Photo: Mary Davison of Chesapeake, VA won her division every time she raced except when she ventured to Alexandria. She ran 38:21 at the GW Birthday 10K.

Open Women
Outback Steakhouse 8K, 26:47. 10K = 34:00

The top runners seem to be getting faster. Just as soon as one woman runs a great time, another comes roaring back. Anne McGranahan of Newport, VA had the top three times for qualifiers. She rode two swift sub 17:00 5Ks to victory. Her best time was at the champion maker Outback 8K in 27:01 where she finished fourth overall. Aurora Scott of Chesapeake, VA takes the next spot with her Colonial 3 mile in 16:27.

The next four places are separated by just ten seconds. Marina Bychcova of Germantown, MD garners third by the slimmest of margins. She ran 28:23 for eighth overall at the Outback 8K and then six days later punished the Alexandria Turkey Trot 5M course in 28:25.

Mary Kate Bailey of Arlington, VA lost two close races with Susannah Kvasnicka of Great Falls, VA. Kvasnicka ended 2004 with a thirteen second victory at the Red Ribbon 5K in 17:40 to Bailey's 17:53. Again in February the difference was small with Kvasnicka winning the GW Birthday 10K in 35:39 to 35:49 for Bailey. Look for this rivalry to continue through the year.

Jill Krebs of New Windsor, MD split the two women, nudging Kvasnicka to take the fifth with her overall victory at the RRCA Challenge 10 Mile in 59:50. Krebs also won the competitive hill fest at the Celtic Solstice 5M in 29:25.

Seventeen women joined the Elite division from other divisions swelling its ranks to the biggest division of all. One hundred thirty ranked times were spread among 88 women.

Pl	Name              	Age	Hometown	
1	McGranahan, Anne**	25	Newport 	VA
2	Scott, Aurora****	15	Chesapeake	VA
3	Bychkova, Marina	28	Germantown	MD
4	Kvasnicka, Susannah**	32	Great Falls	VA
5	Krebs, Jill**     	24	New Windsor	MD
6	Bailey, Mary Kate**	30	Arlington	VA
7	Vancour, Kristy**	22	Pulaski 	VA
8	Pool, Diana         	24	Westminster	MD
9	Manero, Lauren* 	23	Arlington	VA
10	Davison, Mary****	32	Chesapeake   	VA
11	Sun, Feng **        	35	Columbia	MD
12	Mudge, Michelle*	28	Richmond	VA
13	Freix, Laura*** 	43	Centreville	VA
14	High, Renee***      	23	Virginia Beach	VA
15	Burns, Megan****	41	Virginia Beach	VA
16	Selmer, Carrie      	20	Mt. Airy	MD
17	Haupt, Diane****	38	Virginia Beach	VA
18	Eckstaedt, Christine*	22	Arlington	VA
19	Humphrey, Robin*	41	Timonium	MD
20	Mancini, Jinx** 	38	Richmond	VA
21	Beven, Helen*       	39	Kensington	MD
22	Thienel, Julie* 	41	Columbia	MD
23	Buckwalter, Connie	34	Lititz       	PA
24	Huizing, Marjan**	36	Gaithersburg	MD
25	Nappa, Laura*     	27	Baltimore	MD
26	Nelson, Laura** 	39	Woodstock	VA
27	Himes, Suzanne* 	35	Virginia Beach	VA
28	Selmer, Carrie       	20	Mt. Airy	MD
29	Zerfas, Patricia	43	Kensington	MD
30	Hall, Maureen** 	40	Lavale    	MD
31	Post, Colleen*      	25	Centreville	VA
32	Sawvell, Linda**	39	Newport News	VA
33	Hargis, Jill ** 	44	Annapolis	MD
34	McDonald, Bonnie**	40	Roanoke 	VA
35	Jacobs, Eileen**	42	Richmond	VA

19 & Younger Women
Colonial 3-Mile, 16:27. 10K = 35:28

Great Scott! Aurora Scott of Chesapeake, VA just turned fifteen this year. She is a major threat to the Open division. With all the young women racing today, she is head and shoulders above everyone in the division. Her slowest race back in November when she was fourteen was a 17:48 Jingle Bell 5K. Her four races were all overall victories. At the Colonial 3 Mile she blazed a 16:27, which equates to a 35:28 10K.

Eighty-three other girls ran ranked times, none as young as number two. Eleven-year-old Brittany Rooks of Baltimore, MD edges past fifteen-year-old Shannon Ralston of Virginia Beach, VA. Rooks ran the RRCA Challenge 10 Mile in 69:12 while Ralston won her division at the Santa Claus Shuffle 5K in 19:55. Last fall when Brittany was ten she was the overall winner at the Union Mills 8K in 36:39.

Beth Links of Westminster, MD won the Bear Run 4 Mile in 26:02. In Columbia, MD the young one to watch is Nicole Shouse who raced the Atholton 5K in 20:06 for fifth place in the division.

Pl	Name            	Age	Hometown	
1	Scott, Aurora****	15	Chesapeake	VA
2	Rooks, Brittany*	11	Baltimore	MD
3	Ralston, Shannon***	15	Virginia Beach	VA
4	Links, Beth*      	17	Westminster	MD
5	Shouse, Nicole       	15	Columbia	MD
6	Roane, Ashley    	17	Chesapeake	VA
7	Chichester, Jennifer **	16	Washington	DC
8	Scott, Amanda*       	17	Chesapeake	VA
9	Dickerson, Karen*	18	Springfield	VA
10	Chapman, Sarah     	17	Hampton 	VA
11	Geary, Maria           	19	Radford 	VA
12	Sherrod, U'Tonna	19	Baltimore	MD
13	Keally, Katie*     	17	Virginia Beach	VA
14	Machich, Megan       	17	Richmond	VA
15	Sanders, Ashley 	14	Chesapeake	VA
16	Dicarlo, Kristen	17	Virginia Beach	VA

Women 35 - 39
Outback Steakhouse 8K, 29:15. 10K = 37:05

How many times does a marathon win the division? I cannot remember the last time. Feng Sun of Columbia, MD bested the three-hour mark by four hundreds of a second at the B&A Trail. Look out, division! Her other race was a training run, 18:37 win, on Valentine's Day.

Eight of the top nine runners also qualified for the Open Division. Diane Haupt of Virginia Beach, VA won her age group five times in distances from 5K to 30K. Her best race was a 1:45:02 TS Tune-up 25K. Then it all goes crazy.

Helen Beven (photo above) of Kensington, MD runs an RRCA Challenge in 66:09. Jinx Mancini of Richmond, VA runs a Hugenot 3 Mile in 18:26. Elizabeth Feldman of Chevy Chase, MD runs a 31:19 at the MCRRC Jingle Bell Jog 8K. All three races equate to exactly 39:45 for a 10K. To make matters worse, Marjan Huizing of Gaithersburg, MD runs the Country Road 5M in 31:42. All but Beven are overall winners.

Laura Nelson of Woodstock, VA out leans Mancini's second race, the Frostbite 15K, 61:44 to 61:50, and Suzanne Himes of Virginia Beach, VA runs an identical equivalent to Nelson at the Colonial HM in 1:28:49.

So, times four through nine are six different women wrapped tight as can be. Mancini earns the third spot with her 15K and nearly identical Sweetheart 8K in 32:19 to Beven's second time a 32:18 at Outback. Beven gets fourth and Huizing passes Feldman for fifth by virtue of her head to head win at the Country Road Run 5M.

Elizabeth Feldman's time of 32:45 makes her the only one in the group not to make the Open division. Nelson outlasts Himes with four age group wins to one and much quicker third and fourth times. Forty-five women had ranked times.

Pl	Name               	Age	Hometown	
1	Sun, Feng **     	35	Columbia	MD
2	Haupt, Diane*****	38	Virginia Beach	VA
3	Mancini, Jinx** 	38	Richmond	VA
4	Beven, Helen**    	39	Kensington	MD
5	Huizing, Marjan**	36	Gaithersburg	MD
6	Feldman, Elizabeth*	36	Chevy Chase	MD
7	Nelson, Laura****	39	Woodstock	VA
8	Himes, Suzanne* 	35	Virginia Beach	VA
9	Sawvell, Linda**	39	Newport News	VA
10	Wigle, Barbara      	37	Centreville	VA
11	Miller, Beth*     	35	Fairfax 	VA
12	Volpe, Susan        	35	Arlington	VA
13	Nathan, Rebecca*	39	Arlington	VA
14	Dumbrell, Jeanette	35	Falls Church	VA
15	Lamb, Shelby     	36	Chesapeake	VA
16	Hansen, Mary Lynn*	38	Woodstock	MD
17	Edgar, Suzanne**	38	Leonardtown	MD
18	Casey, Beth      	36	Oak Hill	MD
19	Takakusaki, Yuko	37	Arlington	VA

Women 40 - 44
Outback Steakhouse 8K, 30:24. 10K = 38:36

Laura Freix of Centreville, VA is no stranger to the top. Her three age group wins trump the four of Megan Burns of Virginia Beach, VA. Freix won her division at Outback in 30:24. Burns won the whole enchilada at the TS Tune-up 30K in 2:06:01. That translates to 38:56. Freix raced the Virginia Turkey Trot 5K in 18:51, Burns ran the TS Tune-up 20K in 1:25:45. Freix won it all at the Rudolph 10K in 39:47. Burns did the TS Tune-up 10K overall win in 40:07.

Meanwhile, the battle for Columbia rages on at the RRCA Challenge. Julie Thienel wins over Robyn Humphrey of Ellicott City, MD 66:18 to 66:56. Humphrey, in turn, outlasts Patricia Zerfas of Kensington, MD in 67:03.

Julie Thienel, a multi-record holder at five of the Howard County Striders weekly races, gives up the third spot to Robyn Humphrey for her 19:01 Atholton 5K victory. Thienel holds the course record set in 2003 of 18:55. One hundred and nineteen ranked times came from sixty-one different runners. Nine of the top ten masters runners qualified for the Open division.

Pl	Name               	Age	Hometown	
1	Freix, Laura*** 	43	Centreville	VA
2	Burns, Megan****	41	Virginia Beach	VA
3	Humphrey, Robyn 	41	Ellicott City	MD
4	Thienel, Julie***	41	Columbia	MD
5	Zerfas, Patricia	43	Kensington	MD
6	Hall, Maureen** 	40	Virginia Beach	VA
7	Hargis, Jill ***	44	Annapolis	MD
8	McDonald, Bonnie***	40	Roanoke 	VA
9	Friedel, Cathy** 	40	Lusby   	MD
10	Jacobs, Eileen    	42	Richmond	VA
11	Conant, Cindy***	43	Kensington	MD
12	Hayden, Julie*       	44	Ashburn 	VA
13	Boyd, Majorie        	43	Annapolis	MD
14	Foley, Linda     	42	Oak Hill	VA
15	Rath, Terry       	40	Ashburn 	VA
16	Elder, Donna*      	42	Forest   	VA
17	Kline, Sheryl         	42	Arnold       	MD
18	Lovett, Pamela***	42	Newport News	VA
19	Fedon, Leslie**  	41	Norfolk 	VA
20	Tata, Kendall*        	42	Virginia Beach	VA
21	Black, Beverly***	44	Frederick	MD
22	Volk, Sherry*        	43	Williamsburg	VA
23	Ware, Elizabeth*	40	Virginia Beach	VA
24	Edeburn, Melissa****	42	Washington	DC
25	Layson, Lynda*      	44	Severn  	MD
26	Bevis, Gwendolyn	43	Washington	DC
27	Knapp, Marcella *	42	Arlington	VA
28	Buckheit, Sarah*	44	Reston  	VA
29	Wagner, Andrea    	42	Richmond	VA

Women 45 - 49
Outback Steakhouse 8K, 29:35. 10K = 37:33

Debi Bernardes (photo) of King George, VA really stuck the landing at the Potter Homes 5K. Her 19:44 overall win crushed the second best time in the division, her Fall into Winter 10K in 41:53. Her Frostbite 15K in 66:55 was another minute down the old 10K equivalency scale. Perhaps a 3K or a mile would be in order.

Alison Suckling of Arnold, MD ripped off three age group wins, which included a B&A Trail HM in 92:58 and an AS Anniversary 15K in 65:34. That all seems to bode well for her switch to the grand master division this year. Still, Margaret Starnes just made the move up and is one of the few multiple age group winners who seemed to get faster as she turned fifty.

Nancy Ferris of Goode, VA wins her division in southwest Virginia, including a 42:46 at the Peaks of Otter 10K. Linda Fournier of Richmond, VA ran a Jingle Bell 5K in 20:54 for fifth place. Dorothy Beckett of Columbia, MD was next with a NCT Marathon in 3:24:36. Fifty-one runners have a ranked time.

Pl	Name                  	Age	Hometown	
1	Bernardes, Debi***	46	King George	VA
2	Suckling, Alison***	49	Arnold  	MD
3	Starnes, Margaret*	49	Street   	MD
4	Ferris, Nancy***	48	Goode    	VA
5	Fournier, Linda*	46	Richmond	VA
6	Beckett, Dorothy*	47	Columbia	MD
7	Segal, Sheri**        	47	Norfolk 	VA
8	Goodwin, Robin****	46	Timonium	MD
9	Roed, Becky*         	45	Springfield	VA
10	Koffler, Karen  	45	Severna Park 	MD
11	Betz, Jean*          	45	Cabin John	MD
12	Recto, Liza*        	48	Lexington Park	MD
13	West, Renee         	49	Bethesda	MD
14	Carl, Joan         	46	Richmond	VA
15	Hagan, Cindy*       	45	Lusby       	MD

Women 50 - 54
Photo: Merilee Seidman of Alexandria, VA is halfway to the top, finishing 8th of 16 in the grandmasters division

Alexandria Turkey Trot 5M, 33:34. 10K = 42:20

Man, everyone knows that Betty Blank of Falls Church, VA is the one to beat. Sure, she can get beat; that is why they call it a race. Still, all senior women are wary when Betty stops joking and lines up at the starting line. Normally, winning all eight of your races, including an overall win at the Christmas Caper 5K in 20:34, would start us writing BBs on the top of the list.

Then along comes Margaret Starnes of Street, MD. We know she owns RASAC racing and usually gels an overall win on home ground, including the Holiday Run 5K in 20:21. Now it gets a little dicier. Blank has the top time with her Alexandria Turkey Trot 5M in 33:34 and places three through five with sub- 21:00 5Ks. That gives her just enough to withstand Starnes's RRCA Challenge 10 miler in 72:27. Someone is knocking on the door.

Jenny Rexrode of Fredericksburg, VA is south of all this. She is running around winning her age group and often the race as well, including a 21:03 Jake's Reindeer 5K overall win. Linell Smith of Baltimore and Kathy Hibbert of Woodbine, MD are crowding her for the third spot. Smith is closest with her B&A Half Marathon victory over Hibbert, 1:37:45 to 1:38:04.

Pl	Name                	Age	Hometown	
1	Blank, Betty********	51	Falls Church	VA
2	Starnes, Margaret****	50	Street       	MD
3	Rexrode, Jenny*****	50	Fredericksburg	VA
4	Smith, Linell*        	52	Baltimore	MD
5	Hibbert, Kathy**	50	Woodbine	MD
6	Gilley, Patricia*	52	King William	VA
7	Lang, Mary**    	51	Pasadena	MD
8	Altschuler, Rona**	50	Newport News	VA
9	Seidman, Merrilee	50	Alexandria	VA
10	Shields, Maria* 	54	Davidsonville	MD
11	West, Renee**         	50	Bethesda	MD
12	Arnold, Christina**	53	Virginia Beach	VA
13	Davis, Peggy      	52	Falls Church	VA
14	Ostlund, Buffy   	51	Singers Glen	VA
15	Snodgrass, Patricia	50	Annapolis	MD
16	Aaronson, Susan**	50	Arlington	VA

Women 55 - 59
VAB Turkey Trot 10K, 43:29

It is great to see Rose Malloy of Annapolis, MD running a lot of races. Malloy owned the Annapolis 10 Miler through many of her masters years. She ran a 2:08:40 20-Mile and a sub-3:00 Marine Corps Marathon as a masters runner. All the top four runners are undefeated in their age group.

Barbara Mathewson of Virginia Beach, VA is the one with the swiftest times. At the beginning of the period, she ran the VAB Turkey Trot 10K in 43:29. Then, she started the year off by acing the Jennifer Braun 5K in 20:36. Malloy started the season with a second overall 44:53 at the Cold Turkey 10K. In March, she journeyed to the B&A Trail HM in 1:40:27.

Alice Franks of Rockville, MD runs everywhere. She owns half of the top sixteen times and a 35:52 age group win at the Outback 8K.

Pl	Name                 	Age	Hometown	
1	Mathewson, Barbara****	55	Virginia Beach	VA
2	Malloy, Rose ****	56	Annapolis	MD
3	Franks, Alice******	56	Rockville	MD
4	Viviani, Anne****	55	Arlington	VA
5	Godfrey, Jane*       	55	Silver Spring	MD
6	St. Clair, Christy**	56	Glen Arm	MD
7	Price, Helene** 	59	Williamsburg	VA
8	Brothers, Betty  	57	Virginia Beach	VA
9	Derring, BJ**        	56	Virginia Beach	VA
10	Akers, Donna**         	55	Narrows 	VA
11	Poole, Jane         	57	Falls Church	VA
12	Peters, Linda*     	57	New Kent	VA

Women 60 - 64
Photo: Janet Newburgh, age 63 of Rockville, MD

Alexandria Turkey Trot 5M, 38:25. 10K = 46:41

This division was as close as can be. All twelve qualifiers have won their age group at least once. Perennial champion Sharon Dolan is nowhere to be found. Last year's runner-up, Priscila Prunella, has been running longer races. Longer races are tougher to get good ranked times.

Janice Stoodley of Falls Church, VA won both her races, the Alexandria Turkey Trot 5M in 38:25 and the Red Ribbon 5K in 24:30. Joan Coven of Williamsburg, VA ran the lightning fast Governor's Landing 5K in 23:18 and the Colonial 3-Mile in 22:37. Both her 5Ks are much faster than Stoodley's. Still, Stoodley's triumph at the biggest 5-miler of the period was four seconds faster in its 10K equivalent.

Dee Nelson of Gaithersburg, MD runs many 5Ks among her sixty plus races a year. This period, her best was the Way Station 5K in Frederick, MD in 24:11. She also ran second in her age group at the Red Ribbon 5K

Pl	Name                  	Age	Hometown
1	Stoodley, Janice**	63	Falls Church  VA
2	Coven, Joan**      	63	Williamsburg  VA
3	Nelson, Dee***     	61	Gaithersburg  MD
4	Prunella, Priscila**	61	Rockville     MD
5	Gilbert, Judy***	61	Stevenson     MD
6	Welch, Pat*         	60	Vienna        VA
7	Linck, Nancy**     	63	Alexandria    VA
8	Hess, Andrea******	60	Midlothian    VA
9	Stark, Barbara***	60	Suffolk       VA
10	Newburgh, Janet***	63	Rockville     MD
11	O'Connor, Mary Ann*	63	Reston        VA
12	Smith, Betty*       	63	Rockville     MD

Women 65 - 69
Potter Homes Turkey Trot 5K, 26:49. 10K = 55:50

Tami Graf of Lusby, MD is another runner who races fifty or more times a year. With nine of the top eleven times among qualifiers, Graf is generally considered a sure thing, Her Outback 8K in 45:19 won her division. Lurking in the weeds is Arlowene Garland of Warsaw, VA who owned the Speed Alone best for her only race.

Betty Munden of Norfolk bested Pauline Ely of Hampton at the VAB Turkey Trot 10K 64:39 to 65:19, though Munden's best was Davis Corner 5K in 29:26. Ely raced the Governor's Landing 5K in 29:35.

Pl	Name            	Age	Hometown
1	Graf, Tami******	68	Lusby      MD
2	Munden, Betty***	65	Norfolk    VA
3	Ely, Pauline**      	66	Hampton    VA
4	Wollard, Jamie**	66	Rockville  MD

Women 70 - 74
Governor's Landing 5K, 30:01. 10K = 62:30

Pat Ewell of Williamsburg, VA leads the way with the top three times, including the Colonial HM in 2:27:25. Yvonne Aasen of Severna Park, MD ran the Anniversary 15K in 1:55:40 for second place.

Pl	Name                  	Age	Hometown
1	Ewell, Pat***     	71	Williamsburg, VA
2	Aasen, Yvonne** 	73	Severna Park, MD
3	Ibarra, Avelina*	70	Norfolk, VA

Women 75 - 79
None racing this period.

Women 80 & Up
Blacksburg 5K, 42:50. 10K = 89:11

Louise Akers of Christiansburg, VA ran two 5Ks, including the Star City in 43:05

Pl	Name                 	Age	Hometown
1	Akers, Louise** 	80	Christiansburg, VA

See the Men's Winter 2005 WRR Runner Rankings