In the photo below, Naoko Ishibe charges to the finish in a new course record.

Course Records!
When they instituted prize money in 2000, the course record at the Van Metre 5 Mile Run started coming down. This year, new records were set by both the male and female winners, with the first two men finishing in a dead heat at 23:56. Coming up the final hill to the finish line, Julius Gwako, (29, Kenya) was leading, but Michel Khobotov (30, Russia) caught him at the crest and they crossed the finish line together. South Riding's Aaron Church (27) took third with his 24:52.

Naoko Ishibe (34, Silver Spring, MD) finished nearly a minute ahead of her closest competitor, Cathy Pugsley (34, Sterling, VA) in 27:52 to Pugsley's 28:48. Irina Suvorova (32, Russia) was the next woman in, more than a minute later in 29:57.

The previous men's course record was set in 2000 by Simon Cherdony at 24:37. The women's record was set last year by Victoria Klimina in 28:42.

The masters division was well represented, with 45-year-old Gary Grilliot powering up the finish hill in 27:47, good for sixth place overall. Tim Doescher (53) of Herndon narrowly edged out Patrick Griffith (58, Alexandria), 30:09 to 30:18 for the honors in the 50-59 division, finishing 12th and 13th overall. For the women, Laura Freix (42) of Centreville was the first masters finisher, taking fourth with her 30:47 finish. Sharon Glees (41) of Ashburn was second in 36:34.

Held on an overcast but mild morning, the Ashburn race attracted hundreds of runners and their families to the 12th annual event. Hosted and underwritten by the Van Metre Companies, developer of the Broadlands subdivision in which the race is held, the race raised more than $178,000 for Children's Hospital.

A one-mile fun run/walk took off first from Waxpool Road, and quickly turned onto the bike path that runs through the neighborhood. Several hundred kids, their moms and dads in tow, some pushing strollers or accompanied by the family dog, enjoyed their morning jaunt. Medals were awarded to all finishers of the 2K.

Just after the one milers cleared the bike path at the finish, the five milers started coming in. And they were running fast! They were chasing after $1200 in prize money. The top ten men ran under six minutes per mile, and the top seven women were under seven minutes. The top three women finishers earned $300, $200, $100. For the men, the first- and second-place money was combined and split between Gwako and Khobotov, with Church earning $100.

After the race, participants stayed for the awards ceremony, as this race is known for its generous prizes. Especially the random prizes! Awards included a weekend stay at a condo in Wintergreen, tickets to Redskins and Caps games, a TV, $100 gift certificate to Cantler's Riverside Inn, lots of golf packages and restaurant gift certificates, and more. And the kids were well taken care of, too. Every kid 12 and under went home with a toy or game.

Award Winners

               ********** FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
    1 NAOKO ISHIBE               34 SILVER SPRING   MD   27:52 
    2 CATHY PUGSLEY              34 STERLING        VA   28:48 
    3 IRINA SUVOROVA             32 GAITHERSBURG    MD   29:57 
                ********** MALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
    1 JULIUS GWAKO               29 PETERSBURG      VA   23:56 
    1 MICHEL KHBOTOV             30 GAITHERSBURG    MD   23:56 
    3 AARON CHURCH               27 SOUTH RIDING    VA   24:52 
                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 19
    1   115 CHRISSY ESPOSITO           14 CENTREVILLE     VA   39:26 
    2   256 AMBER ROSE                 11 SPRINGFIELD     VA   52:49 
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  01 - 19
    1    11 DREW FREDERICK             18 VIENNA          VA   29:23 
    2    82 JOSEPH REGAN               13 ANNANDALE       VA   37:16 
                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 29
    1    51 DENISE O'CONNOR            24 ARLINGTON       VA   34:56 
    2    56 AMY FEUERBACH              26 FALLS CHURCH    VA   35:10 
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 29
    1     4 KYLE SMITS                 24 WASHINGTON      DC   25:42 
    2    28 CHRIS DAVIS                27 ALEXANDRIA      VA   31:53 
                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39
    1    36 TONYA BROWN                32 ASHBURN         VA   33:19 
    2    41 LISA FERRARO               32 ASHBURN         VA   33:50 
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39
    1     6 GARY GRILLIOT              39                      27:47 
    2     8 DUFFIN NEWMAN              36 STERLING        VA   28:42 
                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49
    1    18 LAURA FREIX                42 CENTREVILLE     VA   30:47 
    2    73 SHARON GLEES               41 ASHBURN         VA   36:24 
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49
    1     5 MARK MALANDER              45 HERNDON         VA   27:29 
    2    10 BRUCE HAMILTON             48 FAIRFAX         VA   29:18 
                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 59
    1   170 CATHY MALINOWSKI           50 MCLEAN          VA   42:55 
    2   178 MARY O'CONNELL             55 HERNDON         VA   43:13 
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 59
    1    15 TIM DOESCHER               53 HERNDON         VA   30:09 
    2    16 PATRICK GRIFFITH           58 ALEXANDRIA      VA   30:18 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 69
    1   217 MARY ANN O'CONNOR          62 RESTON          VA   45:55 
    2   258 JEANETTE CHAMBERS          68 ARNOLD          MD   53:18 
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 69
    1    25 BEN DYER                   60 PETERSBURG      VA   31:27 
    2    38 LOU SHAPIRO                62 SILVER SPRING   MD   33:34 
                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99
                         MALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99
    1   109 LARRY DICKERSON            72 BURKE           VA   39:10 
    2   226 DICK COOGAN                71 MCLEAN          VA   47:00 
 

See complete results of the Van Metre 5 Mile Run for Children's Hospital.

See our Photo Gallery.