Photos by Kathy Freedman

Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, crisp fall weather and a quaint neighborhood course--the Somerset Back to School 8K in Chevy Chase annually provides the perfect antidote to the season's mega-races.

Plenty of competition was on display as well in this picture-perfect suburb just over the District line in Maryland. Michael Wardian (32) from Arlington, VA fresh off what was for him a disappointing runner-up effort one week earlier at the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA, where he ran 2 hours 22 minutes 29 seconds and just missed the qualifying standard for the Olympic trials, dispatched the Somerset field from the start and won in a quick 26:11.

Mike Colaiacovo (37) from Baltimore, MD [photo left] finished second in 27:21 and defending champion Max Lockwood (36) from Washington, DC took third in 28:05.

"Michael is good," Lockwood said of the new Somerset champ, "and I couldn't run with him. But I like this race and I'll be back." Lockwood, a veteran area racer, is preparing for his first Marine Corps Marathon on October 29.

Another area veteran, Monica Grillo (42) from Arlington, VA [photo left] won the women's race in 32:04, leading a troupe of 40-somethings and nearly 40-somethings: Win Persina (46) from Washington, DC was second in 32:44 and Paula Pels (39) from Bethesda, MD and Elizabeth Feldman (39) from Chevy Chase, MD took third and fourth. Anita Freres (41), who has started racing again this fall after a seven-year hiatus, was fifth in 33:33.

"I haven't raced in a while and I don't get to win as often anymore, so being first is always good," Grillo said. "It gets harder and harder."

While winning is always a priority, participation is at a premium at Somerset, which celebrated its 19th running. While the coolest day yet this fall startled many runners at the start, everyone warmed up-even the 297 runners in the 2K Fun Run, which outnumbered the 8K field of 268 finishers.

And while dozens of kids made their way through the short course, an intrepid few youngsters ran 8K, many going that far for the first time. Theirs was the excitement all novice runners experience as they close in on the finish line.

"There it is!" exclaimed nine-year-old Alex Roederer from Chevy Chase as he approached the finish line and then spied the tape, pumping his arms and sprinting ahead of his dad, Mario (43), who had coaxed him through the bulk of the race. With Mario's finishing kick, the pair finished together in 48:54.

Austin Sapin (11) and his dad, David (40) from Chevy Chase finished just ahead of the Roederers in 48:12.

Unofficially, the top father-son team was Danny Bennett (36) from Dunkirk, MD [ photo left], fourth overall in 28:50, and his dad, John (60) from Huntingtown, MD who ran 37:03.

"He's doing all right," a proud Danny said of his father.

Ground-Pounder Roger Burkhart (68), from Gaithersburg, MD who has run every one of the 30 Marine Corps Marathons, ran 47:08 in a final tune-up for what will surely be his 31st MCM.

Awards

OVERALL MALE  (GUN TIME)
Place Num   Name                Age City                  Time    
===== ===== =================== === ===================== ======= 
    1     5 Michael Wardian      32 Arlington VA            26:11 
    2   373 Mike Colaiacovo      37 Baltimore MD            27:22 
    3     3 Max Lockwood         36 Washington DC           28:05 


OVERALL FEMALE  (GUN TIME)
Place Num   Name                Age City                  Time    
===== ===== =================== === ===================== ======= 
    1   381 Monica Grillo        42 Arlington VA            32:04 
    2   183 Win Persina          46 Washington DC           32:44 
    3   306 Paula Pels           39 Bethesda MD             32:56 


MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 11   (NET TIME)
    1   281 Thomas Reingruber   10 Chevy Chase MD          39:48 
    2   186 Sam Lipscomb        10 Chevy Chase MD          41:21 
    3   334 Richard Bartozzi    09 Chevy Chase MD          46:23 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 11   (NET TIME)
    1   191 Emily Stoll         10 Chevy Chase MD          51:14 


MALE AGE GROUP:  12 - 15   (NET TIME)
    1   187 Elie Goldman        12 Chevy Chase MD          34:39 
    2   376 Robbie Thomas       15 Chevy Chase MD          35:35 
    3   351 Anthony Pape-Calabr 14 Chevy Chase MD          35:36 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  12 - 15   (NET TIME)
    1   197 Paige Donnelly      15 Chevy Chase MD          37:32 
    2   286 Liliana Farrell     14 Chevy Chase MD          38:03 
    3   350 Carravita Pape-Cala 12 Chevy Chase MD          38:12 


MALE AGE GROUP:  16 - 19   (NET TIME)
    1   342 Tom Swartz          17 Chevy Chase MD          32:48 
    2   268 Freddy Mondale      19 Chevy Chase MD          37:22 
    3   319 Jacob Heller        18 Chevy Chase MD          38:50 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  16 - 19   (NET TIME)
    1   368 Elsa Lee            17 Falls Church VA         40:32 
    2   354 Kathleen Tobin      18 Cranford NJ             53:07 


MALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 34   (NET TIME)
    1   398 Anthony Belber      33 Washington DC           29:10 
    2   292 Pablo Lopez-Murphy  31 N Bethesda MD           32:26 
    3   134 Mike Revell         32 Forestville MD          34:46 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 - 34   (NET TIME)
    1   270 Lauren Jensen       26 Alexandria VA           34:31 
    2   400 Jackie Reilly       26 Rockville MD            38:27 
    3   311 Ann Lafontaine      33 Washington DC           38:30 


MALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39   (NET TIME)
    1   372 Danny Bennett       36 Dunkirk MD              28:49 
    2   336 Scott Wallace       39 Washington DC           34:27 
    3   241 Raimonds Valdmanis  38 Chevy Chase MD          35:51 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  35 - 39   (NET TIME)
    1   343 Elizabeth Feldman   39 Chevy Chase MD          33:06 
    2   235 Jen Norris          35 Arlington VA            36:35 
    3   164 Ellen Grant         39 Chevy Chase MD          36:38 


MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44   (NET TIME)
    1    37 Ted Poulos          44 McLean VA               29:49 
    2   380 Paul Jacobson       43 Gaithersburg MD         29:57 
    3   188 Seth Goldman        41 Chevy Chase MD          32:20 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 44   (NET TIME)
    1   383 Anita Freres        41 Reston VA               33:30 
    2   388 Mary Geffroy        41 Chevy Chase MD          35:49 
    3   283 Jodi MacKlin        43 Chevy Chase MD          42:08 


MALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49   (NET TIME)
    1   396 Robert Lee          49 Falls Church VA         31:46 
    2   392 Bill Stahr          45 The Plains VA           31:52 
    3   293 Christopher Laszlo  47 Great Falls VA          32:34 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  45 - 49   (NET TIME)
    1   287 Antonia Farrell     45 Chevy Chase MD          36:48 
    2   314 Christine Davison   47 Cabin John MD           39:58 
    3   103 Chiyo Kobayashi     45 Bethesda MD             43:07 


MALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54   (NET TIME)
    1   324 David Andrews       50 Bethesda MD             30:01 
    2   256 David Donahue       54 Conneaut Lake PA        34:42 
    3   228 Matthew Jaffe       50 Chevy Chase MD          36:44 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 - 54   (NET TIME)
    1   115 Debra Stencel       50 Washington DC           42:09 
    2   248 Behnaz Fardshisheh  53 Potomac MD              42:15 
    3   178 Betsy Hanlon        52 Chevy Chase MD          43:19 


MALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59   (NET TIME)
    1   246 Roger Mingo         58 Washington DC           33:47 
    2    28 Ira Leibowitz       55 Bethesda MD             38:34 
    3   107 John Cahill         55 N Bethesda MD           40:53 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  55 - 59   (NET TIME)
    1    43 Alice Franks        58 Rockville MD            38:08 
    2    38 Elizabeth Sadoff    57 Washington DC           42:17 
    3   367 Eunice Reddick      55 Washington DC           57:19 


MALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64   (NET TIME)
    1   252 Norm Coleman        61 Chevy Chase MD          36:51 
    2   374 John Bennett        60 Huntingtown MD          37:03 
    3   139 Willem Bier         62 Chevy Chase MD          39:26 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 64   (NET TIME)
    1    22 Katherine Sandler   64 Bethesda MD             41:36 
    2   253 Karolynn Coleman    62 Chevy Chase MD          42:10 
    3    31 Nancy Malan         60 Washington DC           49:54 


MALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69   (NET TIME)
    1    70 Lou Shapiro         65 Silver Spring MD        35:57 
    2    42 William Sollers     67 Silver Spring MD        41:28 
    3   377 Roger Burkmart      68 Gaithersburg MD         47:08 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  65 - 69   (NET TIME)


MALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99   (NET TIME)
    1    40 Robert Smith        72 Comus MD                44:18 


FEMALE AGE GROUP:  70 - 99   (NET TIME)
    1   364 Jacqueline O'Neil   75 Washington DC         1:01:54 

Race Day Report for 2006
Full Race Day Results
Photo Gallery 2006
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