News - RunWashington

Aids Walk Washington Celebrates 25th Year

Published October 29, 2011 at 3:39PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 2:33PM

The plan was for close to ten thousand walkers and runners to descend on Freedom Plaza for the 25^th year of the Aids Walk 5K Washington. Many wondered how it would work out with the Occupy folks already there protesting. People wanted to know if the Freedom Plaza would have a clear space for them. There were even some jokes about how often the “occupiers” had a chance to bathe. Still, neither of these groups had any animosity and they made a plan to share with the Occupy Washington people taking the east side closest to the White House.

Then we got the news that maybe all of the house in the region would be white as well when panicked news media started a stampede to the grocery stores with word of a possible foot of snow. Regulars in town know there is always enough rhetoric to keep the temperature high enough to prevent snow. Besides, regular runners always prefer snow to rain. Rain soaks and snow blows off. Just before race time, the skies were still dark with clouds and the rain was coming down pretty good leaving puddles all up and the route but it was nothing that would stop experienced runners.

Inter County Connector 5K Strikes Againf

By James Moreland

Published October 23, 2011 at 6:59PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 2:33PM

The police cadets had a large squad fast pacing the course.

Last year the first section of the new Inter County Connector (MD200) opened on the west end in Rockville. More than 500 hundred runners took the opportunity for a toll free jaunt. This year no one was going for a PR because last year’s course is now open for business. This year’s course was the course moved east to Silver Spring. Participants entered onto the nearly finished section at New Hampshire and drove halfway along towards the next exit at Route 29. Next year look for the race in a new spot for section three.

Eight New Records Set at Boo! Run for Life 10K

By James Moreland

Published October 16, 2011 at 7:04PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 2:16PM

The 6th annual Boo! Run for Life 10K run and 2 Mile walk moved east about a mile and a half to East Potomac Park to accommodate the large crowd of people attending opening ceremonies for the the new Martin Luther King Memorial just north of the traditional course in West Potomac Park. Most of the course was the same, starting on the channel side and racing around the point to where mile one would have been and then returning home.

With all the elite runners at the Army 10 Mile last week and the Baltimore Running Festival Saturday, it was great to see more than 500 runners and scores of walkers to celebrate the near perfect autumn morning. One runner tried to find fault with, “Did you notice the breeze on the river side.” Maybe it was three mph instead of the dead calm on the channel side. Pancake flat, this course was made for records and the event scored eight of them.

Olena Shurkhno (2:29:11) Shatters Maryland Record at the Marathon

By Steve Nearman

Published October 15, 2011 at 7:09PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 2:15PM

Stephen Muange had no idea what to expect in his very first marathon experience today at the 11^th edition of the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon.

So under sunny clear skies and favorable temperatures, the Kenyan distance runner laid back for nearly 26 miles before unleashing his potent finishing kick.

Why do I Run?

By Steve Rossi

Published October 10, 2011 at 1:30PM | Updated October 10, 2013 at 2:30PM

Why do I run? I have asked myself this question often since I started running in April 1984. If you are a runner, this is a question you may have asked yourself, too. Perhaps your non- running friends have also asked, and you were uncomfortable when you could not give them an immediate answer that satisfied you.

I have often felt that the people who asked me why I run were sorry they did. Perhaps they thought they were going to get a quick, canned reply like “I enjoy it” or “It’s fun.” Instead, they discover their question triggers a more complex response. Even after years of experience, I am not sure I fully understand the reasons. As a recent dad, I anticipate the question someday coming from my two children. I want a well thought-out answer, though I bet they may ask, “Why don’t adults run?” since running comes naturally to children. Here are my reasons for running.

Sendeku and Dengera Win Army Ten-Miler

By Steve Nearman

Published October 9, 2011 at 2:38PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 5:20PM

Tesfaye Sendeku left little drama today at the nation’s largest 10-mile footrace, the Army Ten-Miler. Just two miles into the race along Constitution Avenue, he already was 19 seconds ahead of the field. By the midpoint near the Washington Monument, he was 38 ticks out front.

That was a wild contrast to the women’s race behind him. It turned into a battle of three international teammates with one local American closely trailing and hoping to spoil a sweep. Such were the storylines of the 27th running of the Army Ten-Miler. Staged out of the Pentagon North parking lot for the first time in at least a decade, some 23,300 starters and 21,890 finishers of the 30,000 entries enjoyed superb weather conditions – temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s, calm breezes and low humidity.

Anthem Great Pumpkin 5K Race Report

By James Moreland

Published October 8, 2011 at 2:45PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 5:21PM

Running is a sport for the young and even more so the young at heart. Running in races has increased every year in the last decade. With the economic down turn in the last few years, runners are coming out in even greater numbers. The annual Great Pumpkin 5K was blessed with a picture perfect autumn day and brought out big time racing numbers. Waiting for the race to start, one runner asked another if she was going to race with her. “Oh no, I don’t really run. I just came out for the fun.” The reply was, “Well next year, I will run with you.” The oldest runner of the race was Larry Dickerson, 80. He was wearing a bright yellow pair of running shoes that enviously caught the eye of one of the youngsters. Dickerson always near the top of the rankings, smiled and said, “I’ll will them to you.”

Colorful costumes were on display. One runner at the front of the pack was painted like a Halloween skeleton. Further back in the pack a woman was decked out in a full Batman costume. The Oktoberfest celebration at the Reston Town Center was set for the whole weekend with the race as a centerpiece. This year the late summer rains did a number on the pumpkin crop, so we missed out on a giant pumpkin like the half ton monster at the 2009 event. Still, there was lots of smaller pumpkin, often with faces designed on them.

Events Records Smashed in Second Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon

By Dickson Mercer

Published October 2, 2011 at 2:50PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 5:13PM

Ten kilometers into last year’s New York City Marathon, Kenyan Moses Kigen Kipkosgei made what proved to be a smart move. He let the lead pack go. “The pace was high, so I set my own,” Kipkosgei recalled today after winning the 2^nd annual Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon in 1 hour 2 two minutes 37 seconds.

In New York, the strategy worked, as a game Kipkosgei went on to seize third place. His best ever result, he said. But today, as Kipkosgei passed 10K along the rolling George Washington Memorial Parkway, the 28-year-old professional had the opposite feeling: the pace was too slow. He already had command of the race; still, he pushed.

Freedom’s Run Races: Historic and Fun

By Karen Gardner

Published October 1, 2011 at 3:18PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 5:15PM

Runners dodge the raindrops. Photos courtesy of Tinadawn Stratton.

For some it was their first race and for others it was their first marathon. Nearly 3,000 runners participated in the Freedom’s Run events that included a marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K in Shepherdstown, WV on Saturday, October 1. The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park was the starting location for the marathon, while the other three races started in Shepherdstown, crossed into Maryland and looped back to Shepherd University where all the events finished.

McLean 5K Race Report

By James Moreland

Published October 1, 2011 at 3:09PM | Updated September 18, 2013 at 5:15PM

Below, runners charge the final meters to the finish line. Above, the finish arch awaits.

In its fourth year this little race is starting to gain momentum. The first two years the winners of the race barely broke 19:00 on a course that, while never flat, has no hills of consequence. In the second year, hometown legend Ted Poulos measured the field and ran just fast enough to win in 18:42. Take note that Sarah Spalding finished only one second later to keep things interesting. Then in 2010 some very fast runners entered the fray. Michaela Courtney easily set the women’s event record in a sparkling 17:22 that was sixth overall a stride behind Craig Clar. Poulos who has a PR of 15:48 settled for a division win in 18:32. Mark Drath lowered the bar beating runner-up Christopher Pruitt by a 100 meters in 15:44. Finishers nearly doubled to just short of 300 finishers.