This little race started four years ago as a fund raiser for the awards party of the 50 Plus Club. The club is a group of about eighty runners who challenge themselves to complete fifty races in a year. The race more than doubled in size to thirty-five finishers with ten of the racers members of the club. Club members have already raced more than 260 races this year. Race winner Karsten Brown of Front Royal (in photo) has already won five races outright in his fifteen races for this year so far. He was quick to point out that he had driven up to Aberdeen, MD to run the RASAC Hinte Tune Up 15K in the early morning and fully intended to run #16 in Columbia, MD at 2:00 PM.

The race starts on the Rockville/Gaithersburg border. Though it was a typically cold winter morning, with the convenient late 11:00 AM start time (for multi-race runners), the skies were clear for this little neighborhood run. The course is laid out in a pretzel-like fashion. With no through roads in the community, traffic was sparse. Wooton track coach Paul Jacobson (in photo still leading Karsten Brown and then Masaki Ito up Shea Lane at two miles just before the big hill returns) led the runners down the first hill. Less than a quarter mile later, the course abruptly turns for the first challenge--a pesky quarter-mile hill. Track aficionado and miler, predominately middle distance racer Steve Nearman was here to get a strong workout. After the race he noted that the hill was too soon, that he had not gotten his pace set that early in the race. Not a problem, that very same hill would be repeating at the 2-mile point in the race.

After coming back down the hill runners entered the main intersection for what would be five straight times in which they would run straight through the intersection. In the middle, Chuck Raper led volunteers to hand out a playing card to runners for each time they passed through. After the race runners would get to check their hands for the best poker hand to earn the coveted prize. Fifth place John Howard of Germantown, MD (in photo) won with an ace high flush. It earned him a free entry to the St Patrick's Day 8K set for March 18 in Washington, DC.

Last year's winner, Karen Young, won double honors with the best poker hand and the female course record. This year Traci Cope of Warrenton, VA (in photo) set a new record with 22:42, besting a field of ten women. The late Paris Cabellero set the overall record in 2005 with 15:24.

Two runners have made all four races, Robert Platt and Jon Palks. Palks' (photo below) claim to fame has been a relentless assault on the 50 plus trophies given out for individual race distance categories. In 2003, he ran fifty-eight five milers. In 2004, he ran fifty OTHER, which is our miscellaneous distance category. Then in 2005 he raced nearly three 5Ks a week to cruise through 146 5Ks, thirty-five more than the previous record holder, Mitch Radella. Radella, no slouch, has completed 851 5Ks in the last nine years. Finally, in 2006 Palks raced a record twenty-eight ten milers.

Walt Washburn (84) of Vienna, VA has been on injured reserve for much of 2006. Washburn owns American age group records in the 25K, 30K, and 20M. Today, he drove in to course marshal, making it easier for runners to traverse the out and back, reverse directions, five 1K loops course.

Race Day Report for 2007
Full Race Day Results
Photo Gallery 2007
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