Dickson Mercer

Father-child teams compete in Father’s Day 8k

Published June 17, 2013 at 2:11PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:21PM

Reiner Angala and his daughter Maren finish. Photo: Matthew Lehner

The Plank family spent most of Father’s Day exploring Georgetown, kicking off a two-week vacation in Washington, D.C. Come evening, they were with more than 300 runners charging out and back on the C&O Canal Towpath for the fourth annual Father’s Day 8k.“I just grew up running. We all went on runs together,” said Povi Plank, 13, of Flagstaff, Ariz., who was joined in the race by her father, Gary, and her younger sister, Sayti. [button-red url=”http://www.safetyandhealthfoundation.org/20130616.html” target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]

It was Povi and Sayti’s first 8k. And while Povi won her age group in 38:15, Gary, 56, was the top master in 30:05, making the duo the top father-daughter team.

DCXC

In Life and Running, Meghan Lockett is Wise Beyond Her Years

By Dickson Mercer

Published May 21, 2013 at 2:58PM | Updated April 11, 2018 at 3:39PM

It was a perfect Saturday to skip a workout: temps in the teens, icy wind blasting across the track. To add to that, for Meghan Lockett – a 15-year-old runner who does not compete for a high school and is not allowed to join a club – the day’s scheduled 1K and 2K reps were hardly compulsory.

Yet, there she was, on the track at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, happy to hop in a workout with a group of post- collegiate women who run for Georgetown Running Club – and in general, just happy to be running.

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The Run Must Go On.

By Dickson Mercer

Published April 22, 2013 at 7:15PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:24PM

Alan Pemberton, Janet Whittaker, Amanda Hamilton, Nick Haffenreffer, Robert Gillanders (obscured), and Dan Yi wore a variety of Boston Marathon shirts for their Saturday morning run, showing their support for the victims of the bombings and the marathon itself. Photo: Charlie Ban

With some time, confusion and grief following the two explosions along the Boston Marathon sidelines turned to resolve and determination not to let terrorists ruin running. Hordes turned out Friday and Saturday to show that they would not be intimidated.

The bombing that left three dead and almost 200 wounded, including a Springfield woman who broke her leg, and the subsequent chase that claimed the life of a campus police officer only motivated those who turned out to the Crystal City Friday 5k, which took place as the surviving suspect was cornered in Watertown, Mass.

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GW Parkway Classic Provides Catharsis for many with Boston on their minds.

By Dickson Mercer

Published April 21, 2013 at 7:44PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:24PM

Abigail Meyers, Samuel Kirby and Brian Harkins head down the George Washington Parkway toward Alexandria. Photo: Swim Bike Run Photography

Back on Monday, James Davis was walking towards the finish line after completing his first Boston Marathon in 3:08:32. A block away, he heard the blast.

[button-red url=”http://www.zippyreg.com/rwt/results/2013/0421gwpc/” target=”_self” position=”left”] Results[/button-red]

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Three Quarters of a Century Young, Tom Cowley.

By Dickson Mercer

Published April 10, 2013 at 7:52PM | Updated August 8, 2013 at 8:08PM

Tom Colwey at the Turkey Burnoff Photo: Mark Schadley

“Maybe I’m actually getting a little smarter,” said Tom Cowley, describing his training habits over coffee on a late Sunday afternoon.

The Gaithersburg runner was referring to a decision made the day prior. He had met his usual Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC) training partners for their weekly long run in preparation for the Boston Marathon. But a couple minutes before the run, Cowley felt his calf tighten up and chose to back off.

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Teamwork the Overall Winner at the Crystal City Twilighter

By Dickson Mercer

Published July 22, 2012 at 3:55PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:28PM

By Dickson Mercer

For July, the weather was perfect. But at the fifth annual Crystal City Twilighter, held last night in Arlington, VA, there was something else in the air – in addition to a pleasant mist.

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Let Freedom Run 5K Recap

By Dickson Mercer

Published July 4, 2012 at 4:02PM | Updated September 12, 2013 at 5:14PM

By Dickson Mercer

If Bethany Sachtleben tries out for cross country at George Mason University this fall, she will lack the high school running experiences other rising freshman will surely have. On the other hand, Sachtleben, 20, who won this morning’s second annual Let Freedom Run 5K in Fairfax, VA in 18:26, has already run a marathon, which is uncommon for a runner her age.

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22nd Lawyers Have Heart 10K Race Report

By Dickson Mercer

Published June 9, 2012 at 4:15PM | Updated September 12, 2013 at 5:15PM

Four miles into this morning’s Lawyers Have Heart 10K, Barb Fallon Wallace started falling behind.

“Just a few steps,” she said. “I was getting tired.”

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George Washington Parkway Classic 10 Mile Race Report

By Dickson Mercer

Published April 22, 2012 at 5:05PM | Updated September 12, 2013 at 5:13PM

Sean Graham almost backed out. In the week leading up to today’s George Washington Parkway Classic, the 32-year-old Pacers athlete missed three days of training due to illness. By Friday, Graham was feeling better. By Saturday, elite athlete coordinator Jordan Zwick was urging him to give it a shot.

[button-red url=”http://www.swimbikerunphoto.com” target=”_self” position=”left”] Photos [/button-red]Good thing Graham took Zwick’s advice. Near the 7-mile mark, Graham took the lead and proceeded to put 61 seconds on runner-up Eddie Jones, 35, of Boise, ID. He won Pacers Event’s annual 10-mile race in 51:03.

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New Men’s Record in 40th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile

By Dickson Mercer

Published April 1, 2012 at 12:17PM | Updated September 17, 2013 at 2:30PM

Main field gets underway.

A year after Frank Shorter took gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics and ignited the first running boom, fewer than 200 people showed up on a muggy day for the inaugural Cherry Blossom Invitational Run. Billed as a final tune-up for the Boston Marathon, the founders believed 10 miles was the perfect distance. Ten miles. It was long enough to provide an adequate test. It was not, however, long enough to [button-red url=”http://www.cherryblossom.org/aboutus/results.php” target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]leave runners feeling “too pooped out,” according to the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run’s 40th anniversary race program.