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Mountain Man Peaks in Kensington
By Jim Hage
Kensington, MD
September 26, 2009
For the Washington Running Report
Photos by Lainey Bernstein
Victorian homes, local firefighters and their rigs, plus mountains of post-race muffins are just some of the elements that made the 17th Kensington 8K a can't-miss small-town race with big-time heart and camaraderie.
The event, started during the town's centennial celebration in 1993, is now part of Kensington's community fabric, and thousands of runners and spectators turned out for the 8K, Two-Mile Challenge, and 1K Fun Run. After all those events, a "pup strut," featuring breeds from Chihuahuas to Great Danes, catered to four-legged runners and their owners.
In the 8K, USATF Mountain racing champion Joseph Gray (25) made quick work of the field, taking a huge lead in the first mile and cruising alone the rest of the way to win in 25 minutes 27 seconds. For Gray, was it as effortless as it looked?
"No races are easy," said Gray, who ran at Oklahoma State University before graduating in 2006. "But I'll admit, it was easier than mountain racing." Gray competes worldwide for Inov-8, a Britain-based mountain and trail racing team. He won the U.S. mountain title in New Hampshire in June and lives in Lakewood, WA. Gray was in the area visiting family members in Baltimore and Washington, many of whom, including his mother, came to watch. "It was great to have them here," Gray said. "Most of them have never seen me run."
In his first race in two years, Naval Academy junior Chadwick Shroy (20) took second in 27:44. "It felt great to be racing again," said Shroy, who was recruited to run at Navy but has battled injuries for two years. "I hadn't realized how much I missed it."
Shroy's Academy training partner, Paul Hollwedal (20) finished 14th in 31:40.
Elena Orlova, from Gaithersburg via Russia, dominated the women's race in 28:24. She won last year's 8K in 30:39. She clicked off three 5:30 miles and slowed only slightly over the hilly last two. Orlova (39) is training for the Baltimore Marathon on October 10.
Cindy Conant (48) ran 33:05 to place second for the second straight year. Conant, from Kensington, ran past her house on the home stretch. Kara Cosgrave (40), also from Kensington, and Win Persina (49), from Washington, finished third and fourth, notable because ... well, the top four were not exactly young and ran plenty fast, As did many others, young and old, in the field of 539 8K finishers on a crisp fall morning.
Maybe it was Kensington's historic setting, perhaps the fast, flat, and scenic portion of the course through Rock Creek Park, maybe even the promise of fresh chocolate chip muffins at the finish - be there yourself to see, run, and understand next fall.
2009 Photo Gallery by Lainey Bernstein
Overall Female Open Winners
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Elena Orlova Gaithersburg MD 708 39 6 28:21.9 28:23.4 0:01.4 3:33/K
2 Cindy Conant Kensington MD 517 48 25 33:02.2 33:04.7 0:02.5 4:08/K
3 Kara Cosgrove Kensington MD 86 40 29 33:19.1 33:23.6 0:04.4 4:10/K
Overall Female Masters Winners
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Win Persina Washington DC 333 49 45 34:54.8 34:57.0 0:02.2 4:22/K
Female 12 and under
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Rhianna Vergeer Washington DC 581 11 183 41:56.8 42:21.9 0:25.0 5:18/K
Female 13 to 19
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Cori Caggiano Bethesda MD 567 14 67 36:30.5 36:37.7 0:07.2 4:35/K
Female 20 to 29
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Catherine Skibo Kensington MD 413 25 46 35:04.0 35:15.1 0:11.1 4:24/K
Female 30 to 39
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Tammy Carr Olney MD 595 35 49 35:15.4 35:24.1 0:08.6 4:26/K
Female 40 to 49
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Karen Young Boyds MD 594 41 70 36:39.1 36:49.9 0:10.7 4:36/K
Female 50 to 59
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Alison Suckling Arnold MD 437 54 53 35:24.8 35:27.8 0:03.0 4:26/K
Female 60 to 69
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Alice Franks Rockville MD 137 61 128 39:50.9 39:57.7 0:06.7 5:00/K
Overall Male Open Winners
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Joseph Gray Lakewood WA 582 25 1 25:26.4 25:27.6 0:01.1 3:11/K
2 Chadwick Shroy Annapolis MD 409 20 2 27:41.8 27:43.5 0:01.7 3:28/K
3 Raymond Fan Germantown MD 561 26 3 27:49.5 27:49.8 0:00.3 3:29/K
Overall Male Masters Winners
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Jim Hage Kensington MD 170 51 7 28:42.4 28:44.3 0:01.9 3:36/K
12 and Under
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Giles Beven Kensington MD 43 11 88 37:37.1 37:46.9 0:09.8 4:43/K
Male 13 to 19
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Matthew Swann Bethesda MD 440 13 22 32:26.5 32:29.4 0:02.9 4:04/K
Male 20 to 29
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Jimmy Daly Kensington MD 94 23 4 27:52.2 27:53.3 0:01.1 3:29/K
Male 30 to 39
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Eric Dasilva Burtonsville MD 96 32 5 28:11.0 28:13.3 0:02.3 3:32/K
Male 40 to 49
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Jean-Christophe Arcaz Rockville MD 575 48 8 28:50.6 28:52.3 0:01.7 3:37/K
Male 50 to 59
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Daniel Vincent Chevy Chase MD 460 51 11 31:09.0 31:11.3 0:02.3 3:54/K
Male 60 to 69
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Krupakar Revanna Falls Church VA 361 66 75 37:06.8 37:17.5 0:10.7 4:40/K
Male 70 to 98
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Diff Pace
1 Bill Sollers Silver Spring MD 713 70 257 44:24.2 44:33.9 0:09.7 5:34/K
