The September-October issue of the Washington Running Report traditionally does not have a Runner Rankings column, as we are still in the middle of the Summer Ranking period when the issue is prepared (it ends on Labor Day). In 2005, we introduced the Moreland Racing Factor (MRF). It was developed to serve as a check on the ranking process and to provide a status report on this ranking period. This year, we thought it would be fun to take a look at where the top-ranked runners live, and see which cities have the most competitive runners.

As of July 16, 2006, we have gathered results from more than 135 races. We have located 1,960 times runners met the qualifying standard. In the past, the summer months were for vacation and track races too short for ranking consideration. With that in mind, we extended the summer rankings through Labor Day. Now we are on pace for more than two hundred races and three thousand ranked times.

In the interest of friendly competition, take a look at how your hometown fared against other cities in the region.

City Limits
To judge the top running cities, we use the best-ranked runner in each five-year age group and the open division. The placing is based strictly on the fastest 10K equivalent, not the best head-to-head. (That would be inconclusive to compare cities.) Scoring is done by assigning 20 points for first place, 19 for second . . . down to one point for twentieth place. If there is more than one runner from a city, they do not count as displacers (moving the others down places). All other cities with a ranked runner will receive one-half point to help break ties, to add to team scores, and to differentiate from cities with no runners in an age group.

For the first half of the Summer Ranking period, 178 cities had a male ranked runner. No city had a runner in every division, although Baltimore had runners in all but one division. The top ten cities really dominated, filling nearly every division slot.

151 cities had a female ranked runner. No city had a runner in every division, although Washington, DC and Baltimore each had runners in all but one division.

Top 30 Cities
95 cities had both a male and a female ranked runner. With nine cities in Virginia with 100,000 people, and Baltimore and Washington, DC, the edge goes to the populous areas. There were 63 cities with a population greater than 20,000 in Maryland and 50 in Virginia. The little titans include Williamsburg, VA and Street, MD

Ranking Charts

If you have questions about the rankings, send an E-mail to james@runwashington.com.