Photo above: Susan Kvasnicka won the Women's Open Division at the Annapolis Ten Mile

The second stop in the Washington Running Report Ten Mile Triple series was the 30th Annapolis 10 Mile Run on Sunday, August 28, 2005. Mother Nature provided a quick rainstorm at the start and the humidity was typically high. There were 3,867 finishers. On August 22, 1976, there were seven runners in this road race; 3867 athletes (1,597 females and 2,270 males) finished the 2005 Annapolis 10 Mile. The race is a major Annapolis attraction and a source of city pride. Without prize money, the run offers a community atmosphere and a strong affiliation with the United States Naval Academy.

The Ten Mile Triple series had four runners, division winners of the 33rd Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in April, eligible in Annapolis:

Open
Michael Wardian, 52:00
Susannah Kvasnicka, 57:27

Masters
Jim Hage, 55:27
Monica Grillo, 1:04:27

The Annapolis 10 Mile Run is the most demanding race of the 10 Mile series, especially with the challenge of summer heat. Three of the Triple candidates were unable to defend their division titles. Wardian (52:15) was taken out by Jeff Olenick of Newport News, VA, who won the Annapolis 10 Mile in 51:29; Olenick's girlfriend urged him to run. Olenick attended Centennial High School in Howard County and ran for Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. Wardian fought well until 7.5 miles into the race; then, the race leader's position slowly slipped away.

Jim Hage was bumped by Michael Woodman of Timonium, MD, who finished fourth overall in a time of 55:36. Hage was the runner- up master in 57:22 (8th place). Monica Grillo gave it her best, but Christina Morganti of Severna Park, MD, placed third overall in 1:04:46 to Grillo's sixth place in 1:06:46. Grillo ran her first Annapolis 10 Mile in 1979 when the race started at Severna Park High School and finished in the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

Susannah Kvasnicka of Great Falls, VA, collected her third Annapolis win in 59:23--her first sub-60:00 in Annapolis. Although she is the only runner still eligible for the $2,000 cash bonus, she plans to run the Twin Cities Marathon instead of the Army Ten-Miler, the third race in the WRR 10 Mile Triple series. But racing schedules can change, so she might show up at the Pentagon instead of traveling to Minnesota.

The Ten-Mile Triple recognizes the performances of the top local finishers with a $2,000 cash prize for any local runner who wins the division at all three races, and by awarding complimentary entries into the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, Annapolis 10 Mile Run, and the Army Ten-Miler to the individual winners. The races have a tradition within the running community and local runners make a valuable contribution to the strength of competition at these races. The winners from the Annapolis 10 Mile Run will receive entries into the Army Ten-Miler and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run:

Annapolis 10 Mile Open & Masters Winners

Open
Jeff Olenick		26	51:29	  Newport News, VA	
Susannah Kvasnicka	33	59:23	  Great Falls, VA	


Masters
Michael Woodman 	40	55:36	  Timonium, MD 4th Overall
Christina Morganti	40	1:04:46   Severna Park, MD 3rd Overall

See Searchable Race Results for full Annapolis 10 Mile results. (Type "Annapolis" in the race search box.)

The 21st Army Ten-Miler will be held on Sunday, October 2, 2005. The race closed out in July 2005 at its 20,000 runner limit. The race hotel is the Crystal Gateway Marriott and hosts a two day runners expo on Friday, September 30, and Saturday, October 1. See www.armytenmiler.com for complete information.

The 2006 Ten-Mile Triple series will start with the 34th Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run on Sunday, April 2, 2006. Registration details will be available in December, 2005 or go to the race Web site www.cherryblossom.org to sign-up for e-mail notification. All three 10 mile road races fill their entry fields within days or weeks, so it is important to register early.

Please direct any questions to George Banker, 202-685-3408 or george.banker@fmmc.army.mil.

Read the Annapolis 10 Mile race day report by Jim Hage