News - RunWashington

Running is Medicine

Published March 14, 2016 at 12:16PM

Kate Morse, Heidi Crayton, Heather Jeff, Theresa Urban at the premiere of "Living, With MS." Photo: Laura Scaduto

With no idea where to turn after hearing a life-changing diagnosis, local runner Heather Jeff decided to take control and make multiple sclerosis work on her terms. And after 15 years managing the condition alongside thousands of miles, the Falls Church resident shared her experience in a documentary — filmed with the help of Arlington high school students — “Living, With MS.”

Jeff is a bright-eyed, bubbly, spirited woman whose openness about MS has made the project possible. For her, running has been an incredible help to her in carrying what might otherwise be a heavy load of symptoms and challenges. Through her upbeat perspective, this possibly-dark story of disease has been turned to a hopeful, honest and even therapeutic story.

Relays clean up at national indoor meets, Kelati, Lyles break marks

By Charlie Ban

Published March 13, 2016 at 12:26AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

In Albuquerque, Georgetown’s team of Emma Keenan, Heather Martin, Andrea Keklak and Katrina Coogan won the NCAA indoor championships March 11, running 10:57.21, ahead of the University of Washington’s 10:58.52. The next afternoon, Coogan finished third in the 3,000 meters, running 9:07.74 to Molly Siedel‘s (Notre Dame) 8:57.86, and Keklak finished fourth in the mile in 4:38.44, behind Oklahoma State runner Kaela Edwards‘ 4:35.62.

Loundoun County alumnus Thomas Curtain, running for Virginia Tech, finished second in the 5,000 meters, running 13:50.70 to trail Oregon’s Edward Cheserek‘s 13:47.89. The next day, Cheserek held a 8:00.40 – 8:01:55 lead over Stanford’s Sean McGorty, a Chantilly alumnus, in the 3,000 meters. Ahmed Bile, an Annandale alumnus who runs for Georgetown, was 14th in 8:24.15.

Weather redeems itself at Rock ‘n’ Roll races

By Maggie Lloyd

Published March 12, 2016 at 8:19PM | Updated March 15, 2016 at 12:53PM

Half marathoners Pedro Aponte and Mark Drosky climb Harvard Street in Columbia Heights as half marathoner Marcello Mannino and marathoners Jason Apple and Rob Halliday give chase. Photo: Dustin Whitlow/DWhit Photography

See results at http://www.runrocknroll.com/finisher-zone/search-and-results/?eventid=13

Mother Nature must have been feeling merciful. A radiant sunrise turned to overcast skies, 50-degree temperatures and a slight breeze, providing ideal conditions for over 19,000 racers at the Rock ‘n’ Roll D.C. marathon and half marathon.

Here to Stay

By Ashley Davidson

Published March 11, 2016 at 5:53PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

2015 FootLocker Cross Country Finals San Diego, Ca Dec. 12, 2015. Photo: Victor Sailer/ PhotoRun

She blends in with her classmates at Heritage High School, constantly joking around and texting with her friends and cross country teammates. But Weini Kelati doesn’t share the same stories with her classmates about growing up in Leesburg, having shown up a year and a half ago from a country only her most geographically-astute classmates knew about — Eritrea.

Now a junior academically, the 19-year-old has been making headlines all school year as she nabs win after win, including the 2015 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in December and a national high school record 16:08.33 for the 5000 meters at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in New York, two seconds faster than the existing record set my Anna Rohrer last year in 16:10.79. But her journey to become a champion — which began half a world away on the east coast of Africa — was not easy.

Running Shorts, Feb. 29

By Charlie Ban

Published February 29, 2016 at 11:44AM

Mount Vernon Trail. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A consortium of bicycle advocacy groups, Arlington County and Alexandria City met with the George Washington Memorial Parkway management to address the need to clear snow and ice from the […]

Indoor track titles roll in for local runners

By Charlie Ban

Published February 29, 2016 at 11:11AM

Chantilly junior Brandon McGorty won Virginia 6A titles in the 1000m and 1600m and was on the winning 4x400m relay team. Photo; Ed Lull

Though RunWashington focuses on cross country, we still keep an eye on track news. Throughout February, runners from local high schools claimed 19 state titles in distance events (800m and up) at their respective indoor state championships. Here they are:

4A

Valentine’s Day race warms hearts, not much else

By Elton Hayes

Published February 16, 2016 at 10:43AM | Updated February 16, 2016 at 11:00AM

Some shins were bared on the Love the Run You're With starting line. Photo: Steve Laico

Although more than 1,000 runners signed up for the seventh annual Love the Run You’re With 5k, bone-chilling temperatures shaved that number in half as a polar vortex ripped through the area over Valentine’s Day weekend.

But those who braved temperatures that barely peaked at 20 degrees were treated to another festive and exciting installment of the popular February race began at Arlington’s Pentagon Row and concluded at Champps, which also served as the race’s home base.

Better Late Than Never

By Charlie Ban

Published February 16, 2016 at 1:14AM | Updated February 16, 2016 at 12:18PM

Julia Roman-Duval finished 50th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Photo: Cheryl Young

Anna Corrgian opened a puzzling email from the U.S.A. Track and Field Association in mid-January.

“It congratulated me and then had about eight paragraphs about water bottles for the Olympic Trials,” she said. “I was confused.”

D.C. area puts four women in top 20 at Olympic Marathon Trials

By Charlie Ban

Published February 15, 2016 at 8:48PM | Updated February 16, 2016 at 6:44PM

Maegan Krifchin. Photo: Cheryl Young

Correction: On subsequent inspection, several other competitors ran personal bests in the race.

Maegan Krifchin might not have made the U.S. Olympic team for the marathon, but she got something out of Saturday’s Olympic Trials in Los Angeles that nearly as rare: a personal record.

New baby, 24th place Olympic Marathon Trials finish highlight O’Connor’s week

By Charlie Ban

Published February 14, 2016 at 4:39PM | Updated January 28, 2020 at 10:58AM

Kieran O'Connor Photo: Cheryl Young

Some of the bags Kieran O’Connor took with him to Los Angeles were packed with racing shoes and a uniform to wear in Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. The others were stowed under his eyes, after his wife’s early delivery three days before the race gave him their firstborn daughter and the peace of mind that she would not be going into labor while he was out of town.

On Sunday he flew home to his family with a hard-earned 24th place finish in 2:21:37, less than a minute off of his best marathon time run in much cooler conditions, and the knowledge that on the day that effort mattered, he was tougher than most of the field.