Photo above: 5K runners started ten minutes behind the half marathoners.

Cool Temps, Hot Times at the Fairgrounds
It was only 57 degrees for the tenth annual LAWS Run for the Shelter Half Marathon and 5K in Leesburg. That suited all of the half marathoners just fine. Hilly-that's okay and expected. Hot and hilly-nobody wants that combination. Racing is a lot more fun when you don't need to waste your time stressing over the heat.

In addition to the many "bells and whistles" that the event offered there were five-year age groups in both races and open and masters competition for the Athenas and Clydesdales.

In the half marathon the overall winner was Silver Spring's Paul Rades (photo) who had a time of 1:13:05. Next to cross the finish line was local Brian Schmidt, age 36, in 1:15:18. Peter Vail from D.C. came in third with a time of 1:19:34.

For the women the winner was K. Liisa Linask from Rockville who ran 1:35:14 and was 19th overall. Ashburn's Sonya Brown finished second running 1:38:06. Another local, Julie Callens from South Riding, was just 15 seconds back in 1:38:21.

The largest gap between first and second place in any age group was Patrick Griffith (photo) who was eight minutes 18 seconds ahead of Peter Lunt in the 55 to 59 age group. Griffith is at the upper end of that age group, too, as he turns 60 in less than two months. The fastest open Clydesdale runner was Potomac's Ken Bocan who finished in 1:43:57 net. The fastest masters division Clydesdale was Ashburn's Matt Hemminger who ran a 1:36:10 net time. There were 227 male finishers including 20 Cydesdale competitors.

The fastest open woman in the Athena category was Leesburg's Michele Rickwald whose time was 1:55:35 net. The fastest masters division Athena runner was Susanne Schroll also from Leesburg who finished in 2:08:13 net. There were 215 women finishers, seven of whom competed as Athenas.

All half marathon finishers earned medals for their efforts.

In the 5K the men's winner was Brendan Vasher, age 44, from Alexandria in a time of 18:18 (photo). Last week at the Zack's 5K in College Park, Vasher won with a time of 17:51. Second place went to David Soria who was just 9 seconds back in 18:29. Charles Town, West Virginia's Jerry Franklin finished in 18:56. In the 50 to 54 age group Neil Riemenschneider was first with his net time of 19:43 good for eighth overall. There were 94 male finishers.

In the top three for the women, two were 16 years old and from Purcellville. The first was Diana Van Vleet (16) who ran 19:55 (photo). A minute later Chantilly's Leila Melhem (23) finished in 20:55. Rounding out third place was 16-year-old Amber Finlay of Purcellville who ran 21:52. The narrowest time between first place and second place in any division was in the 15 to 19 age group. Waterford's Grete Lenz finished first with her time of 22:00 to beat Meghan McWilliams's 22:11. There were 100 women finishers.

Results for the 5K were posted to the Internet by 11:15 am and the half marathon results were posted 15 minutes later.

5K Award Winners

MALE OVERALL
    1  1000 Brendan Vasher          44 Arlington VA       18:18 V 
    2   723 David Soria             36 Manassas VA        18:29 V 
    3   456 Jerry Franklin          47 Charles Town WV    18:56 V 


FEMALE OVERALL
    1   511 Diana Van Vleet         16 Purcellville VA    19:55 V 
    2   405 Leila Melhem            23 Chantilly VA       20:55 V 
    3   498 Amber Finlay            16 Purcellville VA    21:52 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 14
    1   666 Gunnar Olgren           14 Purceville VA        19:31 V 
    2   613 Elliot Chambers         14 Purcellville VA      20:45 V 
    3   622 Eric Rothschild         14 Philomont VA         21:21 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 14
    1   516 Michelle Rizzo          14 Purcellville VA      27:01 V 
    2   242 Abbie Farr              12 Leesburg VA          29:25 V 
    3   767 Annie Wattenmafer       10 Waterford VA         29:32 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  15 - 19
    1   468 Timothy Foley           15 Lovettsville VA      20:33 V 
    2   770 David Replogle          15 Leesburg VA          21:08 V 
    3   699 Will Ritmiller          15 Lovettsville VA      21:09 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  15 - 19
    1   562 Grete Lenz              17 Waterford VA         22:00 V 
    2   512 Meghan Mcwilliams       16 Purcellville VA      22:11 V 
    3   729 Molly Darr              17 Lovettsville VA      24:37 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24
    1   524 Mike Havey              23 Fairfax VA           22:30 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24
    1   769 Sheila Haga             22 Christiansburg VA    29:39 V 
    2   425 Sarah Smith             22 Adamstown MD         31:00 V 
    3   705 Katherine Whelan        21 Harrisonburg VA      34:15 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
    1   709 Joseph Hembrook         25 Leesburg VA          19:14 V 
    2   312 Andrew Hunter           28 Richmond VA          19:29 V 
    3   404 Michael Smith           26 Chantilly VA         21:42 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
    1   768 Krissy Hilland          29 Ashburn VA           26:54 V 
    2   370 Jennifer Grossman       29 Ashburn VA           27:48 V 
    3   238 Becky McGraw            25 Leesburg VA          28:27 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34
    1   240 Byron Green             33 Sterling VA          24:20 V 
    2   667 Dwayne Duprey           30 Frederick MD         25:11 V 
    3   628 Christopher Mar         31 Leesburg VA          26:37 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34
    1   766 Deana Grammo            33 Ashburn VA           24:54 V 
    2   473 Deborah Cassidy         30 Fairfax VA           26:57 V 
    3   646 Claudia Cole            31 Alexandria VA        27:46 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39
    1   627 Aaron Lobue             35 Ashburn VA           19:31 V 
    2   696 John Sterling           38 Winchester VA        21:42 V 
    3   234 Ted Logothetti          35 Alexandria VA        24:09 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39
    1   471 Martha Cammack          37 Leesburg VA          22:28 V 
    2   600 Sandra Erbaugh          35 Sterling VA          23:05 V 
    3   474 Gina Ohngemach          37 Leesburg VA          26:49 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44
    1    94 Doug Landau             44 Oak Hill VA          19:50 V 
    2   779 Robert Decker           41 Purcellville VA      20:38 V 
    3   601 Gregg Bonda             44 Clifton VA           22:25 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44
    1   635 Jeannine Barnes         42 Reston VA            28:15 V 
    2   503 Mary Brophy Marcus      40 Falls Church VA      29:21 V 
    3   241 Kathryn Farr            42 Leesburg VA          29:34 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49
    1   455 William Selby           47 Gaithersburg MD      19:47 V 
    2   689 Paul Bevnett            49 Leesburg VA          20:22 V 
    3    26 Tom Simonds             49 Leesburg VA          21:39 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49
    1   433 Karen Bettencourt       47 Ashburn VA           26:52 V 
    2   380 Anna Vandyke            47 Great Falls VA       28:11 V 
    3   745 Marie Mack              45 Wilkes-Barre PA      28:21 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54
    1   373 Neal Riemenschneider    50 Winchester VA        19:43 V 
    2   673 Daniel Maffey           51 Olney MD             23:31 V 
    3   254 Peter Lund              53 Ashburn VA           24:07 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54
    1   253 Donna Lund              53 Ashburn VA           22:56 V 
    2  1001 Lynda Welte             51 Leesburg VA          28:04 V 
    3   357 Janet Clampitt          53 Sterling VA          32:26 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59
    1   658 Geoff Gage              55 Reston VA            23:58 V 
    2   643 Doyle Talkington        56 Dulles VA            24:15 V 
    3   582 Lane Yingling           58 Bel Air MD           30:02 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59
    1   258 Char Eisner             58 Scottsdale AZ        31:04 V 
    2   784 Beverly Bradford        56 Leesburg VA          35:00 V 
    3   575 Pat Petty               55 Sterling VA          40:57 V 


MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64
    1   513 Bob Eldridge            64 Reston VA            24:41 V 
    2   546 Garnett Howard          61 Lorton VA            26:40 V 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 99


MALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 99
    1   649 James Hufford           70 Reston VA            27:17 V 
    2    86 Robert Gurtler          69 The Plains VA        28:32 V 
    3   355 John Cavan              68 Kenbridge VA         33:25 

Photo above: Runners at the start of the half marathon. Matthew Carter (#190), 19, of Manassas, and Christopher Laszlo (#368) 45, of Great Falls, would finish in 1:48:27 and 1:36:00, respectively.

Half Marathon Award Winners

MALE OVERALL
    1   438 Paul Rades              32 Silver Spring MD   1:13:05 X 
    2    37 Brian Schmidt           36 Leesburg VA        1:15:18 X 
    3   751 Peter Vail              30 Washington DC      1:19:34 X 


FEMALE OVERALL
    1    48 K Liisi Linask          30 Rockville MD       1:35:14 X 
    2   664 Sonya Brown             33 Ashburn VA         1:38:06 X 
    3   517 Julie Callens           37 South Riding VA    1:38:21 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 19
    1   756 Ryan Hauptman           18 Leesburg VA        1:34:51 X 
    2   190 Matthew Carter          19 Manassas VA        1:48:27 X 
    3   561 Kevin Maestri           15 Paeonian Spring VA 2:01:23 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 19
    1   563 Shelby Codde            15 Leesburg VA        2:04:28 X 
    2   564 Amber Veney             16 Leesburg VA        2:04:29 X 
    3   675 Kerri Burkle            16 Leesburg VA        2:04:29 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24
    1   734 Michael Irlzaroy        23 Fort Deyrict MD    1:45:45 X 
    2   460 Benjamin Rosner         24 Ashburn VA         1:57:21 X 
    3   237 Ian Gebert              24 Gaithersburg MD    2:07:54 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24
    1   407 Jessica Torbeck         24 Potomac Falls VA   1:48:22 X 
    2   462 Rayna Matsuno           24 Reston VA          1:54:45 X 
    3   459 Carolyn Rosner          23 Ashburn VA         1:57:21 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
    1   573 Ryan Mccarthy           28 Morgantown WV      1:38:54 X 
    2   521 Jayson Ahern Jr         25 Ashburn VA         1:47:14 X 
    3   589 Eric Cole               28 Alexandria VA      1:52:00 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
    1   475 Lindsey Duhaime         26 Vienna VA          1:40:59 X 
    2   216 Robin Wiley             29 Arlington VA       1:44:57 X 
    3   414 Kristin Idle            26 Ashburn VA         1:46:15 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34
    1   315 Robert Osterried        32 Falls Church VA    1:27:30 X 
    2   251 Michael Colucci         30 Fairfax VA         1:30:04 X 
    3   520 Joshua Beardsley        32 South Riding VA    1:33:38 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34
    1   623 Jessica Elias           30 Mclean VA          1:43:15 X 
    2   398 Karen Duprey            32 Frederick MD       1:44:50 X 
    3   335 Robin Strup             34 Leesburg VA        1:51:36 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39
    1   482 Greg Smythe             38 Reston VA          1:25:35 X 
    2   639 Rob Weitzel             37 Reston VA          1:28:09 X 
    3    45 Andre Williamson        36 Silver Spring MD   1:35:47 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39
    1    90 Kristin Biris           35 Knoxville MD       1:40:19 X 
    2   570 Jessica Moore           35 Silver Spring MD   1:40:22 X 
    3   692 Martha Howar            39 Leesburg VA        1:40:51 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44
    1   525 Jim Bradford            42 Vienna VA          1:30:51 X 
    2    65 Brian Kim               43 Bethesda MD        1:32:57 X 
    3   642 Ed Clark                41 Great Falls VA     1:39:11 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44
    1   415 Vicki Hurt              40 Kingstowne VA      1:39:26 X 
    2   757 Fern Greenwell          40 Washington DC      1:42:50 X 
    3   269 Ann Maccormac           41 Leesburg VA        1:46:54 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49
    1   578 Bruce Halpin            48 Ashburn VA         1:25:46 X 
    2    83 Fernando Boccanera      47 Reston VA          1:33:33 X 
    3   368 Christopher Laszlo      45 Great Falls VA     1:36:00 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49
    1   543 Cindy Walls             47 Arlington VA       1:43:51 X 
    2   343 Carole Roeder           47 Ashburn VA         1:45:55 X 
    3   439 Cynthia Earley          49 Lansdowne VA       1:51:16 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54
    1   494 Timothy Morgan          53 Damascus MD        1:30:56 X 
    2    73 Kenyon Erickson         50 Vienna VA          1:33:01 X 
    3   641 David Brewer            50 Herndon VA         1:35:10 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54
    1   531 Ginny Hughes            53 Warrenton VA       1:54:32 X 
    2    75 Rose Popovich           51 The Plains VA      1:57:07 X 
    3    29 Sharon Lapkoff          51 Jefferson MD       1:59:13 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59
    1    11 Patrick Griffith        59 Alexandria VA      1:28:47 X 
    2   744 Peter Lunt              55 Alexandria VA      1:37:05 X 
    3   716 Reeves Westbrook        55 Great Falls VA     1:41:33 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59
    1   358 Catherine Van Brocklin  58 Gaithersburg MD    1:58:29 X 
    2   466 Leslie Stanfield        55 Reston VA          1:58:40 X 
    3   322 Punkin Lee              58 Middleburg VA      2:17:32 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64
    1    59 Mike Thorson            61 Alexandria VA      1:45:12 X 
    2   735 Talbot Mack             64 Middleburg VA      1:48:41 X 
    3   171 Willem Bier             60 Chevy Chase MD     1:52:24 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64
    1   763 Sandy Snead             62 Vienna VA          2:07:36 X 


MALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69
    1   724 Benito Vasquez          65 Laurel MD          1:50:32 X 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 99


MALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99
    1   186 Donald Taylor           73 Hedgesville WV     2:26:53 X 


ATHENA OPEN
    1   360 Michelle Rickwald       37 Leesburg VA        1:55:35 X 
    2   451 Margie Lang-Garnhart    37 Leesburg VA        1:57:48 X 
    3   319 Juliet Lord             34 Bluemont VA        2:13:15 X 


ATHENA MASTERS
    1   413 Susanne Schroll         40 Leesburg VA        2:08:13 X 
    2   191 Gina Hernlem            43 Reston VA          2:31:31 X 


CLYDESDALE OPEN
    1   652 Ken Bocam               38 Potomac MD         1:43:57 X 
    2   454 Thomas Pollock          38 Ashburn VA         1:51:52 X 
    3   256 Craig Wonson            37 Stafford VA        1:57:56 X 


CLYDESDALE MASTERS
    1    66 Matt Hemminger          45 Ashburn VA         1:36:10 X 
    2   671 Warren Frick            43 Ashburn VA         1:39:27 X 
    3   396 Phillip Ennis           42 Herndon VA         1:50:56 X 

Photo above: Elizabeth Lenox of Washington, DC and Jason Ahern, Jr. of Ashburn come off the W&OD Trail at the end of their half-marathon run.

See complete results of the Half Marathon and 5K.

Check back for our Photo Gallery.