Open Men
Fourteen runners recorded at least two qualifying times in this division, and Chris Raabe (Photo left) of Washington, DC was the best of the best. Raabe won both the Bethesda Turkey Chase 10K (31:54) and DC's Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 10K (31:43), defeating the third-ranked Aaron Church. He also recorded an excellent 24:39 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K, defeating top rankers Church, Michael Wardian, and Mark Gilmore. Second place in the group goes to Nick Gramsky of McLean, Virginia who recorded a 15:09 5K at Alexandria's Red Ribbon 5K and a 24:57 5-Mile at the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.

Third is Aaron Church of Herndon, Virginia, winner of the Rudolph's Red Nose 10K (32:48), and recording four additional qualifiers, including a 32:04 10K at Washington DC's Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis. Michael Wardian is fourth, with three qualifiers and a 10K best of 32:24 at the Ashburn Farm 10K, followed by the first Maryland placer, Mark Gilmore of Columbia, winner of the Carabba's 5K for the YMCA (15:43). Notable in the qualifiers is the amazing Chuck Moeser, who makes the Open list at 51 years old, the only male runner over 35 to qualify.
Photo left: Jason Van Horn (29) of Dumfries, VA, is 6th in the open division.
Photo below: Todd Martin (32) of Herndon, VA, 12th among open men.

 Pl	Name    	Age	Hometown
  1	Chris Raabe	24	Washington, DC
  2	Nick Gramsky	24	McLean, VA
  3	Aaron Church	27	Herndon, VA
  4	Michael Wardian	27	Herndon, VA
  5	Mark Gilmore	34	Columbia, MD
  6	Jason Van Horn	29	Dumfries, VA
  7	Eric Desautels	30	Arlington, VA
  8	Jason Lewis	20	Triangle, VA
  9	Chad Walton	32	Stafford, VA
 10	Jeff Binggeli	24	Fredericksburg, VA
 11	Matt Boyd	32	Fredericksburg, VA
 12	Todd Martin	32	Herndon, VA
 13	Chuck Moeser	51	Sterling, VA
 14	Jim Strand	32	Potomac, MD

Men 35 - 39
For whatever reason, the 35-39 division did not have its usual number of qualifiers, with only two runners posting the necessary two qualifying marks. They did not race each other, so the ranking is based on time. Bill Riester of Richmond, Virginia gets the nod, on the strength of a 16:19 at the Newport News Run for Community 5K and 1:17:34 at the Anheuser-Busch Colonial Half- Marathon. Mark Hoon of Kensington, Maryland is the runner-up, with a 16:39 at Rockville's New Year's Day 5K and 27:35 at the Over Hillandale 5-Miler.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Bill Riester	37	Richmond, VA
  2	Mark Hoon	38	Kensington, MD

Men 40 - 44
The 40-44 division is always loaded, and this rating period was no exception. The top spot goes to Joe Abernethy of College Park, Maryland. The showdown races were the New Year's Day 5K in Rockville and the Country Roads 5-Mile in Olney. Abernethy defeated runner-up Ted Poulos both times, recording fine marks of 16:37 at the New Year's Day 5K, and 28:28 at the Country Roads 5-Mile. The bionic Poulos recorded an amazing eleven qualifying times, and ran consistently well, with his best performance being a 16:39 at the Red Ribbon 5K in Alexandria. Layne Party of Baltimore is third in the category, with his best performance being a 27:28 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K, and a win over sixth-ranked Jean-Christophe Arcaz (27:52). Mark Malander of Herndon, Virginia is fourth, with three qualifiers and a 5K best of 16:52 at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K. Brian Daugherty is fifth, also with a best of 16:52 at the Carabba's 5K for the YMCA.

Photo above: Jean-Christophe Arcaz of North Bethesda, MD is 6th in the 40-44 division

 Pl	Name             	Age	Hometown
  1	Joe Abernethy    	43	College Park, MD
  2	Ted Poulos       	41	McLean, VA
  3	Layne Party      	43	Baltimore, MD
  4	Mark Malander     	44	Herndon, VA
  5	Brian Daugherty 	43	Crofton, MD
  6	Jean-Christophe Arcaz	41	Rockville, MD
  7	Terry McLaughlin	42	Spotsylvania, VA
  8	Gregory West      	40	Ruther Glen, VA
  9	Marty Horan       	43	Gaithersburg, MD
 10	Dave Haaga       	41	Rockville, MD
 11	Ronald Hess     	40	Takoma Park, MD
 12	Steve Dietz     	43	Springfield, VA
 13	Mark Hollingsworth	40	Hampton, VA

Men 45 - 49
The 45-49 division was again very competitive. James Bates from Hampton, Virginia, the 2002 runner-up, wins the category, recording four qualifying times, including an outstanding 16:42 at the Governor's Land 5K, and two wins over fifth-rated Jim Goggin. The 2002 champion, Dan Lawson of Gaithersburg, is the first Maryland finisher, and he recorded the best single performance in the age group (a 27:09 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K). Bill Raabe of Rockville, Maryland places third, going undefeated in the age group in two races (the Bethesda Turkey Chase 10K and the Rockville New Year's Day 5K), and defeated three top ten competitors. Fourth in the age group was Jim Whitnah of Chevy Chase, Maryland, who recorded an excellent 17:28 at the Superbowl 5K in Dundalk. Fifth was Goggin of Williamsburg, Virginia, who had a best performance of 17:34 in the 5K at the Governor's Land run. The best race in the age group was the New Year's Day 5K in Rockville, where third-ranked Raabe (17:41) defeated fourth-ranked Jim Whitnah of Chevy Chase, Maryland (18:36) and seventh-ranked James Cooper.

 Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
  1	James Bates        	46	Hampton, VA
  2	Dan Lawson        	46	Gaithersburg, MD
  3	Bill Raabe        	48	Rockville, MD
  4	Jim Whitnah       	48	Chevy Chase, MD
  5	Jim Goggin        	48	Williamsburg, VA
  6	David Webster     	49	Stevensville, MD
  7	James Cooper      	47	Potomac, MD
  8	Michael Fuller     	47	Chesapeake, VA
  9	Peter Kirk         	45	Rockville, MD
 10	Kevin Finnegan     	45	Alexandria, VA
 11	Bruce Halpin      	46	Ashburn, VA
 12	Peter Clardy       	46	Rockville, MD
 13	Douglas Dunlop    	49	Potomac, MD
 14	Andy Fitzgerald 	45	Potomac, MD
 15	Kevin Kolakowski	47	Stafford, VA
 16	Wyatt Cutchins     	46	Newport News, VA

Men 50 - 54
The heart of the baby boom is again one of the two most competitive men's age groups, with 18 qualifiers, led by Chuck Moeser of Sterling, Virginia, who also placed in the open category. Moeser dominated the competition in this age group, recording five outstanding performances, including a 16:19 at the Potter Homes YMCA 5K. Rick Platt of Williamsburg, Virginia takes second, with three fine performances, including two wins (the Governor's Land 5K and the Jamestown H.S. Swamp Run 5K) out of three over fourth-ranked Bill Alto, including a 5K best of 17:54 at the Governor's Land Run. Richard Adams of Herndon, Virginia takes third, with a 5K best of 18:05 at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K and a win over fifth-ranked Richard Morgan of Silver Spring, the top Maryland placer, at the Rotary Resolution 10K. Fourth place Bill Alto (18:38 at the Governor's Land 5K) of Newport News, Virginia and fifth place Richard Morgan (18:23 5K at Dundalk's Superbowl 5K) led the category with six qualifying marks. Alto gets the slight edge for fourth, based on his win over Platt at the Newport News Run for Community 5K. Of note, sixth-ranked David Webster, who aged up during the season, managed to qualify in both the 45-49 category and the 50-54 category, placing sixth in each (who says the competition gets easier in the older age groups?).

 Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
  1	Chuck Moeser      	51	Sterling, VA
  2	Rick Platt        	52	Williamsburg, VA
  3	Richard Adams      	51	Herndon, VA
  4	Bill Alto          	51	Newport News, VA
  5	Richard Morgan     	50	Silver Spring, MD
  6	David Webster      	50	Stevensville, MD
  7	Dan Eddy          	51	Kingstowne, VA
  8	Dave Crawford      	52	Arlington, VA
  9	James Moreland     	50	Gaithersburg, MD
 10	Larry Washington	51	Rockville, MD
 11	Ken Umbarger      	51	Gaithersburg, MD
 12	Jay Wind          	52	Arlington, VA
 13	Ron Greene        	52	Fairfax, VA
 14	Bob Burns          	50	Columbia, MD
 15	Rudolph Pekarek 	50	Kinsdale, VA
 16	Gary Guenther     	50	Arlington, VA
 17	Marc Wolfson      	53	Olney, MD
 18	Dale Abrahamson 	53	Yorktown, VA

Men 55 - 59
2002 champion Patrick Griffith of Alexandria, Virginia dominated the 55-59 age group in every respect. He recorded seven qualifying times, and defeated runner-up Ronnie Wong by more than two minutes at the Outback 8K. He recorded outstanding times over a variety of distances, from an 18:16 at the Potter Homes/YMCA 5K to a 1:23:42 at the Belle Haven Half-Marathon. Second place Ronnie Wong, of Baltimore, who also placed second in the 2002 annual rankings, recorded five qualifying times, including a 19:27 at Dundalk's Superbowl 5K. Third was Robert Trost of Falls Church, Virginia, with two qualifiers, including a 20:01 at Alexandria's Red Ribbon 5K. Dave Lowe of Chevy Chase, Maryland entered the 55-59 division with a bang, placing fourth, including a fine 40:53 10K at the Bethesda Turkey Chase. Jim Noone of Fairfax, Virginia rounds out the top five with his two qualifiers, including a 33:08 at the Outback 8K.

Photo above: William Scott (55) of Seabrook, MD is 10th in the 55-59 division

 Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
  1	Patrick Griffith	58	Alexandria, VA
  2	Ronnie Wong       	56	Baltimore, MD
  3	Robert Trost      	56	Falls Church, VA
  4	Dave Lowe         	55	Chevy Chase, MD
  5	Jim Noone          	58	Fairfax, VA
  6	Roger Kilgore      	59	Gaithersburg, MD
  7	Bob Chase         	57	Falls Church, VA
  8	Robert Wilson     	55	Toano, VA
  9	Clifford Gaddy    	56	Kensington, MD
 10	William Scott      	55	Glenarden, MD
 11	Lawrence Davis    	56	Chesapeake, VA
 12	James Daley       	58	Alexandria, VA
 13	Michael Golash     	59	Washington, DC

Men 60 - 64
The 60-64 division is one of the two most competitive age groups. John Haubert of Alexandria, Virginia wins the age group with six qualifying marks. The showdown race for the age group was the Thanksgiving Day 5-Mile Turkey Trot in Alexandria, where Haubert (33:29) defeated top-ten competitors John Churchman (34:36) and Mike Thorson (35:11). Haubert's best performance was a 19:27 at the New Year's Day 5K in Arlington. Robert Wright of Hampton, Virginia takes second, in a close call over Bob Spencer of Williamsburg, Virginia. They split in two meetings. John Elliott of Columbia, Maryland, the 2002 champion, is fourth and the top Maryland finisher, with two qualifiers, including a 20:06 at the Carabba's 5K. Churchman, of Arlington, Virginia, is fifth, with a best performance of 43:30 at Fairfax's Rudolph's Red Nose 10K.

 Pl	Name               	Age	Hometown
  1	John Haubert      	60	Alexandria, VA
  2	Robert Wright     	61	Hampton, VA
  3	Bob Spencer     	60	Williamsburg, VA
  4	John Elliott      	64	Columbia, MD
  5	John Churchman    	60	Arlington, VA
  6	Sammy Merrill     	61	Fredericksburg, VA
  7	Mike Thorson      	60	Alexandria, VA
  8	Maurice Davidson	60	Fredericksburg, VA
  9	Warren Prunella 	61	Rockville, MD
 10	Joe Greene        	60	Dumfries, VA
 11	Stephen Forman    	62	McLean, VA
 12	Arthur Reynolds	        63	Woodbridge, VA
 13	Mike Baziz        	61	Baltimore, MD
 14	Lou Shapiro        	61	Silver Spring, MD
 15	Jim Verdier        	60	Alexandria, VA
 16	Raymond Abell     	62	Newport News, VA
 17	Chet Coates       	62	Silver Spring, MD
 18	Earl Arrowood     	62	Newport News, VA

Men 65 - 69
Chan Robbins of Arlington, VA, third in the 2002 annual rankings, takes the top spot for the winter season, based on five qualifying times and several convincing wins over third- ranked Richard Williams and fifth-ranked Ken Quincy. His best performance was a 21:54 5K, which he accomplished at both the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K and the Alexandria Red Ribbon 5K. John Essery of Williamsburg, Virginia is runner-up, with three qualifiers, including a win over Williams at the Anheuser-Busch Colonial Half-Marathon. His best performance was a 22:46 at the Governor's Land 5K. Richard Williams of Alexandria is third, with six qualifying times, including a 22:22 at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K, and John Gluck of Alexandria is fourth, with wins over Quincy, Philip Hager, and Robert Smith (Photo) at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K. Quincy, of Vienna, Virginia, takes fifth.

 Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
  1	Chan Robbins       	65	Arlington, VA
  2	John Essery       	66	Williamsburg, VA
  3	Richard Williams	67	Alexandria, VA
  4	John Gluck         	65	Alexandria, VA
  5	Ken Quincy       	65	Vienna, VA
  6	Milton Taylor     	69	Odenton, MD
  7	Philip Hager      	65	Falls Church, VA
  8	Robert Smith      	68	Comus, MD
  9	Al Marcy          	67	Haymarket, VA
 10	Art Morey        	65	Columbia, MD

Men 70 -74
Only two runners qualified in the 70-74 division, with the honors going to 2002 champ George Yannakakis of Sparks, Maryland, who recorded an excellent 22:24 at Dundalk's Superbowl 5K. Jack McMahon of Rockville, Maryland takes second, with a best performance of 40:44 in the Country Roads 5-Mile. The two did not race each other.

 Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
  1	George Yannakakis	71	Sparks, MD
  2	Jack McMahon       	72	Rockville, MD

Men 75 & Over
Even at 80 years old, Walt Washburn of Vienna, Virginia dominated the 75 and over category. Two races served as the showdowns for this category. The Outback 8K saw Washburn (46:10) defeating second-ranked Bill Morrison of Potomac, Maryland (48:16), third-ranked Bill Osburn of Bethesda (53:50), and fifth- ranked Philip Zenchoff of Silver Spring, Maryland (58:12). The Rockville 10K was another test, with Washburn (60:16) again coming out on top against Morrison (63:32) and fourth-ranked Frank Pierce of Bethesda (63:53).

 Pl	Name       	Age	Hometown
  1	Walt Washburn	80	Vienna, VA
  2	Bill Morrison	75	Potomac, MD
  3	Bill Osburn	79	Bethesda, MD
  4	Frank Pierce	79	Bethesda, MD
  5	Philip Zenchoff	75	Silver Spring, MD
  6	Bob Atkins	77	Winchester, VA

See the Women's Winter 2003 WRR Runner Rankings