Photo: Glen Mays of Washington, DC, 9th in the open division (Photo by Kathy Freedman)

Open Men
It is a sign of the strength of Washington area running that 2004 Olympic Trials qualifiers Chris Banks and Aaron Church could place no higher than fifth and tenth. There were 13 qualifiers in the Open division sharing their illustrious company.

Ben Cooke, the 2002 champion, returned to competition, and returned to form, claiming the top spot. His performances included a 14:39 5K, winning the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K, where he defeated second-ranked Michael Wardian (14:55) of Herndon, Virginia, third-ranked Corey Smith (14:58) of Washington, DC, and fourth-ranked David Spiller (15:07) of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Cooke also had an outstanding 23:48 at the Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K.

Second-ranked Wardian had six qualifying times, including a 52:19 at the WaWa Hartwood 10-Mile. Third-ranked Smith ran a 15:00 at Canton's St. Agnes Labor Day 5K, in addition to his fine performance at the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K. Spiller, the top- ranked spring runner, ran an outstanding 24:07 at the Twilight 8K, and defeated Wardian at the WaWa Hartwood 10-Mile, running a fine 51:43.

Chris Banks of Alexandria, Virginia was the fifth-ranked runner. His performances included a 31:09 at the Lawyers Have Heart 10K in Washington, DC, and a 24:10 at the Twilight 8K. The oldest Open qualifier was 33-year-old Edmund Burke of Burtonsville, MD, whose performances included a 31:28 at the Lawyers Have Heart 10K.

Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Ben Cooke	26	Silver Spring, MD
  2	Michael Wardian	27	Herndon, VA
  3	Corey Smith	24	Washington, DC
  4	David Spiller	25	Harrisonburg, VA
  5	Chris Banks	25	Alexandria, VA
  6	John Supsic	24	Baltimore, MD
  7	Eric Estrada	31	Parkville, MD
  8	Eric Kean	25	Washington, DC
  9	Glen Mays	32	Washington, DC
 10	Aaron Church	27	Herndon, VA
 11	Craig Morrell	31	Baltimore, MD
 12	Edmund Burke	33	Burtonsville, MD
 13	Eric Lavigne	27	Ashburn, VA

Men 35 - 39
Only three runners qualified in the 35-39 division, as many runners in this age division apparently saved their energy for the fall racing season. Mark Gilmore (photo above) of Columbia, Maryland repeated as the top-rated runner, recording a 25:35 at Rockville's Twilight 8K, defeating third-ranked Chris Chattin (26:40) of Columbia, as well as a 54:46 at the Annapolis 10-Mile.

Tom Purcell of Norfolk, Virginia is second-ranked, with performances including a 16:20 at Norfolk's Lions Run for Sight 5K. Chattin takes third. His best performance was a 33:17 at the MC VET 10K in Baltimore.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Mark Gilmore	35	Columbia, MD
  2	Tom Purcell	36	Norfolk, VA
  3	Chris Chattin	39	Columbia, MD

Men 40 - 44
There were seven qualifiers in the 40-44 division, with the state of Maryland grabbing six of the seven spots. The battle for first ranking was very close, but ultimately Dave Berardi of Baltimore edged Joe Abernethy of College Park, Maryland, by virtue of his wins over third-rated Neville Anderson of Woodlawn, Maryland, fourth-rated Ted Poulos of McLean, Virginia, and fifth-rated Doug Kuderna of Odenton, Maryland.

Berardi's performances included a 26:51 at the Twilight 8K, beating Anderson (27:06), Poulos (27:23), and Kuderna (27:28). Also notable was Berardi's 16:25 at Baltimore's MC VET 5K, beating Poulos (17:51).

Runner-up Abernethy's performances included a 16:19 at the Laurel 5K, beating Anderson (16:44). Poulos maintained his reputation of running every race possible, leading all runners in all age groups with 16 qualifying performances.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Dave Berardi	42	Baltimore, MD
  2	Joe Abernethy	43	College Park, MD
  3	Neville Anderson 41	Woodlawn, MD
  4	Ted Poulos	41	McLean, VA
  5	Doug Kuderna	42	Odenton, MD
  6	Jon Schoenberg	40	Crofton, MD
  7	Tony Yurko	40	LaVale, MD

Men 45 - 49
The baby boom age groups are always large and competitive, and 19 runners qualified in the 45-49 group in the summer period. Competition was fierce, and the battle for the top spot was close.

Jim Hage of Kensington, Maryland repeats as number one, winning a close decision over Andrey Kuznetsov of Rockville, Maryland, by virtue of his 34:59 at the Lawyers Have Heart 10K, defeating fourth-ranked and 2002 champion Dan Lawson (35:39) of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and his 26:13 at the Twilight 8K, again defeating Lawson (27:49). Hage's other fine performances included a 54:12 at the Annapolis 10-Mile.

Kuznetsov earns the second spot, based on performances that include a 15:39 at the Towson's GBMC Father's Day 5K, defeating fifth-ranked Peter Searson (17:31) of Baltimore. Third-ranked James Bates of Hampton is Virginia's top placer, with his best performance being a 17:15 at Williamsburg's 5K Run for Mental Health.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Jim Hage	45	Kensington, MD
  2	Andrey Kuznetsov 45	Rockville, MD
  3	James Bates	46	Hampton, VA
  4	Dan Lawson	46	Gaithersburg, MD
  5	Peter Searson	45	Baltimore, MD
  6	Dennis Coleman	45	Gaithersburg, MD
  7	Jim Goggin	48	Williamsburg, VA
  8	Jim Wadsworth	46	Washington, DC
  9	Maurice Pointer	47	Baltimore, MD
 10	Burkhard Spiekerman 45	Charlottesville, VA
 11	Stephen Chantry	48	Williamsburg, VA
 12	Dion O'Meara	45	Vienna, VA
 13	Peter Rushford	46	Potomac, MD
 14	Peter Kirk	45	Rockville, MD
 15	Lionel Scatliffe 49	Alexandria, VA
 16	Paul Rapavi	46	Springfield, VA
 17	James Cooper	47	Potomac, MD
 18	Stephen Comber	45	Clifton, VA
 19	Curtis Davis	45	Gaithersburg, MD

Men 50 - 54
The 50-54 age group offered strong competition, led by Chuck Moeser of Sterling, Virginia, who has dominated the division since he entered it. A total of 18 runners qualified. Moeser's most important performances were Potomac's Cure Autism Now 5K, where Moeser (16:47) defeated fourth-ranked (photo above) Richard Adams (18:22) of Herndon, Virginia, and Rockville's Twilight 8K, where Moeser (26:48) beat fifth-rated David Webster (29:53) of Stevensville, Maryland.

Mick Slonaker of Columbia, Maryland takes the second spot, with his best performance being a 1:01:51 at the Annapolis 10-Mile, beating Webster (1:02:08).

Third is Develand Campbell of Lusby, Maryland, whose best performances were a 37:13 at Fredericksburg's YMCA Memorial Day 10K, and a 17:57 at Towson's GBMC Father's Day 5K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Chuck Moeser	51	Sterling, VA
  2	Mick Slonaker	53	Columbia, MD
  3	Develand Campbell 50	Lusby, MD
  4	Richard Adams	51	Herndon, VA
  5	David Webster	50	Stevensville, MD
  6	Rick Platt	52	Williamsburg, VA
  7	Bob Burns	50	Columbia, MD
  8	Richard Morgan	50	Silver Spring, MD
  9	Timothy Morgan	52	Damascus, MD
 10	Roger Claussen	50	Woodbridge, VA
 11	Jay Wind	52	Arlington, VA
 12	Bill Alto	51	Newport News, VA
 13	Ken Umbarger	51	Gaithersburg, MD
 14	Tim Doescher	52	Herndon, VA
 15	Shah Mehrabi	51	Fredericksburg, VA
 16	Dave Crawford	52	Arlington, VA
 17	Larry Coley	54	Chesapeake, VA
 18	Pat Gary	52	Manchester, MD

Men 55 - 59
The 55-59 age group was strong again in the summer ratings period, with 13 runners qualifying. Patrick Griffith of Alexandria, Virginia reclaimed the top spot, recording an amazing 15 qualifying performances. Those performances were fast, too. The best race in the age group was Rockville's Twilight 8K, where Griffith (30:18) defeated second-ranked Clifford Gaddy (32:52) of Kensington, Maryland, fourth-ranked Jim Noone (33:05) of Fairfax, Virginia, and third-ranked Bob Chase (34:01) of Falls Church, Virginia.

Chase edges Noone for the third spot, based on the Annapolis 10- Miler, where Chase (1:08:55) defeated both Noone (1:09:30) and the second-rated Gaddy (1:09:59). The fifth spot goes to Ronnie Wong of Baltimore, whose best performance was a 38:51 at Baltimore's MC VET 10K.

 Pl	Name     	Age	Hometown
  1	Patrick Griffith 58	Alexandria, VA
  2	Clifford Gaddy	56	Kensington, MD
  3	Bob Chase	57	Falls Church, VA
  4	Jim Noone	58	Fairfax, VA
  5	Ronnie Wong	56	Baltimore, MD
  6	Paul Steele	56	Virginia Beach, VA
  7	John Kirkpatrick 59	Annapolis, MD
  8	Patrick Clark	55	Columbia, MD
  9	Ken Shipp	55	Great Falls, VA
 10	Robert Wilson	55	Toano, VA
 11	John Lange	55	Hunt Valley, MD
 12	John Loughran	59	Sandston, VA
 13	Lawrence Davis	56	Chesapeake, VA

Men 60 - 64
The 60-64 division was again solidly competitive, with 16 runners qualifying. The 2002 champion, John Elliott of Columbia, Maryland, won his first ratings period of the year with the most important showdown being the Leesburg 10K, where Elliott (41:58) defeated third-ranked John Churchman (43:25) of Arlington, Virginia.

The second spot went to Ben Dyer of Colonial Heights, Virginia, who entered the age group with a vengeance, recording bests of 40:42 at Richmond's Stratford Hills 10K and a 1:29:36 at Richmond's Battlefield Half-Marathon. Elliott gets the nod for first because Dyer did not test himself against any of the other top competitors.

Fourth is Michael Golash of Washington, DC, whose best performance was a 20:30 at the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K. Fifth was Stephen Forman of McLean, Virginia, who had a 20:50 at Fairfax's Tim Harmon 5K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	John Elliott	64	Columbia, MD
  2	Ben Dyer	60	Colonial Heights, VA
  3	John Churchman	60	Arlington, VA
  4	Michael Golash	60	Washington, DC
  5	Stephen Forman	62	McLean, VA
  6	John Pitarra	62	Parkville, MD
  7	Bob Spencer	60	Williamsburg, VA
  8	Warren Prunella	61	Rockville, MD
  9	Lou Shapiro	61	Silver Spring, MD
 10	Cal Fowler	64	Keswick, VA
 11	Francisco Sanches 61	Arlington, VA
 12	Bob Leaberry	63	Gambrills, MD
 13	Stan Neumann	64	Timonium, MD
 14	Joseph Clorety	60	Crownsville, MD
 15	Joe Greene	60	Dumfries, VA
 16	Nick Delambo	61	Baltimore, MD

Men 65 - 69
The 65-69 age group actually got stronger in the summer, with 14 runners qualifying, up from 13 in the spring. The state of Virginia dominated the category, with 10 of the first 11 spots. Chan Robbins of Arlington, Virginia reclaimed the top spot from previous leader Art Morey of Columbia, Maryland. The decisive races were Rockville's Twilight 8K, where Robbins (35:53) beat fourth-ranked John Gluck (38:15) of Alexandria, Virginia, and the Leesburg 10K, where Robbins (48:21) beat fifth-rated Ken Quincy (49:30) of Vienna, Virginia.

Second-ranked Morey's best race was a 21:21 at the St. Agnes Labor Day 5K. Third goes to Mel Williams of Norfolk, Virginia, second in 2002 in the 60-64 age group. Williams recorded an amazing 20:12 at the Independence Day 5K in Virginia Beach, but did not compete against any of the other top runners in the age group.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Chan Robbins	65	Arlington, VA
  2	Art Morey	65	Columbia, MD
  3	Mel Williams	65	Norfolk, VA
  4	John Gluck	65	Alexandria, VA
  5	Ken Quincy	65	Vienna, VA
  6	Charles Ross	65	Virginia Beach, VA
  7	Richard Williams 67	Alexandria, VA
  8	Alan Rider	67	Reston, VA
  9	Mike Kelly	69	Newport News, VA
 10	Maynard Weyers	67	Alexandria, VA
 11	Chris Catoe	68	Virginia Beach, VA
 12	Don Singer	67	Annapolis, MD
 13	Terence McCarthy 67	Leesburg, VA
 14	Charles Duvall	65	Baltimore, MD

Men 70 - 74
Five runners qualified, with the state of Maryland taking four of the five spots. Jack McMahon (photo above by James Oesch) of Rockville, Maryland repeats as number one, with his most important race being a 40:04 at Rockville's Twilight 8K, beating fifth-rated George Waxter (43:54).

Milton Taylor of Odenton, Maryland is second, most notably running 42:09 at the Annapolis Dog Days 8K cross-country, beating fourth-rated Web Chamberlin (44:59) of Arnold, Maryland. Repeating his third-place ranking is Larry Dickerson of Burke, Virginia, whose best was a 24:40 at the Herndon Festival 5K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Jack McMahon	72	Rockville, MD
  2	Milton Taylor	70	Odenton, MD
  3	Larry Dickerson	71	Burke, VA
  4	Web Chamberlin	72	Arnold, MD
  5	George Waxter	72	Frederick, MD

Men 75 - 79
Ten runners qualified in the 75-79 category, up from nine in the spring period. The top two spots remain the same, with Nianxiang Xie of Rockville, Maryland, edging Paul Lackey of Arlington, Virginia. Xie's most important race was Rockville's Twilight 8K, where Xie (44:54) defeated third-ranked Harry Bratt (48:03) of Bethesda, Maryland.

Paul Lackey did not run against any of the top five, but did record a 27:04 at Fairfax's Tim Harmon 5K. Andrew Polansky of Williamsburg, Virginia is fourth, with a best performance of 28:30 at the Vineyards of Williamsburg 5K. Bill Morrison of Potomac, Maryland takes fifth with a best performance of 31:30 at Bethesda's Capital Crescent 5K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Nianxiang Xie	75	Rockville, MD
  2	Paul Lackey	78	Arlington, VA
  3	Harry Bratt	75	Bethesda, MD
  4	Andrew Polansky	75	Williamsburg, VA
  5	Bill Morrison	75	Potomac, MD
  6	Bill Osburn	79	Bethesda, MD
  7	Harry Freestone	76	Charlottesville, VA
  8	Joseph Bierman	76	Baltimore, MD
  9	Charles Boyle	79	Annapolis, MD
 10	John Hickey	76	Gaithersburg, MD

Men 80 & Over
The 80+ age group continues to strengthen, but the first two spots remain the same. Walt Washburn (photo above) of Vienna, Virginia, repeats as leader of the category, with Frank Pierce of Bethesda, Maryland second. None of the top four raced against each other, so the rankings are based solely on time. Washburn's best performance was a 1:03:32 at the Leesburg 10K, Pierce recorded a 31:18 at Bethesda's Capital Crescent 5K, Riccio ran 59:53 at the Williamsburg Jaycees Run for Life 10K, and Daman ran a 30:19 at the Independence Day 5K in Virginia Beach. Although Daman and Riccio had faster best performances, Washburn and Pierce were more consistent in their top performances, and thus get the nod.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Walt Washburn	80	Vienna, VA
  2	Frank Pierce	80	Bethesda, MD
  3	Guy Riccio	82	Annapolis, MD
  4	Cokey Daman	84	Virginia Beach, VA

See the Women's Summer 2003 WRR Runner Rankings