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2009 - Let Loose the Irish
By Jim Hage
March 15, 2009
Washington, DC
For the Washington Running Report
Washington's 2009 racing season officially got under way with the 21st St. Patrick's Day 8K on Sunday, March 15. A field of 4,319, including DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, took off down Pennsylvania Avenue on a gray, cool, and overcast morning - that quickly turned a shade of bright green due to a plentitude of Irish dresses, kilts, hats, and wigs.
The event attracts Irish of all creeds, races, and persuasions, including hundreds of the wee variety for the 1K Fun Run. Of course, the big dogs were out, too, led by Ethiopians Demesse Tefera (in photo) and Hirut Mandefro, who ran 24 minutes 18 seconds and 27:06, respectively, to win the men's and women's divisions. Mandefro pushed aside the former record of 27:50 set by Mary Kate Bailey in 2006.
Both winners earned $300 for their efforts, and set their sights on an ever bigger payday at the National Half Marathon on March 21. "They're both full time runners," said Jonas Mekonnon, their agent and coach. "It's not an easy way to make a living." Gurmessa Kumsa, another of the coterie and the race record holder (23:36) from three years ago, started but dropped out with an injury.
Will Viviani (26), a middle school math and science teacher from Arlington, took second in 24:44. He was greeted at the finish with hugs from his father, godfather, and other friends. "I was by myself after halfway," Viviani said, "so that was hard. I'm a 5K guy, trying to move up to 10K. So this was a good race for me."
Viviani beat his Pacers Racing teammate Bert Rodriguez, who ran a personal-best 24:53 to finish third. Rodriguez, too, was pleased with his effort, and credited the result to his wife, Susan, who delivered hubby's racing shoes moments before the start.
In the women's race, Mandefro beat fellow Ethiopian Muluye Gurma, her Silver Spring training partner, by 92 seconds; Gurma ran 2:44:56 to win the Memphis Marathon in December.
Danielle Russell (44), from Ashburn, (in photo) was the first woman in the masters division and third overall in 29:24. A former elite competitor, Russell returned to racing after a six-year hiatus due to the birth of a son, now four. "It's like starting over," she said. "All my expectations have changed. Last year, it was too much, too soon, and I got hurt. But now, it's coming back. It's fun."
Also enjoying himself was Jack Garrity (50), from Sterling, who donned running shoes but not running shorts, choosing instead to compete in a kilt. Garrity was joined by his daughter, Colleen, his brother Mike, and other Irish-for-a-day friends and family members.
"This is the longest race I've done," said Garrity, who generally sticks to 5Ks. "But it went well; it's a lot of fun." And running in a kilt? "It's a very free feeling," Garrity added.
Say no more.
After the race, Freedom Plaza was abuzz with runners watching and participating in demonstrations of Irish sports by the DC Gaels, a Gaelic sports club; many joined in the fun. The club provided volunteer support on Friday and Saturday and used their time at the race to promote their sports and recruit members. Runners also took advantage of gait analysis provided by Mackenzie and Christina, Solutions Physical Therapy, a local sports therapist, and enjoyed demonstrations of Irish dancing by the O'Neil-James School of Irish Dancing. Strolling bagpipers entertained runners on the course.
A lively crowd cheered the winners at the awards ceremony while vying for random prizes, which included gift certificates from local stores and restaurants, Garmin Forerunners, and a four-day cruise for two. Maynard Weyers of Alexandria, VA, walked away with the grand prize as well as the second-place award in the 70-74 division.
Awards Listing
FEMALE
1 14 Hirut Mandefro 23 F SILVER SPRING MD 27:06
2 6288 Muluye Gurma 25 F SILVER SPRING MD 28:38
3 22 Danielle Russell 44 F ASHBURN VA 29:24
4 5509 Maureen Ackerly 40 F RICHMOND VA 29:31
5 5595 Hilary Cairns 38 F WASHINGTON DC 30:19
6 2269 Emily Ward 27 F RICHMOND VA 30:20
7 2684 Ann Tripp 23 F RICHMOND VA 30:25
8 29 Ashley Griffith 25 F MCLEAN VA 30:31
9 21 Martha Merz 46 F ANNANDALE VA 30:40
10 18 Denise Knickman 40 F BALTIMORE MD 30:51
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 01 - 19
1 2828 Laurie Graves 19 F Columbia SC 36:53 35:38 7:11
2 4039 Hannah Greenberg 17 F Chevy Chase MD 38:35 38:21 7:43
3 4147 Meghan Lockett 12 F Comus MD 40:26 38:56 7:50
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 20 - 24
1 3756 D Melani Hom 23 F Washington DC 31:17 31:17 6:18
2 246 Elyse Braner 24 F Washington DC 32:52 32:51 6:37
3 3606 Elizabeth Anderson 23 F Alexandria VA 35:07 34:49 7:01
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 25 - 29
1 2085 Tara Guelig 27 F Washington DC 31:28 31:01 6:15
2 1500 Aimee Lestrange 28 F Washington DC 31:35 31:29 6:20
3 1400 Natasha Roetter 25 F Washington DC 31:51 31:51 6:25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 30 - 34
1 3030 Amy Fuller 30 F Washington DC 34:02 33:46 6:48
2 617 Rebecca Powell 31 F Alexandria VA 34:27 34:07 6:52
3 3654 Brooke Walsh 31 F Annapolis MD 35:44 35:31 7:09
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 35 - 39
1 6183 Maureen Forsyth 35 F Washington DC 31:17 31:17 6:18
2 1634 Andrea Kaltenbaugh 35 F Springfield VA 33:34 33:29 6:44
3 850 Mijiko Phelps 38 F Reston VA 33:44 33:37 6:46
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 40 - 44
1 5936 Kerry Rodgers 40 F Washington DC 31:52 31:50 6:25
2 6256 Jeanette Dumbrell 40 F Washington DC 31:55 31:55 6:26
3 2605 Anita Freres 44 F Reston VA 32:38 32:37 6:34
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 45 - 49
1 16 Win Persina 48 F Washington DC 32:30 32:29 6:33
2 12 Patti Stewart-Garbrecht 47 F Bethesda MD 33:59 33:50 6:49
3 515 Teresa Lent 47 F Arlington VA 34:54 34:45 7:00
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 50 - 54
1 2650 Ofelia Perotti 52 F Alexandria VA 34:21 34:20 6:55
2 3203 Aileen Moffatt 51 F Washington DC 34:41 34:41 6:59
3 2330 Lisa Wood 50 F Bar Harbor ME 38:30 38:19 7:43
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 55 - 59
1 5999 Anne Viviani 59 F Arlington VA 41:00 40:37 8:11
2 2841 Elizabeth Sadoff 59 F Washington DC 42:28 42:25 8:32
3 5634 Dana Scheurer 59 F Reston VA 43:55 43:27 8:45
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 60 - 64
1 3552 Alice Franks 60 F Rockville MD 37:46 37:45 7:36
2 531 Linda Kearney 62 F Herndon VA 39:01 38:54 7:50
3 1133 Jane Godfrey 60 F Takoma Park MD 42:32 41:44 8:24
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 65 - 69
1 1632 Soon Kim 65 F Fairfax Station VA 53:40 52:31 10:34
2 1134 Lois Dicker 69 F Silver Spring MD 61:53 57:52 11:39
3 368 Stephanie Dalton 65 F Washington DC 65:24 61:28 12:22
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 75 - 79
1 641 Jacqueline Oneil 77 F Washington DC 63:52 61:28 12:22
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 1160 Carolyn Sharpe 24 F Washington DC 37:17 37:11 7:29
Hirut Mandefro sets new course record in 27:08.
MALE
1 17 Demesse Tefera 27 M SILVER SPRING MD 24:18
2 3175 Will Viviani 26 M ARLINGTON VA 24:44
3 24 Bert Rodriguez 29 M ARLINGTON VA 24:53
4 6307 Abiyot Abebe 21 M WASHINGTON DC 24:54
5 252 Michael Wardian 34 M ARLINGTON VA 25:17
6 6287 Jason Dwyer 29 M ARLINGTON VA 25:40
7 5963 Diego Miralles 26 M COLLEGE PARK MD 25:50
8 26 Justin Fritzius 24 M Purcellville VA 25:50
9 6162 Justin Mikolay 29 M ANNAPOLIS MD 25:53
10 6109 Chris Shaeffer 24 M PURCELLVILLE VA 25:57
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 01 - 19
1 5857 Michael Kerrigan 17 M Fairfax VA 27:38 27:37 5:34
2 6187 Seumas O'Reilly 15 M Front Royal VA 28:35 28:32 5:45
3 3319 Mark Mechak 16 M Rockville MD 29:21 29:20 5:54
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 20 - 24
1 13 Dylan Keith 24 M Arlington VA 26:19 26:17 5:18
2 6285 Sam Romanoski 24 M Lake Zurich IL 26:22 26:19 5:18
3 5728 George Ingham 24 M Herndon VA 26:28 26:28 5:20
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 25 - 29
1 5 Billy Askey 26 M Arlington VA 26:14 26:11 5:17
2 7 Alex Eversmeyer 27 M Gaithersburg MD 26:25 26:22 5:19
3 649 Scott Koehler 25 M Annapolis MD 26:43 26:42 5:23
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 30 - 34
1 6291 Jason Gish 33 M Camp Hill PA 27:09 27:08 5:28
2 3148 Andrew Rolph 33 M Alexandria VA 27:11 27:10 5:28
3 47 Omar Nour 30 M Washington DC 27:47 27:45 5:35
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 35 - 39
1 25 Scott Anderson 35 M Washington DC 25:59 25:58 5:14
2 23 Tim Fahey 35 M Arlington VA 26:11 26:11 5:16
3 4262 Ed Turco 36 M Arlington VA 26:58 26:56 5:26
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 40 - 44
1 6112 Andres Wright 42 M Frederick MD 27:04 27:02 5:27
2 2548 Bill Bray 44 M Fairfax VA 28:07 28:06 5:40
3 6089 Kevin Bedell 43 M McLean VA 28:47 28:46 5:48
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 45 - 49
1 3095 Jean-Christophe Arcaz 48 M Rockville MD 28:18 28:17 5:42
2 4085 Gary Grilliot 45 M Reston VA 28:27 28:26 5:44
3 3935 Matt Wilson 46 M Red Lion PA 29:28 29:28 5:56
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 50 - 54
1 34 Mark Malander 51 M Oak Hill VA 27:55 27:53 5:37
2 33 Dan Lawson 53 M Gaithersburg MD 29:09 29:07 5:52
3 28 George Buckheit 51 M Reston VA 29:43 29:41 5:59
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 55 - 59
1 31 Richard Adams Jr 58 M Herndon VA 30:31 30:30 6:09
2 1797 Paul Bousel 55 M Alexandria VA 31:46 31:45 6:24
3 421 Jeff Farmer 55 M Washington DC 31:54 31:52 6:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 60 - 64
1 1034 Geoffrey Vincent 60 M Alexandria VA 35:29 35:27 7:08
2 600 Gary Chidester 61 M Woodbridge VA 35:52 35:48 7:13
3 2329 John Helm 63 M Bar Harbor ME 36:15 36:07 7:16
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 65 - 69
1 3461 Bill Joyce 65 M Herndon VA 32:16 32:15 6:30
2 74 Krupakar Revanna 65 M Falls Church VA 33:51 33:45 6:48
3 1146 Lou Shapiro 67 M Silver Spring MD 34:58 34:54 7:02
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 70 - 74
1 4235 Chan Robbins 71 M Arlington VA 38:01 37:59 7:39
2 739 Maynard Weyers 72 M Alexandria VA 43:45 43:41 8:48
3 3224 Henry Guyot 74 M Washington DC 44:07 43:49 8:49
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 75 - 79
1 1678 George Yannakakis 77 M Sparks Glencoe MD 42:10 42:10 8:29
2 3272 Jack McMahon 78 M Rockville MD 42:46 42:40 8:35
3 60 Edward Green 77 M Washington DC 50:43 50:18 10:07
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME - NET PACE 80 - 99
1 813 Philip Zenchoff 81 M Silver Spring MD 84:27 82:13 16:33
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 6131 Nicholas Boyd 17 M Hollywood MD 31:07 30:43 6:11
Photos of the race