Cross country races abound in the fall and they always draw the young and young at heart. Crisp clean air and no cars in sight, that is sure a runner's delight. In its fifth year Freeze Your Gizzard 5K and 1 Mile fun run continue to grow, more than 500 participants, by doing all the right things. With the massive Ida Lee Park, on field parking was extensive. Praise luck for a dry field. There were plenty of the necessary preparation areas, where one might sit and cogitate before the race. There were many envious glances at the full spread of culinary delights awaiting the runners upon their return.

The course was slightly different than in past years but as promised it was very easy to follow. There were numerous well placed marshals but easiest to follow was the white chalk line that wound its way curvaceously through the park. Unlike many cross country events this course was gently rolling and runners could dare to look up at their competition without fear of tumbling on a hazard. There was even a brief point midway on the course where some runners could dip off the grass onto a paved trail.

At the start the cognoscenti, were equipped with racing spikes. It would certainly help them fly through the course with better traction. However, the rubber mats of the ChampionChip system poised a special challenge for them. They could not run over the mats but the needed to pass the Chip foot over the mat to record their start. This meant lining up on the far side of the starting line and waving their chip foot above the mat before charging down the opening lane to the field.

In the two years prior three quarters of the men and half the women were in their teens, swiftly negotiating the twists and turns, bounding along like jack rabbits. 2006 winner Nick McLaughlin had been third in 2005 and though the 18-year-old improved his time this year by more than a minute (16:32), he was relegated to third again. In his three years, Andrew Budiansky (17) moved from sixth to second and then back to fourth though he also improved by a minute to 16:52. Fast cross country times are rare and usually for a time to match a road time, the course must be a little short. Today's course seemed the right distance. The forty-five degree windless weather was ideal and the relatively flat course with short grass helped these young and improving speedsters move on out.

Runner-up Adam Crawford (20) of Leesburg, VA never let up. He might have been even closer but he chose to get started four seconds late. Justin Fritzius (23) of Purcellville, VA took full advantage and roared to a course record 15:50 victory. For Fritzius, (in photo) this was his third straight 5K win this fall. Only the awesome Stephen Crane stopped him from winning all four of his fall races. Only two masters runners in the last three years have cracked the top ten. This year it was 47- year-old Mark Whalley of Fairfax, VA in 17:38 for sixth overall. He was coming off a runner-up spot at the topsy-turvy Greasy-Gooney 10K. For the grandmasters, James Moreland heard that age group winners would be taking home a 13.5 pound Turkey. Enough said.

When the race started a lot of young runners darted out quickly and a surprising amount of them stayed strong throughout the race. Many of the later race flameouts were older runners. Last year the women's top two were seventh and ninth overall with Kristin Hart of Hamilton, VA wining in 19:09. This year the finish was almost Sister Act Too Hannah (17) and Hailey (15) of Lovettsville, VA went screaming down to the first turn with only 31-year-old Guillian Kalaris of Leesburg, VA anywhere near. The older sister, Hannah, pulled away though not really putting Kalaris away until the final 150 meter straightaway returning to the finish. You can bet Hailey, (in photo) who finished about a minute behind will be improved for next year's event. Slender Sushila Nanda (47) of Arlington, VA was next and took the top masters spot. She ran a very even race all by herself with no women within thirty seconds of her. Leslie Kash (51) of Round Hill, VA was the top grandmaster in 25:26.

You rarely see many older racers in a cross country event because our joints, especially our ankles, cannot take the stress. This course runs just fine for the older runners. The awards had an overall champion and then moved to ten year age groups going three deep. First place was a frozen Turkey just in time for Thanksgiving. Third place was a pie. After the age groups were announced, the still large crowd of runners got a shot at a turkey as one of the many random prizes. Runners received a long sleeved T-shirt in their goodie bag. The race is a winner and it will continue to grow.

Joan Price (43) of Leesburg, VA was third master in 23:55.

Awards

              Overalls by Clock Time, Age Groups by Net Time
MALE 5K
    1   426 Justin Fritzius       23 Purcellville VA       15:50 15:51 
FEMALE 5K
    1   413 Hannah Scheren        17 Lovettsville VA       20:06 20:09 
MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 19
    1   322 Nick McLaughlin       18 Leesburg VA             16:32   16:32 
    2   280 Andrew Budiansky      17 Leesburg VA             16:52   16:55 
    3   471 Josh Klug             16 Leesburg VA             17:43   17:45 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 19
    1   412 Hailey Scheren        15 Lovettsville VA         21:04   21:09 
    2   309 Jessica Farah         17 Aldie VA                22:50   22:54 
    3   359 Aubrey Mignone        17 South Riding VA         22:53   22:55 
MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 29
    1   494 Adam Crawford         20 Leesburg VA             15:57   16:01 
    2   403 Brian Carnes          22 Leesburg VA             16:59   17:01 
    3   411 Garrett Stokes        26 Herndon VA              19:12   19:15 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 29
    1   369 Laura Pearson         25 Arlington VA            22:48   23:08 
    2   380 Shaw Hipsher          26 Bethesda MD             23:24   23:32 
    3    50 Rebecca Eagan         27 Brambleton VA           23:59   24:16 
MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39
    1   401 Edward Tersine        30 Indian Head MD          17:43   17:45 
    2   214 Kevin Knight          39 Leesburg VA             18:56   18:57 
    3   201 Bill Sutherlin        38 Sterling VA             19:26   19:27 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39
    1   302 Gillian Kalaris       31 Leesburg VA             20:22   20:23 
    2   303 Jennifer Nash         33 Leesburg VA             22:32   22:33 
    3   266 Alison Smith          33 Leesburg VA             23:40   23:51 
MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49
    1   495 Mark Whalley          47 Fairfax VA              17:35   17:38 
    2   442 Don Schmidt           43 Ashburn VA              19:46   19:48 
    3   433 Steve Core            41 Leesburg VA             20:30   20:33 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49
    1   790 Sushila Nanda         46 Arlington VA            21:54   21:54 
    2   224 Debra Bertolini       45 Key West FL             23:01   23:03 
    3   441 Joan Price            43 Leesburg VA             23:51   23:55 
MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 59
    1     5 James Moreland        55 Gaithersburg MD         21:57   21:58 
    2   470 Carlton Jeffcoat      53 Waterford VA            22:24   23:03 
    3   498 Bruce McLaughlin      55 Leesburg VA             23:28   23:32 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 59
    1   459 Leslie Kash           51 Round Hill VA           25:26   25:43 
    2   198 Kathy Lutman          52 Lovettsville VA         26:40   26:45 
    3   158 Julie Pastor          54 Leesburg VA             26:50   27:02 
MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 99
    1   294 Francis Fera          66 Leesburg VA             31:14   31:31 
    2   458 Tom Brown             60 Vienna VA               33:52   34:21 

Cliff Tell (44) of Harpers Ferry, WV had a fine race in 22:26.

Full Race Day Results