News - RunWashington

Maryland postseason team 2016

Published December 13, 2016 at 3:08PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:43PM

Like in Virginia, youth dominated in Maryland, where 10 of the top 15 boys and 12 of the top 15 girls at the Montgomery County Championships were underclassmen.

A pair of sophomores that both wound up in the top five among their class at the state 4A meet, Whitman’s Aaron Bratt matched strides with Wootton’s John Riker at the DCXC Invitational and separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the third mile, with Bratt getting a narrow lean over Riker. Riker got a larger edge, four seconds, at the Montgomery County Championships, before Bratt, along with teammate Josh Engels, put some distance on Riker at the 4A West regional. Though Riker had the edge at the state meet at 11th to Bratt’s 26th with a 13-second margin between the two, the 17 seconds Bratt finished ahead of Riker was worth 48 places, 77th to 125th, at the Nike Cross Southeast meet. If all of that is confusing, suffice it to say they’ll be in for two more years great races between the two, who are the fastest in their class in Montgomery County.

Murphy wins Nike Cross Southeast, Lester makes Foot Locker final in a first for D.C.

By Charlie Ban

Published November 28, 2016 at 1:44PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:43PM

Six D.C.-area runners made the two national cross country championships, with Kate Murphy repeating as Nike Cross Southeast champion and leading Lake Braddock to its second straight appearance in the championship and Page Lester making history as the first female runner from Washington, D.C. to make the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Richard Montgomery’s Rohann Asfaw and Loudoun Valley’s Peter Morris both made the national meet on the boys’ side. A year after she missed out on the Foot Locker finals, George Marshall junior Heather Holt qualified by finishing second at the South regional. Along with Lester, from the National Cathedral School, Walter Johnson’s Abbey Green advanced from the Northeast meet.

Murphy was the first of seven local girls in the top 50 at the southeast meet in Cary, N.C., running 17:13. McLean sophomore Caroline Howley was 23rd in 18:35, with Lake Braddock senior Sam Schwers in 26th (18:39), Paint Branch junior Yasmine Kass one point and one second behind, Lake Braddock senior Taylor Kitchen another second back in 32nd place, Loudoun Valley junior Natalie Morris in 38th (18:47) and Lake Braddock junior Sarah Daniels in 18:49 for 41st place.

Lester wins DC-MD private schools championship

By Ashley Davidson

Published November 13, 2016 at 4:17PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:43PM

Good Counsel's George Drewyer edges The Heights' Ian Dennis. Photo: Marleen van den Neste

For the second consecutive year, Dalton Hengst of McDonogh nabbed the top spot in the varsity large school race at the Maryland-D.C. Private Schools Cross Country Championships. But this time, it was far from the neck-and-neck race to the finish he experienced last year. He blew away the competition, running 15:29 — a full 44 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Hunter Petrik, of Mount Saint Joseph (16:14), and a 20-second PR over his time last year.

D.C.-Maryland Private School Championships

MD State Meet: Walter Johnson girls get four-peat, MoCo boys earn individual titles

By Dickson Mercer

Published November 13, 2016 at 12:55AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:44PM

Photo: Rich Woods

Abbey Green came up just short in her latest attempt to win a Maryland state cross country title, a rematch with Annapolis senior and 2015 Footlocker finalist Maria Coffin. Yet in the end, the Walter Johnson junior said she could not have scripted the race much more perfectly.

Maryland Athletic Association Championships

Three D.C.-area runners, four teams win Va. XC titles

By Charlie Ban

Published November 13, 2016 at 12:49AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:44PM

Loudoun Valley boys and Lake Braddock girls dominated their races while defending their Virginia state titles, while the James Madison boys and George Marshall girls won their first-ever championships.

Virginia High School League Championships

New venue boosts DC championship turnout, newcomers win big

By Charlie Ban

Published November 5, 2016 at 8:37PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:44PM

Gonzaga's Harry Monroe leads teammate John Colucci in the second mile of the 2016 DC state cross country championships. Photo: Charlie Ban

Fort Dupont Park offered a cross country course that is challenging, full of character and surprise for any spectators trying to follow the race through the winding trails.

DCSAA Championships

Nearly 20,000 finish Marine Corps Marathon

By Charlie Ban

Published October 31, 2016 at 11:51AM

Runners stream through the last few miles of the 2016 Marine Corps Marathon. Photo: Dustin Whitlow/DWhit Photography

Brian Lawton was finally on his way to the Marine Corps Marathon starting line. So were two guys named Miguel and Dan, strangers he and his dad picked up in Alexandria on their way to the Pentagon.

When he had to get to the start, Lawton figured taking Metro’s Blue or Yellow lines from his Alexandria home was too much of a gamble if the system didn’t open until 7 but the race started before 8.. But when he got to a hotel where he was supposed to catch a shuttle, he saw bedlam.

Vienna’s Perry Shoemaker wins Marine Corps Marathon

By Charlie Ban

Published October 30, 2016 at 10:15PM | Updated May 18, 2019 at 11:33PM

Perry Shoemaker (90) runs mile nine of the 2016 Marine Corps Marathon. Photo: Charlie Ban

Coming off her second straight runner-up finish at the Army Ten-Miler, Perry Shoemaker‘s confidence should have been peaking she started her taper for the Marine Corps Marathon.

But pain in her back and glute was starting to make her second guess her plans.

Kosgei beats back local elite to reclaim Marine Corps title

By Charlie Ban

Published October 30, 2016 at 8:26PM | Updated October 31, 2016 at 7:43AM

Samuel Kosgei tries to pull away from Desta at 25k of the Marine Corps Marathon. Photo: Dustin Whitlow/DWhit Photography

Most runners woke up the morning of the Marine Corps Marathon horrified to see the weather was humid and in the high 60s. Army Spec. Samuel Kosgei was thrilled.

Marine Corps Marathon

D.C. races: a handcycle mecca

By Ashley Davidson

Published October 26, 2016 at 5:50PM

Hand-crank cyclists lead off the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon. Photo: Jimmy Daly

Push-rim wheelchair racers and handcyclists are familiar on the courses of D.C.-area races, but that’s not the case elsewhere in the country.

For as long as Army Capt. Kelly Elmlinger can remember, running has been a part of her life and of her family’s. Three years ago, the competitive runner was vying for a Boston qualifying time — and missed it by mere minutes. It was a blow, but she was young and certainly would have another shot.