Open Men

The men's open division this spring was a showcase of the best talent DC has to offer. With a number of big races during this ranking period, all the best were ready to strut their stuff. In order to earn a top three ranking in this division, one must be capable of a sub 30-minute 10K--not a challenge to be taken lightly.

The best male runner and our champion this spring was Washington's Christopher Graf, who posted a top ten overall, and was the top local finisher, in 47:19, at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Graf's second race was a second place finish at the Microsoft-USO Defenders Ten Miler in 48:21.

The rest of the top five in this division were simply set up at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Philippe Rolly, Jeff Leuenberger, Erik Kean, and Edmund Burke, in that order, crossed the finish line in a span of just over a minute. Rolly ran in, in 22nd place, in 49:41. Seven seconds later, Leuenberger followed in 23rd place. Eleven seconds behind Leuenberger was Kean, in 25th place. Burke, in 50:28, finished 27th. Rolly also did well at the St. Patrick's Day 10K, where he finished first in 30:48, just 13 seconds ahead of second place finisher Edmund Burke. Erik Kean, in this case, was just behind Burke, finishing in 31:14. Leuenberger was second at Pike's Peek in 30:52, for his second fastest performance.

All in all, the men in the open division are just plain fast. The difference between second and fifth this spring was minute, and one could have argued for different placement; however, as Cherry Blossom was the playing field on which the most dominant forces assembled, we went with the order these top men finished there.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Christopher Graff Washington, DC
2 Philippe Rolly Arlington, VA
3 Jeffrey Leuenberger Annapolis, MD
4 Erik Kean Washington, DC
5 Edmund Burke Burtonsville, MD
6 Nick Gramsky Baltimore, MD
7 Mark Gilmore Columbia, MD
8 Glen Mays Washington, DC
9 Brian Rosenberg Ellicott City, MD
10 Rick Rountree Springfield, VA
11 Michael Harrison Virginia Beach, VA
12 Aaron Price Kensington, MD
13 Eric Desautels Arlington, VA
14 Jason Van Horn Dumfries, VA
15 Craig Morrell Baltimore, MD
16 Eric Estrada Parkville, MD
17 Youssef Ennaciri
18 Dan Courtney Owings Mills, MD
19 Rob Magin Gaithersburg, MD
20 Lindsey Steele Bethesda, MD
21 Steve Crowder Fincastle, VA
22 Matthew Illian
23 David Mead Bethesda, MD
24 Alex Clayton Virginia Beach, VA
25 Robert Walker Silver Spring, MD
26 Pascal Brazey Washington, DC
27 Jared Prunty Cross Junction, VA
28 Mondo Tijerina Quantico, VA
29 Philippe Kozub Bethesda, MD
30 Jason Wall Christiansburg, VA
31 Tyler Newcomer Hagerstown, MD
32 David McCombs Jacksonville, FL
33 Ed Holloway Woodbridge, VA
34 Eric Zander Arlington, VA
35 Danny Tepovich Virginia Beach, VA
36 Mark Wilcox Alexandria, VA
37 Todd Martin Fairfax, VA
38 Matt Boyd Fredericksburg, VA

Men 35-39

The men's submasters division is always one of the smaller ones. This spring, only 28 men earned rankings in this division. Leading the pack is Columbia's Chris Chattin, who is the undisputed champion for this period. Chattin had the two fastest time run this spring--a 52:10 at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler (33rd place) and a fifth place finish in 31:23 at the Pike's Peek 10K. Chattin was also second overall at Clyde's 10K in 32:43.

Swoope, Virginia's Danny Fink is a newcomer to these rankings, but he had a great spring, posting a top ten finish at the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, and a seventh overall finish in 31:46 at the Pike's Peek 10K. As a result, he has earned the runner-up slot in this division.

Third place in the division belongs to Winchester's Mark Stickley, who had his best performance at the Apple Blossom 10K in 32:16, good enough for fourth place overall. Stickley also ran the Shamrock Marathon in 2:39:12, good enough for eighth place. Curt Rogers had his chance to shine at the Shamrock Open 8K, where he finished 38th in 26:48. Rogers, who hails all the way from Kansas, was also in town for the Walter Johnson High School 10K, where he claimed overall victory in 33:24.

Finally, grabbing the last slot in the top five is Ted Poulos in his last ranking period in this division. Poulos is awarded this ranking on the strength of his top 50 finish, in 55:25, at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Chris Chattin Columbia, MD
2 Danny Fink Swoope, VA
3 Mark Stickley Winchester, VA
4 Curt Rogers Derby, KS
5 Ted Poulos McLean, VA
6 Dai Roberts Virginia Beach, VA
7 Rodney Timpson Pikesville, MD
8 Antonio DeBarros Ft. Washington, MD
9 Mark Hoon Kensington, MD
10 Dale Irons
11 Dave Coulter Virginia Beach, VA
12 John Adams Virginia Beach, VA
13 John Dill Norfolk, VA
14 Douglas McConnell Chesapeake, VA
15 Charles Powell Baltimore, MD
16 Tim Marshall Winchester, VA
17 Wes Kessenich Ruckersville, MD
18 Steve Jaeger Alexandria, VA
19 Hector Montesino Silver Spring, MD
20 Neville Anderson Baltimore, MD
21 Derik Thomas Alexandria, VA
22 Daniel List Midlothian, VA
23 Gregory West Ruther Glen, VA
24 Sean Killeen 25 Rob Sichau Dumfries, VA
26 Bryan Mordecai Virginia Beach, VA
27 Daniel Edwards Midlothian, VA
28 Jay Sweet Scaggsville, MD

Men 40-44

It is to the Washington area's credit that we have the caliber of races to support national level runners consistently coming to the area to race. Douglasville, Georgia's John Tuttle, one of the premier masters runners in the country, was in town often enough to earn four qualifying times; therefore, it seems only fair that he earn a ranking. He ran an absolutely amazing 50:16 at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, for his best race of the season. Tuttle was also fourth at Sallie Mae, third at the Shamrock Masters 8K, and fourth at the GW Parkway Classic 15K. In addition, all of his races were under 31:00 10K equivalents.

Our second runner in this group also had to travel to get to races. Chris Fox of Shepherdstown, WV came on the scene twice, and posted two of the three fastest times this spring, after Tuttle. Fox's best race was a 25:09, top five, finish at the Shamrock Masters 8K. He also finished fifth overall at the Apple Blossom 10K.

Finally, we find a DC area resident in these rankings firmly secured in the third slot, Lanham's Jim Hage, whose best race was an eighth place finish at the Sallie Mae 10K, in 32:18. Hage was also on hand at the St. Patrick's Day 10K, finishing 12th in 32:18 and sixth at the GW Parkway race, in 50:30.

Dave Berardi crossed the line less than 30 seconds behind Hage at the Sallie Mae 10K, and earned the fourth place ranking. Berardi also had a top 15 finish at the O'Doul's Shamrock 5K, a 20:50 finish at the Port to Fort Four Miler, and a seventh place finish at the GW Parkway Classic. For this, he earns the fourth ranking for the spring.

Finally, rounding out the top five is Centreville's Kirk Baird, who earns his place primarily because of his top ten finish at the Sallie Mae 10K, where he ran 32:53, and his eighth place finish, just behind Berardi, at the GW Parkway Classic.

Pl Name Hometown
1 John Tuttle Douglasville, GA
2 Chris Fox Shepherdstown, WV
3 Jim Hage Lanham, MD
4 Dave Berardi Baltimore, MD
5 Kirk Baird Centreville, MD
6 Dai Roberts Virginia Beach, VA
7 Joe Abernethy Berwyn, MD
8 Mark Malander Herndon, VA
9 Doug Kuderna Odenton, MD
10 JJ Donovan Stafford, VA
11 Dennis Coleman Gaithersburg, MD
12 Terry McLaughlin Spotsylvania, VA
13 Ian Hebden Bethesda, MD
14 Brian Grzelak Reston, VA
15 Peter Kirk Rockville, MD
16 Michael Sterling Baltimore, MD
17 Dave McDonald Norfolk, VA
18 Russell Bowles Richmond, VA
19 Craig Ruetzel Virginia Beach, VA
20 Larry Ormerod Elizabeth City, NC
21 Marty Horan Gaithersburg, MD
22 Jimmy Price Stafford, VA
23 Steven Berry Ashburn, VA
24 George Buckheit Reston, VA
25 Bret Schmidt Woodbridge, VA
26 Mark Rosasco Arnold, MD
27 Paul Hough Arlington, VA
28 Scott Alexander Richmond, VA
29 Jeff Mello Washington, DC
30 Steve Dietz Springfield, VA
31 Tom Christian Baltimore, MD
32 Layne Party Towson, MD
33 Andrew Smythe Falls Church, VA
34 Rob Levinsky Virginia Beach, VA
35 Jay Erickson Kensington, MD
36 Elias Tinta Rockville, MD
37 Steve Moyer Reston, VA
38 Ray McDaniels Virginia Beach, VA
39 Oscar Longoria Virginia Beach, VA
40 Russ Hoyer Voohesville, VA
41 Andre Kiebuzinski Bethesda, MD
42 Randy Garbee Fredericksburg, VA

Men 45-49

Chevy Chase's Jim Whitnah is king of the 45-49 division this spring, a title he earned with a top 15 finish at Pike's Peek and a 55:45 showing at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Whitnah also finished second overall at the Brain Tumor 5K (see our cover) and seventh at the DC Rape Crisis Center 5K.

Thirty seconds behind Whitnah at Cherry Blossom was Gaithersburg's Dan Lawson. Lawson, however, had his best race at the Shamrock Sportsfest Masters 8K, where he finished seventh in 26:35. If that was not enough to guarantee the second slot, at the Sallie Mae 10K he raced across the line in 33:56, to beat out tough age group competition from Chuck Moeser, third ranked runner this spring. Moeser, who played runner up to Lawson at Sallie Mae, actually had his best race at the St. Patrick's Day 10K, where he finished in the top twenty, in 33:36.

David Webster and Develand Campbell did battle at both the Cherry Blossom and Sallie Mae 10K. The first time around, Webster won out, at the Cherry Blossom. A few weeks later, Campbell exacted his revenge at the Sallie Mae 10K, where he came out on top. In the end, we decided that, of the four times, Webster ran the fastest time--a 58:16 at Cherry Blossom, so he gets fourth, and Campbell must settle for fifth.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Jim Whitnah Chevy Chase, MD
2 Dan Lawson Gaithersburg, MD
3 Chuck Moeser Sterling, VA
4 David Webster Stevensville, MD
5 Develand Campbell Lusby, MD
6 James Bates Hopewell, VA
7 Dave Kannewurf Mechanicsville, VA
8 Ronnie Knepper Waynesboro, PA
9 Jim Goggin Williamsburg, VA
10 Jeffrey Stone Salem, VA
11 Roberto Rodriguez Arlington, VA
12 Scott Eden Annapolis, MD
13 Rudolph Pekarek Kinsale, VA
14 Michael Fuller Chesapeake, VA
15 Gary Preshun Burke, VA
16 Bill Moore Baltimore, MD
17 Paul Serra Lusby, MD
18 Greg Ruckert Stevensville, MD
19 Alan Pemberton Silver Spring, MD
20 Courtland Howard Windsor, PA
21 Roland Rust Bethesda, MD
22 Neil Riemenschneider Winchester, VA
23 Scott Winston Rockville, MD
24 Lionel Scatliffe Alexandria, VA
25 Bob Burns Columbia, MD
26 Douglas Dunlop Potomac, MD
27 Joe Thoren Washington, DC
28 Roger Claussen Woodbridge, VA
29 Jim Adams Towson, MD
30 Art Kron Alexandria, VA
31 James Moreland Gaithersburg, MD
32 Steven Lerner Glen Allen, VA
33 Les Wynn Roanoke, VA
34 Gregory Price Washington, DC
35 Zeb Harding Mitchellville, MD
36 Dan Eddy Kingstowne, VA
37 Kevin Kolakowski Stafford, VA
38 John Price Virginia Beach, VA
39 Jim Brewer Coraopolis, PA
40 Al Rude Sparks, MD

Men 50-54

Congratulations to Rick Platt of Williamsburg for his successful assault on the top ranking in the 50-54 division. Despite not having the fastest time run this spring, he earned his ranking the hard way--in head-to-head competition. Platt beat second ranked Mick Slonaker not once, but twice. In March, at the Shamrock Masters 8K, Platt sped across the line a minute ahead of Slonaker. And, to prove it was no fluke, at the Sallie Mae 10K, Platt's best race of the spring, he was more than two minutes ahead of Slonaker. Slonaker, therefore, must settle for runner-up this spring, a spot he earns on the strength of his 57:28 performance at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler--the best time run by any man ranked in this group.

Third place in the rankings belongs to Paul Ryan, who had the third fastest time this spring at the Pike's Peek 10K, where he finished in 35:13. Ryan had a number of other impressive performances, including a top ten finish at the DC Rape Crisis Center 5K in 16:57 and a 58:50 finish at the Defenders Ten Miler. At Pike's Peek, David Lowe of Chevy Chase was just over a minute behind Ryan, and that, coupled with his 1:00:24 showing at the Cherry Blossom, was enough to guarantee him the fourth slot in the rankings.

Princess Anne's Reuben Beauchamp, who had his best race at the Elizabeth River Run, a 36:39, earns the fifth place ranking. Beauchamp was also on hand at the Shamrock Marathon, where he ran 2:57:30.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Rick Platt Williamsburg, VA
2 Mick Slonaker Columbia, MD
3 Paul Ryan Arlington, VA
4 David Lowe Chevy Chase, MD
5 Reuben Beauchamp Princess Anne, MD
6 Jay Wind Arlington, VA
7 Timothy Morgan Damascus, MD
8 Bill Guerrant Charlottesville, VA
9 Ken Shipp Great Falls, VA
10 Gary Adkins Salem, VA
11 Lonnie Richmond Parkville, MD
12 Bob Oberti Hughesville, MD
13 Ronnie Wong Baltimore, MD
14 William Scott Glenarden, MD
15 Bill Senseney Charles, MD
16 Joe Brannan Lusby, MD
17 Eric Peltosalo Annapolis, MD
18 Jean Pierre-Bacle
19 Rick Kelsey Bethesda, MD
20 Wilson Truehart Baltimore, MD
21 Harry Wiggins Lake Ridge, VA
22 Kevin Breen Fredericksburg, VA
23 William Harman Atlanta, GA
24 Peter Lunt Alexandria, VA
25 James Mort Burke, VA
26 Gary Chidester Woodbridge, VA
27 Patrick Greary Manchester, VA
28 Dave Schurz Waynesboro, VA
29 Larry Collier Montclair, VA
30 William Knowlton Burke, VA
31 James Wetherington Hampton, VA

Men 55-59

Making a decision about the victor in this age division was very difficult. It would have been quite simple, had Piriya Pinit not literally come out of nowhere to beat Patrick Griffith at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, 1:02:17 to 1:02:28. However, Griffith owns six of the top seven times this spring, including the top four at his best four races. As a matter of fact, Griffith had six qualifying times faster than Pinit's next fastest time after the Cherry Blossom race. As a result, with some reservations, we've awarded the top slot to Griffith--with big kudos to Pinit for a well-mounted challenge. Pinit, of course, earns the runner- up slot, and we certainly hope to see more battles like this in the future.

Third place belongs to John Kirkpatrick, who turned in two very consistent performances--a 1:03:21 at the Cherry Pit Ten Miler, and a 38:08 at the Governor's Bay Bridge 10K. Steve Frisk is next in line according to the clock, with his best race being an 18:19 at the Go for the Gold 5K, and a 30:10 at the Shamrock Sportsfest Masters 8K. A 1:04:56 at the Charlottesville Ten Miler was enough to earn Daniel Murray the final slot in the top five of this age division, which, other than the race between Griffith and Pinit, didn't involve a great deal of head-to-head competition.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Patrick Griffith Alexandria, VA
2 Piriya Pinit Catonsville, MD
3 John Kirkpatrick
4 Steve Frisk Virginia Beach, VA
5 Daniel Murray Keswick, MD
6 Ben Dyer Colonial Heights, VA
7 Ed Lecates York, PA
8 John Haubert Alexandria, VA
9 Ben Kent-Payne
10 John Loughran Sandston, VA
11 John Sherburne Fairfax, VA
12 Michael Golash Washington, DC
13 Walter Brown Montgomery Village, MD
14 Jim Noone Fairfax, VA
15 Joel Feldman Virginia Beach, VA
16 Ray Kitchen Martinsburg, WV
17 Roger Kilgore Gaithersburg, MD
18 Dennis Manske Hampton, VA
19 Randy Wingfield Winchester, VA
20 Chuck Raper Rockville, MD
21 Lance Lewis Roanoke, VA
22 Sammy Merrill Fredericksburg, VA

Men 60-64

Competition was very tight in the men's 60-64 age division for the first place ranking. John Elliott of Columbia and Mel Williams of Norfolk never met head to head this spring, so it was a battle of the clock to decide who got the top ranking. These are the only two men this age who are still capable of running sub-40:00 10Ks. In the end, Elliott comes up number one, as he owns the fastest time by a ranked runner in this group--a 37:42 at Pike's Peek 10K. Elliot was also tops among the ranked men at Cherry Blossom, running 1:04:08 to finish inside the top 200 overall. Mel Williams, to his credit, had his best race at the Shamrock Marathon--a 2:56:53, and was also on hand at the Elizabeth River Run and the Go For the Gold 5K.

Bob Spearing of Alexandria has collected the third slot with three very strong performances at big area races. His best was a 40:39 (1:31 behind Elliott) at the St. Patrick's Day 10K; however, he also took the age group at the Run vs. Row in 40:43 and ran 1:08:04 at Cherry Blossom.

Robert Wright was just over a minute behind Williams at the Elizabeth River Run, and, on the strength of that performance, slides into the fourth slot. The Hampton resident also ran a 3:16:47 Shamrock Marathon. Cal Fowler of Keswick charged up the hills at the Charlottesville Ten Miler, and cleared the course in 1:08:31, a performance good enough to warrant awarding him the last of the top five places in this division.

Pl Name Hometown
1 John Elliott Columbia, MD
2 Mel Williams Norfolk, VA
3 Bob Spearing Alexandria, VA
4 Robert Wright Hampton, VA
5 Cal Fowler Keswick, MD
6 Art Morey Columbia, MD
7 Antonio Panizza Reston, VA
8 Ray Meyers Blacksburg, VA
9 Stan Neumann Timonium, MD
10 Malcolm O'Hagan Chevy Chase, MD
11 Stephen Forman McLean, VA
12 John Pitarra Parkville, MD
13 Tom Willging Washington, DC
14 John Gluck Alexandria, VA
15 Talbot Mack Middleburg, VA
16 Benito Vasquez Laurel, MD
17 Leonard Morgan Belcamp, MD
18 Jim Shue Richmond, VA
19 Dick Peacock Richmond, VA
20 Ed Brinkley Virginia Beach, VA
21 Leon Sample Alexandria, VA
22 John Munday Chesapeake, VA
23 Bob Leaberry Gambrills, MD
24 Mike Baziz Baltimore, MD
25 Bill Elzinga
26 Walt Rockey Jefferson, MD
27 Charles Ross Virginia Beach, VA
28 Gary Hicks
29 Mike Pack Frederick, MD
30 Allan Degen Gaithersburg, MD
31 Chet Coates Silver Spring, MD
32 Fred Carson Kensington, MD
33 Wally Goode Shipman, VA
34 Joe Coffey
35 Milton Swann Baltimore, MD
36 Jim Worthington Alexandria, VA

Men 65-69

Kitty Hawk's Tom Ray headed north three times this spring to collect the top ranking in this division. Ray had the three fastest times run by any man ranked in this group during the ranking period. And, he was at his best for the big show, running 1:09:15 at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Ray also ran 42:45 at the Elizabeth River Run and 34:00 at the Shamrock Sportsfest Masters 8K.

The battle in this division was between Alexandria's Richard Williams and Sparks' George Yannakakis. The men ran head to head twice, with each man coming out on top once. In the end, we awarded second place to Williams, because he won at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, arguably the largest and most important race of the ranking period, coming across the line in 1:14:42, to Yannakakis' 1:14:55. Yannakakis, to his credit, made it across the line ahead of Williams at the Pike's Peek 10K, where he finished in 43:33 to Williams's 43:55.

Fourth in the division has been awarded to Winchester's Burr Grim, for his outstanding performances at two smaller races. Grim ran 21:08 at the TAC 5K for the sixth fastest time run this ranking period. Finally, sneaking into the final slot in the top five is Alan Rider, who earned his slot by beating age group rival Larry Dickerson at the Footsteps of Reston Ten Miler, where he ran 1:19:23. Rider's best race of the spring, however, was a 36:48 showing at the Shamrock Sportsfest Masters 8K.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Tom Ray Kitty Hawk, NC
2 Richard Williams Alexandria, VA
3 George Yannakakis Sparks, MD
4 Burr Grim Winchester, VA
5 Alan Rider Reston, VA
6 Larry Dickerson Burke, VA
7 Jack Schmid Charlottesville, VA
8 Robert Smith Comus, MD
9 Stanley Witomski Hanover, MD
10 Chris Catoe Virginia Beach, VA
11 Armand Zambardi Charlottesville, VA
12 Denis Dirscherl Williamsport, VA
13 Terence McCarthy Leesburg, VA
14 Thomas Kurihara Arlington, VA

Men 70-74

Rockville's Nianxiang Xie is consistently the fastest man over 70 in the Washington area. He was at it again this spring, running to a divisional victory at Pike's Peek in 46:15, and turning in a 1:18:36 performance at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler.

At Pike's Peek, fellow Rockville runner Jack McMahon was less than a minute behind Xie, and earns second place this spring. In addition, McMahon bested Falls Church's Don McCarten at the St. Patrick's Day 10K, 48:22 to 48:35. McCarten, therefore, earns the third place ranking, and also deserves a special note for being the group's most prolific runner, posting six qualifying times. Besides finishing behind McMahon at the St. Patrick's Day race, his fastest of the year, he was behind Xie at the Cherry Blossom, where he ran 1:22:28.

Peter Hui, who was behind McCarten at both the St. Patrick's Day and Cherry Blossom races, earns the fourth slot, on the strength of those performances. Finally, Donald Butler, who had his best race at the Port to Fort Four Miler, crossing the line in 33:52, grabs the final slot in the top five, and Donald Taylor, whose best race was a 1:31:02 at the Microsoft-USO Defenders Ten Miler, must settle for sixth.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Nianxiang Xie Rockville, MD
2 Jack McMahon Rockville, MD
3 Donald McCarten Falls Church, VA
4 Peter Hui Wheaton, MD
5 Donald Butler Baltimore, MD
6 Donald Taylor Hagerstown, MD

Men 75 & Over

An incredible seven men over the age of 75 earned at least two qualifying times this spring. Three of those men earned eight or more qualifying times. Leading the charge was Paul Lackey, who ran only twice. However, he was the fastest man in the age group both times, posting divisional victories at the Pike's Peek 10K and the St. Patrick's Day 10K.

Our second ranked runner is Oxon Hill's Ray Blue, who also posted some age group victories over local competition, including besting Walt Washburn three times. Blue's best of eight races was a 27:07 at the DC Rape Crisis Center Challenge 5K.

Third and fourth places were, as always, hotly contested between Bill Osburn, with eight qualifying times, and Walt Washburn, with twelve. In the end, Bill Osburn won two of their three head- to-head meetings, so he gets the third place ranking, and Washburn is fouth. Osburn's best race was a 53:54 at Pike's Peek, where he was behind only Lackey. Washburn had his moment in the sun at the Arlington YMCA Mother's Day 10K, where he ran 53:37 to take the division.

Finally, rounding out the top five in this group is Bethesda's Dixon Hemphill, who ran Pike's Peek in 56:18, for his best race of the spring.

Pl Name Hometown
1 Paul Lackey Arlington, VA
2 Ray Blue Oxon Hill, MD
3 Bill Osburn Bethesda, MD
4 Walt Washburn Vienna, VA
5 Dixon Hemphill Fairfax Station, VA
6 Bob Atkins Winchester, VA
7 Albert Boone Baltimore, MD