Photo above: Tyler Luxion (left), 11 of Vienna, VA, finished in an incredible time of 24:14 with this downhill charge.

Visit the Cure Autism Web site for more information.

Kyle Smits and Sharon Lemberger Claim Wins
Kyle Smits and Chris Raabe led more than 500 participants Sunday morning along residential roads with magnificent homes in Potomac, MD. Sharon Lemberger ran comfortably amidst a group of men to first place among women on a humid, cloudy Fourth of July. The Cure Autism Now 5K had a mix of veteran age-group racers and casual runners, all celebrating the national holiday and supporting research for a cure for autism. Age group awards required fast times, but many more ran up the persistent, gradual hills to mix pleasure and health. Local policiticians and fund-raising teams also contributed to a successful neighborhood event managed by the Montgomery County Road Runners Club that received praise from many runners.

"I am happy with this race - it stops a slump in my training," remarked Kyle Smits (black singlet in photo), a 25-year- old Washington resident and Georgetown student who won in 15:28--faster than his 2002 winning time of 15:41. Chris Raabe (white singlet in photo), 25 of Washington, recently started Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN before dropping out with an Achilles problem. He finished second on the Fourth in 15:40 and carried the lead near 2 miles; Smits pulled slightly ahead and pushed hard during the third mile to victory, with Raabe a few footsteps behind. Kyle Smits had been training on the track at Georgetown with a couple of runners, who are currently injured (Ben Cooke had knee surgery in late May), with hope of a long-shot qualifying time for the Olympic Trials. But then allergies in May wore him down; in the heat of summer, he put away an enjoyable victory. A trio of men walked by and asked his opinion of the third mile, which they thought more difficult than the first two - oh yes, Kyle agreed, his split for the third mile was slower (5:10 versus 4:50-5:00 for the first two miles).

Balance in Life
"This is a fun event, well run; no, I didn't run alone, I was with a group of men," responded Sharon Lemberger (photo, in front), 30 of Washington, with a winning time of 17:47. In June 2003, she ran Grandma's Marathon in Duluth and developed a hip injury that lasted six months. She has been training again with a group of women, the Capital Crescent Track Club. In 2002, Lemberger attended a short Running USA camp in California to get a taste of elite-style training but she prefers a well-rounded lifestyle with work and other interests to balance running. The local group of dedicated women, who meet for early morning group runs on the Capital Crescent Trail, consist of unique and different personalities - a diverse group of ages and singles/wives/mothers that meshes well together. This year, Lemberger placed third among local women in the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 59:31.)

Three women from this training group finished third (Mary Kate Bailey, 29), fourth (Sharon Donovan, 29) and fifth (Lisa Thomas, 28). The conditions were tough but they ran their best and displayed good cheer. Last summer they spent the summer months training for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (a team of local women won the team competition there!); this autumn everyone in the group has the Army Ten Miler and Philadelphia Half Marathon (September) on their schedule. Track work at Washington & Lee High School in Arlington takes place once a week for the women-- the D C Roadrunners also host a Wednesday session on the W&L track.

Citizenship is Precious
Photo left: Displaying the American flag and wearing a Washington Running Club cap
Two Ethiopians living in Silver Spring finished in third and fourth places. The two men, Ahmednur Fella, 25, and Ayele Beiete, 24, have lived in the United States for eight months under a visa lottery program; Beiete is a friend of talented female runner Atalelech Ketema. Beiete has raced locally with a fourth in the Turkey Chase 10K (33:46) and 15th in the Outback Steakhouse 8K (26:49). Fella proudly wore a Manchester United football jersey in his first road race (he's a track athlete) to finish in 16:22, just ahead of Beiete's 16:26.

Geralyn Drymalski, 47 of Germantown, ran the Cure Autism Now 5K for the first time in a pleasing 28:53. She noticed my Carleton t-shirt and stopped to chat because her brother graduated from the small Minnesota college.

Running is Fun
Photo: Patrick Padden (right of little girl), 39 of Alexandria, VA finished in 25:00
Susannah Kvasnicka, a 32-year-old married mother from Great Falls, took up running under the guidance of Ron Kulik, another local coach. In three short years, she has blossomed as a runner and finished the 5K in 18:19 for second place. There have been bumps in the road for this enthusiastic newcomer with talent-- she had disappeared from the racing scene for several months due to two injuries, back to back, that knocked her off course temporarily. She tried to train through an Achilles problem during the autumn but had to drop out of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon; hoping to salvage her fitness, she entered the Philadelphia Marathon one month later but the injury hampered her plan again. A knee problem, tendonitis, followed as she increased her mileage too quickly after the first injury slowdown. Kvasnicka was forced to stop running altogether for six weeks.
So her first road race back, this Fourth of July, was a cause for mild celebration--a fast time without the benefit of any speed work under humid and hilly conditions. She truly enjoys training with coach Kulik and some other men in his group, including Steve Comber, 46 of Clifton, who ran 18:49 for 5K. Ron Kulik came to the Cure Autism event sporting a "Jim Ryun Running Camp" t-shirt; Kulik was a speaker at the (former) sub-4:00 miler's program.

MALES (OVERALL):
    1 Kyle Smits                  25 Washington MD      15:28  
    2 Chris Raabe                 25 Washington DC      15:40  
    3 Ahmednur Fella              21 Silver Spring MD   16:22  
    4 Ayele Beiete                24 Silver Spring MD   16:26  
    5 Neil Weare                  24 Washington DC      16:30  
    6 Jim Hage                    46 Kensington MD      16:39 
    7 Christopher Bain            27 Bethesda MD        16:41  
    8 Chuck Moeser                52 Sterling VA        16:47 
    9 George Buckheit             47 Reston VA          17:01  
   10 Jean-Christophe Arcaz       48 Rockville MD       17:13  
FEMALES (OVERALL):
    1 Sharon Lemberger            30 Washington DC      17:47  
    2 Susannah Kvasnicka          32 Great Falls VA     18:19  
    3 Mary Kate Bailey            29 Arlington VA       18:26  
    4 Sharon Donovan              29 Washington DC      18:27  
    5 Lisa Thomas                 28 Alexandria VA      18:28  
    6 Christy Underdonk           35 Kensington MD      19:04  
    7 Julie Thienell              40 Columbia MD        19:29  
    8 Helen Beven                 39 Kensington MD      19:39  
    9 Ulrike Robinson             32 Darnestown MD      20:42  
   10 Adina Wadsworth             36 Washington DC      21:43  

Complete results