"He was not leaving me too far down. I was waiting to put the pedal down at mile four, but he (Lemma Bonssa) put it down after three miles. That caught me off guard and I still thought I had a chance since he was leaving me gradually," said runner-up Chuck Moeser of Sterling, VA at the 10th Leesburg 10K (August 16, 1998). Bonssa clocked a 32:28 to 33:04 for Moeser, also the first master's finisher.

The event started in downtown Leesburg on Harrison Street and had several demanding hills along with two miles on the W&OD Trail. The legend has it, in the first year a 700-pound cow entered the course about mid pack while eating a shank of Virginia mayapple. The cow has since been the mascot.

Moeser (47), a two-time winner (1991-33:09, 1995-32:49) and master's record holder (32:49) battled with Bonssa of Silver Spring, MD, originally from Ethiopia, in his first US race. A lead pack of five went through the first mile in 5 minutes 16 seconds. It included Jeff Van Horn of Stafford, VA and Ryan Donahue of Centreville, VA. The pack was tight as they pushed uphill.

"I was not one hundred percent today. The competition was good but I did not see many professional runners. I knew he (Moeser) was a good runner. After the first 5K I broke away and I was waiting for him to come back on me," said winner Bonssa.

Van Horn held on for a third place finish of 33:16. It's been a seesaw for Van Horn. Last year he was 6th with 36:06 after winning in 1996 in 32:35. Young Donahue continues to improve, running fourth with 33:20. Josh Horton of Vienna, VA was fifth with 33:26.

A tough race developed for the women from the start. Kelly Cordell of Chandler, AZ pushed through the first mile in 5:36. Following two seconds back were Heidi Gerken of Reston, VA and Caryn Landau of Washington, DC.

The women's race broke apart halfway when Cordell began to surge and went alone along the W&OD Trail. Cordell was relentless and took first place in a new record time of 35:49. Gerken held on for second with 36:42.

"I was concentrating on running, and it was a tough course. She (Gerken) was running strong and I was trying to maintain my pace. I was impressed with the competition. You cannot tell by the previous times unless you have run a course," said Cordell, a former 10,000 meter runner for Arizona State where she posted a 32:46 on the track.

Cordell passed the three-mile mark in 17:24 (5:52 split), mile four 23:27 (6:03), mile five in 29:05 (5:38) and mile six in 34:39 (5:33).

"At the 5K (3.1 miles) she had her (Cordell) distance set. She went out very powerfully and looked incredibly strong," said Gerken. "I had two tough miles and I lost contact. You cannot let them get away. I was worried about number three until four and one half miles. I was feeling good and stood a good chance of not getting caught," added Gerken. At mile two Gerken's time was 11:38 and mile three was 17:40 (6:02 split).

Patti Shull of Ashburn was third with 37:34 followed by Landau with 38:03. Last year's winner, Hilary Cairns of Washington, DC, (38:37) was fifth.

"At mile three the competitive edge went away and people started to pass me. The first mile was 5:55 and the third was 6:20. I dropped by mile four to 6:37. I'm training hard for the Marine Corps marathon and I am tired," said Cairns.

"It is neat with the hills. It is a good race and my third time running. I like this kind of course, but it is tough. Once on the trail, it's my territory. I will turn forty on September 20. I used today as a speed workout," said Shull.

"This is my first race after two years. I went through the first mile in 5:38. While I was at Georgetown I ran 5,000 and 10,000 meters, my best 10K times has been 33:38. I could not bring it in near the end. I had no lift in my legs. I am doing 90 miles per week to get ready for the Marine Corps Marathon," said fourth place Landau, teammate of Cairns from Pacers of Old Town Alexandria.

The second master's man was Brent Phillips of Frederick, MD with 37:18 (16th place). Vernon Loeb of Garrett Park, MD was third with 37:34 (18th). The first female master's finisher was Betsy Callanan of Towson, MD with 43:53 (9th place). Sandra Adams of Winchester, VA was second with 44:19 (11th place). Heather Sanders of McLean, VA was third with 46:42 (24th place).

"It was tough, hot, and hilly in the first two miles. The cows were active. Glad to see a bunch of seventy year old runners, as long as they are at my back," said 73-year-old Dixon Hemphill of Fairfax Station, VA with 47:50. Ray Blue of Oxon Hill, MD was second with 52:06.

"This course is lovely and it's a chance to come to visit Leesburg. I'm a middle of the pack runner, ten minutes per mile," said Linda Killian of Washington who finished with 1:01:32.

For Leesburg the first male resident was Sean Andrish with 35:10 (8th place) and the first female was Sarah Six with 41:25 (6th place). Six was also the first resident last year with 43:26 (6th place).

The race has the generous amounts of food and random awards. The trough-like tables had so many pastries, huge muffins, and snacks There were lots of fruits and crackers and snacks plus sodas and bottled water. The Good Humor man was there dispensing free ice cream. The top three in each age group won an embroidered golf shirt. The winners of the divisions won one of the many generously donated prizes. Second place won a cow bell as well. The random awards included many dinners and pairs of tickets to upcoming Redskins football games.