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Race to End Women's Cancer Half Marathon and 5K
By James Moreland
Washington, DC
November 8, 2009
For the Washington Running Report
The time was ripe for another big race in the nation's capital. The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation had big plans for a two thousand person event with a band and motivational speakers. Cancer survivors, surgeons, teachers, and students played in big role in reminding the public that life is good. Life is precious. Surviving is a good reason to be proud and blessed. The more we know about it, the more we can do about it, especially as it hits home to everyone. The foundation had women first in mind but there are cancer survivors of both sexes. The regular runner t-shirts were purple. The survivors' shirts were a bright, bold yellow.
The event had a distance for everyone. Starting on a perfect fall morning that crested to 70+ degrees, participants could choose between walking a mile (some 500 did), running a 5K race (nearly 700), or running in a six person relay that lasted for a half marathon. Finally, with a $7000 incentive for the top ten men and women, there was the half marathon.
Washington, DC is a bustling city with business and tourism seven days a week; it is hard to shut down large parts of the city. Even the monster Marine Corps Marathon in October has its limits. So the half marathon course was designed as a three loop course starting at Freedom Plaza and racing down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol. Like prongs on a fork, runners weaved up and back past Independence Avenue with a total of fourteen 180 turns. The 5K had just one, hurrying back to the finish by racing left on Independence while the half marathon darted back and forth another mile or two before finishing the first loop back at the starting area.
By a quarter mile the lead pack had already split to just six runners. About 50 meters behind them was the lead pack of three women glued together. By mile two, the lead was only Demesse Tefera and Abiyot Endale. Racing side by side Endale looked relaxed. Tefera had lost a tough race to Steve Magness 24:31 to 24:38 at the Race for a Cause 8K last week. He looked determined while Endale had his usual calm demeanor. Joel Maura was trying to close the gap but was running alone.
Fourth place Steve Crane was pushing hard with little spurts as he rounded corners and got a glimpse of the runner ahead. He knew Michael Wardian was close behind as well as Gurmessa Megerssa.
During the second loop just before heading back to Pennsylvania Avenue, Endale, who had fallen back of Tefera, turned south on 3rd street, the wrong way; it only cost him about thirty meters but it was enough to make him lose contact with Tefera. The next three runners were starting to spread apart.
On the final leg, Crane stopped thinking about Wardian and went after Maura, who finished third in 1:07:50, just ahead of him (1:08:38). Tefera had won in a nifty 1:05:07, sub 5:00 mile pace. Endale was runner-up in 1:06:22. Wardian lost contact with Crane in the final 2K, finishing fifth in 1:09:33. Megerssa wheeled through the crowds of runners he was lapping and powered after Wardian coming up just short in 1:09:47.
After that the gap was huge. Eleventh place Maurice Pointer (54) of Baltimore was the top master in 1:21:19. Usually a steady runner, he settled in behind some other masters runners and moved past them as they flamed out.
For the women, Teyba Naser returned from the west to set the standard in a blazing 1:12:33. Alemtsehay Misganaw was one of the many runners coming from New York. She hung on as long as she could but by 10 miles the battle was over. She finished with an excellent 1:13:54. Salome Kosgei may have been the lightest runner in the field; she floated past runners through the three loops of the course and landed at the finish line in 1:16:41. The first local runner, Veena Reddy of Arlington, VA (in photo below), ran a tough race nearly all alone for fourth.
Early on in the battle for the masters best, Cindy Conant started out strong. At mile two she had about a 100 meter lead but Linda Foley was watching her. As the miles wore on, Foley inched up and passed her to finish ninth overall in 1:28:14 just three seconds from eighth place Lydia Malley. Conant was the final money place (tenth) in 1:30:04.
Chris Farmer (30) of Columbia, MD never met a half marathon he did not like. Today's race, (number 47) has him well on his way to his goal of 50 half marathons in a year. Brittney Rooks (15) was the top teen in 1:37:07.
After the race, the weather continued to improve. Runners listened to the band, eating pretzels, bagels, and bananas.
Photo below: Teyba Naser domainates with a excellent event standard of 1:12:33.
