Photo above by Brightroom.com: Christopher Raabe (26) is third in the Open division, improving his Sallie Mae 10K (31:15) one week later at Pike's Peek 10K (30:37).

Open Men
The DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K is the champion maker for 2005. The top three runners battled there. Wilson Komen of Washington, DC prevailed over Frenchman Philippe Rolly 29:35 to 29:55. The Raabe family did just fine there too; Christopher ran 30:37 while 50-year-old Bill won his division in 35:30. Komen also defeated Rolly at the Veterans Day 10K 30:25 to 31:39. He also was the overall winner with the best 5K at the Race for the Cure in 14:49. He won the Twilight 8K in 23:58, though he ran the world-class Shamrock 8K even faster, 23:40. When he stretched out to the marathon in Baltimore, he came home a winner in 2:20:28.

Rolly cemented his runner-up spot with a swift Sallie Mae 10K in 30:39. On the rolling hills of Sterling, VA (Cascades 10K), he won a hard pressed photo finish with young C.W. Moran in 30:40. Eric Post of Centreville, VA was third overall at the Marine Corps Marathon in 2:23:54 (10K = 30:53). It was a very close race as the winner was barely a minute ahead of him. In July, he nicks Raabe by a second at the Cure for Autism 5K in 15:27.

Now the places are more difficult to determine. Jeff Olenick is granted fifth for his fabulous 51:29 (10K = 30:59) at the Annapolis 10 Miler. Though Michael Wardian ran faster (51:25) at the flatter GW Parkway 10M, he finished second at Annapolis in 52:15. Olenick started out so fast Wardian leaned over to him and asked him if he knew they were running 10 miles. Olenick also ran second overall at the Police Pace 5K in 14:53 (10K = 31:03). Patrick Rotich matched that, winning the Blair Clipper 5K in 14:51 (10K = 30:59). Erik Kean stepped just inside that at the GW Birthday 10K in 30:57. Wardian ran a whole lot of races both here and around the United States so it is harder to know what is what with him.

Next, number eight, Chris Banks run the Turkey Trot 5M in 24:35 (10K = 31:00). Rick Rountree is tenth with the Scope It Out 5K in 14:54 (10K = 31:05). Edmund Burke is eleventh with his GW Parkway 10 Mile 51:45 (10K = 31:08).

Kean beat Wardian and Rountree handily at the Ashland Farms 10K. Olenick defeated Banks, Kean, and then Burke at Damian's 5K. Banks and Kean finished together in 15:11. Banks lost to Burke at the Parkway 10 Mile by nearly a minute. Then he kicked behind at the Twilight 8K in 25:01 ahead of, in order, Burke, Kean, Post, and Wardian. At Sallie Mae, he tied Kean and beat Rountree. Olenick defeated Rotich at the Yorktown 5K 15:03 to 15:14.

Richmond Marathon, 2:14:32, 10K = 28:52

Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
 1	Komen, Wilson   	27	Washington, DC
 2	Rolly, Philippe   	33	Fairfax, VA
 3	Raabe, Christopher	26	Washington, DC
 4	Post, Eric       	26	Centreville, VA
 5	Olenick, Jeffrey 	26	Newport News, VA
 6	Kean, Erik        	28	Arlington, VA
 7	Wardian, Michael	31	Arlington, VA
 8	Banks, Chris      	27	Alexandria, VA
 9	Rotich, Patrick 	25	Virginia Beach, VA
10	Rountree, Rick    	27	Reston, VA
11	Burke, Edmund   	35	Burtonsville, MD
12	Kweder, Eric    	27	Manassas, VA
13	Mammen, Ryan     	29	Woodbridge, VA
14	Sillery, Spider 	33	Baltimore, MD
15	Church, Aaron     	30	South Riding, VA
16	Saft, Aaron     	27	Christiansburg, VA
17	Lavigne, Eric     	29	Reston, VA
18	Bitok, John     	25	Baltimore, MD
19	Rades, Paul      	33	Wheaton, MD
20	Smith, Joe      	26	Parkville, MD
21	Tompkins, Mark    	30	Newport News, VA
22	Edwards, Billy    	27	Virginia Beach, VA
23	Bray, Derryn      	21	Fairfax, VA
24	Crowder, Steve    	32	Fincastle, VA
25	Cauller, Greg     	46	York , PA
26	Tullock, Brian    	22	Falls Church, VA
27	Stickley, Mark    	43	Winchester, VA
28	Mann, Michael    	36	Hampton, VA
29	Estrada, Erik     	33	Parkville, MD
30	Farley, Chris     	29	Arlington, VA
31	Piggott, John     	40	Williamsburg, VA
32	Hetherington, Alexander	38	Stafford, VA
33	Colaiacovo, Michael	35	Ellicott City, MD
34	Hinkle, Robert      	41	Yorktown, VA
35	Berardi, Dave     	45	Baltimore, MD
36	Woodman, Michael	40	Timonium, MD

19 & Younger Men
Of nearly 1,000 ranked times, only seven teens qualified for the division. Drew Abernethy of College Park, MD continues to mature and lowered his best 5K down to 16:11 (10K = 33:46) at the out and back, down then up Capital Crescent. In November, he ran the Cardinal 5K in 16:31.

Charlie Celesia of Virginia Beach, VA ran a swift Mt. Trashmore 8K in 27:28 (10K = 34:38). Rory Jenkins of Phoenix, MD is now twenty. His Shamrock 5K in 16:39 nearly qualifies him for the Open division.

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, 31:45

Pl	Name        	 Age	Hometown
1	Abernethy, Drew	 18	College Park, MD
2	Celesia, Charlie 16	Virginia Beach, VA
3	Jenkins, Rory	 19	Phoenix, MD
4	Lebro, Craig	 19	Columbia, MD
5	Gillett, Devon	 17	Jessup, MD
6	Gelety, Matthew	 16	Pasadena, MD
7	Holt, John	 15	Williamsburg, VA

Men 35 - 39
Edmund Burke of Burtonsville, MD is a quiet one. Many know of him for his many St. Patrick's Day 10K wins and his fast times at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. This year he skipped the Irish race and had a mediocre Cherry Blossom in 56:52. Still, he easily won the division with the four fastest times. His GW Parkway 10 mile three weeks after Cherry Blossom was his more normal time of 51:45. He had started the year with a swift Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 Mile in 24:46. The summer rain at the Rockville Twilighter 8K only slowed him slightly to 25:06.

Michael Mann of Hampton, VA earns the runner-up spot with a tune- up. Yes, he ran three winter Tidewater Strider Tune-up Series races, a 20K in 68:32, a 25K in 1:28:26, and a 30K in 1:46:39. All three were overall wins. John Piggott goes long. He won the Lower Potomac Marathon in 2:37:22. Alexander Hetherington ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2:35:23. By October, Piggott had turned forty and won the Baltimore marathon in 2:35:59. In February, these two met at the Colonial HM where Piggot vanquished Hetherington 72:56 to 74:11.

Seventh place Michael Woodman was in that mix, racing 73:45. The very next week, Woodman was the overall winner at the B&A Trail HM in 74:50. Hetherington did him one better taking outright the Quantico HM in 74:40 and then a week later having another overall win at the Mulberry Island HM in 73:16.

BULLET Max Lockwood went on a late year rampage starting with an overall win in 27:02 at the hilly Back to School 8K and second overall at the Van Metre 5M in 26:10 (10K = 33:00). He also beat Woodman at the (hottest race of the year) Leesburg 20K in August. Michael Colaiacovo moved north to race the DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K in 33:06 beating Woodman's 33:52.

GW Parkway 10 Mile, 51:45, 10K = 31:08

Pl	Name            	Age	Hometown
 1	Burke, Edmund    	35	Burtonsville, MD
 2	Mann, Michael    	36	Hampton, VA
 3	Piggott, John    	39	Williamsburg, VA
 4	Hetherington, Alexander	38	Stafford, VA
 5	Lockwood, Max     	35	Washington, DC
 6	Colaiacovo, Michael	36	Ellicott City, MD
 7	Woodman, Michael	39	Timonium, MD
 8	Rologas, Stavros	37	Baltimore, MD
 9	Neeson, Tommy      	36	Virginia Beach, VA
10	Rippey, Brad      	39	Bunker Hill, WV
11	Purcell, Tom    	39	Chesapeake, VA
12	Brazey, Pascal    	36	Washington, DC
13	Powell, Charles 	39	Parkville, MD
14	List, Daniel      	39	Midlothian, VA
15	Boyd, Matt        	35	Fredericksburg, VA
16	Lester, Malcolm 	38	Washington, DC
17	Kern, Rick       	39	Frederick, MD
18	Dolby, Andrew      	37	Fredericksburg, VA

Men 40 - 44
John Piggott was new to the division but after mastering the sub masters he was ready. He mowed down third place Rob Hinkle at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with a 71:54 (10K = 32:37) to 74:28. Hinkle had four 5Ks faster than Piggott's best 16:02 in July but he finished one second back in that race.

Mark Stickley had the next four fastest times. At the Fair Lakes 8K, he ran 25:46 (10K = 32:41). At the St. Patrick's Day 10K, he beat fourth place Ron Kulik 32:42 to 33:33. At the GW Birthday 10K, Stickley prevailed against Kulik 33:04 to 33:55. Hinkle gets the nod over Kulik with 21 quality races to five. Neither had the 51 qualifying times of Ted Poulos.

Dave Berardi is the BULLET of the division. Just before he left the division, he defeated nine ranked masters at the Twilight 8K in 27:39, including Ron Kulik, Mark Hoon, and last year's champion, Chris Chattin. He has raced many years with Chattin. This year he seemed to have Chattin's number, winning many head-to-head match-ups. Berardi also had one of the closet races against Stickley, losing at the Sallie Mae 10K 33:28 to 33:41. Hoon was the tops at the tough 10 milers, winning the Turkey Burnoff in 55:53 and, then in February, the equally hilly RRCA Challenge in 55:57.

Great Allegany 15K, 49:19, 10K = 31:58

Pl	Name     	  Age	Hometown
 1	Stickley, Mark	  43	Winchester. VA
 2	Piggott, John	  40	Williamsburg, VA
 3	Hinkle, Robert	  41	Yorktown, VA
 4	Kulik, Ronald	  41	Herndon, VA
 5	Berardi, Dave	  44	Catonsville, MD
 6	Hoon, Mark	  40	Kensington, MD
 7	Hamley, Christopher 41	Silver Spring, MD
 8	Schoenberg, Jon   41	Crofton, MD
 9	Haaga, David	  44	Rockville, MD
10	Coulter, David	  40	Virginia Beach, VA
11	Chattin, Chris	  41	Columbia, MD
12	Samley, Chris	  43	Charlottesville, VA
13	Sabatini, Christopher 41 Washington, DC
14	Menzies, Steven	  42	Langley AFB, VA
15	Pineo, Stuart	  44	Columbia, MD
16	Poulos, Ted	  44	McLean, VA
17	McLaughlin, Terry 44	Spotsylvania, VA
18	Arcaz, Jean Christophe 44 Rockville, MD
19	Brokaw, Richard	  44	Bel Air, MD
20	Labuschagne, Gerrit 43	Richmond, VA
21	Degenhardt, Sheldon 40	Marriottsville, MD
22	Thatcher, Alan	  42	Manassas, VA
23	Adams, John	  42	Norfolk, VA
24	Grillot, Gary	  41	Reston, VA
25	Feinberg, Michael 41	Bel Air, MD
26	Killeen, Sean	  40	Richmond, VA
27	Leitzel, Ben	  44	Virginia Beach, VA
28	Smith, Gene	  41	Burke, VA
29	Caudle, Kyle	  40	Alexandria, VA
30	Jacobson, Paul	  42	Gaithersburg, MD
31	Hattar, Thomas	  44	Davidsonville, MD
32	D'Amanda, Kevin	  43	Bethesda, MD
33	Johnstone, Steve  41	Virginia Beach, VA
34	Wasiak, Michael	  40	Towson, MD
35	Paul, James	  44	Richmond, VA
36	Hugar, Wayne	  41	Woodbridge, VA
37	Scott, R.J.	  41	Bassett, VA
38	Symmes, Jeff	  44	Centreville, VA

Men 45 - 49
Photo by Brightroom.com: Robert Johnson (48) of Woodbridge, VA was secondin his age group at the Veterans Day 10K but won his division in nine of ten races.

For the last few years, Sallie Mae and Pike's Peek 10Ks have been on different weekends, meaning runners do not have to choose. As in 2004, the battleground was the DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K. Everyone ran even faster than the year before, yet the order was the same. Jim Hage led the charge in 32:39. Mark Malander edged out George Buckheit 33:35 to 33:40. Not far behind is the new BULLET moving on to the 50-54 division, Dan Lawson in 33:50.

The big difference this year was Greg Cauller of York, PA. Cauller had the fastest race at the Great Allegany. He also won the overall at the McVETs 5K in 16:09 and then ran the 10K in 34:28. All five men met at Sallie Mae 10K. Cauller won the division by beating Jim Hage 33:01 to 33:16. Malander was next in 33:52. Lawson beat Buckheit 34:18 to 34:26.

These guys run the big races. The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile finish order went Hage, Malander, Buckheit. The Lawyers Have Heart 10K went Hage, Malander, Lawson. The Rockville Twilighter 8K went Hage, Buckheit, Lawson. Buckheit did beat Hage one time in the 5K.

Great Allegany 15K, 49:41, 10K = 32:12

Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
 1	Cauller, Greg     	46	York, PA
 2	Hage, Jim         	47	Kensington, MD
 3	Malander, Mark    	46	Oak Hill, VA
 4	Buckheit, George 	47	Reston, VA
 5 	Lawson, Dan       	49	Gaithersburg, MD
 6	Bates, James      	49	Hampton, VA
 7	Daugherty, Brian	45	Severna Park, MD
 8	Winn, Keith        	48	Midlothian, VA
 9	Pointer, Maurice	49	Baltimore, MD
10	Hart, Mike         	49	Washington, DC
11	Dunlap, Tim     	48	Lancaster, PA
12	Johnson, Robert 	47	Woodbridge, VA
13	Abernethy, Joe    	46	College Park, MD
14	Chall, John       	48	Jessup, MD
15	Horan, Marty      	46	Gaithersburg, MD
16	Kirk, Peter       	48	Rockville, MD
17	Cook, Tom         	46	Chantilly, VA
18	Skiles, Barry     	49	Pilot, VA
19	Halpin, Bruce     	49	Ashburn, VA
20	Hanle, Joseph     	48	Columbia, MD
21	Serra, Paul     	49	Lusby, MD
22	Mears, Finley    	49	Towson, MD
23	Ramirez, Oscar   	47	Gaithersburg, MD
24	Morrison, Jack   	46	Fredericksburg, VA
25	Giorgis, Steve  	49	Herndon, VA
26	Goldfarb, Larry 	46	Washington, DC
27	Haile, Fesshaye 	47	Virginia Beach, VA
28	Cutchins, Wyatt 	49	Newport News, VA
29	Vanderveer, Gary	47	Virginia Beach, VA

Men 50 - 54
Photo by Brightroom.com: Paul Bousel of Alexandria, VA celebrated Saint Patrick's Day by uncorking a 10K in 39:54.

Chuck Moeser has pretty much owned whatever division he was in for the last dozen years. In the first week of the ranking year (Winter 2005; November 2004), he ran the fastest race of all, the Outback 8K in 26:58. Four days later, on Thanksgiving, he ran a 5K in 16:50 and all was well. His first race of the year was a fast 35:52 10K at the tough Rotary Resolution, more than two minutes faster than the period's second place finisher, David Webster.

In early March, at the St. Patrick's Day 10K, Moeser eased up with an injury and took off most of the next few months. From the south came the whistling sound of the division's new BULLET. At the Shamrock 8K, Williamsburg's Stephen Chantry turned heads with a swift 27:57. Two weeks later, he popped a 17:12 at the Queen's Lake 5K and then a 35:09 Ukrops Monumnet Avenue 10K. Everyone except maybe Moeser saw the signs of a new champion.

Chuck Moeser had already ventured south to Williamsburg to run the fastest half marathon of the year at the hilly Colonial HM in 77:31. He ran the hilly Annapolis 10 Miler in 58:38. Labor Day these two gunslingers met in Virginia Beach for the Rock 'n' Roll HM. Chantry followed determinedly along through the first ten miles. Moeser needed a brief pit stop and when he restarted the race was over. Chantry pulled away to win 77:34 to 78:19.

Since Labor Day weekend, Stephen Chantry has continued to improve, lowering his 8K at nTelos to 27:02 and his 5K to 16:30 at Mulberry Island. Moeser ran a quick Fair Lakes 8K in 27:39 and finished the period with a Turkey Trot 5K in 17:02.

For now, the resolution is clear. Chantry's three period wins and head-to head victory earn him the division crown.

The next seven runners all clump together. Mike Hart is BULLET number two, finishing in 60:17 at the Annapolis 10 Mile to begin his grandmaster debut. Paul Peterson is fourth with his Chestertown 10 Mile in 60:32. David Webster lost to Steve Giorgis at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10M 61:05 to 61:22. Webster still takes the five spot with his 28:47 runner-up placing at the Outback 8K.

Richard Adams, Jr. ran a fine 36:44 at the Pike's Peek 10K while Michael Fitzgerald ran the Doo Dah Day 5K in 17:35 to just nick him. James Cooper ran a 17:38 Page's 5K and Jim Googin trekked in one second back with his 17:39 Governor's Landing race.

A rash of BULLETs have been hitting the division. Bill Raabe blasted a 35:30 to win at the Pike's Pike 10K and only needed one more race in the third period to qualify for the year. Maurice Pointer is the fourth BULLET, blasting a 29:08 at the Zoo Zoom 5M to enter the division.

Photo by Brightroom.com: Roland Rust (53) of Bethesda, MD raced faster as the year progressed, which bodes well for 2006.

Outback Steakhouse 8K, 26:58, 10K = 34:12

Pl	Name      	  Age	Hometown
 1	Chantry, Stephen   50	Williamsburg, VA
 2	Moeser, Chuck	   54	Sterling, VA
 3	Hart, Mike	   50	Washington, DC
 4	Peterson, Paul	   51	Bethesda, MD
 5	Webster, David	   52	Stevensville, MD
 6	Giorgis, Steve	   50	Herndon, VA
 7	Adams Jr, Richard  54	Herndon, VA
 8	Fitzgerald, Michael 50	Hagerstown, MD
 9	Cooper, James	   50	Potomac, MD
10	Goggin, Jim	   51	Williamsburg, VA
11	Platt, Rick	   50	Williamsburg, VA
12	Alto, Bill	   54	Newport News, VA
13	Ryan, Paul	   54	Arlington, VA
14	Grimsley, Gary	   51	Springfield, VA
15	Umbarger, Ken	   53	Gaithersburg, MD
16	Whitnah, Jim	   51	Chevy Chase, MD
17	Morgan, Timothy	   54	Damascus, MD
18	McDonald, Denis	   50	Woodbine, MD
19	Burns, Bob	   52	Columbia, MD
20	Dunlop, Douglas	   51	Potomac, MD
21	Delaplaine, Bruce  50	Bethesda, MD
22	Morgan, Richard	   53	Silver Spring, MD
23	Sengebusch, Marc   52	Catonsville, MD
24	Erickson, Kenyon   51	Vienna, VA
25	Bognar, Steve	   53	Lynchburg, VA
26	Rust, Roland	   54	Bethesda, MD
27	Richardson, Dan	   51	Abingdon, VA
28	Mehrabi, Shah	   53	Fredericksburg, VA
29	Bousel, Paul 	   52	Alexandria, VA
30	Beatty, Dean	   52	Virginia Beach, VA
31	Crawford, Dave	   54	Arlington, VA
32	Senior, Malcolm	   54	Cockeysville, MD
33	Piersol, Morrie	   53	Richmond, VA
34	Carroll, Brian	   50	Silver Spring, MD
35	Denz, Paul	   51	Parkton, MD
36	Scatliffe, Lionel  52	Alexandria, VA
37	Riemenschneider, Neil 51 Winchester, VA

Men 55 - 59
Rick Platt of Williamsburg, VA spent the first half of the year trailing the crowd near the back of the top ten in the 50-54 division. Then he turned 55 years old. In the summer, he started slowly with an 18:44 Vineyards 5K. Doc Weiss of Pembroke, VA had a couple of faster 5Ks with a best 18:13. By fall, BULLET Rick Platt was ready to take over. He had five of the top seven races for the year in that breakthrough period. In October, he won the Ntelos 8K in 29:11. The following month he lowered the record at the Hilton 5K with 18:03.

Doc Weiss started the rankings year with the Star City HM in 84:08 (10K = 38:08). Then again in 2005, he ran it again in 85:43 (10K = 38:54). Mick Slonaker of Columbia, MD closed to third place after duking it out with Jim Wright most of the year. Both had fast 10Ks. Wright ran DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K in 38:36. Later in the fall, Slonaker matched that with the rolling Rockville 10K in 38:29.

Always at the big races, Jim Wright picked off Mick Slonaker at the Rockville Twilighter 8K. In the spring, Slonaker trounced Wright at Cherry Blossom. In the fall at the Veterans Day 10K, Slonaker nailed another one, 38:48 to 39:44. Bill Hart ran the prestigious Shamrock 8K in 30:39. Daniel Ennis is right there with him, racing the Midlothian Blaze 5K in 18:39 (10K = 38:54).

The second BULLET is Tim Morgan who rumbles into the division in the fourth period in fourth place and plans to move up three spots.

Ntelos 8K, 29:11, 10K = 37:01

Pl	Name     	Age	Hometown
 1	Platt, Rick	55	Williamsburg, VA
 2	Weiss, Doc	57	Pembroke, VA
 3	Slonaker, Mick	56	Columbia, MD
 4	Wright, Jim	56	Gaithersburg, MD
 5	Hart, Bill	56	Virginia Beach, VA
 6	Ennis, Daniel	55	Richmond, VA
 7	Coley, Larry	57	Chesapeake, VA
 8	Abrahamson, Dale 56	Yorktown, VA
 9	Fox, Ken	56	Columbia, MD
10	Crawford, Dave	55	Arlington, VA
11	Shipp, Ken	57	Great Falls, VA
12	Wong, Ronnie	59	Catonsville, MD
13	Bussiere, Dave	56	Virginia Beach, VA
14	Wilson, Robert	58	Toano, VA
15	Lecates, Ed	59	York, PA
16	Mire, Kenneth	56	Norfolk, VA
17	Heath, Tim	56	Mechanicsville, VA
18	Pyle, Richard	55	Richmond, VA
19	Scott, Dan	56	Richmond, VA
20	Wind, Jay	56	Arlington, VA
21	Tyndall, Steve	58	Yorktown, VA
22	Wolfson, Marc	55	Olney, MD
23	Wesbecher, Michael 57	Oakton, VA
24	Chase, Bob	59	Falls Church, VA
25	Cabrol, Gerard	56	Washington, DC
26	Stevens, Bobby	56	Stafford, VA
27	Manske, Dennis	59	Williamsburg, VA
28	Preston, Doug	55	Baltimore, MD
29	Pardee, William	56	Virginia Beach, VA
30	Dicarlo, John	56	Virginia Beach, VA
31	Holman, Dennis	55	Mechanicsville, VA
32	Trost, Bob	58	Falls Church, VA

Men 60 - 64
Photo by Brightroom.com: Richard Kutzner (62) of Waldorf, MD took on the hot, hot Harris Teeter Leesburg 20K in 1:41:19. In cooler conditions, he won his division at September's Quantico Half Marathon in 1:41:56.

In this largest male division, Patrick Griffith reigns supreme. He owns nearly every best time from 3K through Half Marathon. While training to race the Goofy Challenge at Disney World this year, Jason Page snuck in and stole his 5K best. Resurrected from the dead, John Benkert re-enters the running world to bust his 4-mile best.

Count on Patrick Griffith going to full recovery mode this spring. For years, he has gone to Disney to win his division in either the marathon or the half marathon. This year at Disney, he ran the two races on consecutive days. Griffith won the half on Saturday in 1:23:57. He came back the next day to win the marathon in 3:28:52. He must have been a little tired. Last year he won the marathon in 3:09:57.

Back in the metro area where the races officially count, Griffith ran 35 qualifying races. He also had 35 age group wins to go with them. Every distance he ran was tops except at the 5K. His Pike's Peek 10K was tops in 37:06. At the Van Metre 5 Mile, he ran a rainy day 29:51. His Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile win came with a time of 64:23.

Patrick Griffith is a tank while Jason Page of Hamilton, VA is BULLET. He keeps pounding out faster and faster 5Ks. In October, he ran 18:10 at the Candy Cane City 5K. Nearly all his 5Ks are sub-19:00 and his 10Ks sub40:00. Ed Lecates collared a fast Bay Cafe 5K in 18:36. At the Pike's Peek 10K he ran 39:53.

Fourth place John Fitzpatrick of Annapolis, MD owns the grandmasters in that region. He raced the Anniversary 15K in 61:34 (10K = 39:54). Fifth place Jim Noone of Fairfax, VA nips Lou Shapiro with a 5K in 19:35 (10K = 40:51) versus Lou's Pike's Peek 10K of 40:52. Then Noone had the next five best times, well ahead of Shapiro's next time.

DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 37:06

Pl	Name      	 Age	Hometown
 1	Griffith, Patrick 61	Alexandria, VA
 2	Page, Jason	  60	Hamilton, VA
 3	Lecates, Ed	  60	York, PA
 4	Kirkpatrick, John 61	Annapolis, MD
 5	Noone, Jim	  61	Fairfax, VA
 6	Shapiro, Lou	  64	Silver Spring, MD
 7	Hartless, Bob	  61	Forest, VA
 8	Prunella, Warren  64	Rockville, MD
 9	Bullock, Jim	  63	Westminster, MD
10	Kilgore, Roger	  61	Tall Timbers, MD
11	Haubert, John	  63	Alexandria, VA
12	Blackwell, Lloyd  64	Warrenton, VA
13	Joyce, Bill	  61	Herndon, VA
14	Pitarra, John	  64	Baltimore, MD
15	Warfield, Jerry	  61	Columbia, MD
16	Jones, Lewis	  62	Yorktown, VA
17	Golash, Michael	  61	Washington, DC
18	Churchman, John	  62	Arlington, VA
19	Turner, Larry	  62	Seaford, VA
20	Loughran, John	  61	Sandston, VA
21	Hensel, Donald	  60	Gaithersburg, MD
22	O'Hagan, Malcolm  64	Chevy Chase, MD
23	Forman, Steve	  64	McLean, VA
24	Daley, James	  61	Alexandria, VA
25	McEvilly, Eamonn  63	Springfield, VA
26	Brown, Water	  61	Gaithersburg, MD
27	Carlson, Fred	  61	Fallston, MD
28	Thorson, Mike	  62	Alexandria, VA
29	Johnson, David	  62	Silver Spring, MD
30	Nixon, George	  63	Richmond, VA
31	Hicks, Joel	  64	Radford, VA
32	Kutzner, Richard  62	Waldorf, MD
33	Riley, Chris	  61	Pasadena, MD
34	Clark, Jack	  62	Germantown, MD
35	Berg-Cross, Gary  62	Potomac, MD
36	Miller, Dan	  60	Richmond, VA
37	Lasken, Robert	  61	Clifton, VA
38	Delambo, Nick	  63	Baltimore, MD
39	Wingfield, Randy  60	Winchester, VA
40	Nilsson, Knut	  63	Richmond, VA
41	Celtnieks, Imants 60	Wheaton, MD
42	Dobbins, Dennis	  62	Hampton, VA
43	Fore, Roger	  61	Roanoke, VA
44	Derk, Terry	  63	Dauphin, PA
45	Harrell, Daniel	  63	Chevy Chase, MD

Men 65 - 69
Third place Skip Mullaney of Charlottesville, VA and runner-up Cal Fowler of Keswick, VA traded wins. In July, Mullaney slipped ahead of Fowler in the Charlottesville 5K 20:53 to 20:56. In November, Fowler ran the fastest race of the year. His nTelos 8K was completed in 32:46 (10K = 41:34). Mullaney followed him across the line in 34:06.

Meanwhile, Columbia's John Elliott continued to lower his state record in the 5K. In September, he ran the Laurel 5K in 20:02 (10K = 41:47). It was his only race of the period, and so he won his rankings division only three times during 2005. His RRCA Challenge 10 Mile in 69:25 (10K = 41:43) took top honors during the winter period. His DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K in 41:46 won the spring. In the summer, Damian's 5K in 20:28 did the trick.

Malcolm O'Hagan earns fourth with four age group wins in major races. He won the two big 10 milers, Annapolis and Cherry Blossom. His 10Ks were Lawyers Have Heart and Veterans Day in 43:22. There are two BULLETS on either side of the division. Stephen Forman joins the group with a wealth of 21- minute 5Ks. Richard Williams is leaving the division, ready to make waves in his new division.

Ntelos 8K, 32:46, 10K 41:34

Pl	Name      	  Age	Hometown
 1	Elliott, John	  67	Columbia, MD
 2	Fowler, Cal	  66	Keswick, VA
 3	Mullaney, Skip	  66	Charlottesville, VA
 4	O'Hagan, Malcolm  65	Washington, DC
 5	Forman, Stephen	  65	McLean, VA
 6	Blackwell, Lloyd  65	Warrenton, VA
 7	Myers, Ray	  68	Blacksburg, VA
 8	Morey, Art	  67	Columbia, MD
 9	Williams, Richard 69	Alexandria, VA
10	Newmann, Stan	  66	Timonium, MD
11	Mack, Talbot	  65	Middleburg, VA
12	Cowley, Tom	  68	Gaithersburg, MD
13	Weyers, Maynard	  69	Alexandria, VA
14	Quincy, Ken	  68	Vienna, VA
15	Vasquez, Benito	  66	Laurel, MD
16	Morris, Doug	  66	Delaplane, VA
17	Pack, Mike	  65	Gaithersburg, MD
18	Sollers, Bill	  66	Silver Spring, MD
19	Hager, Philip	  68	Falls Church, VA
20	Coates, Chet	  65	Silver Spring, MD
21	Essery, John	  69	Williamsburg. VA

Men 70 - 74
Tom Ray of Kitty Hawk, NC and Jerry Lewis of Reston, VA battled for the title all year. In their only head-to head meeting, Lewis defeated Ray 79:00 to 79:36 at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. Normally, that might close things out. However, Ray had the top five times, including a 5K in 22:01. Ray also ran many more races, setting standards at 6M, 20K, and HM.

Chris Catoe of Virginia Beach, VA finishes third, losing head- to-head with Ray at Hampton 10K and Elizabeth River 6M. His best effort was the Chesapeake 10K in 48:46. Jack McMahon of Rockville, MD ran Pike's Peek in 49:20. Now he is seventy-five and the BULLET for that division.

Yorktown Freedom 5K, 22:01, 10K = 45:56

Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
1	Ray, Tom	72	Kitty Hawk, NC
2	Lewis, Jerry	71	Reston, VA
3	Catoe, Chris	71	Virginia Beach, VA
4	McMahon, Jack	74	Rockville, MD
5	McCarthy, Terry	70	Leesburg, VA
6	Smith, Robert	71	Comus, MD
7	Measham, Tony	71	Chevy Chase, MD
8	Dickerson, Larry 74	Burke, VA
9	Olson, Keith	74	Silver Spring, MD

Men 75 - 79
Nianxiang Xie was a dominating force in the division. He had the top time in four distances from 5K to 10 Miles. His best effort was the National Race for the Cure 5K in 25:08 (10K = 52:26). He won his division at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K.

Sal Santory of Hopewell, VA moves to second place with the unusual 7-mile distance at the Tri-Cities Championship race. His time of 68:17 equals a 60:37 10K. In the closest of battles, Ferris Portner of King George, VA gains an edge over fourth place Joseph Rutkowski of Baltimore, MD. Rutkowski had earned the nudge by winning at the Annapolis 10 Mile in 1:42:43 (10K = 61:48) over Portner's SPCA 5K in 29:39 (61:51). In the fall, Portner won the prestigious Riverbank 12K in 1:15:00 (10K = 61:44), while Rutkowski ran the Baltimore HM in 2:21:07 (10K = 64:02). Philip Zenchoff had 25 ranked races, to be the only man to qualify in all four periods.

National Race for the Cure 5K, 25:08, 10K = 52:26

Pl	Name     	  Age	Hometown
 1	Xie, Nianxiang	   78	Rockville, MD
 2	Santory, Sal	   76	Hopewell, VA
 3	Portner, Ferris	   76	King George, VA
 4	Rutkowski, Joseph  76	Baltimore, MD
 5	Freestone, Harry   78	Charlottesville, VA
 6	Stansfield, Wheeler 76	Richmond, VA
 7	Squires, Burton	   76	Rockville, MD
 8	Madden, Paul	   77	Virginia Beach, VA
 9	Bragg, Oliver	   78	Sterling, VA
10	Zenchoff, Philip   77	Silver Spring, MD
11	Atkins, Bob	   79	Winchester, VA

Men 80 & Above
Photo by Jim Kelly: Henryk Bukowski (85) of Falls Church, VA was the oldest finisher at the Harris Teeter Leesburg 10K.

Many of the top runners in this age group understandably do not race often. Robert White has the fastest time of the year, though a mere two seconds ahead of John Hosner. Others, such as soon-to-be-87 Alvin Guttag, ran a bunch of races mostly in the same period.

Through it all Walt Washburn of Vienna, VA is always there, finishing first in two periods and second in two. He won his age group 33 times out of the sixty races he ran this year. Some of the "losses" were races too short for the rankings. Most of them were in 60 & over or 70 & over competitions.

Bob Atkins turned 80 in the fall and captured second with a Shenandoah Homecoming 5K in 32:23. Charles Boyle of Annapolis, MD is next with his Halloween 5K in 33:04. Frank Pierce zoomed down the pike at the DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K in 69:02. Henryk Bukowski, at 85, was just eight seconds back of Pierce's time, racing in Arlington on Mother's Day. Multi-Maryland-state- record-holder Bill Osburn still bangs out a bunch of races.

Potter Homes Turkey Trot 5K, 26:11, 10K = 54:37

Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
1	Washburn, Walt	83	Vienna, VA
2	Atkins, Bob	79	Winchester, VA
3	Boyle, Charles	82	Annapolis, MD
4	Pierce, Frank	83	Silver Spring, MD
5	Bukowski, Henryk 85	Falls Church, VA
6	McGovern, Larry	80	Virginia Beach, VA
7	Saxon, Bill	80	Baltimore, MD
8	Osburn, Bill	82	Bethesda, MD
9	Guttag, Alvin	86	Gaithersburg, MD

See the Women's Best of 2005 WRR Runner Rankings