In his first serious attempt at the 50-mile distance, Washington, DC area masters runner Jim Hage (44) took first place at the JFK 50 Miler in Williamsport, Maryland, Saturday, November 23, 2002. Hage came down off the Appalachian Trail in ninth place and started cranking out six-minute miles, leaving his competition in the dust. He beat four-time winner and JFK record-holder Eric Clifton (also 44), 6:13:10 to 6:19:43.

Hage attempted the 50-mile distance as a young, brash 16-year-old in 1974, dropping out at the 30-mile mark amid freezing rain and temperatures in the low 30s; 1355 runners started the race but only 225 participants completed the entire course that year.

In the women's race, Connie Gardner (38), of Medina, Ohio, finished with a time of 7:11:46, 24 minutes in front of second- place finisher Bethany Hunter, age 23 of Lynchburg, VA (7:35:21). According to the Washington Post, Gardner won the women's national 100K championship last month at the Edmund Fitzgerald 100 Road Race in Duluth, MN, and will represent the USA in the 100K World Cup in Taiwan next year.

The JFK 50 Miler is the nation's oldest and largest ultra-distance event. This year's event witnessed a record number of finishers, 862 runners.

Results.

Photo: Jim Hage ran a 5:17 pace for 26:14 and placed second at his hometown Kensington 8K in September.