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Boo! Run for Life 10K Race Report
By James Moreland
Washington, DC
October 10, 2010
For the Washington Running Report
It was dark and a little spooky as runners first starting arriving in West Potomac Park for the fifth annual Boo! Run for Life 10K. By the time the sun cleared the horizon, there were nearly a thousand runners and walkers ready to take on the fastest race course in the region in perhaps the best racing weather of the year.
This area likes to start its holiday celebrations early and already this weekend races were encouraging Halloween costumes. The event had some blown up/animated spooky characters on display and along with mile markers there were scary warning signs normally found in a Haunted House. Bob Gurtler, 75, of The Plains, VA ran as an unmasked batman, returning from last year. Look for him to be wearing his cape and mask on Halloween at the Valvoline Instant Oil Change Goblin Gallop 5K at the end of the month. Cristina Burbach was considering taking a break from racing but she was given bib #666, so she had to run with black lipstick and dark eyes matching her outfit.
Normally, returning event record holder Hilary Cairns (37:20 - ‘09) would have been the favorite. She needed to shake off a little rust, not having raced since the Credit Union Cherry Blossom in the spring. Susan Hendrick was coming off a third overall last month at the Run! Geek! Run! 8K on this very same playing field.
Then, in the last week of September, Kate Dart mauled the field at this same venue at the Prevent Cancer 5K in 18:45. At 57, Betty Blank would have been the masters favorite for the women except that Cairns is now 40.
For the men, two-time champion and event record holder David Miller (33:08) was absent. There may have been a new record if he had been here to rabbit a field of five young guys who were still glued together at mile four and all broke 34:00. Before the start, one grandmaster looked over at defending champion Henry Wigglesworth and asked, "Is he really as good as his 5Ks?" Actually he improved his 17:27 Navy Federal 5K with a nifty 17:18 at McLean to start the month but they had nothing on his 10K. A quick look at the event records shows he ran a virtually untouchable 34:48 last year. If he could have maintained contact with the lead pack he might have reset it with a national class age graded rating of 90%. He came in 34:54, more than seven minutes ahead of second place in his division.
That did not mean there would not be new event records. There were six new ones and a seventh, Christopher Arambur, 18, tied his age group record with 39:41. John Elliott, 72, reminds us that as long as we keep training we can still do it. With Bernie Gallagher joining the division last month, Elliott has more than just Gerry Ives standing in his way. Elliott is a fool for triathlons, especially the cycling, and he loves to travel. Last week he took on Mother Nature at the Grand Canyon so he was not real surprised that his time was a little slower than his standard. Still, his 45:58 set the new standard pviously owned by the venerable Chan Robbins.
Charging around Hains Point in a tight pack, Adrian McDonald was the first to drop off the pace, though with 33:58 he was still pulling away from sixth place Wigglesworth. Running along Ohio Drive, only the fishermen along the river were close enough to see the final four battling. They ended up finishing in five second intervals. Third place Matt Logan, 24, took the new age group spot with 33:37. Second place David Wertz was trying to break the tape but had to settle for a new 30-34 age group record with 33:32 as Ryan Foster (in photo left) did the honors in 33:28.
For the top women it was a scintillating battle the whole way and decided only in the final strides. Hendrick's win in 37:34 was a virtual equivalent of her Geek race. Dart improved quite a bit, following her home in 37:37. Fourth place Mary Davison, 37, was coming off a solid 31:38 at the Run! Geek! Run! 8K, fifth overall behind top master Samantha Cole. Last weekend she was second overall at the Heritage 5K in 19:14, behind top master Alisa Harvey. Today, she settled for fourth overall in 39:52 behind top master Hilary Cairns. Cairns set the 40-44 record with 39:10.
For the older divisions, Janice Jacobs is the oldest woman, at 63, to finish the race but she could not get to her record 52:28 from last year. Betty Blank was unusually quiet today but she backed it up, easily setting the 55-59 record in 44:18, the second fastest time in 2010 for the 10K. James Moreland was the last of the new records, knocking almost three minutes of his time from last year with 43:12.
Clear skies and beautiful temperatures kept post race energy levels high. So it was no problem to hurry over to sample the array of great recovery food items. Honest Tea easily trumped the bottled water. Deciding which type of bagel, fresh that morning, was harder than with the cookies. With the cookies you started with one of each of the four kinds. There were Luna bars and packaged Dole Fruit bits as well as the traditional bananas and oranges. Races seem to be getting the message and providing quality refreshments.
Also, this race took special care on their race T-shirts and its design; none of those annoying race ad billboards on the back of the shirt. The race included a Tidal Basin Walk, which makes the event more family friendly. With all the costumed runners, maybe they will have a contest for that as well. With all these special features, the race is sure to grow and probably expand their age groups to three deep. After all, this great location is home to two more large 10Ks, the Capital Running Company Veterans Day 10K in November and the Jingle All the Way 10K in December. This race could take the decision making problem away for an October 10K.
Awards Listing (No Duplicate Prizes)
OVERALL MALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Lname Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =====
1 704 Ryan Foster 25 Washington DC 33:28
2 443 David Wertz 34 Arlington VA 33:32
3 658 Matt Logan 24 Washington DC 33:37
OVERALL FEMALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Lname Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =====
1 646 Susan Hendrick 25 Washington DC 37:34
2 196 Kate Dart 31 Arlington VA 37:37
3 2 Hilary Cairns 40 Washington DC 39:10
MALE AGE GROUP: 01 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 696 Christopher Arambur 18 Fairfax VA 39:41
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 01 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 601 Maureen McCarthy 19 Washington DC 42:39
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 (NET TIME)
1 218 Matt Sagar 23 Alexandria VA 33:42
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 (NET TIME)
1 705 Samantha Stafford 22 Falls Church VA 41:36
MALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 186 Sean Garren 25 Washington DC 37:22
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 387 Heather Lindenman 28 Washington DC 40:05
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 (NET TIME)
1 405 Andrew Philip 31 Silver Spring MD 37:00
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 (NET TIME)
1 362 Elizabeth Harper 31 Reston VA 44:06
MALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 585 Edi Turco 37 Arlington VA 35:16
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 529 Mary Davison 37 Bristow VA 39:51
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 (NET TIME)
1 561 J Tarutani 44 Falls Church VA 38:20
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 (NET TIME)
1 587 Elizabeth O'Connor 41 Washington DC 48:58
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 649 Rodney Kite 45 Arlington VA 43:47
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 265 Anne Anderson 45 Vancouver WA 46:28
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 (NET TIME)
1 318 Henry Wigglesworth 52 Washington DC 34:53
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 (NET TIME)
1 511 Laurie Horstmann 50 Centreville VA 55:32
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 9 James Moreland 58 Gaithersburg MD 43:12
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 334 Betty Blank 57 Falls Church VA 44:17
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 (NET TIME)
1 537 Barry Minkoff 61 Bethesda MD 1:06:08
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 (NET TIME)
1 373 Janice Jacobs 63 Arlington VA 54:21
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 (NET TIME)
1 576 Donald Hensel 65 Gaithersburg MD 45:53
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 99 (NET TIME)
1 274 John Elliott 72 Columbia MD 45:56
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 187 Will Dekrey 24 M Washington DC 37:23
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 239 Vera Eichenauer 23 F Washington DC 47:50
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