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From Near and Far, Veterans Day 10K Attracts the Best
By Jim Hage
Washington, DC
November 15, 2009
For the Washington Running Report
Abiyot Endale (photo left) knows well the road from the Bronx to Washington—the Ethiopian native races nearly as often in the nation's capital and environs as he does on his own turf around New York City. After a disappointing 8K race effort in Richmond one day earlier, Endale ensured a pleasant trip back up Interstate 95 by running 30 minutes 11 seconds to easily win the 10th Veterans Day 10K in West Potomac Park.
Endale, who finished sixth in Richmond and second in the inaugural Race to End Women's Cancer Half Marathon in Washington one weekend earlier, took the Veterans Day 10K lead before halfway. At that point, Demesse Tefera, who had won the half marathon, dropped out and Endale found himself alone. "I'm not a long distance runner," Endale nearly apologized. "I run the mile, 3,000 meters—this [10K] is long for me. Today, I'm fine [he suffered from stomach distress in Richmond]. But it's not easy to run by yourself the whole way."
Joel Mwaura, from Waldorf, MD via Kenya, took second in 30:39 and Gurmessa Megerssa, from Silver Spring via Ethiopia, was third in 30:57.
National-class runner Samia Akbar from Herndon, VA (photo below) was equally dominant in the women's race, running 33:40 to win by more than a minute. Both winners claimed a cash prize of $500.
"My goal is to always enjoy the competition and savor the moment," said Akbar, whose mother and fiancé greeted her at the finish line. "I didn't quite reach my goal pace of 5:20 [Akbar averaged 5:25 per mile], but I'm happy with the win."
As with many of the runners in the field, Akbar planned to make the Veterans Day race her last serious effort of the fall season. After a few days off, she plans to begin a buildup for 2010, which will open with the Houston Half Marathon on January 17 and include the Boston Marathon in April.
University of Virginia alumnus Katie Read (23) from Arlington, VA took second among the women in 34:55 and Veena Reddy (31), also from Arlington, was third in 36:48. Kristen Till (40) made the trek from Baltimore and finished fourth overall to win the masters division in 36:49. Alisa Harvey (44) from Manassas, VA was seventh overall, one spot ahead of Danielle Russell (45) from Ashburn, VA.
The men's masters division featured a mild upset, as Andrew Duncan (42) from Bethesda edged age-group standout Ray Pugsley (40) from Potomac Falls, VA 31:53 to 31:56. Tim Schuler (46) and Jean-Christophe Arcaz (48) were third and fourth in 34:25 and 34:59.
Gerry Ives (70, photo left) ran 44:20, an area-best this year for his age group. Chan Robbins (72) was second in 47:37. Walt Washburn (87) ran 84:58.
Tami Graf (73) ran 63:23 to win the 70 & older division; Dee Nelson (66) won her age group in 50:28. Fourteen women and 14 men 60 and older raced. A record 2,019 runners crossed the 10K finish line; 2,598 registered, 73 of whom participated in the 2.25 mile Tidal Basin walk.
Fourteen runners from the Esperanza Scholarship Foundation, which raises money for foreign students to attend U.S. colleges, finished en masse to spell out "E-s-p-e-r-a-n-z-a" at the finish line.
"Totally coincidental," joked team organizer Alvaro Bedoya. The group ran together the entire way "and had a blast," according to Bedoya. "Seriously, though, we're raising awareness for our program." Mission accomplished.
(Photo above by Joe Wagner)
Awards Listing
MALE Open
1 21 Abiyot Endale 23 Bronx NY 30:11
2 2334 Joel Mwaura 26 Waldorf MD 30:39
3 4 Gurmessa Megerssa 30 Silver Spring MD 30:57
4 1759 Lamont Marshall 25 Devonshire 31:02
5 27 Bert Rodriguez 30 Arlington VA 31:41
6 25 Will Viviani 27 Arlington VA 31:47
7 2446 Andrew Duncan 42 Bethesda MD 31:53
8 36 Ray Pugsley 40 Potomac Falls VA 31:56
9 1227 David Angell 33 Blue Ridge VA 32:01
10 931 Taylor Smith 24 Arlington VA 32:27
MALE Masters
1 2140 Tim Schuler 46 Chambersburg PA 34:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 19
1 John Vigil 14 M ASHBURN VA 40:32 40:26 6:31
2 David Escobar 18 M WASHINGTON DC 43:11 42:59 6:55
3 Mitch Clements 15 M ASHBURN VA 43:40 43:34 7:01
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 20 - 24
1 Brian McCabe 23 M WASHINGTON DC 32:41 32:40 5:16
2 Jeremy Lee 21 M WAUSEON OH 32:41 32:41 5:16
3 Kyle Faerber 21 M STRONGSVILLE OH 33:34 33:34 5:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 25 - 29
1 Chris Sloane 26 M GAITHERSBURG MD 33:54 33:53 5:28
2 James Marren 27 M WASHINGTON DC 34:13 34:12 5:31
3 Jeremy Lowry 29 M NORTH CANTON OH 34:56 34:54 5:37
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 30 - 34
1 Colin Fishwick 32 M WASHINGTON DC 33:29 33:28 5:24
2 Bart Borghuis 34 M ARLINGTON VA 33:36 33:35 5:25
3 Yuri Horwitz 31 M WASHINGTON DC 34:22 34:18 5:32
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 35 - 39
1 Philippe Rolly 37 M MCLEAN VA 34:07 34:07 5:30
2 Edi Turco 36 M ARLINGTON VA 36:25 36:20 5:51
3 Otis Robinson 36 M SOUTHAMPTON 36:58 36:58 5:57
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 40 - 44
1 Bill Bray 44 M FAIRFAX VA 35:04 35:02 5:39
2 Sheldon Degenhardt 44 M MARRIOTTSVILLE MD 36:42 36:40 5:54
3 Steven Maguire 43 M ARLINGTON VA 37:12 37:08 5:59
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 45 - 49
1 Jean-Christophe Arca 48 M ROCKVILLE MD 34:59 34:58 5:38
2 Ian Clement 45 M ALEXANDRIA VA 36:54 36:52 5:56
3 Terry McLaughlin 49 M SPOTSYLVANIA VA 37:05 37:03 5:58
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 50 - 54
1 Weems McFadden 52 M ANNAPOLIS MD 37:27 37:24 6:02
2 Peter Darmody 54 M GAITHERSBURG MD 37:46 37:45 6:05
3 Terry Basham 50 M DUMFRIES VA 42:38 41:48 6:44
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 55 - 59
1 Roland Rust 57 M BETHESDA MD 41:36 41:34 6:42
2 Ken Krehbiel 56 M WASHINGTON DC 42:51 42:47 6:54
3 Webb Smedley 56 M SILVER SPRING MD 43:17 42:58 6:55
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 60 - 64
1 Michael Kush 64 M BURKE VA 47:26 47:16 7:37
2 Mike Fleming 64 M COLUMBIA MD 48:49 48:20 7:47
3 J Pierce 60 M QUANTICO VA 49:04 49:00 7:53
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 65 - 69
1 Lou Shapiro 68 M SILVER SPRING MD 42:51 42:46 6:53
2 James Daley 65 M ALEXANDRIA VA 44:07 44:05 7:06
3 Donald Hensel 65 M GAITHERSBURG MD 49:34 49:12 7:56
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 70 - 74
1 Gerry Ives 70 M WASHINGTON DC 44:25 44:20 7:09
2 Chan Robbins 72 M ARLINGTON VA 47:37 47:33 7:40
3 Antonio Panizza 70 M RESTON VA 48:46 48:28 7:48
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 75 - 79
1 Jack McMahon 78 M ROCKVILLE MD 58:10 58:06 9:21
2 Edward Green 78 M WASHINGTON DC 62:42 62:11 10:01
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 80 - 99
1 Walt Washburn 87 M VIENNA VA 86:50 84:58 13:41
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 2260 Mesay Amberber 36 M Alexandria VA 37:19 37:17 6:00
Weems McFadden (52) of Annapolis, MD is top grandmaster with 37:27.
FEMALE Open
1 3 Samia Akbar 27 Herndon VA 33:40
2 22 Katie Read 23 Arlington VA 34:55
3 9 Veena Reddy 31 Arlington VA 36:48
4 1679 Kristen Till 40 Baltimore MD 36:49
5 19 Sarah Spalding 28 Washington DC 36:55
6 31 Michelle Miller 28 Damascus MD 37:24
7 5 Alisa Harvey 44 Manassas VA 37:36
8 2132 Danielle Russell 45 Ashburn VA 37:54
9 1457 Eileen Fleck 33 Baltimore MD 37:55
10 39 Erin Swain 27 Arlington VA 38:32
FEMALE Masters
1 23 Cindy Conant 48 Kensington MD 40:42
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 01 - 19
1 Claire Ashcraft 18 F WASHINGTON DC 44:45 44:25 7:09
2 Mona Herold 18 F WASHINGTON DC 44:45 44:37 7:11
3 Christina Lanouette 19 F APPLETON WI 47:05 46:24 7:28
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 20 - 24
1 Rebecca McCullough 23 F WASHINGTON DC 40:11 40:11 6:28
2 Jennifer Leehey 23 F WASHINGTON DC 41:54 41:46 6:44
3 Alyssa Work 23 F WASHINGTON DC 44:20 43:47 7:03
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 25 - 29
1 Amy Baker 25 F MANASSAS VA 38:53 38:53 6:16
2 Tara Guelig 28 F WASHINGTON DC 39:50 39:46 6:24
3 Dorothy Beal 27 F SOUTH RIDING VA 41:19 41:17 6:39
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 30 - 34
1 Toni Diegoli 31 F ARLINGTON VA 39:19 39:14 6:19
2 Anastasia Richman 34 F WASHINGTON DC 43:55 43:47 7:03
3 Maria Sherwell 34 F ANNANDALE VA 44:47 43:59 7:05
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 35 - 39
1 Laura Zeilinger 37 F WASHINGTON DC 39:10 39:09 6:18
2 Jennifer Sober 36 F DEEP CREEK LAKE MD 39:36 39:32 6:22
3 Irina Suvorova 38 F WASHINGTON DC 39:37 39:37 6:23
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 40 - 44
1 Vicki Lang 41 F COLUMBIA MD 42:13 42:07 6:47
2 Cheryl Young 40 F RESTON VA 45:10 45:03 7:15
3 Janet Braunstein 43 F WASHINGTON DC 47:00 46:52 7:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 45 - 49
1 Pamela Lovett 47 F NEWPORT NEWS VA 41:01 41:00 6:36
2 Eleanor Kerr 49 F UNIVERSITY PARK MD 43:27 43:19 6:59
3 Susan Benante 46 F ARLINGTON VA 45:14 45:10 7:17
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 50 - 54
1 Liza Recto 53 F LEXINGTON PARK MD 49:25 49:18 7:56
2 Kandi Molyneaux 50 F OAKTON VA 53:31 52:09 8:24
3 Judy Avalos 51 F SPRINGFIELD VA 54:29 53:41 8:39
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 55 - 59
1 Leslie Mertz 55 F ARLINGTON VA 49:06 49:04 7:54
2 Sandy Boys 58 F COLUMBIA MD 52:59 52:34 8:28
3 Fran Knoll 55 F COLLEGE PARK DC 55:15 54:46 8:49
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 60 - 64
1 Deborah Gebhardt 61 F ADELPHI MD 49:19 49:16 7:56
2 Mary Ellen Gonyea 62 F ALEXANDRIA VA 58:56 58:25 9:25
3 Nancy Malan 63 F WASHINGTON DC 61:57 61:23 9:53
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 65 - 69
1 Dee Nelson 66 F GAITHERSBURG MD 50:31 50:28 8:08
2 Soon Kim 66 F FAIRFAX STATION VA 59:56 58:49 9:28
3 Pamela Diamond 65 F UNIVERSITY PARK MD 65:50 65:12 10:30
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 70 - 74
1 Tami Graf 73 F LUSBY MD 63:29 63:23 10:12
2 Jamie Wollard 71 F ROCKVILLE MD 74:18 73:18 11:48
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 1799 Rebecca McCullough 23 F Washington DC 40:11 40:11 6:28
Vicki Lang (41) of Columbia, Md wins her division with a time of 42:13.