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Friends and Neighbors Run the Hill
By Jim Hage
May 17, 2009
Washington, DC
For the Washington Running Report
The Capitol Hill Classic, the 30th edition of this now venerable race, is a chance for Hill denizens and neighbors to reunite and reacquaint while huffing and puffing up and down the historic streets of the nation's capital.
For the top men, however, the race is just another day to strut their speed. Abiyot Endale, from Ethiopia, (in photo) outdistanced his friend and fellow countryman, Gurmessa Megerssa, to win in 30 minutes 50 seconds. Megerssa (29), whose collision with another runner headed the opposite direction in the final mile helped Endale (23) open a decisive gap, took second, six seconds back. Abiyot Abebe (22), also from Ethiopia, was third in 31:08.
"Sometimes he wins, sometimes I win," said Endale of Megerssa, with whom he was even at the 5-mile mark. "We were running easy."
They were running easy with good cause - all three men had raced the day prior. Endale won the We've Got Your Back 4 Miler in Fairfax, running a quick 18:47, and Abebe took third; Megerssa won the Germantown 5 Miler in 24:37.
Pauline Kiragu, from Kenya, wrapped up a successful North American tour with an easy win, covering the Capitol Hill course in 34:58. Kiragu (28) lived and raced in Japan for the past four years and came to the United States for the first time this spring. She finished 13th at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile run before traveling to the Bloomsday 12K in Spokane, WA, and the Trolley Run in Kansas City, MO.
Kiragu, who was based in Albuquerque, NM, during her frenetic eight-week sojourn, was set to return to Kenya after the race.
"I like running here very much," she said. "I will be back."
Ethiopians Almaz Megersa Areda (23) and last year's Capitol Hill champion, Yihunlish Deipie (28), were second and third in 37:05 and 37:09.
Capitol Hill resident Hilary Cairns (38) took fourth in 38:54 - her husband, Malcolm Lester (41), was 18th among the men in 37:42.
Lindsay Donaldson (23), a former track and cross country runner at Yale, ran her first road race in Washington and finished fifth in 40:27. "I've never run 10K before, so this was a long way for me," Donaldson said. "I took a year off [from racing] after college, so I'm coming at this from a different perspective. But this was fun; I prefer road racing to track."
Kerry Rogers (40), from Washington, (in photo) was sixth overall in 40:41 and won the masters division; Doug Kudera (48) ran 36:39 to take the men's title. Maurice Pointer (53), who has been running and racing for the better part of three decades, won the grand masters division in 37:39. "I've been having a good year so far," Pointer said. "And overall, it's been a wonderful ride." Pointer won a half marathon outright north of Baltimore last month and ran 58:33 for 10 miles at Cherry Blossom.
Another enjoying the ride - this year and throughout the history of the event - is David Perry, who lives one block from the finish line. "This is a terrific race," said Perry, who was nattily attired in a Capitol Hill 10K T-shirt from 1983. "This was the oldest shirt I could find." Perry's two children attended the cluster schools, which are the beneficiaries of the event, and he helped organize some of the early races. "Of course, we never had numbers like this." More than 3,200 registered for this year's 10K and 3K.
Awards Listing
Age Group Awards Based on Net Times
MALE
Place Name Ag City Time
===== ======================= == ===================== =======
1 Abiyot Endale 23 Bronx NY 30:50
2 Gurmessa Megressa 29 Washington DC 30:56
3 Abiyot Abebe 22 Washington DC 31:08
FEMALE
Place Name Ag City Time
===== ======================= == ===================== =======
1 Pauline Kiragu 28 Washington DC 34:58
2 Almaz Megersa Areda 23 Washington DC 37:05
3 Yihunlish Diepie 28 Washington DC 37:09
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
1 Abraham Yacob 18 Lorton VA 36:20
2 Will Greenwood 15 Burke VA 40:12
3 Ryan Mattimo 16 Fairfax Station VA 40:30FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
1 Anglea Bonham 17 Washington DC 46:05
2 Lauren Kestner 17 Silver Spring MD 47:40
3 Anna George 18 Colorado Springs CO 48:19MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 James Underwood 24 Washington DC 35:44
2 William Margeson 24 Washington DC 35:51
3 Stephen Porter 21 Chino Hills CA 37:57FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 Lindsay Donaldson 23 Washington DC 40:02
2 D Melani Hom 24 Washington DC 41:23
3 Anna Novick 20 Hayama-Machi 41:52MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 Will Viviani 27 Arlington VA 32:05
2 Garrett Ash 25 Chicago IL 34:29
3 Patrick MacAdie 25 Washington DC 34:30FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 Kristen Henehan 29 Silver Spring MD 41:27
2 Kyle Widay 27 Arlington VA 42:42
3 Colleen Connell 26 Reston VA 43:32MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 Tim Schaefer 30 Gaithersburg MD 34:07
2 Alan Trammell 30 Washington DC 37:45
3 David Malkin 30 Alexandria VA 38:52FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 Lauren Finn 33 Washington DC 43:17
2 Christianne Phillips 34 Washington DC 43:21
3 Kristi Browning 34 Washington DC 44:01MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 Edi Turco 36 Arlington VA 34:51
2 Rich Tremain 37 Ontario 36:53
3 Danny Bennett 38 Dunkirk MD 37:29FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 Hilary Cairns 38 Washington DC 38:53
2 Laura Zeilinger 36 Washington DC 42:14
3 Linda Woodard 37 Alexandria VA 42:59MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 Malcolm Lester 41 Washington DC 37:42
2 Theo Haast 42 Lansdowne VA 37:59
3 Jeff Bedell 40 Arlington VA 38:59FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 Kerry Rodgers 40 Washington DC 40:40
2 Michelle Rosowsky 41 College Station TX 45:29
3 Sarah Boswell 44 Washington DC 46:12MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 Doug Kuderna 48 Odenton MD 36:39
2 Gerald Meyer 46 Baltimore MD 39:29
3 David Keating 49 New Britain CT 41:43FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 Blake Rushin 47 Vienna VA 46:22
2 Kathleen Benway 45 Arlington VA 49:42
3 Eva Gonzales 47 Blowing Rock NC 49:56MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 Maurice Pointer 53 Baltimore MD 37:39
2 Michael Cannon 51 Springfield VA 40:39
3 John Hagen 50 Lusby MD 41:27FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 Ofelia Perotti 52 Alexandria VA 43:50
2 Aileen Moffatt 52 Washington DC 44:59
3 Cynthia Evans 53 48:09MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 Robert Sindermann 55 Arlington VA 44:02
2 Ken Krehbiel 55 Washington DC 44:07
3 Webb Smedley 55 Silver Spring MD 44:18FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 Bea Van Horne 57 Reston VA 54:41
2 Karen Rainey 58 Arlington VA 55:49
3 Mary Alice Cahir 59 Arlington VA 57:29MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 John MacDonald 60 Rock Springs WY 45:14
2 Brodie Remington 60 Washington DC 50:45
3 Arnold Small 62 Reston VA 55:06FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 Alice Franks 61 Rockville MD 48:08
2 Deborah Gebhardt 61 Adelphi MD 49:06
3 Nancy Malan 63 Washington DC 1:05:38MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 Lou Shapiro 67 Silver Spring MD 44:54
2 Michael Golash 66 Washington DC 46:04
3 John Churchman 66 Arlington VA 48:36FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 Karen Kautz 65 Silver Spring MD 59:40
2 Astrida Beras 65 Portland OR 1:08:35
3 Barbara Johnson 66 Washington DC 1:19:15MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
1 Alan Rider 73 Reston VA 56:12
2 Mike Kelly 75 Newport News VA 1:01:19
3 Edward Green 77 Washington DC 1:06:15FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
1 Tami Graf 72 Lusby MD 1:01:23MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 2560 Yukun Fung 30 M Silver Spring MD 39:59FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 1395 Lauren Kestner 17 F Silver Spring MD 47:40
Will Vivani (27) of Arlington, VA is fourth overall in a sparkling 32:05.
