The winter rankings generally comprise the smallest group of runners of the year. However, the hardy souls that brave the low temperatures to make it out to area races still put on a phenomenal show. This ranking period was very unusual in that we had a very large number of runners who earned one, but not two, qualifying times. Many of our regularly ranked runners, particularly on the men's side, did not earn two qualifying times. While we certainly miss them and hope to see them back on the scene this spring, this was a nice change, as it gave some other people a chance to really shine. In every age division there were standout performances--both at the small club races and at some of the winter's larger races such as the Pomoco Half Marathon. We hope you will find these rankings enjoyable, even if you don't find your name in them, as a chance to learn a little bit more about your fellow runners and what they did this winter. But before we begin the rankings, here are just a few words about how to get ranked, for those of you who are not sure exactly what you need to accomplish to find your name in the Runner Rankings.

How to Get Ranked

Runners must meet the qualifying time twice in a given ranking period as the first step toward being ranked. We take a number of things into consideration when we do the rankings--best performance, races run, number of races run, distances tackled, and results. Which of those factors is most important tends to vary depending on how much head-to-head competition there was in the age group. In order for a race to be included in the rankings, the race must have:

Full race results available on the Web, or submitted to the Washington Running Report no later than close of business on Thursday following the end of the ranking period.

Been run in Virginia, Washington, DC, or Maryland. Due to the number of qualifying races being run in the Washington Running Report's region, it has become impossible for us to include results from out-of-area races.

At least fifty participants. Beginning in the next ranking period (Spring 2001) we may require that races have at least 100 participants to qualify for the rankings.

What exactly do you need to do to be ranked? First, you must meet the 10K equivalent time standard in at least two included races in any given ranking period:

Division: Men Women

Open: 34:20 41:15
35-39: 36:40 44:10
40-44: 38:20 46:05
45-49: 39:45 48:45
50-54: 42:00 51:45
55-59: 43:55 54:30
60-64: 49:45 62:05
65-69: 52:50 75:00
70-74: 56:20 89:40
75-99: 95:00 99:00

How You Can Help

Please, send us your race results in a timely manner, and they need to be complete results. We cannot use partial results, because it simply requires too much guesswork and uncertainty as to whether there could have been a few more runners making the cut. Also, it is very important to list all the details, like gender, age, and hometown. Of course, in this electronic age, some electronic form of the results is preferable to hard copy. If possible, please use space or comma delimited fields for name, age, hometown, and time when posting or submitting electronic results.

Also, if you want to be ranked and for some reason feel you aren't getting proper consideration, please drop a line to the Washington Running Report via kathy@runwashington.com.