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An Irish Blessing! Sunshine, a Bit o' Wind, and Record Turnout for St. Patrick’s Day 8K
By Brenda Barrera
with contribution from Dickson Mercer
Washington, DC
March 13, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
(Photos by Lea Gallardo and Kathy Freedman)
It is an Irish blessing familiar to many, “May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face . . .”
When Laurence Simms from the Embassy of Ireland welcomed runners to the starting line with this traditional blessing, it had new meaning for race organizers, Capital Running Company. They were blessed with the highest turnout in the 23-year history of the St. Patrick’s Day 8K as more than 5,500 finishers kicked off the spring racing season with this favorite downtown Washington, DC event.
After winning this race two years ago and finishing fourth last year, local star Demesse Tefera (photo) captured his second St. Patrick's Day 8K title today in 24:22, holding off Oklahoma's Mark Thompson who took second in 24:28.
The Washington, DC resident by way of Ethiopia said he split from the lead pack after passing the opening mile in 4:50. He felt like the pace was too slow, he said, gapped the lead pack and ran solo the rest of the way. And though his time was well off his 8K personal best of 23:07, Tefera described today's effort as "good training" for March 26's National Half Marathon where he hopes to break 1:05:00 in the half marathon.
Jordan McDougal of Culpeper, VA took third in 24:44, five seconds ahead of course record holder Gurmessa Megerssa.
In the women’s competition, the top two finishers from Washington, DC took off from the rest of field battling for top honors. Tezata Dengarsa, 30, (left) bested the defending champion, Maggie Infeld, 24, by half a minute, 28:03 to 28:32. Behind them it was an even closer battle for the next two spots between Muliye Gurmu, 27, from Bronx, NY and Katie O’Regan, 26, from Lebanon, PA.
“She (Gurmu) was on my shoulder for most of the race and then just surged ahead,” said O’Regan, a Cornell standout, now racing for the PA-based Keystone Track Club.
Douglas Woods, 41, of Gaithersburg, MD took top place in the 40-44 age group with his 29:33 finish; a nice 5:55 pace. On the cusp of sixty, Chuck Moeser (below) returned to the racing scene after a long hiatus finishing in 30:18. Afterward, he shared that he thoroughly enjoyed his time exploring skydiving and rock climbing, but now he is looking forward to some road racing.
Jack McMahon earned the title of the oldest competitor. At 80 years old, the Silver Spring, MD runner crossed the line in 45:29, besting his time from last year by 28 seconds. Just goes to show, you truly can get faster as you get older.
Leesburg’s Peggy Yetman, 42, easily won the women’s 40-44 age division with her 31:20 finish. Alisa Harvey, 45, from Manassas finished eighth overall in 30:12. Next up for the Washington Running Report columnist is a track meet in Richmond in a few weeks. Washington, DC’s Jacqueline O’Neil, 79, the oldest women’s competitor, was asked if she felt the luck of the Irish today. She admitted that she’s IBM (Irish By Marriage), but attributed her good health and longevity to supplementing her low running mileage with walking.
New to this year's event was the Team Competition and 42 Coed Teams competed with creative names like, “The Furious Leprechauns” and “Sham-Rockers.” The TRS Racing Team of Jordan McDougal, Joseph Delclos, Alisa Harvey, and Ellins Thomas, were the overall champions in 28:57. No one could miss the 60+ members of the FBI National Academy Team. Per their captain, Mark Jackson, it was a great way to conclude a 10-week training program.
For many participants, not only was it the first race of the season but their first foray into road racing. Beth Roselius, from Morgantown, WV (in photo below-right) decided to run with and support her sister, Katherine Kelley, 28, from Reston, VA, a newbie. Dressed in matching blue tops and sporting St. Patrick’s Day 8K tattoos on their cheeks, both said they were thrilled to share the experience. “I wasn’t sure if I could make the distance,” said Kelley, “but she [Beth] kept telling me, ‘You can do it!’”
Awards Listing
MALE
1 6436 Demesse Tefara 27 M WASHINGTON DC 24:22
2 3907 Mark Thompson 32 M EDMOND OK 24:28
3 4480 Jordan McDougal 23 M CULPEPER VA 24:44
4 11 Gurmessa Megerssa 31 M WASHINGTON DC 24:49
5 12 Demse Mulata 24 M WASHINGTON DC 24:51
6 8 Robert Wade 28 M ARLINGTON VA 25:14
7 1100 Charlie Hurt 27 M RICHMOND VA 25:26
8 3 Adam Condit 27 M ASHBURN VA 25:39
9 6461 Allen Carr 27 M WASHINGTON DC 25:58
10 7 Dave Miller 27 M ARLINGTON VA 26:17
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 01 - 19
1 5510 Michael Wegner 14 M Columbia MD 26:52 26:51 5:24
2 3852 Joseph Delclos 17 M Warrenton VA 29:44 29:41 5:59
3 3916 Ben Naughton 19 M Takoma Park MD 29:47 29:46 6:00
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 20 - 24
1 6189 Scott Allen 23 M Washington DC 26:24 26:24 5:19
2 10 Dustin Whitlow 24 M Arlington VA 26:35 26:34 5:21
3 3837 Chris Daniels 24 M Washington DC 30:03 30:02 6:03
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 25 - 29
1 4184 Jason Fitzgerald 27 M Silver Spring MD 26:26 26:26 5:19
2 6270 Dickson Mercer 29 M Washington DC 26:38 26:37 5:22
3 5355 Garrett Ash 27 M Manchester CT 27:01 27:01 5:27
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 30 - 34
1 5246 Nick Gramsky 33 M Vienna VA 27:03 27:02 5:27
2 3917 Matt Straughn 34 M Glenn Dale MD 27:09 27:09 5:28
3 121 Eddie Valentine 31 M Arlington VA 27:45 27:45 5:35
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 35 - 39
1 5223 David Wertz 35 M Arlington VA 26:47 26:46 5:23
2 395 Ramsey Wilson 38 M Falls Church VA 28:40 28:37 5:46
3 562 Michael Sheehy 38 M Washington DC 28:38 28:37 5:46
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 40 - 44
1 3271 Douglas Woods 41 M Gaithersburg MD 29:23 29:23 5:55
2 596 Kevin Bell 42 M Reston VA 29:30 29:27 5:56
3 6061 Jack Lovett 41 M Newport News VA 29:31 29:30 5:57
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 45 - 49
1 6532 Robert Denmark 45 M Arlington VA 29:23 29:19 5:54
2 1788 Paul Jacobson 47 M Gaithersburg MD 29:39 29:38 5:58
3 2574 Tom Beekhuysen 47 M Herndon VA 30:31 30:30 6:08
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 50 - 54
1 5393 Henry Wigglesworth 53 M Washington DC 28:23 28:22 5:43
2 32 Jean-Christophe Arcaz 50 M Rockville MD 28:36 28:36 5:46
3 6498 Albino Castro 51 M Brookeville MD 31:07 31:06 6:16
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 55 - 59
1 31 Chuck Moeser 59 M Potomac Falls VA 30:18 30:17 6:06
2 6294 Peter Darmody 55 M Gaithersburg MD 30:44 30:43 6:11
3 6236 Tom Ruckert 58 M Grantsville MD 31:48 31:43 6:23
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 60 - 64
1 3944 Richard Adams Jr 60 M Herndon VA 33:45 33:43 6:47
2 4042 Michael Wesbecher 63 M Oakton VA 34:32 34:22 6:55
3 4987 Marc Wolfson 61 M Olney MD 36:18 36:14 7:18
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 65 - 69
1 5432 Jim Noone 66 M Fairfax VA 34:09 34:05 6:52
2 2795 Mike Golash 67 M Washington DC 36:45 36:40 7:23
3 159 John Churchman 68 M Arlington VA 39:45 39:36 7:58
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 70 - 74
1 6591 Malcolm O'Hagan 70 M Chevy Chase MD 41:40 39:20 7:55
2 16 Chan Robbins 73 M Arlington VA 41:14 41:12 8:18
3 1546 Bill Sollers 71 M Silver Spring MD 46:13 44:01 8:52
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 75 - 79
1 4732 Skip Grant 75 M Chevy Chase MD 39:51 39:43 8:00
2 2237 Alan Rider 75 M Reston VA 44:00 43:58 8:51
3 5801 Henry Guyot 76 M Washington DC 44:36 44:26 8:57
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 80 - 99
1 3244 Jack McMahon 80 M Silver Spring MD 45:29 45:20 9:08
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 4411 Greg Young 22 M Ballston Lake NY 33:50 33:35 6:46
Marisa Rensen is having a green hair day.
Awards Listing
FEMALE
1 6695 Tezata Dengarsa 30 F WASHINGTON DC 28:03
2 2 Maggie Infeld 24 F WASHINGTON DC 28:32
3 4 Muliye Gurmu 27 F BRONX NY 29:20
4 5266 Katie O'Regan 26 F LEBANON PA 29:24
5 6108 Susan Hendrick 25 F WASHINGTON DC 29:27
6 18 Meagan Nedlo 28 F CHARLOTTE NC 29:33
7 3945 Laurel Jefferson 25 F SILVER SPRING MD 29:58
8 6 Alisa Harvey 45 F MANASSAS VA 30:13
9 3430 Meghan Lockett 13 F COMUS MD 30:26
10 6919 Sayard Tanis 28 F WORMLEYSBURG PA 30:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 01 - 19
1 5343 Katie Wood 16 F Henrico VA 33:15 33:11 6:41
2 5314 Nicole Dawson 16 F Jessup MD 33:37 33:31 6:45
3 6216 Margaret Kellogg 13 F Washington DC 34:27 34:12 6:53
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 20 - 24
1 4705 Liz Elko 23 F Arlington VA 32:37 32:32 6:33
2 1503 Heather Jelen 23 F Washington DC 32:55 32:52 6:37
3 758 Amy Moore 24 F Fairfax VA 38:47 36:20 7:19
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 25 - 29
1 4642 Teal Connor 25 F Washington DC 31:36 31:33 6:21
2 2278 Anna Russell 28 F Washington DC 32:38 32:34 6:34
3 5861 Lindsay Larose 28 F Arlington VA 32:43 32:38 6:34
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 30 - 34
1 135 Christine Rehwald 31 F Arlington VA 31:09 31:06 6:16
2 2989 Bridget Holt 32 F Gambrills MD 31:10 31:07 6:16
3 5562 Sarah Chase 30 F New York NY 31:54 31:51 6:25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 35 - 39
1 6069 Laura Zeilinger 38 F Washington DC 32:00 31:56 6:26
2 1865 Tricia Golsen 36 F Haymarket VA 33:19 33:15 6:42
3 3289 Rebeca White 38 F Silver Spring MD 39:54 33:24 6:44
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 40 - 44
1 5 Peggy Yetman 42 F Leesburg VA 31:21 31:20 6:19
2 3477 Dee Barbic 43 F Colchester VT 33:32 33:14 6:42
3 5952 Monique Rico 43 F South Riding VA 33:56 33:54 6:50
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 45 - 49
1 5717 Anita Freres 46 F Reston VA 32:59 32:54 6:38
2 6507 Mandana Mortazavi 47 F Leesburg VA 35:25 35:13 7:06
3 35 Terri Rath 47 F Ashburn VA 35:49 35:33 7:10
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 50 - 54
1 3892 Eleanor Kerr 51 F University Park MD 34:06 34:01 6:51
2 33 Julie Hayden 51 F Ashburn VA 35:15 35:10 7:05
3 4013 Carole Jones 54 F Ashburn VA 36:48 36:36 7:22
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 55 - 59
1 5369 Heather Sanders 55 F McLean VA 37:43 37:23 7:32
2 565 Merrilee Seidman 56 F Alexandria VA 40:31 40:31 8:09
3 780 Linda Sheaffer 55 F Washington DC 43:27 40:50 8:13
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 60 - 64
1 5350 Alice Franks 62 F Rockville MD 40:57 40:51 8:13
2 5783 Karen Rainey 60 F Arlington VA 43:31 41:07 8:17
3 3902 Elizabeth Sadoff 61 F Washington DC 46:49 44:37 8:59
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 65 - 69
1 6944 Patricia Patrick 67 F Falls Church VA 55:22 49:15 9:55
2 2330 Jane Smith 67 F Washington DC 64:42 57:00 11:28
3 355 Stephanie Dalton 67 F Washington DC 66:13 57:29 11:34
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 70 - 74
1 6227 Jamie Wollard 73 F N Bethesda MD 67:39 65:19 13:09
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 75 - 79
1 723 Jacqueline O’Neil 79 F Washington DC 69:33 62:24 12:34
2 6774 Delores Alderidge 78 F Catharpin VA 88:46 80:02 16:06
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 2359 Lauren Costella 26 F Washington DC 35:54 35:39 7:11
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