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Brain Aneurysm Race for Awareness 8K Race Report
By James Moreland
Reston, VA
October 2, 2010
For the Washington Running Report
The third annual Brain Aneurysm Race for Awareness 8K in Memory of Timothy Susco got nearly everything picture perfect, starting with the gorgeous weather. Runners lined up in front of South Lakes High School in Reston, VA, which is the start of a number of other races as well. There was an inspiring prayer to remind us of the strength we can have in remembering and caring. Then Timothy's cousin played a trumpet solo of our National Anthem.
Runners were getting all geared up to "leave school" and get out on the roads. A couple of top African runners virtually promised a new course record. The word was given and the race was underway. Shortly after leaving the parking lot runners saw the beginning of a long line of cones. Nobody was going to get lost today. The roads were well marked and the police presence was almost unnecessary as scores of marshals guided the runners along their way.
Normally a rolling or scenic description means a hilly course. In this case, the hills were minor and always followed by a nifty downhill to bring runners back up to speed. There was some shuffling for spots in the fast first mile and then runners found their place. The second mile featured a really nice downhill to start but the feared uphill return was very gradual and barely affected pace.
Five of the top three finishers, men and women listed Washington, DC as their hometown. Picking the favorite was near impossible. The top three men all have fantastic resumes. Both Gurmessa Megressa and Demesse Tefera have been the top ranked runner in the region. Megressa started September with a 14:43 win at Kentland's and back on the fourth of July Tefera had mauled the field at the Reston Firecracker 5K in 14:26. But then Steve Hallinan (in photo) was no slouch either winning the Clarendon 5K last year in 14:43 and this year's GW Parkway 10M in 49:28.
The all started off rapidly leaving the rest of the field behind. The Africans run many more races and know each other style completely. Hallinan just wanted the win. The last mile and half really play to that idea because the toughest part was in the fourth mile and the final quarter mile has a lot of turns. Hallinan powered away to set a new event record of 24:35 as all three runners bested the old mark. After the race, Megressa looked sheepish when he admitted that he only made second place. His time of 24:50 is just under a 5:00 pace. Tefera hit the track for the final hundred meters a few seconds later finishing in 25:05.
Anita Freres, 45, of Reston (in photo) was by far the oldest of the overall winners, finishing third in 33:22. She has run all three times and holds the masters record at 32:23. Megersa Almaz moved out solidly, easing past the flotsam of early sprinters to take up the vanguard. She was never challenged winning in 31:29. Second place Challa Keneni finished a minute back in 32:22. All three of these women ran well without the benefit of competition near them.
Fourth place Tim Schaeffer ran a fine 26:10 and fifth place Seife Geletii just missing the old record as well, running 26:39. After that, many of the event records began to fall. Andrew Gyenis, 16, made mincemeat of his division in 28:40. Jim Neilsen, 44, and Bill Bray, 45, battled for the top masters spot with both winning their division. Two of the top grandmasters spot saw new records as well, with Tim Arnade, 53, running the fastest time for a runner fifty and older. Michael Wesbecher, 60, set the previous standard in the oldest group in 2008 with 33:47. As the race gets larger, and it will, they will need to expand that division which stands at 60 & older. Build another division and the runners will come.
Second grandmaster Sarah Buckheit (right) races a lot, especially in here in her hometown. She noted that the race was a good bargain at only about $8 a mile. Another reason was the overstuffed goodie bag. Even seasoned runners were surprised at how many little gifts came in the reusable bag along with the traditional runner's T-shirt. Even more so was after runners had completed there journey and they headed for the refreshments. They found buckets of ice cold Gatorade and sodas as well as bottled water. Fresh ready to eat bananas, muffins, cookies, bagels and cream cheese made it clear that the race understood the mentality as well as the stomach of the runner.
There were some nice random awards being announced from the stadium bleachers. Age group winners two deep got gift coupons to Potomac River Running. Finishing on the track under a balloon arch with a cheering crowd helped make this beautiful autumn morning a great race day. With scores of races to choose from, this race makes the choosing easy. Come run the fourth annual race next year.
ChronoTrack Timing and Scoring
by Capital Running Company
OVERALL MALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =======
1 212 Steve Hallinan 24 Washington DC 24:35
2 274 Gurmessa Megressa 30 Washington DC 24:50
3 273 Demesse Tefera 28 Washington DC 25:05
OVERALL FEMALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =======
1 284 Megersa Almaz 27 Washington DC 31:29
2 285 Challa Keneni 27 Washington DC 32:22
3 283 Anita Freres 45 Reston VA 33:22
MALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 270 Andrew Gyenis 16 Herndon VA 28:40
2 150 Jack Notar 16 Leesburg VA 41:20
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 119 Kathryn Goode 19 Gainesville VA 36:45
2 217 Mary Raucci 14 Dallastown PA 46:35
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 (NET TIME)
1 276 Seife Geletii 24 Washington DC 26:39
2 128 Brandon Laks 23 Bethesda MD 28:18
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 (NET TIME)
1 268 Jessica Buonaccorsi 24 Arlington VA 40:13
2 159 Hannah Pearson 23 Annandale VA 43:47
MALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 11 Kory Jessen 28 Reston VA 32:05
2 256 Shawn Cissel 25 Port Tobacco MD 32:39
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 209 Alison Robine 25 Washington DC 39:48
2 139 Kelley Elliott 27 Manassas Park VA 41:45
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 (NET TIME)
1 181 Tim Schaefer 32 Gaithersburg MD 26:10
2 164 Andrew Philip 31 Silver Spring MD 28:44
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 (NET TIME)
1 10 Mary Kay Alexander 31 Reston VA 41:33
2 98 Jennifer Sally 32 Alexandria VA 42:01
MALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 272 Juan Rojas-Cortez 36 Silver Spring MD 30:20
2 102 Keith Nelson 35 Reston VA 35:23
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 51 Traci Levine 38 Sterling VA 42:50
2 179 Kira Hoilman 39 Reston VA 43:00
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 (NET TIME)
1 271 Jim Neilsen 44 Broadlands VA 28:42
2 278 Christopher Green 41 Sterling VA 30:46
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 (NET TIME)
1 287 Deborah Nelson 42 Reston VA 37:36
2 41 Chase McClough 40 HERNDON VA 42:59
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 265 Bill Bray 45 Fairfax VA 28:56
2 224 Gregory Kammereri 48 Washington DC 31:55
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 296 Hilde Kahn 46 McLean VA 38:54
2 129 Glynis Priester 47 Leesburg VA 42:51
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 (NET TIME)
1 263 Tim Arnade 53 Arlington VA 33:43
2 255 Kevin Washburn 51 Centreville VA 33:56
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 (NET TIME)
1 288 Kandi Molyneaux 51 Oakton VA 37:45
2 262 Sarah Buckheit 50 Reston VA 39:51
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 294 James Moreland 58 Gaithersburg MD 34:52
2 213 Robert Stiles 56 Upper Marlboro MD 35:25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 198 Marcia Kaplan 55 Bethesda MD 41:48
2 24 Linda Hildreth 57 Oak Hill VA 51:43
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 99 (NET TIME)
1 155 Robert Erath 67 Spokane WA 36:52
2 64 Gene Proctor 61 Annandale VA 41:27
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 99 (NET TIME)
1 132 Mary Proctor 61 Reston VA 49:07
Photo Gallery with more photos coming