Open Men
Many of the best runners raced sparingly in the Winter season, due to marathons and base endurance training.

Glen Mays of Washington, DC, 10th in the 2003 rankings, takes advantage of the lighter competition and snags the top spot. Mays is the "old man" of the open rankings at age 33. The George Washington Birthday 10K in Alexandria determined most of the open standings, with Mays (31:37) defeating second-ranked Eric Post (31:42) of Fairfax, Virginia, third-ranked Michael Wardian (32:24) of Arlington, Virginia, and fourth-ranked Jesse Williams (32:32) of Reston, Virginia. Mays also ran an excellent 52:14 at the RRCA Club Challenge 10-Mile in Columbia, Maryland.

Rounding out the Open rankings as a provisional qualifier was 2003 rankings leader, Ben Cooke of Silver Spring, Maryland, who ran a fine 23:58 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K, but recorded no other qualifying times.

The youngest Open qualifier was the 24-year-old Post, who did not place in the 2003 year-end rankings.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Glen Mays	33	Washington, DC
  2	Eric Post	24	Fairfax, VA
  3	Michael Wardian	29	Arlington, VA
  4	Jesse Williams	26	Reston, VA
  5	Ben Cooke	26	Silver Spring, MD

Men 35 - 39
Last year only two runners qualified in the Winter in the 35-39 division, but this year the category rebounded, with eight runners qualifying. All of the top five qualifiers were from Virginia.

John Piggott of Williamsburg, Virginia, runner-up in the 2003 rankings, grabs the top spot. The most competitive race was Williamsburg's Colonial Half-Marathon, where Piggott (1:12:54) defeated second-ranked Robert Hinkle (1:17:00) of Newport News, Virginia, and third-ranked Michael Mann (1:13:27) of Hampton, Virginia. Piggott (1:13:42) also defeated fifth-ranked Tom Purcell (1:15:12) of Norfolk, Virginia, at the Norfolk Half- Marathon.

Hinkle narrowly earned the second spot over Mann by avenging his defeat at the Colonial Half-Marathon, 16:27 to 16:39 in Williamsburg's Swamp Run 5K.

Fourth is Brian Schmidt (photo) of Leesburg, Virginia, whose best performance was a 26:32 at the competitive Outback Steakhouse 8K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	John Piggott	38	Williamsburg, VA
  2	Robert Hinkle	39	Newport News, VA
  3	Michael Mann	35	Hampton, VA
  4	Brian Schmidt	35	Leesburg, VA
  5	Tom Purcell	37	Norfolk, VA
  6	Mark Hoon	39	Kensington, MD
  7	Sean Killeen	38	Richmond, VA
  8	Mike Woodman	38	Timonium, MD

Men 40 - 44
If the strength of the 35-39 division was in Virginia, the strength of the 40-44 division was in Maryland, with the top four placers all from that state.

The top three placers are the same as in the 2003 year-end rankings, led by Joe Abernethy of College Park. The Outback Steakhouse 8K established the pecking order, with Abernethy (26:38) defeating second-ranked Dave Berardi (26:41) of Baltimore, third-ranked Neville Anderson (27:10) of Baltimore, and fourth-ranked Jean-Christophe Arcaz (27:52) of Rockville, Maryland.

Joe Abernethy (27:52) also defeated fifth-ranked Ted Poulos (29:29) at Olney, Maryland's Country Road 5-Mile.

Photo: Charlottesville's Chris Samley, 6th in the age group

 Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown
  1	Joe Abernethy      	44	College Park, MD
  2	Dave Berardi      	43	Baltimore, MD
  3	Neville Anderson	42	Baltimore, MD
  4	Jean-Christophe Arcaz	42	Rockville, MD
  5	Ted Poulos        	41	McLean, VA
  6	Chris Samley      	41	Charlottesville, VA
  7	Jon Schoenberg    	40	Crofton, MD
  8	Layne Party       	44	Baltimore, MD

Men 45 - 49
Nine runners qualified in the 45-49 age group, led by Dan Lawson of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the fourth-ranked runner in 2003.

The Outback Steakhouse 8K was the most competitive race, with Lawson (26:54) defeating second-ranked Jim Wadsworth (28:09) of Washington, D.C., third-ranked George Buckheit (28:31) of Reston, Virginia, and fifth-ranked Paul Peterson (28:44) of Bethesda, Maryland.

Jim Bates of Hampton, Virginia takes the fourth spot, on the basis of some outstanding times, including a 16:36 5K at the Governor's Land Run for the Brain. Unfortunately Bates did not compete against any of the other top runners.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Dan Lawson	48	Gaithersburg, MD
  2	Jim Wadsworth	46	Washington, DC
  3	George Buckheit	46	Reston, VA
  4	Jim Bates	47	Hampton, VA
  5	Paul Peterson	49	Bethesda, MD
  6	Steve Chantry	49	Williamsburg, VA
  7	Jeff Stone	48	Salem, VA
  8	Bill Raabe	49	North Bethesda, MD
  9	Paul Serra	47	Lusby, MD

Men 50 - 54
The bulge of the boomer generation again produces a very competitive age group, with 16 runners qualifying.

Chuck Moeser of Sterling, Virginia starts off 2004 where he left off in 2003, dominating the age group. Moeser is the only person to lead both the 2002 and 2003 rankings, and lead every rankings period in 2003.

The showdown for the top spot was the Outback Steakhouse 8K, where Moeser (27:02) crushed second-ranked David Webster (29:29) of Stevensville, Maryland and fifth-ranked Richard Morgan (30:07) of Silver Spring, Maryland.

David Webster gets second by virtue of his 17:40 at Annapolis's Washington's Birthday 5K, defeating third-ranked Richard Adams (18:06) of Herndon, Virginia.

Fourth is Paul Ryan of Arlington, Virginia, whose performances include an excellent 28:55 at Alexandria's Turkey Trot 5-Mile. He did not compete against any of the other top runners, however.

Photo: Timothy Morgan, 53 of Damascus, MD, 12th in his age group

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Chuck Moeser	52	Sterling, VA
  2	David Webster	50	Stevensville, MD
  3	Richard Adams	52	Herndon, VA
  4	Paul Ryan	53	Arlington, VA
  5	Richard Morgan	51	Silver Spring, MD
  6	Lionel Scatliffe 50	Alexandria, VA
  7	Rick Platt	53	Williamsburg, VA
  8	Bob Burns	51	Columbia, MD
  9	Roger Claussen	51	Woodbridge, VA
 10	Tim Doescher	53	Herndon, VA
 11	Bill Alto	52	Newport News, VA
 12	Timothy Morgan	53	Damascus, MD
 13	Bill Hart	54	Virginia Beach, VA
 14	Dan Eddy	52	Alexandria, VA
 15	Steve Thompson	50	Midlothian, VA
 16	Dale Abrahamson	54	Yorktown, VA

Men 55 - 59
The state of Virginia dominates this category, contributing nine of the top 10 runners (only sixth-ranked Ronnie Wong of Baltimore prevents a sweep).

The 2003 champion, Patrick Griffith of Alexandria, is again on top. His four qualifying performances include an 18:26 at Fredericksburg's Potter Homes YMCA 5K and a 30:11 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K.

Larry Coley of Chesapeake, Virginia and Ken Mire of Norfolk, Virginia waged a fierce battle for the second spot. Mire (20:39) defeated Coley (20:51) at the Virginia Beach Cross-Country Challenge 5K, but Coley (19:17) evened the score over Mire (19:35) at the 5K Run for the Community. Coley gets the nod based on a very slight edge in competition defeated.

Fourth is Ken Shipp of Great Falls, Virginia, who did not compete against any of the other top runners, but did record an outstanding 30:43 at Alexandria's Turkey Trot 5-Mile. Fifth is John Loughran of Sandston, Virginia, who ran a fine 1:49:56 at the Tune-Up 25K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Patrick Griffith 59	Alexandria, VA
  2	Larry Coley	55	Chesapeake, VA
  3	Ken Mire	55	Norfolk, VA
  4	Ken Shipp	55	Great Falls, VA
  5	John Loughran	59	Sandston, VA
  6	Ronnie Wong	57	Baltimore, MD
  7	Jim Noone	59	Fairfax, VA
  8	Robert Wilson	56	Toano, VA
  9	Gerard Cabrol	55	Arlington, VA
 10	James Daley	59	Alexandria, VA

Men 60 - 64
John Haubert of Alexandria, Virginia, the third-ranked runner in 2003, wins the age group. The showdown for the first spot was the Outback Steakhouse 8K, where Haubert (33:38) edged second- ranked Lou Shapiro (34:19) of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Lou Shapiro gets the "Ted Poulos Award" for non-stop racing, running a ridiculous 12 qualifying performances! And Shapiro, who ranked only 13th in 2003, appears to be getting better as he races more.

Robert Wright of Hampton, Virginia is the third-ranked runner, on the strength of some outstanding performances, including a 19:49 at the Sentara 5K. He might have ranked higher had he competed against any of the other top runners.

Eamon McEvilly of Springfield, Virginia is fourth, with times including a 20:50 at the Red Ribbon Run 5K. Warren Prunella of Rockville, Maryland takes fourth, based on performances that include a 1:12:17 at the RRCA Club Challenge 10-Mile.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	John Haubert	61	Alexandria, VA
  2	Lou Shapiro	62	Silver Spring, MD
  3	Robert Wright	62	Hampton, VA
  4	Eamon McEvilly	61	Springfield, VA
  5	Warren Prunella	62	Rockville, MD
  6	Roger Kilgore	60	Great Mills, MD
  7	Lloyd Blackwell	63	Warrenton, VA
  8	Richard Vendig	60	Rochelle, VA
  9	Stephen Forman	63	McLean, VA
 10	Bob Spencer	61	Williamsburg, VA
 11	Bob Spearing	63	Alexandria, VA

Men 65 - 69
John Elliott of Columbia, Maryland follows up his Fall rankings win with another top ranking in the Winter period. He would also have led the 60-64 age group. His most impressive performance was a 32:38 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K, beating 60-64 leader John Haubert (33:38) by a full minute.

Second is Cal Fowler of Keswick, Virginia, whose performances included a fine 1:33:23 at the Colonial Half-Marathon.

Third is 2003 champion Chan Robbins of Arlington, Virginia, who ran 21:58 at the Red Ribbon Run 5K, defeating fourth-ranked Maynard Weyers (22:23) of Alexandria, Virginia, and fifth-ranked Ken Quincy (23:03) of Vienna, Virginia.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	John Elliott	65	Columbia, MD
  2	Cal Fowler	65	Keswick, VA
  3	Chan Robbins	66	Arlington, VA
  4	Maynard Weyers	67	Alexandria, VA
  5	Ken Quincy	66	Vienna, VA
  6	Joe Polinski	65	Smithfield, VA
  7	Richard Williams 68	Alexandria, VA
  8	Phil Hager	66	Falls Church, VA
  9	Dick Pierce	65	Rescue, VA
 10	Art Morey	66	Columbia, MD
 11	John Gluck	66	Alexandria, VA
 12	Armand Zambardi	69	Charlottesville, VA
 13	Nick Keeling	65	Bethesda, MD

Men 70 - 74
The 2003 rankings leader, Jack McMahon of Rockville, Maryland, leads the Winter rankings period. The showdown was the Outback Steakhouse 8K, where McMahon (38:32) narrowly defeated second- ranked Larry Dickerson (38:38) of Burke, Virginia.

The third spot goes to Mike Kelly of Newport News, Virginia, whose times include a 1:52:27 at the Colonial Half-Marathon.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Jack McMahon	72	Rockville, MD
  2	Larry Dickerson	72	Burke, VA
  3	Mike Kelly	70	Newport News, VA

Men 75 - 79
Wendell Golden of Charlottesville, Virginia wins the age group. He ran 29:33 at Charlottesville's New Year's 5K to defeat second- ranked Harry Freestone (29:52) of Charlottesville.

Third is George Brown of Glen Arm, Maryland, whose best performance was a 31:28 at Towson's Turkey Trot 5K. Dixon Hemphill ran 33:53 at Herndon's Turkey Trot 5K to edge fifth- ranked Oliver Bragg (34:59) of Sterling, Virginia, for the fourth spot.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Wendell Golden	78	Charlottesville, VA
  2	Harry Freestone	77	Charlottesville, VA
  3	George Brown	78	Glen Arm, MD
  4	Dixon Hemphill	78	Fairfax Station, VA
  5	Oliver Bragg	76	Sterling, VA
  6	Bill Morrison	76	Potomac, MD
  7	Philip Zenchoff	76	Silver Spring, MD

Men 80 - 84
Walt Washburn of Vienna, Virginia, the 2003 rankings leader, again takes the top spot in the Winter rankings. He had four qualifying performances, led by a 48:29 at the Outback Steakhouse 8K.

The second and third spots go to provisional qualifiers, based on only one qualifying performance. Second-ranked Robert White of Hampton, Virginia ran an outstanding 25:48 at the Governor's Land 5K, and Bill Osburn (photo), the fifth-ranked runner in 2003, ran 40:29 at Arlington's New Year's Day 5K.

 Pl	Name      	Age	Hometown
  1	Walt Washburn	81	Vienna, VA
  2	Robert White	80	Hampton, VA
  3	Bill Osburn	80	Bethesda, MD

Men 85 & Over
We start an 85 and over age division in this rankings period, to properly reflect the accomplishments of 85-year-old Cokey Daman of Virginia Beach, the oldest qualifier and the best in the nation in his age group. Daman recorded an extraordinary 29:53 at the Jennifer Braun Memorial 5K.

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

See the Women's Winter 2004 WRR Runner Rankings