty*	          67	Rockville, MD
9	Privitera, Barbara	  65	Alexandria, VA
10	Cullen, Sandra	          67	Ashland, VA
11	Broaddus, Margaret	  66	Richmond, VA
12	Garland, Arlowene**	  69	Fredericksburg, VA
13	Ely, Pauline***	          69	Hampton, VA
14	Wollard, Jamie	          69	North Bethesda, MD

70-74 Women
George Washington Parkway Classic 10 Mile, 1:38:16, 10K = 59:03

Repeat champion Tami Graf of Lusby, MD has been averaging about ten age groups wins a period. She won handily in the winter. With Margery Elliott not racing this spring, Graf could focus on holding off newcomer Nancy Fraser of Charlottesville, VA. Fraser had three of the top five times, including a hometown 10 miler in 1:40:18 in March and a swift 28:33 Autism 5K in April. Graf took the title racing a faster 5K the day after Fraser's 10M at the Scope It Out 5K in 28:24. In late April, Graf chose the GW Parkway Classic to set the record straight, finishing in 1:38:14.

Ernestine Shepherd had three solid 5Ks in the mid 31:00s to stave off fourth place Shirley Wampler.

In photo, Annapolis Strider Yvonne Aasen (76) of Severna Park, MD does not carry a flag in all her races, but she has been known to lead the way.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Graf, Tami*10	        71	Lusby, MD
2	Fraser, Nancy***	71	Charlottesville, VA
3	Shepherd, Ernestine**	71	Baltimore, MD
4	Wampler, Shirley**	71	Mechanicsville, VA
5	Dameron, Betty*	        72	Fredericksburg, VA
6	Hughes, Janet**	        70	Winchester, VA
7	Chambers, Jeanette**	73	Arnold, MD

75-79 Women
Animal Chase 5K, 10K = 32:13 = 1:05:40

Harriet Locke is a regular from the southwest corner of our region. She ran a double. More often lately, races have been having a 5K followed by a 10K race at the same event. Locke nailed down the division with a 32:13 in the 5K, followed by a 1:11:58 in the 10K. Last spring's champion, Jacqueline O'Neil (in photo), ousted this winter's champion, Yvonne Aasen, earning the third spot with the fastest 10K at DARCARS Pike's Peek in 1:10:58. Doing all her racing in April, 79-year-old Martha Trimmer snatches the runner-up spot at the Victims' Fund 5K racing 32:33.

Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Locke, Harriet**	75	Bristol, TN
2	Trimmer, Martha**	79	Mount Airy, MD
3	O'Neil, Jacqueline**	76	Washington, DC
4	Aasen, Yvonne**	        76	Severna Park, MD
5	Bryant, Peggy*	        75	Vinton, VA

80 & Over Women
Carytown 10K, 1:42:16

Eleven women 80 & older ran at Ukrop's. None of the 12 racers had a second race. Creamer had the fourth fastest chip time.

Pl	Name	        Age	Hometown
1	Creamer, Lois*	83	Richmond, VA

See the Men's Spring 2008 Rankings