Photo above: Kyle Smits of Washington, DC is ranked 7th among open men.

Open Men
A total of 20 runners qualifed in the Open Men division, and Wilson Komen of Washington, DC and Kenya takes the top spot. The biggest showdown was Rockville's Rotary Twilighter 8K, where Komen (23:57) beat second-ranked John Supsic (25:00) of Baltimore and third-ranked Michael Wardian (25:09) by more than a minute.

Another showdown was Washington's Sallie Mae 10K, where Komen (30:24) beat fourth-ranked Eric Kweder (31:02), Supsic (31:06), and fifth-ranked Paul Rades (31:44) of Silver Spring, Maryland. Komen's best performance was a 2:17:31 at the Baltimore Marathon. The youngest male qualifiers were 25-year-olds Supsic, Kyle Smits of Washington, DC, and Chris Raabe of North Bethesda, Maryland. The oldest qualifier was 38-year-old John Piggott of Williamsburg, Virginia. The top newcomer to the rankings was the top-ranked Komen. The median age of Open qualifiers was 28.

 Pl	Name       	 Age	Hometown
  1	Wilson Komen	  27	Washington, DC
  2	John Supsic	  25	Baltimore, MD
  3	Michael Wardian	  29	Arlington, VA
  4	Eric Kweder	  26	Woodbridge, VA
  5	Paul Rades	  31	Silver Spring, MD
  6	Eric Kean	  26	Arlington, VA
  7	Kyle Smits	  25	Washington, DC
  8	Chris Raabe	  25	N. Bethesda, MD
  9	Glen Mays	  33	Washington, DC
 10	Eric Estrada	  32	Parkville, MD
 11	Rick Rountree	  26	Herndon, VA
 12	Frank Sprtel	  31	Takoma Park, MD
 13	Peter Sherry	  36	Great Falls, VA
 14	Ryan Mammen	  28	Woodbridge, VA
 15	Chris Farley	  28	Arlington, VA
 16	Alex Hetherington 37	Stafford, VA
 17	Jesse Williams	  26	Reston, VA
 18	John Piggott	  38	Williamsburg, VA
 19	Michael Mann	  35	Hampton, VA
 20	Mark Gilmore	  36	Columbia, MD

Men 35 - 39
Peter Sherry (photo), the Summer and Winter champion, takes the top spot. The moment of truth was the Marine Corps Marathon, where Sherry (2:36:23) beat second-ranked Alex Hetherington (2:37:41) of Stafford, Virginia, and fourth-ranked Michael Mann (2:40:39) of Hampton, Virginia. Sherry also ran a 15:36 at Columbia's Damien's Run for Recovery 5K, beating fifth-ranked and 2003 champion Mark Gilmore (15:43) of Columbia. Sherry also ran a 1:11:27 at Richmond's Ukrop's Cross-Country Festival Half- Marathon.

Second-ranked Hetherington earned his spot by running 1:52:39 at Spotsylvania's Stonewall Jackson 20-Miler, beating third- ranked and 2003 runner-up John Piggott (1:56:47) of Williamsburg, Virginia. Piggott defeated fourth-ranked Mann two times out of three, including a 2:35:01 at Virginia Beach's Shamrock Marathon, edging Mann, who finished in 2:35:08.

 Pl	Name	          Age	Hometown
  1	Peter Sherry	   36	Great Falls, VA
  2	Alex Hetherington  37	Stafford, VA
  3	John Piggott	   38	Williamsburg, VA
  4	Michael Mann	   35	Hampton, VA
  5	Mark Gilmore	   36	Columbia, MD
  6	Pascal Brazey	   35	Washington, DC
  7	Brian Schmidt	   35	Leesburg, VA
  8	Tom Purcell	   37	Norfolk, VA
  9	Mark Hoon	   39	Kensington, MD
 10	Sean Killeen	   38	Richmond, VA
 11	Mike Woodman	   38	Timonium, MD

Men 40 - 44
Chris Chattin of Columbia, Maryland, enters the age group on top, displacing 2003 champion Joe Abernethy of College Park, Maryland, and 2003 runner-up Dave Berardi of Baltimore. The best race was the Shamrock 8K in Virginia Beach, where Chattin (25:22) beat Berardi (26:22) and fifth-ranked Chris Samley (27:26) of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Another notable race was Alexandria's George Washington Parkway 10-Mile, where Chattin (54:00) again defeated Berardi (55:56). The two also faced off in the Sallie Mae 10K, with Chattin (33:29) beating Berardi (34:52) and the Paul VI Runfest 5K, where Chattin (16:27) also beat Berardi (16:47). Second-ranked Abernethy nips Berardi for second, by virtue of the Outback Steakhouse 8K, where Abernethy (26:38) edged Berardi (26:41). Fourth is Rob Hinkle of Newport News, Virginia, whose best performance was a 16:01 at the Vineyards of Williamsburg 5K. He might have ranked higher, but did not compete against any of the other top 12 runners.

 Pl	Name	               Age	Hometown
  1	Chris Chattin	        40	Columbia, MD
  2	Joe Abernethy	        44	College Park, MD
  3	Dave Berardi	        43	Baltimore, MD
  4	Rob Hinkle	        40	Newport News, VA
  5	Chris Samley	        41	Charlottesville, VA
  6	Ted Poulos	        41	McLean, VA
  7	Jon Schoenberg	        40	Crofton, MD
  8	Neville Anderson	42	Baltimore, MD
  9	Jean-Christophe Arcaz	42	Rockville, MD
 10	Layne Party	        44	Baltimore, MD
 11	Will Jacobi	        41	Kensington, MD
 12	Dave Haaga	        42	Rockville, MD
 13	Steve Menzies	        40	Langley AFB, VA

Men 45 - 49
The 2003 runner-up, Jim Hage of Kensington, Maryland, moves up to the top spot in 2004, in a close decision over Spring champion Mark Malander of Oak Hill, Virginia. Hage and Malander faced off three times. At the Pike's Peek 10K, Malander (33:39) beat Hage (33:57), third-ranked and Winter and Fall champion Dan Lawson (34:31) of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and fourth-ranked George Buckheit (35:32) of Reston, Virginia.

In the Sallie Mae 10K, Hage (34:12) evened things up, by defeating Malander (34:22), Lawson (34:53), and Buckheit (35:41). The decisive race was the Annapolis 10-Miler, where Hage (56:30) crushed Malander (1:01:03). Fifth is Jim Wadsworth of Washington, DC, whose best performance was a 34:45 at the St. Patrick's Day 10K.

 Pl	Name	        Age	Hometown
  1	Jim Hage	 46	Kensington, MD
  2	Mark Malander	 46	Oak Hill, VA
  3	Dan Lawson	 48	Gaithersburg, MD
  4	George Buckheit	 46	Reston, VA
  5	Jim Wadsworth	 46	Washington, DC
  6	Jim Bates	 47	Hampton, VA
  7	Steve Chantry	 49	Williamsburg, VA
  8	Bill Raabe	 49	N. Bethesda, MD
  9	Norton Compton	 49	Fairfax, VA
 10	Paul Serra	 47	Lusby, MD

Men 50 - 54
As usual, the profusion of baby boomers makes the 50-54 age group especially fast and deep. Chuck Moeser (photo) of Sterling, Virginia repeats as champion. The best race was the St. Patrick's Day 10K, where Moeser (33:52) beat second-ranked David Webster (37:00) of Stevensville, Maryland, and fifth- ranked Richard Adams (37:53) of Herndon, Virginia.

Also notable was the Veteran's Day 10K, where Moeser (33:42) again beat Webster (35:22), and the Sallie Mae 10K, where Moeser (33:37) beat third-ranked and 2003 runner-up Rick Platt (35:52) of Williamsburg, Virginia, and Adams (37:40). Fourth is Paul Peterson of Bethesda, Maryland, whose best performance was a 1:00:24 at the Chestertown 10-Mile.

 Pl	Name	         Age	Hometown
  1	Chuck Moeser	  52	Sterling, VA
  2	David Webster	  50	Stevensville, MD
  3	Rick Platt	  53	Williamsburg, VA
  4	Paul Peterson	  50	Bethesda, MD
  5	Richard Adams	  52	Herndon, VA
  6	Paul Ryan	  53	Arlington, VA
  7	Richard Morgan	  51	Silver Spring, MD
  8	Tim Doescher	  53	Herndon, VA
  9	Lionel Scatliffe  50	Alexandria, VA
 10	Dan Eddy	  52	Alexandria, VA
 11	Mick Slonaker	  54	Columbia, MD
 12	Bob Burns	  51	Columbia, MD
 13	Timothy Morgan	  53	Damascus, MD
 14	Bill Alto	  52	Newport News, VA
 15	Jim Goggin	  50	Williamsburg, VA
 16	Gary Grimsley	  50	Springfield, VA
 17	Jim Wright	  54	Gaithersburg, MD
 18	Dale Abrahamson	  54	Yorktown, VA

Men 55 - 59
Patrick Griffith of Alexandria, Virginia repeats as champion. He led the first three ranking periods before aging up to the 60-64 division. The big race was the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, where Griffith (1:03:59) defeated second- ranked Ken Shipp photo (1:05:25) of Great Falls, Virginia, and third- ranked Ronnie Wong (1:09:01) of Catonsville, Maryland. Griffith also ran 24:36 at Washington's Bastille Day 4-Mile, beating Shipp (26:24), and 19:04 at Arlington's Bon Air 5K, again beating Shipp (20:43). The top three earned their edge over the fourth and fifth runners based on quality of competition defeated.

Fourth is Larry Coley of Chesapeake, Virginia, who did not compete against any of the other top six runners, but did record a 19:04 at Williamsburg's Heritage Humane Society 5K. Fifth is Dan Murray of Keswick, Virginia, who did not race against any of the other top 10 runners. His best performance was an 18:15 at Charlottesville's Kiwanis 4th of July 5K.

 Pl	Name       	 Age	Hometown
  1	Patrick Griffith  59	Alexandria, VA
  2	Ken Shipp	  55	Great Falls, VA
  3	Ronnie Wong	  57	Catonsville, MD
  4	Larry Coley	  55	Chesapeake, VA
  5	Dan Murray	  59	Keswick, VA
  6	Piriya Pinit	  58	Catonsville, MD
  7	Ken Mire	  55	Norfolk, VA
  8	Robert Wilson	  56	Toano, VA
  9	John Lange	  56	Hunt Valley, MD
 10	Steve Tyndall	  56	Yorktown, VA
 11	Tim Heath	  55	Mechanicsville, VA
 12	Dennis Manske	  58	Hampton, VA
 13	Michael Wesbecher 56	Oakton, VA
 14	Jim Christol	  56	Yorktown, VA
 15	Robert Trost	  57	Falls Church, VA

Men 60 - 64
The 60-64 age group was again very competitive this year, with 19 qualifiers. New entrant Jerry Warfield of Columbia, Maryland takes first. The biggest showdown was the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, where Warfield (1:08:56) beat Winter champion and third-ranked John Haubert (1:09:13) of Alexandria, Virginia and fifth-ranked Lou Shapiro (1:11:13) of Silver Spring, Maryland. Warfield also recorded a 19:53 at the Preakness 5K.

Summer champion John Kirkpatrick of Annapolis, Maryland is second. He ran 3:26:42 at the Marine Corps Marathon to beat fourth-ranked Jim Noone (3:38:56) of Fairfax, Virginia. Also notable was Kirkpatrick's 1:09:02 at the Annapolis 10-Mile, beating Shapiro (1:12:35).

 Pl	Name        	 Age	Hometown
  1	Jerry Warfield	 60	Columbia, MD
  2	John Kirkpatrick 60	Annapolis, MD
  3	John Haubert	 61	Alexandria, VA
  4	Jim Noone	 60	Fairfax, VA
  5	Lou Shapiro	 62	Silver Spring, MD
  6	Roger Kilgore	 60	Great Mills, MD
  7	Robert Wright	 62	Hampton, VA
  8	Bob Hartless	 60	Forest, VA
  9	Lloyd Blackwell	 63	Warrenton, VA
 10	Eamonn McEvilly	 61	Springfield, VA
 11	Walter Brown	 60	Mont. Village, MD
 12	Stephen Forman	 63	McLean, VA
 13	Michael Golash	 60	Washington, DC
 14	Warren Prunella	 62	Rockville, MD
 15	Bob Spencer	 61	Williamsburg, VA
 16	Richard Vendig	 60	Rochelle, VA
 17	Greg Smith	 60	Vienna, VA
 18	Joe Clorety	 61	Crownsville, MD
 19	Harry Cross	 60	Arlington, VA

Men 65 - 69
New entrants to the age group gave the 65-69 age group considerable strength and depth in 2004, with newcomers taking the top three places. John Elliott of Columbia, Maryland takes first. The best race was Columbia's RRCA Club Challenge 10- Mile, where Elliott (1:08:35) beat 2003 champion Art Morey (1:14:52) of Columbia. Second is Spring champion Cal Fowler of Keswick, Virginia, whose performances included a 41:11 at Richmond's Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K.

Stan Neumann of Timonium, Maryland is third. He proved his mettle by running 33:52 at the Oriole Advocates 8K to beat fifth-ranked Morey (34:49). The 2003 runner-up, Chan Robbins of Arlington, Virginia, whose performances included a 21:47 at Centreville's Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K, is fourth.

 Pl	Name       	 Age	Hometown
  1	John Elliott	  65	Columbia, MD
  2	Cal Fowler	  65	Keswick, VA
  3	Stan Neumann	  65	Timonium, MD
  4	Chan Robbins	  66	Arlington, VA
  5	Art Morey	  66	Columbia, MD
  6	Dick Pierce	  65	Rescue, VA
  7	Maynard Weyers	  67	Alexandria, VA
  8	Benito Vazquez	  65	Laurel, MD
  9	Phil Hager	  66	Falls Church, VA
 10	Ken Quincy	  66	Vienna, VA
 11	Bill Sollers	  65	Silver Spring, MD
 12	Richard Williams  68	Alexandria, VA
 13	Walter Rockey	  65	Jefferson, MD
 14	Joe Polinski	  65	Smithfield, VA
 15	Leo Wyne	  67	Falls Church, VA
 16	John Gluck	  66	Alexandria, VA
 17	Chris Catoe	  69	Virginia Beach, VA
 18	Charles Terrell	  65	Newport News, VA

Men 70 - 74
New entrants took up eight of the 12 spots, led by Jerry Lewis (photo) of Reston, Virginia. The best race was Reston's Plaza America 5K, where Lewis (23:05) beat 2003, Winter, and Fall champion, second-ranked Jack McMahon (24:49) of Rockville, Maryland, and Summer champion and third-ranked Larry Dickerson (25:53) of Burke, Virginia.

On Jack McMahon's turf, at Rockville's Rotary Twilight 8K, Lewis confirmed his superiority, running 37:43 to McMahon's 39:47, while also beating fifth-ranked Robert Smith (44:02) of Comus, Maryland. Fourth is 2003 runner-up George Yannakakis of Sparks, Maryland, who earned the spot by beating Smith in two meetings, including a 1:19:45 at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, to Smith's 1:28:05.

 Pl	Name        	 Age	Hometown
  1	Jerry Lewis	  70	Reston, VA
  2	Jack McMahon	  72	Rockville, MD
  3	Larry Dickerson	  72	Burke, VA
  4	George Yannakakis 72	Sparks, MD
  5	Robert Smith	  70	Comus, MD
  6	Mike Kelly	  70	Newport News, VA
  7	Armand Zambardi	  70	Charlottesville, VA
  8	Tony Measham	  70	Chevy Chase, MD
  9	Jim Hufford	  70	Reston, VA
 10	Richard May	  70	Williamsburg, VA
 11	Ron Henry	  70	Richmond, VA
 12	Tom Kenney	  71	Glen Echo, MD

Men 75 - 79
Nianxiang Xie of Rockville, Maryland led three of the four rankings periods, and repeats his top ranking. Xie defeated third-ranked Burton Squires of Rockville, Maryland twice. In the Pike's Peek 10K, Xie (50:30) beat Squires (64:33) by over 14 minutes, and in Rockville's Rotary Twilight 8K Xie (42:02) beat Squires (52:49) by more than 10 minutes.

George Brown of Glen Arm, Maryland takes second, with his best performance being a 29:50 at the Preakness 5K. Harry Freestone of Charlottesville, Virginia is third. He ran a 29:52 at Charlottesville's New Year 5K. Dixon Hemphill of Fairfax Station, Virginia rounds out the top five, based on performances such as a 33:16 at Kingstowne's Spring Forward 5K.

 Pl	Name        	   Age	Hometown
  1	Nianxiang Xie	    76	Rockville, MD
  2	George Brown	    78	Glen Arm, MD
  3	Burton Squires	    75	Rockville, MD
  4	Harry Freestone	    77	Charlottesville, VA
  5	Dixon Hemphill	    78	Fairfax Station, VA
  6	Bill Morrison	    76	Potomac, MD
  7	Oliver Bragg	    76	Sterling, VA
  8	Philip Zenchoff	    76	Silver Spring, MD
  9	Wendell Golden	    78	Charlottesville, VA
 10	Ferris Portner, Jr. 75	King George, VA

Men 80 - 84
The top two runners repeat from 2003. Walt Washburn of Vienna, Virginia is first, having led every ranking period, and Frank Pierce of Bethesda, Maryland is second. The two faced off at the Pike's Peek 10K, with Washburn (57:31) defeating Pierce (64:49). Washburn also defeated third-ranked Bill Osburn of Bethesda three times, including a 50:11 at Alexandria's Belle Haven 8K, beating Osburn's 69:33.

The battle for second was decided at Olney, Maryland's Take Back the Night 5K, where Pierce (39:04) beat Osburn (43:05). Provisional qualifiers Henryk Bukowski of Falls Church, Virginia and Robert White of Hampton, Virginia fill out the top five.

 Pl	Name        	Age	Hometown
  1	Walt Washburn	81	Vienna, VA
  2	Frank Pierce	82	Bethesda, MD
  3	Bill Osburn	80	Bethesda, MD
  4	Henryk Bukowski	84	Falls Church, VA
  5	Robert White	80	Hampton, VA

Men 85 & Up
Cokey Daman of Virginia Beach, Virginia is the only qualifier, but he is a highly-deserving one. His best performance was an impressive 29:53 at Virginia Beach's Jennifer Braun Memorial 5K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Cokey Daman	85	Virginia Beach, VA

See the Women's Best of 2004 WRR Runner Rankings