Mr. Automatic Gurmesa Kumsa (27) was the overall winner in 18 of his 23 races, finishing behind a local runner only once all year.

Open Men
Incredibly, only one of the top 54 times was run in the Winter Ranking period and that runner did not qualify. This is a real tough division. Gurmessa Kumsa did nearly everything a runner could do. He ran 23 races and won 18 of them. Matt Baressi won the Winter Rankings at the GW Birthday 10K in 31:31 over fifteenth place Chris Banks' 31:33. In the spring, more was needed. Kumsa opened the bidding with an easy victory at St. Patrick's Day 8K in 23:36 (10K = 29:56). A week later, he was second overall at the Shamrock HM in 64:27 (10K = 29:15). He then pumped out three sub-30:00 10Ks in April: Ukrop's in 29:52, Pike's Peek in 29:46, and Sallie Mae in 29:51.

These won him the division but only because Wilson Komen failed to get a second race after Cherry Blossom. Komen's fifth overall masterpiece in 47:58 (10K = 28:52) would have almost been enough for the division by itself.

In the summer, Kumsa met Komen at the Lawyers Have Heart 10K and Kumsa put him away 29:51 to 30:00. Did he have Komen's number? At the Veterans Day 10K, cooler Kumsa looked relaxed, unaware that his 30:14 win was just eight seconds off the course record. Komen strolled in at 30:59. But wait, Komen was coming off a monster 2:17:05 (10K = 29:25) third place overall Baltimore Marathon. In the summer, Komen won the Twilight 8K in 24:15 (10K = 30:46) over five other runners from the top ten.

His three monster races give Komen the Open Division for 2006.

Will Christian had three solid half marathons. His best at Fleet Week Half Marathon in 66:29 (10K = 30:10) was behind Kumsa's 66:02 (10K = 29:58). His second best race was the Rock 'n' Roll HM in 66:53 (10K = 30:21).

Edmund Burke of Burtonsville, MD gets the fourth spot for his Cherry Blossom in 50:45 (10K = 30:32) as well as his fifth place finish at the Twilight 8K in 25:17 (10K = 32:04). Fifth place Brian Godsey was next at both of those races, 51:00 (10K = 30:41) for the ten and 25:30 (10K = 32:21) for the 8K. Matt Barresi won the Great Allegany 15K in 45:44 (10K = 29:38) ahead of Burke's 46:44 (10K = 30:17). Normally, this swift time would place him higher but his 51:47 (10K = 31:09) lost to Burke and Godsey at Cherry Blossom as well as the Cardinal 5K. At the Twilight 8K, he was just behind Dave Berdan of Baltimore, MD by three seconds in 25:39 (10K = 32:32) but holds on to the sixth spot.

Many of the runners had great times at one race, then got reversed in another big race.

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 47:58, 10K = 28:52

PL	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Komen, Wilson*	        28	Washington, DC
2	Kumsa, Gurmesa*17	27	Oxon Hill, MD
3	Christian, Will**	23	Norfolk, VA
4	Burke, Edmund**	        37	Burtonsville, MD
5	Godsey, Brian*****	25	Baltimore, MD
6	Barresi, Matt**	        23	Vienna, VA
7	Chepkwony, Peter*****	28	Baltimore, MD
8	Berdan, David	        25	Baltimore, MD
9	Deak, Ryan*8	        21	Glen Allen, VA
10	Saft, Aaron*****	28	Christiansburg, VA
11	Khokhlov, Alexey	35	Germantown, MD
12	Hawkins, Jaron*7	23	Frostburg, MD
13	Gramsky, Nick**	        28	Vienna, VA
14	Lauder, Jon***	        24	Oakton, VA
15	Wardian, Michael*11	32	Arlington, VA
16	Banks, Chris***	        28	Alexandria, VA
17	Gelalcha, Haile**	20	Oxon Hill, MD
18	Tarantino, William**	23	Gloucester Point, VA
19	Pruitt, Chris*	        24	Vienna, VA
20	Kelele, Zereu	        25	Washington, DC
21	Carroll, Ryan*6	        24	Portsmouth, VA
22	Rodriguez, Bert***	27	Arlington, VA
23	Estrada, Erik*	        34	Parkville, MD
24	Mammen, Ryan**	        30	Woodbridge, VA
25	Klim, Jake*	        26	Bethesda, MD
26	Kipchumba, Hillary*	22	Arlington, VA
27	Furst, Eric***	        25	Catonsville, MD
28	Fahey, Timothy	        32	Alexandria, VA
29	Pugsley, Ray*	        37	Potomac Falls, VA
30	Jacoby, Bert	        22	Fredericksburg, VA
31	Rolly, Philippe*	34	Fairfax, VA
32	Caballero, Paris**	23	Gaithersburg, MD
33	Sprtel, Frank	        33	Takoma Park, MD
34	Renjifo, Carlos**	23	Columbia,  MD
35	Piggott, John**	        41	Williamsburg, VA
36	Lockwood, Max*	        36	Washington, DC
37	Timpson, Rodney	        41	Baltimore, MD
38	O'Hara, David	        29	Washington, DC

19 & Under Men
Photo by brightroom.com - David Bernstein (19) of Chevy Chase, MD braves the weather at the Veterans Day 10K in an excellent 35:16, cementing his fourth place in the rankings

More teen runners are coming out to compete. Still, there were nearly 1200 times and only 21 qualifiers. Erik Anderson is the BULLET for this division. His four top 5Ks bested all the other runners. At the Shamrock 5K, runner-up Jesse Jaeger came close to Anderson's fourth best time of 16:09 with 16:13 (10K = 33:50). Anderson was far ahead in 15:40 (10K = 32:41). He did stay mostly at the 5K, whereas Jaeger ventured forward to the 10 mile, racing the RRCA Challenge in 57:02 (10K = 34:19). Matt Klaschus won the Bobcat 5K in 16:22 (10K = 34:08) for third place. He also ran the Shamrock 5K in 16:37 (10K = 34:40).

Neal Darmody lost to David Bernstein at Pike's Peek 34:24 to 34:40. He matched Bernstein's 34:24 at Lawyers Have Heart. He also matched his Pike's Peek effort with a Capital Crescent 5K time of 16:38. He had 16 age group wins but he was 0 for 4 in head-to-head so Bernstein gets the slot. Cooper Linde also moves in with his two spot at Pike's Peek in 34:32. He did beat Bernstein at the RRCA Challenge as well, though he lost at the Rockville 10K with Darmody third at both races.

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, 30:48


Pl	Name	                  Age	Hometown
1	Anderson, Erik*6	  17	Parkville, MD
2	Jaeger, Jesse****	  18	Kingsville, MD
3	Klaschus, Matt****	  19	Street, MD
4	Bernstein, David*7	  19	Chevy Chase, MD
5	Linde, Cooper**	          19	York , PA
6	Darmody, Neal*16	  16	Gaithersburg, MD
7	Schiavone, Clint***	  17	Winchester, VA
8	Mills, Geophery*8	  18	Chesapeake, VA
9	Mlinarcik, Phillip*	  17	Alexandria, VA
10	Loper, Alex***	          19	Bel Air, MD
11	Stepek, Michael****	  18	Gaithersburg, MD
12	Rigler, Andrew****	  15	Altavista, VA
13	Crofton, Matthew****	  17	Roanoke, VA
14	Billaud, Keran****	  17	Dublin, VA
15	Thornton, John	          17	Columbia, MD
16	Grimsley, Kyle*8	  18	Springfield, VA
17	Jaskot, Daniel	          17	Richmond, VA
18	Orndoff, William	  15	Rockville, MD
19	Sufczynski, Christopher*8 15	Baltimore, MD
20	Wilson, Graham*9	  13	Newport News, VA
21	Peters, David**	          16	Abingdon, VA

35-39 Men
Stavros Rologas (37) of Baltimore, MD blazed the final quarter mile of the Pike's Peek 10K to finish his best race in 33:10.

It is never easy to judge the impact of the net 600-foot drop at the Great Allegany 15K. Division champion Edmund Burke of Burtonsville, MD had a wonderful time there, matching the best time at Army. He had the second fastest time of the period, racing 50:45 (10K = 30:32) at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. He placed ahead of the fourth through sixth place runners, Mike Colaiacovo, 56:20 (10K = 33:54), Stavros Rologas, 56:25 (10K = 33:59), and Max Lockwood, 56:30 (10K = 34:00). That tight race was broken up by Colaiacovo beating Stavros at Pike's Peek in 33:01 to 33:10. Colaiacovo put away Lockwood by running a dominating 55:40 (10K = 33:30) at the RRCA Challenge, one of the toughest ten milers around. Meanwhile, Lockwood matched his own time with a 56:29 (10K = 33:59) at the GW Parkway Classic 10 Mile.

Alexey Khokhlov of Germantown, MD had the next four times after Burke. He raced a fine Apple Blossom 10K in 31:12 and had the only sub 15:00 5K in the division at the Preakness in 14:59 (10K = 31:15). With the hellacious weather on Veteran's Day, his 31:32 was a very remarkable time for sixth overall. Burke capped his win with a 25:17 (10K = 32:04) at the always- competitive Twilight 8K. He also won the Gary Brown 5M in 25:28 (10K = 32:07).

Ray Pugsley of Potomac Falls, VA took advantage of the cooler weather to finish third overall at the Harris Teeter Leesburg 10K in 32:10. He also kept Burke in sight, finishing the Twilight 8K in 25:48 (10K = 32:36).

Special Note: Last year's runner-up in the division, Michael Mann of Hampton, VA, finishes tenth this year. Mann was diagnosed with lung cancer in June 2005. He continues to inspire, fighting back and continuing to run through it all. He started out the first day of 2006 with a 16:31 (10K = 34:27) second overall finish at the Sentara Days 5K.

Great Allegany 15K, 46:44, 10K = 30:17
Army 10 Mile, 50:20, 10K = 30:17


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
 1	Burke, Edmund*6	        37	Burtonsville, MD
 2	Khokhlov, Alexey****	35	Germantown, MD
 3	Pugsley, Ray*6	        37	Potomac Falls, VA
 4	Colaiacovo, Michael*9	37	Baltimore, MD
 5	Rolagas, Stavros****	37	Baltimore, MD
 6	Lockwood, Max*27	36	Washington, DC
 7	Lomogda, John*8	        36	Norfolk, VA
 8	Boyd, Matt*7	        36	Fredericksburg, VA
 9	Breckenridge, Pete*****	36	Norfolk, VA
10	Mann, Michael*8	        37	Hampton, VA
11	Magin, Rob*****	        36	Olney, MD
12	Banchy, Tom**	        39	Catonsville, MD
13	Purcell, Tom***	        39	Virginia Beach, VA
14	Medley, Remus*7	        36	Baltimore, MD
15	Bennett, Danny****	35	Dunkirk, MD
16	Hillar, Andres**	39	Centreville, VA
17	Harrington, Jeff*6	36	Lynchburg, VA
18	Thomas, Ben****	        36	Newport, VA

40-44 Men
Photo by brightroom.com - Division winner John Piggott (41) of Williamsburg, VA had 21 age group wins and 6 overall wins.

John Piggott of Williamsburg, VA runs as if he were 21. It is no surprise that he won his division that many times. It is hard to stay on top of this large competitive division. Piggott won three ranking periods but was brushed back to fourth in the spring. And that was while going first, second, third in three marathons in the seven weeks, starting with the Lower Potomac Marathon in 2:37:55 (10K = 33:47).

Chris Chattin commandeered that period with his best season, winning the Shamrock Festival HM in 73:16 (10K = 33:15). And he needed that race because he had just lost to third place Rodney Timpson the week before at the Shamrock 5K in Baltimore 16:00 (10K = 33:23) to 16:10 (10K = 33:43). Piggott nearly matched that in August at the Vineyards 5K in 16:11 (10K = 33:46). The day before he had run 16:17 (10K = 33:58) to match exactly Timpson's second best 5K on Labor Day.

By then Piggott had moved on, racing another Virginia Beach HM, the Rock 'n' Roll. His 74:21 (10K = 33:44) was a little short of Chattin's. Also, Chattin had led fourth place Christopher Hamley through the GW Parkway 10 Mile in 55:30 (10K = 33:24) to 56:16 (10K = 33:51). Then he matched up in October with Chris Chattin on his home turf. At the Baltimore Marathon, Piggott wrested away the crown with his victory in 2:34:17 (10K = 33:06) to 2:38:46 (10K = 34:04).

Hamley's Cherry Blossom in 56:07 (10K = 33:46) nearly moves him up to third. Places five through ten are a mish mash of interwoven victories and widely different courses. Hoon's best effort at Cherry Blossom in 56:50 (10K = 34:12) matches well with David Haaga's Pike's Peek in 34:11. However, he has seven other races better than Haaga's next best event. Hoon's sixth fastest race was a head-to head win at the Capital Crescent 5K in 16:36 (10K = 34:38) to 16:46 (10K = 34:59).

Great Allegany 15K, 49:38, 10K = 32:04


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Piggott, John*21	40	Williamsburg, VA
2	Chattin, Chris*9	41	Columbia, MD
3	Timpson, Rodney*12	42	Rosedale, MD
4	Hamley, Christopher*15	41	Silver Spring, MD
5	Hoon, Mark*14	        40	Kensington, MD
6	List, Daniel*****	40	Richmond, VA
7	Schuler, Tim***	        42	Chambersburg, PA
8	Mickey, Dennis****	41	Ridgeley, WV
9	Hinkle, Rob*****	41	Yorktown, VA
10	Haaga, David**	        44	Rockville, MD
11	Clark, Carl*9	        42	New Market, MD
12	Menzies, Steve*10	42	Langley AFB, VA
13	Labuschagne, Gerrit*17	44	Richmond, VA
14	Rippey, Brad****	40	Bunker, Hill, WV
15	Kulik, Ron***	        42	Reston, VA
16	Killeen, Sean*11	41	Richmond, VA
17	Mersiowsky, Scott*6	40	Fredericksburg, VA
18	Poulos, Ted*35	        44	McLean, VA
19	Henderson, Jerry*9	40	Bel Air, MD
20	Degenhardt, Sheldon*6	40	Marriottsville, MD
21	Claro, Antonio***	43	Rockville, MD
22	Johnstone, Steve*****	41	Virginia Beach, VA
23	Hattar, Thomas***	44	Davidsonville, MD
24	D'Amanda, Kevin*	43	Bethesda, MD
25	Caudle, Kyle****	41	Annapolis, MD
26	Powell, Charles*7	40	Parkville, MD
27	Bailey, Curtis**	43	Baltimore, MD
28	Grilliot, Gary**	42	Reston, VA
29	Speirs, Steve*****	40	Virginia Beach, VA
30	Clements, Ian*	        41	Alexandria, VA
31	Jacobson, Paul*6	42	Gaithersburg, MD
32	Samley, Chris*8	        43	Charlottesville, VA
33	Smith, Gene****	        41	Burke, VA
34	Hess, Ronald*	        44	Baltimore, MD
35	Thatcher, Alan*12	42	Manassas, VA
36	Anderson, Matt	        40	Fairfax, VA

45-49 Men
There is a lot of talent in these hooves. You know that for sure when two-time winner of the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army 10 Mile and the oldest runner ever, at 44, to win the JFK 50 Mile is relegated to fourth in his division as happened at St. Patrick's Day 8K this year. Jim Hage of Kensington, MD was two seconds out of fifth place, beating newcomer, hard-charging Jean-Christophe Arcaz in 27:55 (10K = 35:25).

So in March, Berardi struck first with a masterful Shamrock HM in 73:09 (10K = 33:11) for third in the age group. That caught Mark Malander napping and his 77:11 (10K = 35:01) reads like a misprint. Berardi had beaten Robert Marino at the RRCA Challenge 10 Mile 56:35 (10K = 34:03) to 56:44 (10K = 34:08). Malander won at St. Patrick's Day 8K in 27:12 (10K = 34:30) over Marino's 27:19 (10K = 34:39). Buckheit was third in 27:31 (10K = 34:54). Marino recovered at Cherry Blossom, passing Malander to win in 55:56 (10K = 33:39) to 56:35 (10K = 34:03).

Then, at Pike's Peek, Malander shifted into high gear, tearing away to win in 33:07. Buckheit was next in 34:25. At Sallie Mae the following week, Malander secured the crown, ousting Berardi 33:37 to 34:39. Greg Cauller also beat Berardi with 33:58. Then in May, Cauller pulled a double, finishing third overall at MCVets 5K in 16:16 (10K = 33:56) over an Berardi's uninspired 17:07 (10K = 35:42). Cauller also ran the 10K in an age group winning 35:48. Berardi's HM was enough to keep him in second place.

Meanwhile Robert Johnson waited until September to uncork a superb Quantico HM in 1:14:10 (10K = 33:39). A week later he came in behind Malander's Army 10 Mile win of 55:46 (10K = 33:33) with 57:49 (10K = 34:47). If not for his loss at Sallie Mae in 35:21, he might have moved past Cauller into fourth.

DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 33:07


Pl	Name	                  Age	Hometown
1	Malander, Mark*6	  48	Oak Hill, VA
2	Berardi, Dave*15	  46	Baltimore, MD
3	Marino, Robert***	  48	Hanover, MD
4	Cauller, Greg*9	          47	York, PA
5	Johnson, Robert*14	  49	Woodbridge, VA
6	Buckheit, George***	  49	Reston, VA
7	Hage, Jim*	          48	Kensington, MD
8	Arcaz, Jean-Christophe*15 45	Rockville, MD
9	Abernethy, Joe*****	  47	College Park, MD
10	Dietz, Steve	          47	Springfield, VA
11	McLaughlin, Terry*8	  45	Spotsylvania, VA
12	Horan, Marty*9	          46	Gaithersburg, MD
13	Searson, Peter****	  48	Baltimore, MD
14	Hattar, Thomas****	  45	Davidsonville, MD
15	Coleman, Dennis*10	  48	Montgomery Village, MD
16	Stewart, Thomas***	  45	Baltimore, MD
17	Leitzel, Ben*8	          45	Chesapeake, VA
18	Cook, Tom*8	          47	Chantilly, VA
19	Meadows, Mike*11	  49	Martinsburg, WV
20	Morrison, Jack*6	  47	Hartwood, VA
21	Olean, George**	          45	Ellicott City, MD
22	Schuler, Greg*****	  45	Laurel, MD
23	Page, H.T.*****	          46	Wirtz, VA
24	Keating, Paul***	  45	Dayton, MD
25	Chall, John*11	          49	Jessup, MD
26	McFadden, Weems***	  48	Laurel, MD
27	Hanle, Joseph	          49	Columbia, MD
28	Imberry, Terry*****	  49	Yorktown, VA
29	Stiegmann, Marty**	  45	Glen Allen, VA
30	Stahr, Bill****	          45	The Plains, VA

50-54 Men
In brightroom.com photo - Stephen Chantry (51) of Williamsburg, VA was the top grandmaster with bests in all the major distances from 800M to 8K, including a 27:31 here at the Shamrock 8K.

Steve Chantry started the year with the fastest time of the year at the Sentara 5K. He won the division. During the middle parts of the year, he spent time honing his middle distance skills, competing in track meets and producing some national- class times such as 9:23.65 at the 3K. Chantry is undefeated in 20 road races this year and really expects to be number one.

Though he was nudged out of the top spot in the Spring Rankings by Dan Lawson's awesome Pike's Pike 10K in 34:29 and by Maurice Pointer's plethora of wins in the summer, Chantry is clearly the one to beat. Chantry is the only qualifier to have broken 17:00 for the 5K and the only one to bust 28:00 for the 8K.

For now, Lawson is second bolstered by his 35:29 at Sallie Mae and his Kentlands 5K in 17:08 (10K = 35:44). Mike Hart of Washington, DC does not seem to be aging. He is running the same times he ran ten years ago. That makes him really impressive now. He had two second place finishes in the rankings. Generally his best races are the longer ones. It must be from running with Steven Ward. Ward, always good at long distances, won three half marathons, including the tough Belle Haven course in 1:18:30 (10K = 35:37). His other two were slower times on faster courses. Meanwhile, Hart, who did run enough qualifying races, earns the three spot for his Belle Haven 25K in 1:33:32 (10K = 35:18). Along with the fastest 20M and 12K for the year, his 59:28 (10K = 35:47) at the Al Lewis 10 Mile was the fastest time in 2006.

Looking at the rash of age group wins among these titans, there is Maurice Pointer. Believe it or not, his best race was the Check It Out Challenge 6M in 34:31 (10K = 35:45) and, though he was second overall, he was NOT the grand master winner. In the summer, Pointer had a bunch of fast 5Ks that sent him past some of the dormant runners to the division title.

Peter Darmody of Gaithersburg, MD has been proudly chasing his fast teenage son around at races all year. He won his division 20 times and then stepped up to the next level at the King of the Road 5K with 17:22 (10K = 36:14).

Sentara 5K, 16:31, 10K = 34:27


Pl	Name	                 Age	Hometown
1	Chantry, Stephen*20	 51	Williamsburg, VA
2	Lawson, Dan*12	         50	Gaithersburg, MD
3	Hart, Mike*15	         51	Washington, DC
4	Pointer, Maurice*24	 50	Baltimore, MD
5	Darmody, Peter*20	 51	Gaithersburg, MD
6	Skiles, Barry*8	         51	Pilot, VA
7	Compton, Norton*15	 51	Fairfax, VA
8	Grimsley, Gary*13	 52	Springfield, VA
9	Webster, David*2	 53	Stevensville, MD
10	Fitzgerald, Michael*6	 50	Hagerstown, MD
11	Anderson, Wilhelm*****	 50	Annapolis, MD
12	Riemenschneider, Neal*14 51	Winchester, VA
13	Malene, James	         50	Dale City, VA
14	Ruckert, Tom*7	         54	Grantsville, MD
15	Washington, Larry	 54	Rockville, MD
16	Serra, Paul*7	         50	Lusby, MD
17	Goggin, James****	 52	Williamsburg, VA
18	Eddy, Dan***	         54	Alexandria, VA
19	Mears, Finley**	         50	Towson, MD
20	McDonald, Denis*	 52	Woodbine, MD
21	Sengebusch, Marc*6	 53	Catonsville, MD
22	Black, Ronald****	 51	Frederick, MD
23	Delaplaine, Bruce*	 51	Bethesda, MD
24	Clark, Tom*	         52	Burke, VA
25	Burns, Bob**	         56	Columbia, MD
26	Carroll, Brian	         50	Silver Spring, MD
27	Lerner, Steven*13	 51	Glen Allen, VA
28	Erickson, Kenyon**	 52	Vienna, VA
29	Cutchins, Wyatt*7	 50	Newport News, VA
30	Carbary, James***	 54	Clarksville, MD
31	Scatliffe, Lionel****	 52	Alexandria, VA
32	Gordon, Kirk*6	         51	Mitchellville, MD
33	Robinson, Steve*****	 51	Herndon, VA
34	Bousel, Paul***	         53	Alexandria, VA

55-59 Men
For the top five runners, a case could be made for any of them to get the top spot. Rick Platt of Williamsburg, VA has the most wins with 18. He ran the fastest 5K for the year at the Humane Society in 18:02 (10K = 37:37) to win in the Fall Rankings period. To add to that, he ran the second fastest in the spring at Queen's Lake 5K in 18:11 (10K = 37:56). Mick Slonaker won the Winter Rankings period by avenging a defeat at the Celtic Solstice by Tim Morgan 30:11 (10K = 38:04) to 30:48 (10K = 38:48). He rebounded at the RRCA Challenge with a 63:11 (10K = 38:01). Then he won the summer by upping his Lawyers Have Heart 10K in 38:30 at Leesburg, passing Richard Adams (38:29) with a spiffy 38:02 of his own.

Jim Wright bested Tim Morgan at the Capital Crescent 5K and at the Twilight 8K. Wright's best 5K was 18:22 (10K = 38:19) at the Labrecque Classic. When it came to deciding the division, it came down to the big-time races. In a tight battle at Pike's Peek, Richard Adams is the division champion with his 37:24. Morgan is the runner-up with 37:32. Third place goes to Platt for those many wins and swift 5Ks. Wright's 10K in 37:56 is just better than Slonaker's best race. However, Slonaker wins the big ones like Annapolis in 64:32 (10K = 38:50), just barely slower than his runner-up spot at the faster Cherry Blossom 10M in 64:01 (10K = 38:31). Morgan's 63:16 (10K = 38:04) was the fastest. Wright was third there with 64:49 (10K = 39:00).

Army 10 Mile, 61:44, 10K = 37:04


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Adams, Jr., Richard***	55	Herndon, VA
2	Morgan, Timothy*15	56	Damascus, MD
3	Platt, Rick*18	        56	Williamsburg, VA
4	Slonaker, Mick*9	57	Columbia, MD
5	Wright, Jim*6	        57	Gaithersburg, MD
6	Hart, Bill****	        57	Virginia Beach, VA
7	Wong, Ronnie*12	        59	Catonsville, MD
8	Senior, Malcolm*9	55	New Market, MD
9	Senseney, Bill*7	57	Charles Town , WV
10	Coley, Larry*7	        58	Chesapeake, VA
11	Shipp, Kenneth**	58	Great Falls, VA
12	Scott, William*9	59	Glenarden, MD
13	Eddy, Dan***	        55	Alexandria, VA
14	Crawford, Dave*23	56	Arlington, VA
15	Vaughan, Allan*13	55	Stafford, VA
16	Abrahamson, Dale*****	57	Yorktown, VA
17	Wind, Jay****	        56	Arlington, VA
18	Whisler, Mark	        55	Salem, VA
19	Gary, Patrick*6	        55	Manchester, MD
20	Day, Joseph***	        56	Yorktown, VA
21	Trueheart, Wilson*9	56	Baltimore, MD
22	Tyndall, Steve****	59	Yorktown, VA
23	Wright, Bernard****	59	Pomfret, MD
24	Carlisle, Richard****	55	Springfield, VA
25	Wilson, Robert**	59	Toano, VA
26	Guler, Frank***	        55	Glade Hill, VA
27	Pardee, William**	57	Virginia Beach, VA
28	Brunk, David***	        55	Richmond, VA
29	Christol, Jim	        58	Yorktown, VA

60-64 Men
With 13 of his 15 races as an age group winner, Jason Page of Hamilton, VA looks like a speeding BULLET. Indeed, his Fairfax Corner 5K was a startling 18:04 (10K = 37:41), nearly matching Patrick Griffith's Pike's Peek time of 37:39. Too bad Griffith was also at Fairfax Corner where he overmatched Page with a swift 17:51 (10K = 37:14). Griffith also ran Cherry Blossom in 62:40 (10K = 37:42) for a powerful spring. Of the first 30 fastest times, Page had 13, Griffith, the LOCK, had 25, a machine gun spraying BULLETs at every race.

Ed Lecates of York, PA ran his fastest race at the Shamrock 5K in 19:06 (10K = 39:51). That matches Page's sixth best race at the Tim Harmon 5K where he was second again to Griffith's 18:34 (10K = 38:34). In a battle of 10 milers, John Kirkpatrick (71:00, 10K = 42:43) had lost to Piriya Pinit at Annapolis (69:11, 10K = 41:38). Pinit also beat Bill Joyce at Cherry Blossom in the spring 67:54 (10K = 40:51) to 68:45 (10K = 41:22). Joyce's Army 10 Mile win in 68:05 (10K = 40:58) got him closer. While they were at Cherry Blossom, Kirkpatrick was hanging onto fourth place with his 67:34 (10K = 40:39) Cherry Pit 10 Mile win. He added a Cold Turkey 10K in 40:46 to help out.

Fairfax Corner 5K, 17:51, 10K = 37:14


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Griffith, Patrick*33	61	Alexandria, VA
2	Page, Jason*13	        61	Hamilton, VA
3	Lecates, Edward*14	61	York, PA
4	Kirkpatrick, John*7	62	Annapolis, MD
5	Pinit, Piriya****	60	Catonsville, MD
6	Joyce, Bill*7	        62	Herndon, VA
7	Dyer, Ben*8	        63	Petersburg, VA
8	Noone, Jim*10	        62	Fairfax, VA
9	Becker, Jim*10	        64	Greencastle, PA
10	Manske, Dennis*14	60	Williamsburg, VA
11	Warfield, Jerry**	62	Columbia, MD
12	Kutzner, Richard***	63	Alexandria, VA
13	Bell, Jim*6	        64	Charlottesville, VA
14	Bullock, Jim*12	        64	Westminster, MD
15	Kilgore, Roger*15	62	Tall Timbers, MD
16	Shapiro, Lou*14	        64	Silver Spring, MD
17	Loughran, John****	62	Sandston, VA
18	Daley, James*	        62	Alexandria, VA
19	Hensel, Donald	        61	Gaithersburg, MD
20	Haubert, John*13	64	Alexandria, VA
21	Churchman, John**	63	Arlington, VA
22	Villano, Leo*****	61	Silver Spring, MD
23	Ingram, Harold*****	63	Henry, VA
24	Brown, Walter***	62	Montgomery Village, MD
25	Coleman, Norm**	        61	Chevy Chase, MD
26	Mayhew, Edwin*7	        61	Winchester, VA
27	Delambo, Nick***	64	Baltimore, MD
28	Chaconas, Gregory*	61	Washington, DC
29	Welch, Emmons***	61	Batesville, VA
30	McEvilly, Eamonn**	64	Springfield, VA
31	Baca, Ted***	        61	Arlington, VA
32	Patterson, Mark****	60	Virginia Beach, VA
33	Golash, Michael*	62	Washington, DC
34	Wingfield, Randy**	61	Winchester, VA
35	Clorety, Joseph****	63	Crownsville, MD
36	Rissmiller, David*	60	Glen Burnie, MD
37	Berg-Cross, Gary**	63	Potomac, MD
38	Riley, Chris	        62	Pasadena, MD
39	Revanna, Krupakar***	63	Falls Church, VA
40	Trost, Robert**	        60	Falls Church, VA
41	Carlson, Fred***	62	Fallston, MD
42	Behnke, Richard	        62	Vienna, VA
43	Turner, Larry**	        63	Seaford, VA
44	Coleman, Jim*7	        61	Norfolk, VA
45	Fleming, Mike**	        60	Columbia, MD
46	Casinghino, John	60	Kensington, MD
47	Mullendore, Ted***	60	Sharpsburg, MD
48	Robier, Bernard*	62	Baltimore, MD

65-69 Men
Jack Pitarra had a huge year opener, surprising John Elliott at the RRCA Challenge 10 Mile in February. This notoriously hilly course yielded a time of 70:28 (10K = 42:24) to Pitarra while Elliott struggled home in 74:55 (10K = 45:05). Elliott answered back in March at the St. Patrick's Day 8K in 33:25 (10K = 42:23). Pitarra mustered his best race on the second of April to show he was not fooling, winning the Whitehall 15K in 65:18 (10K = 42:19). Three weeks later, Elliott put the division to rest, winning Pike's Peek 10K in 41:53. That same day Pitarra had his third best race at the Port to Fort 6K, a flat out-and- back race, in 25:17 (10K = 43:22).

In September at the Maryland Olympics, Elliott nearly dropped into the teens with a 20:05 5K (10K = 41:54). In November, Cal Fowler of Keswick, VA strode on stage at the biggest 8K in the region, finishing in a fancy 33:27 (10K = 42:26). Just missing Elliott's yearly best, Fowler made it clear he still can threaten for the crown. Elliott keeps a steady eye on the weekly posting of the Best of 2007 records to motivate him.

The next three spots were very close. Collin Winston gets the nod with the fastest half marathon in 1:35:51 (10K = 43:29). He beat fifth place Robert Wright at the Hampton 10K 42:53 to 44:49. Wright's Riverside by the Bay 5K in 20:49 (10K = 43:25) edges Warren Prunella's Candy Cane City 5K in 20:54 (10K = 43:36).

DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 41:53


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Elliott, John*12	67	Columbia, MD
2	Pitarra, Jack*6	        65	Parkville,  MD
3	Fowler, Cal*10	        67	Keswick, VA
4	Collins, Winston****	65	Newport News, VA
5	Wright, Robert*****	65	Hampton, VA
6	Prunella, Warren*8	65	Rockville, MD
7	Blackwell, Lloyd*9	65	Warrenton, VA
8	Gallagher, Bernie*9	65	Fairfax, VA
9	Forman, Stephen*10	65	McLean, VA
10	Robbins, Chan****	69	Arlington, VA
11	Walker, Doug****	66	Woodstock , VA
12	Morris, Douglas*****	67	Delaplane, VA
13	Lougee, Duane****	69	Norfolk, VA
14	Harris, Tommy****	66	Lynchburg, VA
15	Willging, Tom**	        65	Washington, DC
16	Vazquez, Benito****	66	Laurel, MD
17	Patton, Tom*	        65	Virginia Beach, VA
18	Quincy, Ken***	        68	Vienna, VA
19	Pierce, Dick*7	        66	Rescue, VA
20	Hamburger, Henry*****	65	Bethesda, MD
21	Mack, Talbot**	        65	Middleburg, VA
22	Morey, Art*6	        68	Columbia, MD
23	Hager, Philip	        69	Falls Church, VA
24	Sollers, Bill****	66	Silver Spring, MD
25	Essery, John	        69	Williamsburg, VA
26	Polinski, Joseph*	68	Smithfield, VA
27	Baziz, Mike***	        65	Baltimore, MD

70-74 Men
This division is getting really busy. Richard Williams of Alexandria, VA blasted out to 26 age group wins. By the end of the year Maynard Weyers joined the division and nearly overhauled him after besting him in the fall. Jerry Lewis of Reston, VA had a tough racing year. From the edges of the region, Tom Ray of Kitty Hawk, NC continues to venture north as well as challenging Chris Catoe and John Essery from southern Virginia. In fact, D.J. Jeter of Bristol, TN ran so many races in the southwest corner of the region that he has become part of it.

Division champion Skip Grant of Silver Spring, MD did all his work in the first half of the year. Seven of his ten races were major races. Including the top race at Pike's Peek in 45:21, he had the best 5K at Cassidy & Pinkard Race for Hope 5K in 22:20 (10K = 46:35). Tom Ray had a 10K in Norfolk in 46:46 to get the runner-up spot. It also helped that he bested Williams at Army 1:18:34 (10K = 47:16) to 1:20:02 (10K = 48:09) and Jerry Lewis at Cherry Blossom 1:19:42 (10K =47:57) to 1:21:34 (10K = 49:05).

Williams's best race was the Scope It Out 5K in 22:54 (10K = 47:46). Maynard Weyers closed that gap, beating Williams at the Goblin Gallop 5K. His best race was the PACE Race 5K in 23:08 (10K = 48:15). Early in the year Lewis had beaten Williams and then Chris Catoe, but all of them were behind Ray at the Shamrock HM in March. Williams had run the Shamrock 8K the day before. In August, Lewis ran the Leesburg 20K in 1:41:32 (10K = 48:38).

DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 45:21


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Grant, Skip*10	        70	Silver Spring, MD
2	Ray, Tom*14	        72	Kitty Hawk, NC
3	Williams, Richard*26	70	Alexandria, VA
4	Weyers, Maynard*****	70	Alexandria, VA
5	Lewis, Jerry****	72	Reston, VA
6	Catoe, Chris*11	        71	Virginia Beach, VA
7	Essery, John	        70	Williamsburg, VA
8	McCarthy, Terence*9	71	Leesburg, VA
9	Zambardi, Armand*****	72	Charlottesville, VA
10	Smith, Robert*11	71	Comus, MD
11	Jeter, D.J.*8	        71	Bristol, TN
12	Measham, Tony****	71	Chevy Chase, MD

75-79 Men
Jack McMahon of Rockville, MD is a regular volunteer at many racing events throughout the year. When he aged up he thought he might take a turn at the top of the division. He raced 21 times, all in the top 27 times for the division, including the top 13 times. The four times he did not win his age group was when he was in a ten-year age group. This makes him a blazing BULLET.

McMahon had five of the top races for the year. His best 5K was the Red Ribbon in 2005 in 25:22 (10K = 52:55). His win in 2006 at 25:49 will go toward the 2007 Rankings. At Pike's Peek he met last year's champion, Nianziang Xie (78) also of Rockville, MD. Xie had a solid 56:22, while McMahon was spectacular in 50:22. Both runners traditionally race at the Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K. McMahon won by half a mile.

Third place George Waxter of Frederick, MD was fourth at Pike's Peek in 60:29. He added his best race, the Run for Life 5K in 27:12 (10K = 56:44), to his second place finish at Cherry Blossom behind Xie's win. Paul Madden ran a bunch of 5Ks fast enough to take fourth, St. John the Apostle 5K in 30:10 (10K = 62:56). Bill Law stretched out as far as a half marathon as well as two ten milers. At Cherry Pit, he ran 1:47:03 (10K 64:25).

DARCARS Pike's Peek 10K, 50:59


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	McMahon, Jack*17	75	Rockville, MD
2	Xie, Nianxiang***	78	Rockville, MD
3	Waxter, George*6	75	Frederick, MD
4	Madden, Paul***	        77	Virginia Beach, VA
5	Law, Bill****	        78	Arnold, MD
6	Hui, Peter***	        75	Wheaton, MD
7	Freestone, Harry***	79	Keswick, VA
8	Silversmith, Ernie*10	75	Baltimore, MD
9	Zenchoff, Philip*9	78	Silver Spring, MD

80 & Over Men
This division had a lot of injuries and still it grew even larger than last year. The oldest runners, Cokey Daman (87) and Alvin Guttag (87), are still running. John Hosner had a fabulous 25:14 AEP 5K. Paul Lackey came out early in the spring for the top five times among the qualifiers. His best effort was the Cassidy & Pinkard Race for Hope 5K in 28:30 (10K = 59:47). Wendell Golden had the five of the following best times, including the Pepsi 10K in 1:07:57. George Brown had a barrage of 5Ks to gather in the bronze. In the south, Larry McGovern had the longest race, finishing the Shamrock HM.

AEP Festival Run 5K, 25:14, 10K = 52:38


Pl	Name	                Age	Hometown
1	Lackey, Paul***	        82	Arlington, VA
2	Golden, Wendell****	80	Charlottesville, VA
3	Brown, George****	81	Glen Arm, MD
4	Barger, John***	        80	Roanoke, VA
5	McGovern, Larry*****	81	Virginia Beach, VA
6	Pierce, Frank*6	        84	Silver Spring, MD
7	Washburn , Walt*7	84	Vienna, VA
8	Atkins, Bob*9	        80	Winchester, VA
9	Coombes, George**	80	Virginia Beach, VA
10	Osburn, Bill**	        83	Bethesda, MD
11	Cone, Robbie*****	82	Berryville, VA

See the Women's Best of 2006 WRR Runner Rankings