She already went through the trouble of doing the training. Coming to the meet. Warming up.
As long as she’s there, Elise Abbe might as well run really, really hard.
It took her the better part of three cross country seasons, but she figured out that putting herself out there in a race wasn’t going to kill her.
“A lot of people are scared to race, that it’s going to hurt,” she said. “I go into my races excited that I have a chance to push myself, so I want to find out how fast I can go.”
- Keira D’Amato, an alumna of Oakton High School and American University, was the fifth American woman across the finish line at the Berlin Marathon, running 2:34:55.
- Sara Freix, a Westfield High School alumna, was named Virginia Tech Athlete of the Week after winning the Hokie Alumni Race.
- Heather Delplaine, a Damascus High School alumna, was named the Capital Athletic Conference’s Athlete of the Week for her second place finish, for Salisbury University, at the Hornet Harrier Invitational. The University of Mary Washington’s Jeff Gibson, an Edison alumnus, was Capital Athletic Conference’s Athlete of the Week following his victory at the same race.
- Catholic University’s Alex Filiault and John O’Rourke were named Landmark Conference Athletes of the Week, also for their races at the Hornet Harrier Invitational.
- Quamel Prince and DuVal High School alumnus Edose Ibadin, both members of the District Track Club, competed in the preliminary heats at the IAAF World Championships in the 800 meters. They represented Guyana and Nigeria, respectively.
Colin McCauley feels like he could outkick most runners. Bryce Lentz knows he can’t. The two sped off at the Octoberfest Invitational, just knowing that at some point Lentz would have to run McCauley’s legs off if he had a chance of winning.
Under overcast skies, they started fast and pulled clear of third place finisher David Barron of Westfield in the first few minutes.
There’s apparently a second layer to astrology that goes beyond newspaper horoscopes. According to my coworker, what time of day you were born adds a tint of good or bad fortune. For runners at the DCXC Invitational, what time of day they started their race made all the difference.
That’s because cloud cover alternated from race to race, providing much-needed relief from heat that reached the upper 80s throughout the afternoon, while also surprising some runners when they got on the starting line, thinking the hot part of the day was behind them. Those varying conditions just hammered home that the races, divided among graduating class, existed separately of each other. The format also gives runners a chance to race against their peers only, offering each class a chance in the spotlight. That did some favors for the seniors, whose races had the most comfortable temperatures irrespective of cloud cover.
- A man has been attacking women on Rock Creek Park’s Piney Branch Trail. More from Prince of Pentworth.
- The IAAF World Championships start this week, and they will include Georgetown alumna Rachel Schneider in the 5,000 meters and DuVal alumnus Edose Ibadin running the 800 meters for Nigeria. Following a variety of foot injuries, Loudoun Valley alumnus Drew Hunter will not be racing the 5,000 meters.
- Richard Montgomery alumnus Rohann Asfaw , now a junior at the University of Virginia, was named ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week Sept. 18 after winning the Cavalier Classic.
- Georgetown’s Spencer Brown and Madeline Perez, both graduate students, were named Big East Cross Country Athletes of the Week Sept. 18. Both were second at the Spiked Shoe Invitational.
- George Washington University senior Suzanne Dannheim was named Atlantic 10 Women’s Performer of the Week Sept. 17 for her victory at the Mason Invitational.
- Fairfax’s Bethany Sachtleben was awarded a grant from the Road Runners Club of America for support as she trains for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. She is one of 17 runners, including 2012 Marine Corps Marathon champion Augustus Maiyo, to receive part of the $45,000 total.
- Rockville’s Julie Sapper was a guest on the Rambling Runner podcast.
- Montgomery Blair alumna Ashlyn Sinclair has started work as an assistant coach at Catholic University.
- Georgetown alumna Sam Nadel has started work as an assistant distance coach at the University of North Carolina.
- The Washington Nationals’s Runner’s Night is Tuesday, Sept. 24. For ticket prices and more information, check here.
St. John’s swept the team and individual titles, with senior Chris Tetter making a big jump in the last few months and freshman Meredith Gotzman won her first 5k. See more photos here.
Name: Kaitlynn Glover
Self-described age group: F 25-29
Residence: NE D.C.
Occupation: Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Advisor
Volunteer roles in the running world: I’ve volunteered at an assortment of local charity road races over the years.
Why you run: I thrive in high-stress environments and when I have a consistent routine, but I’m an introvert. That combination can sometimes be difficult to maintain for any length of time. Running gives me a time-efficient way to take care of my body and mind, process issues without distraction, and grab a few quiet, conversation-less minutes. Running has also changed the way I look at my body. I’ll likely never be fast enough to be competitive in my age group, but running has made me appreciate my body for what it can do, and has made my fitness goals much less about appearance and much more about surviving a couple hours traipsing through the mountains.
Woodrow Wilson’s boy edged the School Without Walls and the Tiger girls finished comfortably ahead of Bell. Roosevelt junior Fajr Kelly won the girls’ race by more than two minutes. See more photos here.
It wasn’t a race she ran that showed Walter Johnson coaches Tom Martin and Ashley St. Denis that Jenna Goldberg was serious about cross country.
It was a race she wasn’t going to be running. A JV runner her freshman year, Goldberg was not on the Walter Johnson roster for the state meet. But when the team made arrangements to go up to Hereford High School to practice on the course a week before the championships, Goldberg asked if she could come along.
“They went and did a hill workout at Hereford and hung with the varsity girls,” St. Denis said. “I remember taking a video and saying ‘we got ’em!’ They liked the team, they wanted to be a part of it.”
