Five days after having pacemaker surgery, DC Road Runners Club President Ben Richter was running the streets of Columbia at the Maryland-District of Columbia RRCA 10 Mile Club Challenge.

The Capitol Hill resident had been given some restrictions, but running wasn’t among them.

“They hadn’t told me not to, so let’s go out and test out the new equipment and see how the toys work,” said Richter, now 63.  

That was in 2019, after a trip to the doctor led to a same-day surgery to have the pacemaker put into his body.  

At the 2019 Road Runners Club of America Club Challenge, Richter decided to call it a day and head back to Howard Community College after a little more than four miles because of the bad weather.

But this year at the race, which was Feb. 23, he finished in a chip time of 1:49:25 — five seconds faster than his 2018 time on the hilly Club Challenge course.

When Richter’s doctor told him he needed a pacemaker, his reaction was “What?”

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The first time Tony Valenti got into a wheelchair meant to be pushed in races, he loved it so much that it took four people to get him out of the chair.

In October 2015, Valenti became the first rider in the National Capital Region ambassadorship of Ainsley’s Angels, a nonprofit group of volunteers that push those who can’t run in races. Valenti has cerebral palsy, a motor disability that prevents him from bearing weight on his legs, so can’t run races on his own. But with the help of a volunteer, Valenti gets to be part of two or three races a month, feeling the wind on his face as he tackles distances ranging from 5ks up to marathons.

“They have brought joy to my sons’ life like I’ve never seen. He is wide awake when it comes to racing. If it takes a few hours to get there, we’re going. … He loves it that much,” his mother Linda Valenti said, adding that she’s driven up to nine hours from her Lorton, Va., home so her son can participate in events from Ohio to Massachusetts.

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Diego Zarate was in Albuquerque for a job interview. 

He was hoping that, as one of 16 men who qualified for the mile at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, he could make something good happen and bolster his chances at signing a professional contract this spring after graduating from Virginia Tech, a few years after winning the Maryland 4A title in the 1,600 meters while a junior at Northwest. But he never got his chance to show what he could do in the mile and 1,500 meters after both the indoor and outdoor championships were cancelled in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Preliminary rounds were due to start a day later. 

“It was a shock,” Zarate said. “Everyone was there to be the best they could be. I’m wondering ‘could I have won? Could I have been an All-American?’

“I want to run professionally, but it’s going to be difficult figuring everything out,” Zarate said. “The way the seasons ended for a lot of sports, it’s going to be messy.” 

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At long last, data from the 2019 runner rankings is complete. You have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 19 to review your data and make sure the races you ran are reflected. If you see a discrepency, contact [email protected]. This is the only email address that will accept flagged discrepencies.

These races were ranked

These are the preliminary rankings

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The Ashburn Area Running Club’s Loudoun Half Races, presented by Inova Heart and Vascular Institute — Schaufeld Family Heart Center, invites you to join us for the seventh running of the LoCo 8k, LoCo Mile Fun Run on Saturday, April 18 and the LoCo Half, with the Kids’ HEP Sunday, April 19.

The LoCo Challenge is an opportunity to run both the 8k and the Half Marathon, and earn three medals and the right to be called LoCo!

The race schedule:

Saturday, April 18

8 a.m. 8k (4.98 miles)
8:05 a.m. LoCo Mile Fun Run
Broad Run High School, 21670 Ashburn Road, Ashburn

Sunday, April 19

7 a.m. Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
8 a.m. Kids’ HEP (Kids ages 8 and under will run through five track & field events and earn a medal! Event is FREE and held on the infield at the stadium of the high school)
Race and Kids’ HEP start and end at Broad Run High School, 21670 Ashburn Road, Ashburn.

Commemorative race shirts guaranteed to all those registered by April 10! Finishers of the 8k and Half Marathon will receive a finishers’ medal when crossing the finish line. LoCo Challenge runners will receive their additional LoCo Challenge medal at the finish line of the half marathon.

Awards to top two overall male and female as well as the top two male and female in each ten year age category. Teams are welcome for the 8k and Half Marathon races.

Water stops along the race course and finish line of each race are lined with Loudoun County Public School High School track & field/cross country team students, who receive a portion of the race proceeds.

Since 2013, the Loudoun Half Races has donated over $100,000 to Track & Field and Cross Country school programs in Loudoun County.

Use promo code RW2020 for $5 off your adult registration now through March 31!

Visit www.LoudounHalf.org to register and for all race details!

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All over the world, the starting guns are standing down, high fives from the sidelines are falling silent and at the very least, water cups at aid stations are giving way to bottles. And now it’s happening here.

The spread of COVID-19 is forcing race directors to evaluate the risks associated with holding recreational events could serve to transmit the coronavirus, particualarly as local governments issue advisories aimed at limiting exposure.

On March 11, Pacers Running canceled its Fairfax Four Miler (March 14) and St. Pat’s 5k/10k (March 15) and the Anne Arunel County Department of Health cancelled the B&A Marathon (March 15). The Rock ‘n’ Roll D.C. Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k (March 28) and Scope it Out 5k (March 29) lost their D.C. permits after the mayor’s office declared a public recommended against gatherings of 1,000 or more people. The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile announced March 12 it planned to stick to the April 5 race date but is allowing more deferrals through March 19. The Lucky Leprechaun 5k has postpoed until June 14.

Earlier that day, the D.C. Health Department recommended that “nonessential mass gatherings” of 1,000 or more people  “congregate in a specific location” be cancelled or postponed, through March 31.

Cherry Blossom falls on April 5, outside of the D.C. recommendation range, and draws an international crowd. Race Director Phil Stewart said he was taking guidance from public health and municipal officials, “all of whom at this point are advising that events should go forward with participants taking extra precautions including things like frequent hand washing and simply not showing up if they don’t feel well,” he said. “We have ordered extra hand washing stations for the staging area. Initially, for sustainability considerations, we were going to serve our post-race water in cups for the first time in many years, but due to COVID-19 concerns we will be reverting to serving it in 16.9 ounce bottles once again.” 

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Cross country at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology wasn’t a glamorous sport, but Jonathan Phillips didn’t care. 

“Basically it’s a bunch of nerds doing the nerdiest sport,” he said. “I loved it, that’s what kept me on the team.”

His journey to 40th place at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials started in places like Mason District Park, where the Colonials would perform their team rituals, which are best left vague for the uninitiated, or shirtless snowball fights on cold days.

“There was a team culture that really drew me in,” Phillips said. “We were pretty good at running, and it was a sport that takes focus. 

“When I started running, there were a bunch of guys in the next grade and they really reached out to welcome us. A lot of those guys came down to Atlanta for the Trials.”

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