Chris Morgan, executive chef at Compass Rose and Maydan, shares his professional path, seasoned with a dash of running along the way.
- Jim Vandak, race director for the Army Ten-Miler for the past 22 years, will retire at the end of May. During his tenure, the race has sported among the 15 most finishers in the United States and topped the D.C. area’s races.
- General registration for the Army Ten-Miler opens at 7 a.m. Wednesday, May 15.
- Four D.C.-area trails will form the eastern end of a continuous trail network that will reach Seattle, the Rails to Trails Conservancy announced. The National Mall, Rock Creek Trail, Capital Crescent Trail and C&O Canal Towpath will take the trail from the U.S. Capitol out to Cumberland, Md. and beyond.
- The D.C. Road Runners Track Championship will serve as the championship of the Eastern Track League, which comprises the District Track Club, the Hoka One One New Jersey-New York Track Club, the Atlanta Track Club, Furman Elite and the Nashville Track Club. The league formed to give elite runners in the eastern United States competitive opportunities in advance of the national championships in July.
- The Maryland State Private Schools Cross Country Championships, Nov. 9, will move to Georgetown Prep.
- Three runners with local connections qualified for the IAAF Outdoor World Championships in the 5,000 meters at the Peyton Jordan Invitational. Loudoun Valley alumnus Drew Hunter ran 13:21.18, Lee alumnus Josef Tessema ran 13:22.28 and Georgetown alumna Rachel Schneider ran 15:21.44.
- A bevy of local distance runners won NCAA Division I conference championships this outdoor track season:
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Trail racing doesn’t always mean running an ultramarathon.
In addition to various shorter races, DC-area trail runners can look to timed races to run as little — or as much — as they want.
Timed races are a great alternative to traditional set-distance events because the format means your finish line is where ever you want it. Runners have a set amount of time to complete as many — generally short — loops as possible; who ever runs the farthest is the winner, but everyone is a finisher.
Name: Kristen Serafin
Self-described age group: 30-34
Residence: Gaithersburg, MD
Occupation: Associate Director in Market Regulation Technology at FINRA
Volunteer roles in the running world: I was recently elected as a Board Member At-Large for Montgomery County Road Runners. I also volunteer as the assistant director and pace coach for MCRRC’s Summer Half Marathon Training Program. You’ll often see me at MCRRC’s low key races, volunteering for everything from course marshaling to parking.
Why you run: I find that no matter how I’m feeling, running is always there for me. I can run alone or with friends, on trails or road, fast or slow. The reliability of this sport and a love of being outside motivates me to get out the door.
When did you get started running: In the spring of 2014 I was rushed to the emergency room with pneumonia so bad that I was initially tested for a pulmonary embolism. After years of repeatedly getting pneumonia and bronchitis I was finally diagnosed with severe asthma and GERD. My pulmonologist put me on six different medications and asked me to build up my lung strength through running or swimming. I picked running because I figured that if you stop swimming, you drown, but if you stop running, you just walk. The first day I was well enough to run I made it two blocks, sat down on the sidewalk in Pentworth, and cried. I was wheezing and had to take my emergency inhaler. After a few minutes I decided that the next day I would try to run three blocks. Eventually I worked my way up to a 3 mile loop, and decided on a whim to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon.
Jay Ohare and Dave Wittlinger from Venga CBD explain what the extract offers for endurance athletes.
Sean and Ryan Leahy love going the miles together. The 25-year-old Alexandria brothers have been running together since high school, but are now upping their mileage out on the trails.
The Leahys both ran at Slippery Rock University, north of Pittsburgh. Sean ran for three years, his main event being the 400-meter hurdles. Ryan ran for only a year and a half, his main events being the 400 and 800.
“After that year and a half, my sister got me into the ultra community in western Pennsylvania,” Ryan said. Intrigued by the longer distances out on the trails, Ryan decided to give it a shot. From there, he put the 400 and 800 behind him.
He ran his first ultra, a 50K, during his sophomore year in college.
“I had no clue what I was getting myself into,” Ryan said. “My sister said, ‘There is this race by my house. It’s a 50K. You should do it.’ I think being naïve helped me out because I had nothing to compare it against. No expectations allowed me to enjoy the experience and get the most of out of it that I could.”
Name: Dave Beltz
Self-described age group: 50
Residence: Arlington, Va.
Occupation: Federal Government Manager
Why you run: I run because I love it. It is a great stress reliever, easy to do almost any time of year, and if you don’t enter races, a cheap form of exercise. I also really like the running community – at races, online, and just out on the local running trails. We’re all in it together, and I like that feeling.
Texas Tech alumnus Jesse Williams, from Sound Running, talks about his training programs but was mainly invited so Farley could gloat about the NCAA basketball championship game.
