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Welcome to the Washington Running Report
Women Fall 2007
2007 Fall WRR Runner Rankings
Women's Division
By James Moreland with Photos by Brightroom
January/February 2008
For the Washington Running Report
Melissa Tanner (26) of Bethesda, MD earned her ten spot racing home from Rockville at the Parks HM in 1:20:24.
Open Women
Baltimore Half Marathon, 1:14:45, 10K = 33:47
The division grew to an incredible 66 women. As usual, many of the top runners do not return, just two of five from last period and only one of the top five from last year. Belainesh Gebre of Washington, DC had a much greater challenge than in her last period of dominating the teen division. Her big win at Baltimore was just a little slower than last year's Quantico HM winner but her accompanying 5K in 16:28 crushed all the others.
Julie Cullie of Arlington, VA ran a wonderful 16:59 to win the United Way 5K in October. That would have netted her fifth place. Susie's Cause 5K had established the pecking order with Teyba Naser winning in 16:39, ahead of runner-up Hirut Mensistu in 16:41, and third place Alemgena Desta in 16:44. Then on November 10, Culley uncorked a humongous 26:53 at the nTelos 8K. It was the second best race of the period and moved the others back down a notch, securing her runner-up status.
Gebre put away Naser and Mensistu at the Star Kid 8K, though Mensistu beat Naser there and at Veterans in their third and fourth fastest races. Naser returned the favor at the National Press Club 5K in their second best race.
Susannah Kvasnicka of Great Falls, VA earns the sixth place, besting seventh ranked Alisa Harvey of Manassas, VA at the Army 10 Mile 59:11 to 60:34. Kvasnicka ran nTelos in 28:14. The following month Harvey nearly passed her with an overall win at the Inspire Victory 5K in 17:08. That did get her past eighth place Johanna Allen (last month's cover girl) and 11th place Lauren Manero-Army 59:39 and 60:15. Christine Ramsey slid in between at ninth with tenth place going to Melissa Tanner. These two raced Parks HM in 1:19:21 and 1:20:24 respectively, with Manero following them home in 1:22:12.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Gebre, Belainesh*9 19 Washington, DC
2 Culley, Julie* 26 Arlington, VA
3 Naser, Teyba***** 21 Washington, DC
4 Mengistu, Hirut** 22 Takoma Park, MD
5 Desta, Alemgena 26 Silver Spring, MD
6 Kvasnicka, Susannah 35 Great Falls, VA
7 Harvey, Alisa*** 42 Manassas, VA
8 Allen, Johanna 26 Woodbridge, VA
9 Ramsey, Christine 24 Baltimore , MD
10 Tanner, Melissa 26 Bethesda, MD
11 Manero, Lauren* 26 Fort Belvoir, VA
12 High, Renee* 26 Virginia Beach, VA
13 Henehan, Kristen 28 Silver Spring, MD
14 Spalding, Sarah* 26 Washington, DC
15 Ficker, Desiree* 30 Potomac, MD
16 Perlingeiro, Fabiana** 30 Norfolk, VA
17 Carlson, Melinda 28 Washington, DC
18 Nowak, Katie* 26 Bethesda, MD
19 Lynch, Victoria* 33 Washington, DC
20 Wettlaufer, Cara* 24 Bel Air, MD
21 Thomas, Mindy** 23 Stafford, VA
22 Swarts, Heidi** 33 Baltimore, MD
23 Merz, Martha* 45 Annandale, VA
24 Pease, Alicia* 24 Silver Spring, MD
25 Till, Kristen* 38 Baltimore, MD
26 Kosakowski, Jackie* 24 Richmond, VA
27 Ward, Emily* 25 Richmond, VA
28 Himes, Suzanne 38 Alexandria, VA
29 Gentry, Maggie* 16 Nokesville, VA
30 Smith, Julia** 39 Tappanhannock, VA
31 Stick, Sherry*** 29 Sykesville, MD
32 Ellerbrock, Robyn 22 Washington, DC
33 Stackhouse, Britton 28 Arlington, VA
34 Cairns, Hilary 37 Washington, DC
35 Schrank, Brenda* 35 Winchester, VA
36 Oleynik, Anna** 19 Gaithersburg, MD
37 Hohnka Oswald, Lou 30 Reston, VA
38 Davison, Mary 34 Chesapeake, VA
39 Van Cleef, Aidan* 22 Chesapeake, VA
40 Foley, Linda* 45 Oak Hill, VA
41 Mlinarcik, Jenny 28 Alexandria, VA
42 Uhl, Alice* 32 Fincastle, VA
43 Gay, Jane** 17 Roanoke, VA
44 Pak, Colleen 37 Virginia Beach, VA
45 Peterson, Heidi**** 13 Williamsburg, VA
46 Knickman, Denise 39 Baltimore, MD
47 Kirby, Samantha* 38 Arlington, VA
48 Ting, Audrey 30 Arlington, VA
49 Shannon, Laura 45 Williamsburg, VA
50 Romain, Sarah 23 Washington, DC
51 Conroy, Erin 23 Washington, DC
52 Nathan, Rebecca 42 Arlington, VA
53 Kline, Sheryl* 44 Arnold, MD
54 Feldman, Elizabeth* 40 Chevy Chase, MD
55 Hunter, Joan 44 Purcellville, VA
56 Christopher, Mary* 23 Washington, DC
57 Stewart-Garbrecht, Patti 45 Bethesda, MD
58 Eames, Betsy 23 Herndon, VA
59 Conant, Cindy 46 Kensington, VA
60 Sowa, Megan* 24 Arlington, VA
61 Hall, Maureen* 42 Lavale, MD
62 Ensle, Leisa* 49 Virginia Beach, VA
63 Tepovich, Carin* 26 Virginia Beach, VA
64 Jasparro, Victoria* 34 Fredericksburg, VA
65 Jones, Elizabeth 30 Midland, VA
66 Humphrey, Robyn 43 Ellicott City, MD
19 & Under Women
Baltimore Half Marathon, 1:14:45, 10K = 33:47
This division was the largest women's division, with more than 300 qualifiers and its winner the most dominant. Belainesh Gebre of Washington, DC was in a league of her own. Her nine races included eight overall wins and one runner-up placing. That race, the Labrecque Classic 5K, had her running 16:28. A week after she popped a 1:14:45 at the Baltimore HM she dropped a fine Star Kid 8K in 27:34. She ended her fall with a 34:27 College Park Cares 10K.
The next dozen races were all 5Ks. Maggie Gentry of Nokesville, VA had the two top ones, including her overall win at the Marymount 5K in 18:21. Anya Oleynik of Gaithersburg, MD is back and displaces last period's runner-up, Jane Gay of Roanoke, VA, with an overall win at the Candy Cane City 5K in 18:30. Gay was right on her heels with two overall 5K wins, including the Star City in 18:40.
The next big star coming out of the Tidewater region is Heidi Peterson (13) of Williamsburg, VA. She clamped down on the number five spot with four overall wins and a second place overall. Her best race was the Heritage Humane Society 5K in 18:49.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Gebre, Belainesh*9 19 Washington, DC
2 Gentry, Maggie** 16 Nokesville, VA
3 Oleynik, Anna**** 18 Gaithersburg, MD
4 Gay, Jane** 17 Roanoke, VA
5 Peterson, Heidi***** 13 Williamsburg, VA
6 Sinclair, Halsey** 18 Silver Spring, MD
7 Rooks, Brittany** 13 Baltimore, MD
8 Warfield, Lindsay*** 18 Woodbine, MD
9 Waldhauser, Courtney* 17 Fallston, MD
10 Sinclair, Ashlyn** 18 Silver Spring, MD
11 Pollard, Brittany** 12 Falling Waters, WV
12 Augins, Nicole** 15 Virginia Beach, VA
13 Hexter, Melissa** 11 Bel Air, MD
14 Dickson, Candice* 18 Bowie, MD
15 Hubbard, Christine**** 18 Virginia Beach, VA
16 Ferro, Amy* 15 Rockville, MD
17 Bachelder, Jessica* 11 Fairfax, VA
18 Slaughter, Laura* 13 Lutherville, MD
19 Donnelly, Paige* 16 Chevy Chase, MD
20 Gwiazdowski, Kate* 18 Bel Air, MD
21 Pape-Calabrese, Carravita 13 Chevy Chase, MD
22 Mawdsley, Karen** 14 Columbia, MD
23 Praydis, Christina* 17 Perry Hall, MD
24 Dennis, Alyssa* 13 Annapolis, MD
25 Vichery, Hosannah** 12 Lynchburg, VA
26 Coco, Katlynn* 19 Perry Hall, MD
27 Glueck, Gaylin** 12 Williamsburg, VA
28 Dickerson, Kara 12 Midlothian, VA
29 Leffew, Hannah* 16 Virginia Beach, VA
30 Kelly, Grace* 15 Bowie, MD
31 Gwiazdowski, Jill 17 Bel Air, MD
35-39 Women
Army 10 Miler, 59:11, 10K = 35:34
Brenda Schrank (35) of Winchester, VA ran the two largest races of the period -Army in 66:06 and Marine Corps in 3:00:21.
Though now 35, Susannah Kvasnicka of Great Falls, VA is really an elite runner in the Open Division. She brought her 'A' game to the fall races and easily topped the sub masters field. Each month she dabbled with a top race. The PVI Runfest has the highest percentage of ranked runners for any 5K with more than 200 finishers. She was third overall in 17:33. At Army, she was runner-up in a swift 59:11. Then in November, she ventured south for the largest, most competitive 8K of the year. She won her division at nTelos in 28:14.
After that, the drop off went to the next six-pack of runners. Each owned one of the next six best races. Colleen Pak is seventh with two fine halves, including the Fleet HM over third place Suzanne Himes, 1:26:39 to 1:28:34. Himes redeemed herself two weeks later with a Marine Corps Marathon victory over sixth place Brenda Schrank of Winchester, VA 2:57:56 to 3:00:21 to earn third place. Hilary Cairns of Washington, DC snatched fifth place with her Veterans Day 10K in 38:35, while Julie Smith took the fourth spot in an overall win at J'Brians Taproom Challenge 5K in 18:18. Kristen Till of Baltimore, MD warmed up with an overall 5K win in 18:50. Then she planted herself firmly in the runner-up spot with a Baltimore HM in 1:23:47.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Kvasnicka, Susannah*** 35 Great Falls, VA
2 Till, Kristen** 38 Baltimore, MD
3 Himes, Suzanne* 38 Virginia Beach, VA
4 Smith, Julia** 38 Tappahannock, VA
5 Cairns, Hilary** 37 Washington, DC
6 Schrank, Brenda* 35 Winchester, VA
7 Pak, Colleen*** 37 Virginia Beach, VA
8 Knickman, Denise* 39 Baltimore, MD
9 Kirby, Samantha* 38 Arlington, VA
10 Daunt, Kathy**** 38 Haymarket, VA
11 Hoffman, Michele**** 35 Baltimore, MD
12 Durocher, Debra** 39 Fredericksburg, VA
13 McFarlane, Kathleen* 38 Ashburn, VA
14 Sporidis, Christy** 38 Potomac, MD
15 Folstad, Angela* 37 Accokeek, VA
16 Sapper, Julie** 35 Rockville, MD
17 Cochran, Mary Beth* 39 Bel Air, MD
40-44 Women
Inspire Victory 5K, 17:08, 10K = 35:40
Track star Alisa Harvey spread her wings and took on the Parks HM this fall. The race succumbed to her (1:26:49) as did all seven of her other races. She won the masters title easily at Army in 60:34 though well off her record 59:00 set there last year. Then, in eight days, she was the overall winner in three races. She ended October winning the Marine Corps 10K in 37:12. The following Saturday she ran the Inspire Victory 5K in 17:08 for her fastest race and she was the first runner of either sex to cross the finish line. She promptly entered the Rockville 10K the next day and victory (36:51) was deja vu all over again.
Martha Merz of Annandale, VA turned the corner into the new division but qualified here, too, winning the Arlington 9-11 5K in 19:00. In the new division, she did not require any assistance, with the top three times in the new division all much faster. Her slowest of six races, the Potomac 5K in 19:10, made her the oldest woman to beat every other runner in the race. Ruth Olson of Fredericksburg, VA is just slightly younger than Merz. She ended September with an overall 5K victory in 19:01. The week before she ran the ill-fated Quantico HM, which was short. It was enough to qualify her. She also ran a fine SunTrust Richmond Marathon in the new division though she did not have the second race there to double dip.
The next three spots were razor close. Sheryl Kline of Arnold, MD had her regular slew of victories, including one at the Westfield Mall in Annapolis in 19:09. Rebecca Nathan of Arlington, VA ran in the cult Thomas G. Labrecque Classic 5K, which features mostly out-of-town runners, in an identical time. Elizabeth Feldman of Chevy Chase, MD ran through the Parks HM in 1:28:18 for virtually the same time. Nathan earns the fourth place by besting Kline at the Veterans Day 10K 39:55 to 41:02. Kline stayed ahead of Feldman with a couple more swift 5Ks and by slightly overmatching her at the "5 Mile." Feldman won the Back to School 8K in 32:01. Kline ran the Down's Park 5 Mile, which is perversely long (5.04), as they decided to end the race not on the park road but around the corner in the parking lot. Thus, her 32:24 second overall race was about 100 meters longer than Feldman's.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Harvey, Alisa*8 42 Manassas, VA
2 Merz, Martha* 44 Annandale, VA
3 Olson, Ruth** 44 Fredericksburg, VA
4 Nathan, Rebecca*** 42 Arlington, VA
5 Kline, Sheryl***** 44 Baltimore, MD
6 Feldman, Elizabeth* 40 Chevy Chase, MD
7 Hunter, Joan** 44 Purcellville, VA
8 Pels, Paula*** 40 Bethesda, MD
9 Hall, Maureen*7 42 Lavale, MD
10 Humphrey, Robyn** 43 Ellicott City, MD
11 Russell, Danielle** 43 Ashburn, VA
12 Elliott, Nicola* 41 Vienna, VA
13 Danilkovitch, Alla* 44 Columbia, MD
14 Freres, Anita** 42 Reston, VA
15 Gleuck, Connie**** 43 Williamsburg, VA
16 Wood, Louise**** 40 Williamsburg, VA
17 Lussi, Jeanette*** 44 Kensington, MD
18 Mancini, Jinx*** 41 Richmond, VA
19 McNichols, Lisa* 40 Alexandria, VA
20 Kinnecome, Susie 43 Bethesda, MD
21 Beven, Helen 42 Kensington, MD
22 Lewellyn, Krista** 44 Virginia Beach, VA
23 Sperry, Amy* 42 Glen Allen, VA
24 Tingle, Lane* 41 Lake Ridge, VA
25 Hogge, Michelle* 43 Williamsburg, VA
26 Benante, Susan** 44 Norfolk, VA
27 Gill, Susan* 42 Virginia Beach, VA
28 Thumel, Kim* 44 Virginia Beach, VA
29 Warring, Laeticia 44 Herndon, VA
30 Rath, Terry 43 Ashburn, VA
31 Scoggin, Suzanne 44 Reston, VA
32 Wells, Amy 42 Elkridge, MD
33 Little, Tracy 41 Richmond, VA
45-49 Women
Marine Corps Marathon, 2:56:46, 10K = 37:47
This division is emblematic to what is happening with women's racing. The division continues to grow and the runners are getting faster and faster. At 45, Martha Merz of Annandale, VA became the fastest woman to win over ALL the runners in the race when she broke the tape at the Potomac 5K.
She also finished as the third, fourth, and fifth woman in the area's biggest races. She won the division the hard way with a marathon. Fifth overall at Marine Corps in 2:56:46 is not too shabby. It was the only sub 38:00 10K equivalent for the division. At Army, she finished second master with a 63:21. She matched 10Ks exactly (38:46) with runner-up Linda Foley of Oak Hill, VA. Merz did it on the scenic, rolling hills of the Home Run 10K in Rockville. Foley sped down Ohio Drive at the Veterans Day 10K. Merz again matched that pace with her PVI Runfest 5K win in 18:37. Foley was next in 19:28.
Laura Shannon of Williamsburg, VA was not too far off the runner-up spot. She knows it well, finishing second overall in four of her five races. Her top time was at Governor's Land in 19:03. Fourth place Pamela Lovett made her move in the final weeks. She was running a solid 20:00 pace for some 5Ks but her Army 10 Miler in 70:22 was far behind Cindy Conant's 67:26 (10K = 40:31). Then she laid rubber and squealed out to an excellent nTelos 8K in 31:40 (10K = 40:12) to snatch the spot. Conant came back the next day to run the Veterans Day 10K in 40:22 to make it "oh so close."
To keep it even more interesting, Patti Stewart-Garbrecht was runner-up at Back to School in 32:16 the day after Conant was runner-up in Kensington with 32:21.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Merz, Martha**** 45 Annandale, VA
2 Foley, Linda**** 45 Oak Hill, VA
3 Shannon, Laura***** 45 Williamsburg, VA
4 Lovett, Pamela**** 45 Newport News, VA
5 Stewart-Garbrecht, Patti** 45 Bethesda, MD
6 Conant, Cindy*** 46 Kensington, MD
7 Ensle, Leisa* 49 Virginia Beach, VA
8 Cox, Vanessa*** 46 Laurel, MD
9 Baron, Liliana 49 Potomac, MD
10 Freix, Laura** 46 Centreville, VA
11 Hayden, Julie** 47 Ashburn, VA
12 Persina, Win**** 47 Washington, DC
13 Nanda, Sushila***** 46 Arlington, VA
14 Haghighian, Hosni*** 49 Charlottesville, VA
15 Haddad, Moana** 45 Chevy Chase, MD
16 Parter, D'Ellen* 48 Virginia Beach, VA
17 Russell, Mariko* 47 Washington, DC
18 Bernetti, Kathy 46 Fulton, MD
19 Layson, Lynda* 47 Severn, MD
20 Betz, Jean*** 48 Cabin John, MD
21 Graf, Robin* 48 Yorktown, VA
22 Rall, Tammy 45 Stafford, VA
23 Lundeen, Jennifer* 47 Port Republic, MD
24 Tschiderer, Patty* 46 Chevy Chase, MD
25 Ford, Sandy 46 Columbia, MD
26 Blasey, Sandy*** 45 Kensington, MD
27 Rickard, Pam** 45 Rocky Mount, VA
28 Gallagher, Catherine* 47 Chevy Chase, MD
29 Hughes, Susan 46 Bethesda, MD
30 Buckheit, Sarah*8 47 Reston, VA
31 Walsh, Nancy* 46 Richmond, VA
32 Santarpia, Gloria* 46 Odenton, MD
33 Rushin, Blake* 46 Vienna, VA
34 Henderson, Debi** 47 Newport News, VA
35 Scott, Janeth 45 Columbia, MD
36 Goodwin, Robin*** 49 Timonium, MD
37 Palmer, Sarah** 47 Roanoke, VA
38 Carey, Anne 48 Washington, DC
50-54 Women
Washington, DC Masonic Veterans Day 10K = 41:12
Ofelia Perotti (51) of Alexandria, VA is the oldest woman with an open division time. Look for her to be ranked in the Open Division next period.
The division nearly doubled in size, but for Ofelia Perotti of Alexandria, VA everything remained the same. Let the force be with you. Going into November, Perotti had four of the top five times, including overall wins in the 5M and 5K. The only race she did not own was the ski slope Great Allegany 15K, which Frederick's Doris Windsand-Dausam rode to a masters win in 63:49. She is known for longer races and her 5Ks were slower than her 10K equivalent of 41:30.
The November showdown for all the marbles would be the lightning fast Veterans Day 10K in West Potomac Park. The weather was ideal this year. Betty Blank of Falls Church, VA and Alison Suckling of Arnold, MD prepared to stop the tide of the Perotti racing machine. They both knew each other well and had traded victories through the years.
Perotti was ready and moved forcefully away. Suckling was a stride behind rankings wise, running the PVI Runfest 5K in 20:45, while Blank was a mere second ahead finishing Army in 71:51. Both had top finishes in other races. As the race wore on, Perotti was gone, winning in 41:12, a time that would qualify in the open division. Suckling held on to the runner-up spot by a mere three seconds in 42:43. She could not lose Blank and Blank could not catch her.
Nancy Ferris of Charlottesville, VA, without the fierce competition, was just off the pace for fourth with her Pepsi 10K 43:25 and the BB&T Virginia 10 Mile in 72:30. Windsand-Dausam held fifth with her 21:32 Jingle Bell 5K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Perotti, Ofelia***** 51 Alexandria, VA
2 Suckling, Alison** 52 Arnold, MD
3 Blank, Betty**** 54 Falls Church, VA
4 Ferris, Nancy** 51 Goode, VA
5 Windsand-Dausam, Doris*** 51 Frederick, MD
6 Walls, Cindy 50 Arlington, VA
7 Roeder, Carole* 50 Ashburn, VA
8 Mutizger, Linda** 50 Laytonsville, MD
9 Seidman, Merrilee 53 Alexandria, VA
10 Schumann, Linda 51 Lynchburg, VA
11 Roman, Laura* 51 Baltimore, MD
12 Lau, Claire* 50 Chesterfield, VA
13 Washington, Myra*6 50 Montgomery Village, MD
14 Weeks, Sharon***** 53 Virginia Beach, VA
15 Starr, Elizabeth** 51 Aldie, VA
16 Breen, Caorlyn* 50 Bethesda, MD
17 Gammon, Karen** 51 Moseley, VA
18 Mange, Joyce 51 Silver Spring, MD
19 Recto, Liza** 51 Lexington Park, MD
20 Ross, Saleema** 53 Fort Washington, MD
21 Bartley, Gloria* 54 Virginia Beach, VA
22 Bone, Jean 54 Richmond, VA
23 Lang, Mary 53 Pasadena, MD
24 Sykes, Catherine** 52 Virginia Beach, VA
25 Willis, Therese 54 Richmond, VA
26 Grinde, Ingrid* 51 Casanova, VA
55-59 Women
Truro Preschool & Kindergarten 5K, 21:03, 10K = 43:50
Alice Franks (59) of Rockville, MD just misses another crown with a swift 47:01 at the Veterans Day 10K.
Gulick had the best 5Ks, including the Heritage Humane Society 5K in 22:42. Then the first week in November, Martha Selonick of Crownsville, MD exploded with a super 22:37 at the Westfield Annapolis Mall 5K. The big races usually decide the champions because that is where they choose to run. Linda Gulick of Richmond, VA takes command the following week with a fine hometown performance at the nTelos 8K in 36:24.
Alice Franks pulled out all the stops the next day at the biggest 10K, the Veterans Day, in 47:01 but it was not enough. It did move her up a couple spots to the runner-up. Note that Franks was at all the big events-Kensington 8K, Army 10M, Marine Corps Marathon, and Parks HM.
Fourth place Patricia Gilley of King William, VA bested all of Franks' times save one with her Richmond Marathon in 3:44:28, though she was defeated by Franks at Army. Shirley Macefe of Butler, PA ran the Executive Stampede 5K in 23:07 to stay close in fifth. Deborah Gebhardt of Adelphi, MD upset Franks at Kensington 38:05 to 38:43 for sixth.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Gulick, Linda*** 56 Richmond, VA
2 Franks, Alice*** 59 Rockville. MD
3 Selonick, Martha* 57 Crownsville, MD
4 Gilley, Patricia 55 King William, VA
5 Macefe, Shirley* 57 Butler, PA
6 Gebhardt, Deborah* 59 Adelphi, MD
7 St. Clair, Christy* 58 Glen Arm, MD
8 Gustafson, Joan*** 56 Portsmouth, VA
9 Hughes, Ginny 56 Warrenton, VA
10 Salazar, Sandy* 56 Columbia, MD
11 Meierowitz, Barbara** 55 Chesapeake, VA
12 Owens, Linda 59 Earlysville, VA
60-64 Women
Washington, DC Masonic Veterans Day 10K, 45:02
Richard Williams and his new wife Jane (Poole) moved to San Diego, CA to start another gold rush. Richard won the spring and had forty division wins in 48 tries this year. Jane had twenty-seven "golds" in 42 races.
Jane Poole has been running scores of races all year with Richard Williams. They tied the knot November 18 and their competition breathed a sigh of relief as they headed for the west coast. Poole has been getting faster and faster and won her division in nine of ten races. Her best effort was 1:48:06 at the Baltimore HM. Her only defeat was her sixth fastest race at the Veterans Day 10K in 50:21. It earned her the third spot in the division.
Chris Craun of Bethesda, MD spanked the division by improving her best 10K from last year by nearly two minutes. She won the Veterans Day 10K in 45:02. She also improved over last year's effort at the Parks HM by five minutes to win in 1:46:19. She finished second in her division once at the period's largest race, the Marine Corps Marathon (3:51:52).
Division runner-up Betty Brothers of Virginia Beach, VA geared up for her marathon by winning the Hampton Days 10K in 48:15. At age 60, she was the second masters finisher. Later in the year, she capped her SunTrust Richmond Marathon with a win in 4:00:51.
Dee Nelson of Gaithersburg, MD has run 60 to 70 races a year for more than a decade. Not surprisingly, she has lots of age group wins. She has five of the top eight 5Ks, including her best race at the Run for Life 5K in 24:46.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Craun, Chris*** 61 Bethesda, MD
2 Brothers, Betty*** 60 Virginia Beach, VA
3 Williams (Poole), Jane*8 60 Washington, DC
4 Nelson, Dee*7 64 Gaithersburg, MD
5 Price, Helene** 62 Burke, VA
6 Jacobs, Janice 60 Arlington, VA
7 Glover, Elizabeth 62 Bethesda, MD
8 Coleman, Karolynn* 63 Chevy Chase, MD
9 Biasi, Barbara** 60 Yorktown, VA
10 Buck, Sandra*** 61 Monkton, MD
11 Hirn, Ann*** 62 Portsmouth, VA
12 Peters, Linda 60 Lynchburg, VA
13 Stripling, Mary** 63 Reston, VA
14 Kautz, Karen 63 Silver Spring, MD
15 De Echeandia, Diane 64 Hampton, VA
16 Mayhew, Mary*** 61 Winchester, VA
17 Stark, Barbara** 63 Suffolk, VA
18 Berger, Nancy*** 62 Hunt Valley, MD
19 Friend, Connie** 61 Charlottesville, VA
20 Patrick, Patricia* 64 Falls Church, VA
21 Gonyea, Mary Ellen 60 Alexandria, VA
22 Dodson, Christina* 61 Richmond, VA
65-69 Women
Mulberry Island 5K, 23:44, 10K = 49:25 Heritage Humane Society 5K Run, 23:44, 10K = 49:25
Jamie Wollard (69) of North Bethesda, MD had five races gearing up to take on the new division soon.
Joan Coven of Williamsburg, VA trampled on the division leaving no prisoners. She matched herself as no one else could for the fastest 5K in the division. Her worst race was a 24:01 at the Governor's Land 5K. She is the only one In Virginia history to have broken 25 minutes and she has done that many times. Yolanda Perez of Silver Spring, MD entered the division with an excellent Parks HM in 2:02:44 against former division champions Betty Smith and Nancy Linck.
An amazing eight runners in this division were squaring off at the Marine Corps Marathon. Linck earned the fourth spot running 4:55:00 for the fastest time among the qualifiers. Fifth place Rosemary Swartzbard of Arlington, VA outran Linck's half marathon with one in Baltimore but Linck countered with a Veterans Day 10K win in 57:09 to earn the fourth spot. Just one week after running the Marine Corps Marathon, Molly Sherwood of Annapolis, MD uncorked a swift 27:04 hometown 5K to ease into third place in the division.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Coven, Joan**** 66 Williamsburg, VA
2 Perez, Yolanda** 65 Silver Spring, MD
3 Sherwood, Molly* 65 Annapolis, MD
4 Linck, Nancy* 65 Alexandria, VA
5 Schwartzbard, Rosemary* 65 Arlington, VA
6 Garland, Arlowene*** 69 Warsaw, VA
7 Berglund, Mary Kate** 66 Richmond, VA
8 Smith, Betty 66 Rockville, MD
9 Carter, Linda** 65 Potomac, MD
10 Adachi, Yoshiko** 69 Baltimore, MD
11 Ely, Pauline** 68 Hampton, VA
12 Wollard, Jamie** 69 North Bethesda, MD
70-74 Women
Galax Autumn Days 5K Run, 25:01, 10K = 52:05
Regular division champion Tami Graf of Lusby, MD earned the title with nine age group wins. She won the division on the fast West Potomac course in 27:43 to begin the period. She punctuated that with wins in all three states and at four different distances. Nancy Fraser of Charlottesville, VA was the only runner with races to challenge Graf at all. Nancy Patron matched Fraser's best race with a 30:12 of her own on the 20th of October but only had one race. Graf had her slowest of her races that day in 31:12 to give a small hope to her competition.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Graf, Tami*9 71 Lusby, MD
2 Fraser, Nancy** 70 Charlottesville, VA
3 Welker, Nancy*** 73 Roseland, VA
4 Chambers, Jeanette* 72 Arnold, MD
5 Presby, Berta** 71 Virginia Beach, VA
75-79 Women
Race for Research 5K, 32:50, 10K = 1:08:22
Jacqueline O'Neil had the fastest 5K with 32:50 at the Run for Research to win the division. Yvonne Aasen of Severna Park, MD had the second fastest race running the Down's Park 5M in 58:16. She also had a 35:54 5K race, which bested all six of Martha Trimmer's races.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Jacqueline O'Neil* 76 Washington, DC
2 Aasen, Yvonne*** 77 Severna Park, MD
3 Trimmer, Martha*** 78 Grasonville, MD
80 & Over Women
Poolesville Day 5K, 47:00, 10K = 1:37:51
Gertrude Shaver wins the division as the only runner with two races. Betty Hauck had the fastest time. Shaver won at the Get Ready! Get Set! Get Fit! 5K over her husband Eugene and 90-year- old Gloria Wianke. Lois Creamer triumphantly took on Tush Metcalf (86) at the nTelos 8K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Shaver, Gertrude 80 Catonsville, MD
2 Hauck, Betty 81 Poolesville, MD
3 Creamer, Lois 82 Richmond, VA
4 Brauw, Elizabeth 81 Ocean City
5 Wianke, Gloria 90 Baltimore, MD
6 Metcalf, Tush 86 Richmond, VA