Cursed are we with much humidity as we endure the drought. Blessed are we that the trees along the trail endured to shelter us from the sun.

It has been a record breaking month and of course records were meant to be broken. Just as with gas prices that we gratefully note have come down some, the triple digit temperatures eased up for these weekend races. Folks, it was still hot. In 2005, we had the worst heat. Last year was even cooler than this year. Many runners were fooled and revved their engines in the opening up hill miles and many were surprised with slower times. For eight of our area's top runners, smart racing and planning meant new course records. Part of that planning included changing the start from 8:15 am to 7:30 am two years ago.

In recent years, the course stayed off the roads and centered on the W & OD Trail. After first winding around town for a mile to shake loose and spread out the runners, the race heads up the trail. It is up. Though rarely steep, the first five and a half miles are uphill for the 20K. For the junior race, the turnaround makes it only four miles up hill. The 20K then goes down to its turnaround just short of seven miles. After negotiating the way back up to the top, runners are treated to a final four miles all downhill and in the shade.

In the 10K, C.W. Moran of Sterling, VA (photo) showed that youth is resilient. As a teen, he had won the Cascades 10K in 32:34. The next year (2005) he lost a fiery sprint to Phillip Rollie by .12 seconds in a fleet 30:34. The next two years Ray Pugsley of Sterling, VA won in 33:29 and was second in 34:01. So, soon after the initial burst down Harrison Street, Moran saw Pugsley press out to a modest 50 meter lead. Allen Carr (24) of Herndon, VA was in the hunt and was seen hurtling after Pugsley just past the 10K turnaround, with Moran in tow. Note that the course does not follow the exact route back and the turnaround is nearer to four miles into the race. This surprised quite a few runners who were looking for the leaders to return down the W & OD Trail.

Moran, who has a personal best of 29:16 for 10K, was not feeling all that froggy this Sunday and noted that at around 5K he was willing to let someone else take charge. After the course turned back and decidedly down hill, he switched gears and leapfrogged past his two rivals and made a big time effort, closing on Peter Sherry's 31:23 record set in 2000 and tied last year by Eric Lavigne. Moran motored home in 31:33. Carr forced him to race all the way to the finish with his 31:45. Pugsley fell off the pace as often happens when a rival makes a move that cannot be answered. With no one close for third, Pugsley could have eased up. The veteran pressed forward and notched a sub masters course record in 32:04, knocking six seconds off his record from last year when he again finished third.

For the women, the 10K course record was set in 1998 by Kelly Cordell in 35:49. That same year, the runner-up, Heidi Gerken, set the sub masters record with 36:42. Alisa Harvey of Manassas, VA tied the record in 2003 (while winning the race) but will never get to break it. She is 41 now. At the start line, she just laughed at the suggestion that she might be trying to race the 20K. Then she got down to business. She had her sights on only one runner. Everyone else was behind her. Race winner Shauneen Garrahan (22, in photo) of Fairfax, VA prudently built a solid margin early. Nobody wants their race to go down to a final sprint against Harvey. She has too many American middle distance records. Still, in the those last two miles she could not close. Garrahan crossed the ChampionChip mats first in 36:43. Harvey was there soon after in a new record for the masters of 37:15. That was more than two minutes faster than Fiona Branton's old mark.

Fifth place Linda Foley (45) of Oak Hill, VA raced a masterful 39:57 to demolish the old record. How often does a 45-year-old runner finish in the top five of a major race? Well, of course, there has been Chuck Moeser in 1998 with a course record 33:04. Moeser claims he does not care for the race course. Yet, he probably has as many finishes here as any other runner. He loves the limelight. And yes, that was photo hog Moeser cycling across the finish line late in the morning. We all know the he does not want to be left alone and as with Sugar Ray Leonard he can not stay "retired" for long.

A well-known 62-year-old runner was back in town but he knew he had no chance of knocking off the record of 38:52 because he knew how hard he had worked to set it. Before the race, he was hoping for a "modest" sub forty 10K. He nearly made it, racing 40:11. Patrick Griffith, now of Oscala, FL settled for an age group victory. He is the course record holder for both distances in both the 55-59 and the 60-64 divisions. Mick Slonaker (57) of Columbia, MD took a peek at one of his records, winning his division in the 10K in 39:12.
Adam Crawford (19, in photo) was the top runner from Leesburg. He just missed the course record for teens of 33:20, racing home fifth overall in 33:25. In the masters division, Mark Stickley was again toe-to-toe with Ted Poulos. Both had run at the Masters Outdoor Championships the week before. Stickley had won in 33:11 with Poulos second in 35:08. Stickley had set the 40-44 division record in 2005 with 33:08 but Moeser's masters record was not in danger today. Stickley won in 34:58; Poulos ran 36:00. Sonny Barber (66) of Falls Church, VA closed on Chan Robbins' record of 45:02, racing 45:14. Robbins, now 70, is gearing up. His 48:26 was within hailing distance of Dixon Hemphill's 47:50 record.

With two extra stops for water and a Potomac River Running sponsored GU stop, surely it must be a joy to race the longer 20K. Aaron Church set the course record last year in 1:04:29 (photo). He was confident at the start. It soon became evident that the record would remain intact. By the 12K, he was racing up the toughest hill, but the last one, with a 150-meter lead. The look on his face was more grim as he was defending his title and he was not sure yet that he was completely clear of the field. The course was most crowded at the 10K turnaround and passing was virtually impossible. Now, at just before the eight mile mark, Church was seeing a horde of runners headed past him towards the lowest point on the course. Once he crested the hill, there was a snake of a steep downhill to gear him up for the final 6K charge. From there, he pulled away to win in 1:07:07.

The battle for second was much closer. Phil Reutinger (28) of Arlington, VA finished in 1:08:51 with Jason Weber on his heels in 1:09:13.

Max Lockwood (37) of Washington, DC (photo) is still discovering himself and is not sure what he plans to do. Lately, he has moved to hills and strengthening running, which do not by themselves equal speed. He is trying to race on the fly. Veterans know the best races come from a training and racing plan that you stick with, and a lot of luck. He was only one place back in sixth from last year's 1:09:11 but his 1:13:52 time is much slower than he should be running. Maybe he is saving his best training for the coming masters division.

The next three runners were all masters. Derik Thomas (41) of Alexandria, VA won in 1:15:21 in the fourth fastest masters time. William Schaffer (40) of Arlington, VA joined the fun by holding off Jean-Christophe Arcaz (46) of Rockville, MD 1:15:59 to 1:16:02. Arcaz barely gave up anything to last year's 1:15:54. He now owns the third and fourth fastest times for the 45-49 division.

In the photo left, Liz Jones (30) of Midland, VA leads Kirk Fuller and a trailing Lou Shapiro to the 20K finish line.

Norton Compton (52) of Fairfax, VA set the course record last year in 1:17:22. He was confident that his only competition would come from his cousin, Gary Grimsley (53) of Springfield, VA. Grimsley has been working through injuries and has his mileage back up near 40 miles a week. Compton easily won in 1:19:47. Grimsley took home second in 1:23:49. Bill Joyce (63) of Herndon, VA just does not understand racing. You are supposed to go slower when the distance is longer. He ran the Lawyers Have Heart 10K in 42:33 in June. Then he comes here and dominated the division with a 1:25:44.

Lou Shapiro (65) of Silver Spring, MD had the fastest time for his division and set a new course record. He just quietly shuffles past you and then he is gone. He also runs 42:30 for the 10K. At least he ran a little slower for the 20K. Still, he knocked nine minutes off the course record set by Steve Forman last year to finish in 1:28:21. Forman was next, just off his former record in 1:37:25. Richard Williams (71) of Alexandria, VA had no competition, winning his division in 1:44:51.

Karsten Brown (33) of Front Royal, VA could be seen skulking around. Indeed, with nearly 800 racing miles and more than 80 races it is a surprise when he is not there. He wanted the world to know that he had a bad race, finishing 15th overall in 1:18:19. He also planted those insidious flyers for the upcoming Greasey Gooney 10K. That race has similarities with its uphill first half and guarantee of negative splits, even if you fall down and roll to the bottom of the gigantic hill.

Mary Kate Bailey's seven minute trouncing over elite racer Cathy Pugsley last year seemed to say that her record would be untouchable. Her 1:13:50 would have been fifth overall this year among the men. This year's champion, Vanessa Hunter (32) of Arlington, VA (photo), is no slouch. She ran the second fastest time for the course in 1:15:57, more than two minutes ahead of the fourth fastest time set by Laura Turner (27) of Washington, DC with 1:18:07. Hunter was the eighth runner to cross the finish line, scooting in ahead of the second and third masters runners in a tight battle for place.

Monica Grillo (43) of Arlington, VA was the first master in 1:25:17. Before the race, Betty Blank (54) of Falls Church, VA was fussing. Her back was hurting; she was not feeling well. She was just hoping for an okay time. Veteran racers know that is her prelude to a fast time. She darted out quickly and snipped a few seconds off her 2004 course record to win in 1:29:15. Her racing buddy, Liz Jones (30) of Midland, VA, who runs 50 races a year, often gauges her pace off of Blank. This year she measured right and was ahead in 1:28:09. Now Blank, who beat Sandra Adams in 2004, can think about Adams, who is now 57 and who won her division in 2005 and set the 55-59 record in 2006.

Jane Poole (60) of Washington, DC (photo) won a lot of races this year. Often she met up with Alice Franks (59) of Rockville, MD and Franks had the goods. For this race, Franks won her division in 1:41:14. But Poole had moved on and now owns the 60-64 division record with 1:43:48. Anne Guerin of Vienna, VA became the oldest finisher in the women's race, setting the standard with 2:23:39.

The race course is easy to follow once you get on the W & OD Trail, and of course there were plenty of runners. Still, it was classy to have lead bicycles to precede the top runners and help clear the way for their return down the trail. The Plum Grove Cyclery shop, from Leesburg, VA, just around the corner from the start/finish lines, provided the cyclists. After the race, runners hurried over to the "trough" outside the Tuscarora Mill Restaurant. There were many iced down drinks from soda to juice to water. There was so much ice that the ice cream sandwiches stayed cold for the runners. There were all kinds of fruits and muffins and nutrition bars. The best thing is that, more than three hours after the gun sounded, there was still plenty of food for all the runners.

Racing's first class flag bearer, Ray Defrees of Fairfax, VA (photo), handed off Old Glory to a score of different runners so they could climb the last hill up Harrison Street for a moving memorial photo. Brightroom Photography was there to capture the moment.

As soon as the 10K and 20K runners cleared the starting line, the little ones lined up for their fun run. About 50 kids, many with a parent in tow, ran down Harrison Street and back up to the finish, earning a cherished medal for their efforts.

And, bringing the past to life in the form of music, there was a live band on the lower concourse playing the Beatles and other rock favorites. There was also a cliff climbing wall for entertaining the young at heart. The traditional cow bell awards went to award winners. Checks will soon be in the mail for the winners.

Always growing and improving, the race had a record year for its 19th running, with 1300 finishers and 1470 registrants. Runners know a good race when they see it.

10K Awards

MALE OVERALL
    1  1358 C W Moran               22 Sterling VA          31:33 V 
    2  1366 Allen Carr              24 Herndon VA           31:45 V 
    3    18 Ray Pugsley             38 Sterling VA          32:04 V 
FEMALE OVERALL
    1  1345 Shauneen Garrahan       22 Fairfax VA           36:43 V 
    2    12 Alisa Harvey            41 Manassas VA          37:15 V 
    3   174 Kristen Henehan         28 Silver Spring MD     38:11 V 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
    1  1111 Adam Crawford           19 Leesburg VA        V 33:23 
    2  1014 Stephen Lassiter        18 Winchester VA      V 34:23 
    3  1217 Michael Pandish         18 Ashburn VA         V 35:04 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
    1  1317 Hannah Guerin           16 Lovettsville VA    V 41:06 
    2   985 Jillian Pollack         18 Winchester VA      V 41:27 
    3  1313 Bekki Misanin           16 Sterling VA        V 43:24 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 34
    1   915 Nathan Carlson          26 Silver Spring MD   V 32:58 
    2  1350 Justin Fritzins         23 Purcellville VA    V 34:11 
    3  1351 Chris Sheaffer          23 Purcellville VA    V 34:13 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 34
    1  1156 Jenny Mlinarcik         28 Alexandria VA      V 39:46 
    2  1035 Jen Oblas               28 Leesburg VA        V 40:16 
    3  1079 Victoria Jasparro       34 Fredericksburg VA  V 43:24 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
    1  1063 Chris Millikan          39 Herndon VA         V 37:49 
    2  1054 Tom Heinemann           38 Arlington VA       V 38:26 
    3   112 Jonathan Lutke          37 Centreville VA     V 39:06 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
    1  1184 Diane Lathom            36 Ashburn VA         V 44:24 
    2  1221 Dixie Bastien           36 Leesburg VA        V 47:40 
    3  1094 Mijiko Phelps           37 Reston VA          V 48:14 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
    1  1530 Morris Bodrick          40 Huntsville         V 36:39 
    2  1116 Ted Stitt               42 Oakton VA          V 40:39 
    3   967 Paul Steenen            44 Arlington VA       V 41:12 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
    1  1359 Barbara Lawrence        41 Leesburg VA        V 42:42 
    2  1062 Laeticia Warring        44 Herndon VA         V 45:05 
    3  1250 Gretchen Phillips       43 Leesburg VA        V 48:42 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
    1  1338 Mark Stickley           45 Winchester VA      V 34:35 
    2   145 Ted Poulos              45 McLean VA          V 36:00 
    3  1107 Steve Dietz             47 Springfield VA     V 37:01 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
    1    20 Linda Foley             45 Oak Hill VA        V 39:54 
    2    21 Leslie Minnix-Wolfe     46 Herndon VA         V 42:27 
    3   146 Sushila Nanda           46 Arlington VA       V 43:39 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
    1   166 Kenyon Erickson         53 Vienna VA          V 42:02 
    2  1518 John Andrew             50 Leesburg VA        V 45:18 
    3   542 Carlton Jeffcoat        52 Waterford VA       V 47:03 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
    1  1201 Carole Roeder           50 Ashburn VA         V 45:19 
    2   180 Elizabeth Starr         50 Aldie VA           V 49:22 
    3   901 Wendy Everett           50 Sterling VA        V 51:46 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
    1   187 Mick Slonaker           57 Columbia MD        V 39:11 
    2   529 John Weldin             58 Reston VA          V 46:38 
    3   423 Bruce Damasio           55 Towson MD          V 49:06 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
    1   788 Freyda Greenberg        58 Falls Church VA    V 48:50 
    2   744 Peggy Davis             55 Vienna VA          V 49:49 
    3   913 Mary O'Connell          59 Herndon VA         V 57:23 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
    1    10 Patrick Griffith        62 Ocala FL           V 40:10 
    2  1059 James Daley             63 Alexandria VA      V 44:02 
    3   665 Joe Keefer              60 Des Moines IA      V 45:36 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
    1  1337 Cathy Van Brocklin      61 Gaithersburg MD    V 54:21 
    2   483 Sharon Geltner          63 Warrenton VA       V 72:51 
    3    55 Teresa Revanna          61 Falls Church VA    V 83:46 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
    1   129 Sonny Barber            66 Falls Church VA    V 45:09 
    2   660 Lloyd Blackwell         67 Warrenton VA       V 46:52 
    3   905 Talbot MacK             67 Middleburg VA      V 49:51 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
    1   554 Bunny Runyan            67 Potomac Falls VA   V 77:29 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 74
    1  1148 Chan Robbins            70 Arlington VA       V 48:23 
    2   104 Alan Rider              71 Reston VA          V 54:00 
    3   555 Leo Wyne                70 Falls Church VA    V 55:23 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 74
    1  1493 Tami Graf               71 Lusby MD           V 59:46 
    2  1363 Betty Lou Wolfe         70 The Plains VA      V 96:45 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 75 - 99
    1   677 Dick Coogan             75 McLean VA          V 65:31 
    2   912 Charlesq Day            76 Potomac Falls VA   V 69:38 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 75 - 99
MALE LEESBURG RESIDENT
    1  1111 Adam Crawford           19 Leesburg VA        33:23 
FEMALE LEESBURG RESIDENT
    1  1035 Jen Oblas               28 Leesburg VA        40:16 

Photo below: 10K course record holder for the 40-44 division, Mark Stickley wins the masters division in 34:58.

20K Awards

MALE OVERALL
    1   171 Aaron Church            32 South Riding VA    1:07:07 X 
    2  1417 Phil Reutlinger         28 Arlington VA       1:08:51 X 
    3  1347 Jason Weber             30 Arlington VA       1:09:14 X 
FEMALE OVERALL
    1    11 Vanessa Hunter          32 Arlington VA       1:15:57 X 
    2   924 Laura Turner            27 Washington DC      1:18:07 X 
    3    14 Lisa Thomas             31 Alexandria VA      1:19:33 X 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
    1   752 James Komen             18 Burke VA           X 1:18:46 
    2   683 Joseph Paille           18 Sewickley PA       X 1:22:44 
    3   980 Scott Dean              18 Sterling VA        X 1:23:45 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
    1    93 Kathryn Stephens        19 Leesburg VA        X 1:43:36 
    2  1049 Kate Spiering           17 Leesburg VA        X 1:50:48 
    3  1246 Alyssa Dabbenigno       17 Ashburn VA         X 2:17:35 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 34
    1    19 David Miller            24 Herndon VA         X 1:10:06 
    2  1110 Benjamin Ingram         30 Baltimore MD       X 1:10:35 
    3  1531 Erik Kean               30 Arlington VA       X 1:16:38 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 34
    1     7 Lindsay Wilkins         29 Arlington VA       X 1:20:22 
    2    22 Sharon Donovan          32 Washington DC      X 1:23:19 
    3  1019 Alicia Pease            24 Silver Spring MD   X 1:24:29 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
    1    16 Max Lockwood            37 Washington DC      X 1:13:52 
    2  1323 Rob Jones               37 Ashburn VA         X 1:17:52 
    3   737 William Bondurant Ii    36 Herndon VA         X 1:22:10 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
    1  1332 Samantha Kirby          38 Arlington VA       X 1:21:37 
    2  1022 Tacy Feliciano          39 Columbia MD        X 1:25:16 
    3   668 Beth Casey              38 Herndon VA         X 1:33:01 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
    1  1140 Derik Thomas            41 Alexandria VA      X 1:15:19 
    2   191 William Schaffer        40 Arlington VA       X 1:15:57 
    3  1330 Gene Smith              43 Burke VA           X 1:16:41 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
    1    15 Monica Grillo           43 Arlington VA       X 1:25:08 
    2   215 Leslie Knibb            44 Washington DC      X 1:32:37 
    3   597 Theresa Conroy          42 Richmond VA        X 1:32:54 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
    1   972 Jean-Christophe Arcaz   46 Rockville MD       X 1:16:00 
    2  1336 Martin Calhoun          45 Herndon VA         X 1:17:39 
    3   740 Jim Bradford            45 Vienna VA          X 1:22:24 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
    1   991 Deedee Loughran         49 Oak Hill VA        X 1:28:05 
    2  1157 Jeanne Grillo           46 Potomac MD         X 1:33:19 
    3   941 Ellen Mannion           46 Chantilly VA       X 1:35:33 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
    1   675 Norton Compton          52 Fairfax VA         X 1:19:46 
    2   705 Gary Grimsley           53 Springfield VA     X 1:23:29 
    3   169 Bruce Kesselring        52 Springfield VA     X 1:25:29 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
    1     6 Betty Blank             54 Falls Church VA    X 1:29:13 
    2   826 Doris Windsand-Dausman  50 Frederick MD       X 1:32:42 
    3   179 Linda Wellman           54 Alexandria VA      X 1:49:44 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
    1   202 Jay Wind                57 Arlington VA       X 1:26:05 
    2   100 Allen Vaughan           56 Stafford VA        X 1:31:20 
    3   303 Jim Ratzenberger        58 Vienna VA          X 1:32:22 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
    1   188 Alice Franks            59 Rockville MD       X 1:41:09 
    2  1444 Maria Nusbaum           55 Herndon VA         X 1:50:12 
    3  1045 Leslie Stanfield        57 Reston VA          X 1:56:45 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
    1   161 Bill Joyce              63 Herndon VA         X 1:25:41 
    2  1087 Donald Hensel           62 Gaithersburg MD    X 1:35:31 
    3    54 Krupakar Revanna        64 Falls Church VA    X 1:38:14 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
    1   106 Jane Poole              60 Washington DC      X 1:43:44 
    2  1472 Punkin Lee              61 Middleburg VA      X 2:03:06 
    3   978 Barbara Van Hemel       61 Jacksonville NC    X 2:17:40 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
    1   162 Lou Shapiro             65 Silver Spring MD   X 1:28:16 
    2   183 Stephen Forman          67 McLean VA          X 1:37:22 
    3   190 Bill Sollers            68 Silver Spring MD   X 1:48:48 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
    1  1315 Anne Guerin             67 Vienna VA          X 2:22:55 
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
    1   521 Richard Williams        71 Alexandria VA      X 1:44:47 
    2   881 Ken Schaedel            73 Greenbelt MD       X 2:18:05 
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
MALE LEESBURG RESIDENT
    1   562 Stephen Schmidt         29 Leesburg VA        1:24:41 
FEMALE LEESBURG RESIDENT
    1  1257 Stephanie Postma        27 Leesburg VA        1:38:31 

Photo below: Donald Hensel (#1087) of Gaithersburg, MD finished second in the 60-64 division with 1:35:35.

Full Race Day Results
Race Report
Photo Gallery 2007
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