Open Men

The Open Men's division this winter was very small. Though there were over 100 qualifying times run by men under 35, only nine guys managed to get the required two times to earn a ranking. We've awarded the top spot to Fincastle's Steve Crowder, for his win at the Blacksburg 10 Miler, in an impressive 53:33, representing the fastest run by a ranked runner in the division. Crowder also managed a third place finish at the Potter Homes Turkey Trot.

Michael Wardian gets the endurance award for the winter rankings--and with it, the second place ranking. His best race was a 2:32:23 win at the B&A Trail Marathon, a performance he backed up with a 2:37:18 run at the Last Train to Boston Marathon.

Three Michaels did battle for the third, fourth, and fifth slots this winter. Mike Colaiacovo took the third ranking, by beating Michael Harrison by 44 seconds at the Pomoco Half Marathon. Harrison, who beat Colaiacovo at one of the tune-up events, has to settle for fourth place, however, as Colaiacovo won at the big race. Michael Mann, who had his best race at the Virginia Beach Turkey Trot, has to settle for fifth, as he was unable, in two attempts, to upend Michael Harrison.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Steve Crowder Fincastle, VA
2 Michael Wardian Arlington, VA
3 Mike Colaiacovo Chesapeake, VA
4 Michael Harrison Virginia Beach, VA
5 Michael Mann
6 Russell Crandall Davidson, NC
7 Dan Courtney Owings Mills, MD
8 Victor Thillet
9 Eric Woronick Edgewater, MD

Men 35-39

Rob Hinkle should feel very good about his winter season. Hinkle reeled off two top five finishes at large area 5K races. At the Pomoco 5K, he ran 15:22 to take fifth overall, and at the Colonial Half Marathon 5K, he was only slightly slower, finishing second in an awesome 15:30. Clearly, he earns the crown for the men's submasters division.

Taking the second ranking is another southern Virginia runner, Dai Roberts, who won everything he entered this winter. He was the overall victor at the Tidewater Striders Run for Independence in a 15:36--and that was his slowest race. He was sharpest at the longer distances, winning two Tidewater Striders Tune-Up events. His best effort was a 1:07:40 at the 20K, and he then followed that up with a 1:25:09 at the 25K race.

Mark Hoon and Ted Poulos were both in contention for the third slot in this division. However, in the end, Hoon edged Poulos by beating him at the RRCA Club Challenge Ten Miler by eleven seconds in 57:06. This, however, was a slow finish for Hoon, who ran the Turkey Burnoff Ten Miler in 55:55, good enough for second place overall. Since Hoon grabs the third slot, Poulos gets fourth, primarily in recognition of his fifth place finish at the George Washington Birthday Classic 10K, where he completed the course in 33:27 for his fastest race of the season.

Andy Klemas of Falls Church breaks into the upper echelon of runners this winter, grabbing the fifth slot on the strength of his 34:18 finish behind Poulos at the George Washington Birthday Classic 10K.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Rob Hinkle Williamsburg, VA
2 Dai Roberts
3 Mark Hoon Kensington, MD
4 Ted Poulos McLean, VA
5 Andrew Klemas Falls Church, VA
6 Mark Stickley Winchester, VA
7 Terry Croyle Morganton, WV
8 Craig Hymes Norfolk, VA
9 Serge Arbona Baltimore, MD
10 Martin Snyder Virginia Beach, VA
11 Tom Nowicki Centreville, VA
12 Chris Samley Charlottesville, VA
13 Eric Boufflert Washington, DC

Men 40-44

Top-ten overall finishes at races the size of the Pomoco Half Marathon are generally enough to earn anyone in the masters division the crown for their respective age group. Jim Hage of Lanham, therefore, is king of the men's 40-44 division as he finished eighth overall at the Pomoco Half Marathon in a blistering 1:10:51. To boot, he reeled off an overall win at the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 10K, covering the course in a speedy 32:55.

We've awarded the second place ranking to Virginia Beach's Lanny Doan who, along with Hage and our third ranked runner, Dave Berardi of Baltimore, was the only person able to run 10K equivalent times consistently under 34:00. Doan's best race was a fourth place finish at the Virginia Beach Turkey Trot 10K, where he ran 33:18. He also chose the Pomoco 5K, where he raced to the line in a very impressive 16:16, good enough for seventh place overall. Berardi, to his credit, had two times almost as fast, with his best performance being 26:41 at the Turkey Trot Five Miler, and also a 16:16 at the Carrabba's 5K. He also won the division at the RRCA Club Challenge Ten Miler in 57:26.

Gary Slade of Chapel Hill ventured north this winter on two occasions for the big southern Virginia half marathons, and in doing so, earned himself the fourth slot in these rankings. His 1:15:10 performance at the Pomoco race was good enough for fifteenth place. He also ran the Colonial Half Marathon, finishing in the top ten there, in a slightly slower 1:16:45.

Finally, another runner from the southern reaches of our region has grabbed the fifth slot. Norfolk's David McDonald earned his spot with consistency that included a strong performance at the Pomoco Half Marathon, where he was behind Hage and Slade, finishing 35th in a time of 1:18:53. Far faster, however, was his 16:55 top five finish at the Tidewater Striders Run for Independence 5K.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Jim Hage Lanham, MD
2 Lanny Doan Virginia Beach, VA
3 Dave Berardi Baltimore, MD
4 Gary Slade Chapel Hill, NC
5 David McDonald Norfolk, VA
6 Craig Ruetzel Virginia Beach, VA
7 Larry Ormerod Elizabeth City, NC
8 Peter Kirk Rockville, MD
9 Layne Party
10 Dennis Coleman Gaithersburg, MD
11 Marty Horan Gaithersburg, MD
12 Bret Schmidt Woodbridge, VA
13 Steve Deitz Springfield, VA
14 Rob Levinsky
15 Mike Pickard
16 Mark Rosasco Arnold, MD

Men 45-49

The men's 45-49 division included more ranked runners than any other, either male or female. An incredible 27 runners in this category turned in at least two qualifying times. The pack was led by Sterling's Chuck Moeser, who is running some fabulous times. If a 1:13:01 finish at the Pomoco Half Marathon (33:08 10K equivalent) isn't enough to convince you he should be ranked first, he also ran 27:17 at the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 8K and a 16:36 at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K.

The real battle in this group was for the second and third slots. The choice between Stevensville's David Webster and Chevy Chase's Jim Whitnah was a very tough call. The two men ran head to head twice--with each emerging victorious once. Whitnah won the contest at the MCRRC Cross Country Road Run; however, Webster came out on top at the RRCA Club Challenge Ten Miler. While Whitnah won his contest by a considerably larger margin than did Webster, Webster also had two very fast times on record--a 35:22 at the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 10K and a 16:47 where he finished only eleven seconds behind Moeser, at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K. As a result, we've awarded second place to Webster, and Whitnah third.

At the Jingle Bell Race, Develand Campbell came charging across the line in 36:10, less than a minute behind Webster, and, in doing so, earns the fourth slot in the rankings. Finally, rounding out the top five in this division is another Chevy Chase runner, David Luljak, who was third in the division at the RRCA Club Challenge, and also turned in a 2:49:04 performance at the B&A Trail Marathon.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Chuck Moeser Sterling, VA
2 David Webster Stevensville, MD
3 Jim Whitnah Chevy Chase, MD
4 Develand Campbell Lusby, MD
5 David Luljak Chevy Chase, MD
6 Jimmy Goggin Williamsburg, VA
7 Bob Trame Midlothian, VA
8 Paul Ryan Arlington, VA
9 Richard Adams Herndon, VA
10 R. Michael Fuller
11 Jeff Douglas
12 Paul Peterson Bethesda, MD
13 Roberto Rodriguez Arlington, VA
14 Richard Morgan Highland, VA
15 James Moreland Gaithersburg, MD
16 Lionel Scatliffe Alexandria, VA
17 Jon Thoren Washington, DC
18 Ronald Black Fairfield, PA
19 Bill Peeling Baltimore, MD
20 David McLeod Silver Spring, MD
21 Vassili Triantos Rockville, MD
22 Neal Riemenschneider Winchester, VA
23 Dean Beatty
24 Edward Horn Alexandria, VA
25 John Price
26 Steven Lerner
27 Brett Busang

Men 50-54

The men's 50-54 division is always hotly contested, with a number of very talented and prolific runners. The top slot this winter goes to Virginia Beach's Bill Hart, who earns the spot on the basis of an incredible 1:18:50 finish at the Pomoco Half Marathon, good enough for the best time run this winter in the division, and 35th place overall at the race.

David Lowe of Gaithersburg made the long trip south for the Pomoco race also, and he too saved his best for the big race, finishing in 1:21:36, behind Hart, but, more importantly, in front of Michael Hurley, who ran 1:24:54. As a result, Lowe collects the second slot in the winter rankings, and Hurley earns the fourth, based on his finish behind Lowe at Pomoco. Sneaking in between Lowe and Hurley, however, is the newly-turned-50 Paul Ryan, who stepped into this division for he first time this period. Ryan's best race was an 18:06 at the DCRRC New Year's 5K, however, he earned his slot by beating Michael Hurley at the Rudolph Red Nose 10K, where he covered the course in 37:54.

Finally, the last slot in the coveted top five belongs to Jay Wind, who scores points not only for being consistently fast, but consistently prolific. Wind had nine qualifying times this winter, including a 38:49 finish at Rudolph's Red Nose 10K, where he finished just outside the top ten, and a mere 30 seconds behind Hurley.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Bill Hart Virginia Beach, VA
2 David Lowe Gaithersburg, MD
3 Paul Ryan Arlington, VA
4 Mike Hurley Reston, VA
5 Jay Wind Arlington, VA
6 George Neil Williamsburg, VA
7 Timothy Morgan Damascus, MD
8 Joe Brannan Lusby, MD
9 Bob Oberti Hughesville, MD
10 Marc Wolfson Olney, MD
11 Eric Gyaki Crofton, MD
12 Ronnie Wong Catonsville, MD
13 Doug Pickett Annandale, VA
14 Per Kristiansen Virginia Beach, VA
15 Lawrence Davis
16 William Scott Glenarden, MD

Men 55-59

The battle for the top slot in this division was fast and furious, and, unfortunately, it was a battle on paper only, as the two men involved never met head to head due to geographical differences. In the end, we have decided that Steve Frisk must take over the top slot, as he turned in the two fastest times run this winter. Frisk's best race was an 18:18 performance at the Tidewater Striders Run for Independence, a performance he backed up with a 38:38 at the Virginia Beach Turkey Trot 10K.

For most people second in their age division in a ranking period would be a major victory, however, in Patrick Griffith's case, it does feel like settling for second. Griffith, arguably the fastest runner in the immediate DC metro area in this division, ran 1:25:11 for his best race of the season at the Belle Haven Half Marathon. He also had five other qualifying times, all of which were comfortably under 40:00 10K equivalents. Certainly, we'd like to see this rivalry play out on the race course.

In third place we find Sanston's John Loughran, who earns his spot by being the only other man in this division to consistently run 10K equivalent times under 40:00. Loughran didn't really face any competition head-to-head this period. He was also at his best when it counted, turning in his best time, a 1:26:45 at the Pomoco Half Marathon.

Just over one minute at the Anheuser Busch Colonial Half Marathon set up our fourth and fifth ranked runners this period. Emmons Welch beat Bob Chase to the line by 1:11, running the course in 1:29:53, and, as such, has secured the fourth slot, while Chase, who finished in 1:31:04 must settle for fifth.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Steve Frisk
2 Patrick Griffith Alexandria, VA
3 John Loughran Sandston, VA
4 Emmons Welch Batesville, VA
5 Bob Chase Falls Church, VA
6 John Haubert Alexandria, VA
7 Francisco Sanches Arlington, VA
8 Hans Moening Washington, DC
9 Bud Bettler Newark, DE
10 Bob Hartless Forest, VA
11 Walter Brown Gaithersburg, MD
12 Randy Wingfield Winchester, VA
13 Roger Kilgore Gaithersburg, MD

Men 60-64

Clear and away the men's 60-64 division this winter was won by Mel Williams, who is, without a doubt, the fastest man in this age group to hit the road. Of his six qualifying times, five represent 10K equivalents under 40:00, with his best race being a 1:22:48 at the Tidewater Striders Tune Up 20K. He also was ahead of anyone else ranked in this division by nearly four minutes at the Pomoco Half Marathon, where he had one of his slowest races, turning in a 1:28:40.

Columbia's John Elliot was the only other man in this division to run 10K equivalents under 40:00, with his best race being a 19:00 performance at the Carrabba's 5K. Though he didn't ever really face any tough age group competition this winter, we are awarding him the second slot simply for being faster than those ranked behind him.

Skip Mullaney of Charlottesville was behind Williams at the Pomoco race, and as a result we award the third place finish to him, as he also beat our fourth ranked runner, Bob Spearing, at this race. As this was arguably the biggest race of the season, it seems only fair that it count heavily in the rankings.

Our fifth ranked runner, Chan Robbins of Arlington, earns his slot by taking the division victory at the George Washington 10K Classic, and finishing second, behind Spearing, at the Turkey Trot Five Miler, where he had his fastest race in 33:53.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Mel Williams
2 John Elliott Columbia, MD
3 Skip Mullaney Charlottesville, VA
4 Bob Spearing Alexandria, VA
5 Chan Robbins Arlington, VA
6 Benito Vazquez Laurel, MD
7 John Essery Williamsburg, VA
8 Stephen Forman McLean, VA
9 Maynard Weyers Alexandria, VA
10 John Gluck Alexandria, VA
11 Gary Hicks Midlothian, VA
12 Ken Quincy Vienna, VA
13 J. Mike Pack Frederick, MD
14 Dave Hammond Mason Neck, VA

Men 65-69

Ten men in the men's 65-69 division collected rankings this winter, and they were, as has been the case for the last several periods, led by Sparks's George Yannakakis, who is not only fast but prolific. He had six qualifying times, and was unbeaten by anyone ranked below him. He owns four of the five fastest times run this winter, with his personal best being a 33:25 at the Celtic Solstice 5 Mile.

Larry Dickerson of Burke, the only other man in this division to manage a top five finish for the winter, earns himself the second slot on the basis of that race--a 22:34 at the Cranberry Crawl 5K.

At the Carderock 12K, Dickerson bested Robert Smith of Comus by a mere two seconds, firmly securing his place in second. While that was an impressive result for Smith, Smith lost to Richard Williams at the George Washington Birthday 10K. As a result, Smith, who had five qualifying times and was at his best at the Carderock race, was not quite as sharp at the George Washington Birthday 10K, where he was beaten out by Richard Williams by well over a minute, must settle for fourth, while Williams takes third. Williams was also on hand at the Pomoco Half Marathon, where he collected division honors.

Finally, Jack McMahon, in his last ranking period in this group, grabs the fifth slot, on the strength of a 38:28 finish at the Turkey Trot Five Miler, where he finished just over 30 seconds behind Williams.

Pl Name Hometown
1 George Yannakakis Sparks, MD
2 Larry Dickerson Burke, VA
3 Richard Williams Alexandria, VA
4 Robert Smith Comus, MD
5 Jack McMahon Rockville, MD
6 Chris Catoe Virginia Beach, VA
7 Stan Witomski
8 Mike Kelly Newport News, VA
9 Richard May Williamsburg, VA
10 Terrence McCarthy Leesburg, VA

Men 70-74

Only two gentlemen in this division earned the required two times to be awarded a ranking. Jack McMahon celebrated his 70th birthday by making sure he was on the start line three times after his birthday. His best race was a 49:40 at the George Washington Birthday Classic 10K, enough to secure a division win in these rankings.

Our second ranked runner in this division is Donald McCarten of Falls Church, who had an impressive six qualifying races. His best time was a 39:11 on the very fast course of the Turkey Trot 5 Miler. While this was the fastest race of the ranking period, all five of his other times were slower than the three run by McMahon; therefore, McCarten must settle for second place.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Jack McMahon Rockville, MD
2 Donald McCarten Falls Church, VA

Men 75 & Over

This division gets larger seemingly every ranking period, and this winter, an incredible seven men managed at least two qualifying times. Leading the way is Bethesda's Bill Osburn, with seven qualifying times, including a 43:03 to win the division over age group rivals Ray Blue and Dixon Hemphill at the Turkey Trot 5 Miler.

Blue, who makes his home in Oxon Hill, was behind Osburn at the Turkey Trot, and also had the next four fastest times run this winter, including a 27:09 at the Cranberry Crawl 5K. Had Osburn not beaten him the only time they faced off, he likely would have been division champion this winter.

Cokey Daman was the only man in this group not to square off against his peers this winter; however, his 10K equivalent average is such that he fits securely into the third slot. He ran 2:07:50 at the Pomoco Half Marathon, but his best race was a 27:51 at the Tidewater Striders Run for Independence 5K.

Dixon Hemphill and Walt Washburn battled it out at the Jingle Bell Run For Arthritis 8K, and Hemphill beat Washburn solidly, crossing the line more than three minutes ahead of his competitor. Therefore, Hemphill takes the fourth slot, and Washburn fifth. Washburn's best race, however, was a 58:36 at the Washington's Birthday Classic 10K.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Bill Osburn Bethesda, MD
2 Ray Blue Oxon Hill, MD
3 Cokey Daman Virginia Beach, VA
4 Dixon Hemphill Fairfax Station, VA
5 Walt Washburn Vienna, VA
6 Bob Atkins Winchester, VA
7 Robbie Cone Berryville, VA