With spring and its beautiful cherry blossoms and climbing temperatures, Washington comes alive as a premier race destination. It is during this ranking period that many of the best races of the year in the Washington, DC area take place. Locals of all ages and ability levels try to keep up with (or watch in awe) national and international caliber runners as they gather here for big races such as the Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom Ten Miler and Sallie Mae 10K. And for those in the southern reaches of our region, the Shamrock Sportsfest, with its Open and Masters 8K races, plus a first-rate marathon, draws many big names. And, this was a beautiful spring--and these rankings certainly demonstrate that, as the best of the best came to the line, and when the gun went off, it was a race for the finish . . . .

How to Get Ranked

But first, for those not familiar with our Runner Rankings, here is a little information on how to go about getting ranked. First, one must meet the qualifying time twice in at least two included races in a given ranking period. A great many factors go into compiling these rankings--head-to-head competition, average times, number of races included, and performance at big races. We also took into account the number of qualifying times posted, as well as, in some cases, the variety of race distances tackled.

In order for a race to be included in the rankings, the race must have:

1. Full race results available on the Web, or submitted to the Washington Running Report.
2. Been run in Virginia, Washington, DC, or Maryland. At this time, there are too many races for us to consider races outside this area.
3. Include runners' name, gender, age, and time. We prefer the results to also include hometown and placement information.
4. At least 100 participants.

Here are the qualifying times for the different divisions:

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

Also, if you want to be ranked and find yourself running races out of the area, or for some reason feel you aren't getting proper consideration, please drop a line to the Washington Running Report via e-mail to the Editor: kathy@runwashington.com.

Races Used in the Spring Ranking Period:

Ambulance Chase 5K
Annapolis Striders Cherry Pit 10 Miler
Apple Blossom 10K
Arlington YMCA Mother's Day 10K
Azalea Festival 8K
Berryville Barn Again 5K
Billy Korrow 5K Memorial Run
Bita's Run 5K
Boulder Dash 5K
Cabin John Cross Country 5K
Capitol Hill Classic 10K
Cassidy & Pinkard Brain Tumor 5K Run/Walk
Charlottesville Ten Miler
Clarendon-Gold's Gym run for Kids 5K
Clyde's 10K
Cougar 5K
DC Rape Crisis Center Challenge 5K
Digital Harbor Dash 5K
Elizabeth River Run 10K
ETRADE BANK & Bright Beginnings 5K
Footsteps of Reston 10 Miler
For Healthy Play 2001 10K/5K
Garrett's 5K
George Washington Parkway Classic 15K/5K
Go for the Gold 5K
Governor's Bay Bridge Run 10K
Henrico 5K
Martha Jefferson 8K
Maryland Day 5K
May Day 5K
Metro Run and Walk 5K
Microsoft-USO Defenders 10 Miler
Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
NSHS Scholarship 5K
O'Doul's Shamrock 5K
Parklawn Classic 5 Mile
Patriot's Cup Corporate Challenge 8K
Piece of Cake 10K
Pike's Peek 10K
Pikesville 8K
Port To Fort 4 Mile Run
Raccoon Run 5K
Reach Out And Run 5K
Red Mill Elementary 5K
Richmond Race for the Cure 5K
Run for the Heart 10K
Run for Wetlands 5K
Run for Your Life 8K
Run vs. Row 10K
Run with Mom 5K
Sallie Mae 10K
Sally Nyborg Loop for Lupus 5K
Sandburg Pantherlon 5K
Shamrock 5K
Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
Shamrock Sportsfest Masters 8K/Open 8K
Signs of Spring 5K
Silver Spring 5K
Springburst 8K
St Patrick's Day 10K
TAC 5K
Tom Bashara Memorial Scholarship 5K
Tren Construction John Robbins Organ Donor 8K
Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K
Victim's Fund Run 5K
Vinton Baptist Church Dogwood 5K
Virginia Western 5K
Walter Johnson High School 10K
Westfield 5K