In the photo below, Dave Berardi approaches the finish of the Jingle Bell 5K in first place.

The sun was bright and the jingle bells were out in force for the annual Jingle Bell 10K and 5K. Runners and walkers of all speeds laced the traditional jingle bells to their shoes. Some runners added to the bells provided by the race organizers and wore colorful hats with bells. The jingling was heard all along the course.

On Thursday, December 5, the District of Columbia experienced the largest snowstorm in almost three years. Granted, it didn't dump multiple feet of snow but rather six inches, and most of the main roads in the District were well plowed. But, on Friday, the temperature rose to just above freezing, and the snow began to melt. The temperature at the start of the annual Jingle Bell 10K and 5K on Saturday morning was twenty-five degrees. As a result, some thick ice remained on the ground. The course for the 5K race covered no terribly icy ground. The course for the 10K race did, but only along L'Enfant Promenade and on 12th Street. Many police officers were at the icy spots to warn runners. They did a great job. There was still some slipping and sliding, but no serious falls. The rest of the course conformed to the clear, main roads around the Mall.

Both courses had to be altered from the 2001 race because 1st Street, in front of the Capitol building, cannot be closed on Saturday. The course shifted up to 3rd Street. Since some distance was lost in this shift, the race organizers added the necessary distance just after mile one: runners went out and back along Louisiana Avenue. The remainder of the 10K course stayed almost the same, following Independence Avenue, with an out and back on L'Enfant Promenade and another on 12th and D Streets. The multiple turnarounds allowed front runners to see their competition and allowed middle-of-the-pack runners to see friends and fellow runners decked out in costumes. Many runners were lucky enough to see and hear the Christmas Carolers, a group of about ten runners who sang for most of the 10K distance, more than once. Their lung capacity was impressive.

In the 10K competition, the lead pack of men began to spread out after the first mile. Christopher Raabe (24) placed first in the 10K race with a time of 31:44. Raabe just moved to the District in May and has run only three races here--including the Jingle Bell Run, the Outback Steakhouse 8K, and the Turkey Chase in Bethesda. Raabe did not expect to win and said he came out "to have a good time." He said that as he ran, leading the race, "I figured they would come up on me." They didn't. Aaron Church (27) stayed with Raabe for the first half of the race, but Raabe pulled ahead after mile three. Church finished second in 32:05. Kyle Smits (23), who was ranked third in the area's open men division for summer 2002, came in third in 32:23.

The lead women in the 10K competition did not start or stay in a pack. Meghan McLaughlin (23) went out fast and stayed fast. She finished first in the women's competition in 36:25. She also placed high in the overall race. Only eleven men finished ahead of her. She finished looking strong, and with over a two-minute lead on the second woman, Denise Knickman (24). Knickman, who finished in 38:40, said she went out slower than expected due to the cold weather. Rayna Swann (32) came in third in 39:31.

In the 5K, Dave Berardi (40) placed first in the men's competition in 18:18 and Danielle Trelles-Russell (38, photo left) was the first woman in 18:41. These two runners took the top two places overall. Berardi was the only male runner to finish before Trelles-Russell and only surpassed her time by 23 seconds. Trelles-Russell was even ahead of Berardi for the first mile. He passed her before the turnaround on 2nd Street. Despite their strong start, both runners dealt with some confusion on the course. They missed the turnaround because the diverging 10K and 5K courses were not clearly marked. (By the time the middle of the pack reached this point, however, volunteers were loudly and clearly calling out the turnaround point.) Berardi ran farther beyond the turnaround than Trelles-Russell, and he passed her a second time after mile two.

During the awards ceremony, it was announced that the 5K was 60 meters too long as marked, so Berardi and Trelles-Russell ran even farther than they thought. With a smile, Trelles-Russell said, "We ran a lagniappe, a little extra, a baker's dozen." Lagniappe, she explained, is a French term commonly used in Louisiana, where Trelles-Russell is from. Berardi was hoping to break the masters record for the 5K, which was 16:35. This goal was reasonable, considering his usual 5K time. In the men's competition, James West (21) took second place in 19:05, and Dan Iddy (51) was third in 19:40. In the women's competition, Rosalie Parker (28) came in second in 20:11, and Megan Seefeldt (22) was third in 20:20.

Overall, this was not a day for records, with the ice and the freezing temperatures, but the finishing times of the top runners were inspiring considering the conditions. There were 2,717 registered participants, and the race was, as usual, merry. Knickman said she tries to run a Jingle Bell race every year because they are, as a rule, festive. (There are at least five Jingle Bell Runs for Arthritis in the DC-Baltimore area.) Santa Claus rode in a convertible in front of all the runners, and waved as if he were in a parade. A group of runners wore bright red fright wigs. Another group wore Hawaiian shirts to defy the weather.

Nicole Carey, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation's Washington Chapter, said that the foundation hoped to raise over $100,000 from the Washington, DC Jingle Bell Run. All proceeds benefit the foundation and fund programs and services in the metro DC community and fund research to find a cure for arthritis, the primary cause of disability in the country. The Arthritis Foundation is the only national voluntary health organization dedicated to serving the needs of all people, young and old, with arthritis and working towards a cure for this often-disabling disease. Please visit the foundation's website at http://www.arthritis.org/Communities/Chapters/Chapter.asp? chapid=32 for more information.

The good cause drew great volunteers and unusually large teams of runners and walkers. Girls from Girl Scout Troop number 3845, from Vienna, VA, volunteered for the race and did excellent work supporting all the runners and walkers. Some girls were out on the course, cheering on the runners and helping at water stations. Others were at the finish line or inside the Old Post Office Pavilion, where the post-race festivities were held, handing out water bottles and raffle tickets to the finishers. Booz Allen Hamilton, a sponsor of the race, brought the largest team with more than 350 runners and walkers. The team was awarded a box overflowing with Modell's water bottles and sunglasses.

See the list of award winners in the 10K and 5K Jingle Bell Runs.

See complete results of the 10K and 5K races.

See the Photo Gallery.