Charlie Ban is the Editor-in-Chief of RunWashington, the runner's source for the DC area.
Loudoun Valley’s boys and girls team finished 10th at Nike Cross Nationals Dec. 7 in Portland, Ore. West Springfield’s Sean Stuck finished 104th in 16:19.
Running is typically a choice for Susanna Sullivan. It’s been her sport since she was at George Mason High School and her hobby even longer.
But as the October sunset started to overtake her in Maine’s Acadia National Park, the darkness forced her close to her race pace, or else she was going to be in trouble. She had finished up a hard run on the hilly dirt roads she is so fond of and stopped to report back to her coach, George Buckheit.
Sam Affolder was hurting in the third mile of Nike Cross Nationals last December.
After leading Loudoun Valley throughout the year in defense of its 2017 first-ever national title, things were looking grim for the senior. Most runners behind him saw him as a target to pass, but Carlos Shultz saw him and knew that’s where he needed to be.
Cherry Blossom lottery open through Dec. 12, running clinic Dec. 8, Maryland track coach named to 2020 Olympic staff, trail service opportunity in Prince George’s County.
Self-described age group: I’m 32 years old
Residence: Reston
I’ll add results to various D.C.-area turkey trots as I come across them. We also have some photos from Alexandria.
Maybe if he had gotten out of his own head earlier, all those races on the track would have been more fun for D.C.’s Nick Golebiowski.
Or maybe the oval, or the grass for that matter, was never the place for him. Either way, at 24, he knows what it can take others years to figure out — he’s a marathoner. If the love of the training hadn’t been clear enough, he got objective feedback when he ran his first marathon in 2:18:39 two weeks ago at Indianapolis’ Monumental Marathon, qualifying him for the Olympic Marathon Trials.
Outside of mammoth races like the Army Ten-Miler, Marine Corps Marathon and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, Thanksgiving is the busiest day of road racing in the D.C. area. Last years, 13 turkey trots totaled 21,214 finishers just in their timed divisions, to say nothing about fun runs, walks and tot trots, many of which these events sport.
This year at least 16 races will kick off around the D.C. area, with another one following a few days later.
Heritage High School alumna Weini Kelati, racing for New Mexico, won the NCAA Division I cross country championship Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. She ran 19:47 over 6k for a nearly 10-second margin of victory over Wisconsin’s Alicia Monson.
It had been a while since Bethany Graham had run down the long stretch that leads to the Virginia state meet finish line at Great Meadow. Three years in fact, since she had made it through a cross country season unscathed. In that time, John Champe high school grew to 6A from 4A, and when the senior finished first with a 34-second margin of victory over Ocean Lakes sophomore Aniya Mosley running 17:42, she nearly led the Knights to a team title in the state’s largest division.
Her own race held true to her formula all season – go out fast and hold on. Within seven minutes, she was alone.