6th Annual Event Is Biggest and Best Ever

The fire engine ladders of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department soared in a dramatic arch over the start of the sixth annual race. Nearly every year the numbers of participants have gone up. Even with gas prices taking people off the roads for the holiday weekend, this race was too good to miss. In the center of the race course, the Lowes Island Community Center was dominated by music and the feeling of a festival. Outback Steakhouse was there early, sending the scent of grilled steaks into the air. After the race, the food was heaven, steaks cooked to perfection with sauteed vegetables. Starbucks coffee was a hit even as the weather warmed up to its traditional temperatures by the end of the race. There were muffins and individually wrapped bagels with cream cheese, bananas, fruit ices, and enormous quantities of bottled water. One could easily forget that they had come to race.

The course is a dandy. With the quickly warming sun glowing in the runners' eyes, more than a thousand athletes took off across the ChampionChip timing mats. The first mile, with mild rolls, was mostly downhill and the lead runners were soon disappearing around the corner. Today's men's race was a test for the sub masters (35-39). In 1996, Ray Pugsley (39) of Potomac Falls, VA won the race and set the age group record in a fancy 33:29. Last year Jorge Pardo (39) of Brooklyn, NY took the title away in 33:21 and relegated Pugsley to runner-up. This year they were ready for another close battle, which Pugsley won 33:02 to 33:12. Both looked sharp and certainly ready next year to take down the 40-44 record of Gary Grilliot (36:15) and perhaps the masters course record of 34:03 set by the mighty Chuck Moeser in the race's inaugural year.

In the meantime, Philippe Rolly of Fairfax, VA has aged up this year to 35. He owns the event record of 30:40 set in 2005 when he out-leaned 2004 winner C.W. Moran at the wire for a photo finish. Rolly was always in sight but took the victory in a smart 32:49. After that, the times dropped off. Another Frenchman, Jean-Christophe Arcaz, surprised no one, easily winning the masters division in 36:00 in fifth place, same as last year. Tenth place Bruce Halpin (51, photo) of Ashburn, VA repeated as the grandmaster champion in 38:48 but he needed to turn on the jets. His 39:42 in 2007 won by nearly four minutes but the margin was closer today. George Linebaugh (52) of McLean, VA was lurking nearby in 39:01.

Early in the morning, it was cool enough to consider turning on the heat. By race time, announcer Bob Moore was reminding people to drink water because it was going to get hot. Turning the corner off Saulty Drive runners felt a breeze as 64-year-old Bill Joyce of Herndon, VA bolted out of the gates, passing a multitude of younger racers. He dominated the division as no one has since Patrick Griffith set the record in 38:44 at the age of 60 in 2005. Richard Adams, Jr., also of Herndon, VA, was the consensus favorite and he did not disappoint. The two city mates battled through both loops of the course with Joyce prevailing 39:55 to 40:00. Lloyd Blackwell (67) of Leesburg, VA was unchallenged for another victory in 46:37. In the older division, runner-up Chan Robbins (71) of Arlington, VA struggled through another tough week of racing, finishing well off his 65-69 record of 44:39 set in 2003. Division winner Ken Quincy (70) of Vienna, VA continues to improve his race, winning by a hundred meters in 51:06.

After the first mile and a half, what goes down must go up and the stream of runners passed by the other entrance to the Community Center to the cheers of scores of well wishers. Cresting the hill to start the third mile was glorious and followed by a furious charge down the steepest hill. At the bottom of the hill, the Fire Company had uncapped a hydrant which sent a plume of cooling water sixty feet in the air to spray the runners. Soon after runners headed up the toughest part of the course with a dog leg cul de sac finishing the first half of the race. The second time through, runners missed that and charged furiously to the finish directly after reaching the top of the rise. The many course marshals and fully manned water stops made the course a breeze. Large mile markers with split timers made pacing the race easy. The thought of all that good chow (steaks from Outback Steakhouse!) gave runners a reason to hustle down the road. On the second loop, many runners encountered the 911 Fun Runners on the way back.

The women's race featured two top masters runners who are frequently threats to win it all. Linda Foley (46, photo) of Oak Hill, VA did just that in 40:16. Kristin DiDomenico (41) of Sterling, VA was next in a swift 40:46. She came up just short of Leslie Minnix Wolfe's 40-44 record of 40:41 set in 2004. Amanda Stickel (26) of Sterling, VA was third in a close battle with 41:05. Liz Jones (30) of Falls Church, VA, who runs more than 50 races a year, was set back in seventh. On the second loop, another runner pressed past her running scared from his own age group competition. Jones snapped out her torpor and jetted off in the final two miles, catching one woman and leaving another oh so close division rival just ahead of her (41:11).

Patricia Zerfas (46) of Kensington, MD beefed up her skills running the DCRRC Hour Run Tuesday night with more than eight miles so she was more than prepared to win her division in a landslide with 42:54. After the first year (2003), the course changed and since 2004 the 50-54 division has been held none other than Capital Running Company's own Lainey Bernstein (50:14). This year, Carole Roeder (51) of Ashburn, VA exploded to the front with a top notch 45:19 for a new record. This was nearly as good as Alice Franks' top grandmaster time of 45:15. Pat Welch (63) of Vienna, VA nearly took down her own course record of 54:37 set in 2005. Her gun time was a mere fifteen seconds slower. Remember if your time is as good as last year, you are really better.

The award winners received running hats and there were many fine random prizes. The D.J. did a great job announcing the awards, playing the music, and entertaining the crowd with a much preferred style of random prizes. He would call out, "First woman wearing Ray Bans" or "First person carrying a child," which led to a mass piggy back convention or "I'm thinking of an old golfer." Remembering Arnold Palmer was worth greens fees.

If you are looking for a great racing experience, this race has it all. I missed the first year, but after racing the next five years, I do not plan on missing another.

Award Winners

OVERALL MALE  (GUN TIME)
Place Num   Name     Lname      Age City                  Time    
===== ===== =================== === ===================== ======= 
    1   736 Philippe Rolly       35 Fairfax VA              32:49 
    2     1 Ray Pugsley          39 Potomac Falls VA        33:02 
    3   796 Jorge Pardo          39 Brooklyn NY             33:12 
OVERALL FEMALE  (GUN TIME)
Place Num   Name     Lname      Age City                  Time    
===== ===== =================== === ===================== ======= 
    1     6 Linda Foley          46 Oak Hill VA             40:16 
    2     2 Kristin Didomenico   41 Sterling VA             40:46 
    3   175 Amanda Stickel       26 Sterling VA             41:05 
MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 19   (NET TIME)
    1   660 Nick Sharp          16 Sterling VA             38:49 
    2   367 Jonathan Wyers      16 Sterling VA             39:15 
    3   619 Mike Reiss          18 Sterling VA             40:13 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 19   (NET TIME)
    1   813 Erin Murdock        15 Sterling VA             49:02 
    2   613 Marissa Olson       18 Leesburg VA             49:25 
    3   653 Barbara Rion        15 Sterling VA             49:44 
MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24   (NET TIME)
    1   506 Kelby Ong           20 Reston VA               47:03 
    2   113 Gabriel Ahlbin      23 Sterling VA             47:55 
    3   291 David Rivelli       23 Washington DC           50:47 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 24   (NET TIME)
    1   187 Karen Dickerson     22 Springfield VA          45:45 
    2   755 Pamela Davis        22 Vienna VA               49:29 
    3   820 Liz Coffey          23 Washington DC           49:35 
MALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29   (NET TIME)
    1   721 Gregory Holden      28 Washington DC           35:41 
    2   715 Michael Vega        29 Ashburn VA              36:43 
    3    64 Adam Borbidge       29 South Riding VA         37:34 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29   (NET TIME)
    1   561 Mary Beth Muething  29 Arlington VA            41:21 
    2   798 Ashley Flick        27 Springfield VA          42:47 
    3   231 Melanie Nakagawa    28 Washington DC           46:13 
MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34   (NET TIME)
    1   751 Bradley Mongold     30 Falling Waters WV       36:14 
    2   348 Richard Arnold      34 Arlington VA            39:50 
    3   499 Greg Stemberger     31 Stone Ridge VA          40:32 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 34   (NET TIME)
    1   416 Gillian Kalaris     32 Leesburg VA             41:48 
    2    72 Elizabeth Jones     31 Falls Church VA         42:09 
    3   770 Amanda Pagon        32 Springfield VA          42:45 
MALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39   (NET TIME)
    1   551 Kevin Knight        39 Leesburg VA             38:06 
    2   552 William Sutherlin   38 Sterling VA             39:23 
    3   731 Robert Osterried    35 Sterling VA             39:26 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39   (NET TIME)
    1   672 Laurie Bickart      38 Sterling VA             42:26 
    2    63 Alison Gittelman    35 South Riding VA         45:41 
    3   366 Alisa Miller        36 Broadlands VA           46:55 
MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44   (NET TIME)
    1   766 Patrick Leonard     40 Falls Church VA         39:00 
    2   468 Richard Rainey      41 McLean VA               39:44 
    3   487 Ron Bryan           42 Herndon VA              39:50 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44   (NET TIME)
    1   504 Lizabeth Camire     43 Leesburg VA             45:02 
    2   677 Patsy Long          41 Sterling VA             45:06 
    3   617 Mandana Mortazavi   44 Leesburg VA             46:21 
MALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49   (NET TIME)
    1    66 Jean-Christophe Arc 47 Rockville MD            35:58 
    2   763 Stephen Wills       47 Washington DC           41:14 
    3   437 Gregory Gould       47 Sterling VA             41:27 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49   (NET TIME)
    1   753 Patricia Zerfas     46 Kensington MD           42:51 
    2   780 Jeanne Friberg      45 Ashburn VA              48:08 
    3   743 Kathleen Armstrong  46 Ashburn VA              51:46 
MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54   (NET TIME)
    1   520 Bruce Halpin        51 Ashburn VA              38:45 
    2   740 George Linebaugh    52 McLean VA               38:59 
    3   707 Matt Rea            52 Reston VA               40:58 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54   (NET TIME)
    1   213 Carole Roeder       51 Ashburn VA              45:19 
    2    27 Martha Martin       51 Burke VA                51:09 
    3   724 Stephanie Danahy    51 Fairfax Stn VA          51:15 
MALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59   (NET TIME)
    1   316 Richard Adams Jr    57 Herndon VA              39:59 
    2     8 James Moreland      56 Gaithersburg MD         42:37 
    3    40 Allen Vaughan       57 Stafford VA             43:25 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59   (NET TIME)
    1   414 Freyda Greenberg    59 Falls Church VA         49:35 
    2   247 Peggy Davis         56 Vienna VA               49:43 
    3   486 Joyce Ong           57 Bristow VA              55:38 
MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64   (NET TIME)
    1  1347 Bill Joyce          64 Herndon VA              39:53 
    2   405 Krupakar Revanna    64 Falls Church VA         45:29 
    3    52 John Maguire        64 Potomac Falls VA        56:08 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64   (NET TIME)
    1    28 Pat Welch           63 Vienna VA               54:52 
    2   406 Teresa Revanna      62 Falls Church VA       1:26:42 
MALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69   (NET TIME)
    1   737 Lloyd Blackwell     67 Leesburg                46:37 
    2   272 Louis Garczynski    68 Sterling VA             55:50 
    3   453 William Cavanaugh   66 Reston VA               56:07 
FEMALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69   (NET TIME)
    1   811 Bertha McMillen     68 Arlington VA          1:13:42 
    2   634 Bunny Runyan        67 Sterling VA           1:16:15 
    3   192 Ursula Wagman       68 Springfield VA        1:29:27 
MALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99   (NET TIME)
    1   578 Ken Quincy          70 Vienna VA               51:06 
    2     7 Chan Robbins        70 Arlington VA            51:38 
    3   435 Leo Wyne            71 Falls Church VA         57:48 
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
    1   409 Ben Thomas          16 M Potomac Falls VA      44:32 44:16  7:08 
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
    1   333 Megan Deperro       25 F Brookline MA          51:30 50:31  8:08 

Full Race Day Results
Race Day Report for 2008
Photo Gallery 2008
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For past results and stories with photos as well as event records.