News - RunWashington

D.C.-area XC runners are the best in the business

Published December 21, 2015 at 10:20AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

Photo: Marleen van Den Neste

Two Foot Locker champions. Another runner one spot from qualifying. Three Nike Cross Nationals individual qualifiers, plus the rest of one of their teams. State champions and runners up. These all add up to a banner year for the D.C. area’s cross country runners.

Members of our coaches panel discussed the season in December and named the All-RunWashington postseason team. The top 10 boys and girls would be a force against any metropolitan area in the country. The D.C., Maryland and Virginia teams are no slouches either. Voting on the panel: Gonzaga’s John Ausema, Walt Whitman’s Steve Hays, Georgetown Visitation’s Kevin Hughes, Lake Braddock’s Mike Mangan, West Springfield’s Chris Pellegrini, T.S Wootton’s Kellie Redmond and Winston Churchill’s Scott Silverstein. Coaches emphasized post-season performances in their evaluations.

Hunter and Kelati win Foot Locker titles

By Charlie Ban

Published December 12, 2015 at 4:01PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

Drew Hunter and Weini Kelati. Photo courtesy of Foot Locker

By all accounts, Drew Hunter and Weini Kelati are generous runners, each giving of their own time to help their teams win Virginia state championships in November.

But Saturday at San Diego’s Balboa Park, they took the course all to themselves and refused to share the lead with any competitors at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Leading isn’t easy, and it’s a risk in the first competitive races each winner has contested in a year, but in doing so, they both earned every bit of their national championships, the first time the national titlists have come from the same county.

Times dropped when snowflakes didn’t at Jingle All the Way 5k

By Elton Hayes

Published December 7, 2015 at 11:27AM | Updated December 7, 2015 at 12:19PM

Photo: Brain W. Knight/ Swim Bike Run Photography

After recruiting their parents to join them for the Jingle All the Way 5k, Philadelphia, Pa., residents Wendy and Angela Hou (51:24) traveled back to their Herndon, Va., home a few days before the race. And just like many of this year’s participants, the two found themselves in a store Saturday evening shopping for items ahead of Sunday’s event.

But the sisters weren’t there to pick up gels, water bottles, socks or additional pre-race items. Instead, they walked out of a Northern Virginia Michaels craft store with tinsel, ornaments and other Christmas accoutrements.

Murphy’s 16th place finish kicks off two weeks of national meets

By Charlie Ban

Published December 2, 2015 at 11:57AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

Lake Braddock junior Kate Murphy finished 16th at Nike Cross Nationals Saturday in Portland, leading her team to a 13th place finish, one spot behind Blacksburg, the top Virginia team. The Bruins moved up from 19th place at the mile mark.

Murphy, the southeast region champion and the 24th place finisher in 2014, finished in 17:27.4, 31 seconds behind winner Katie Rainsberger. Patriot junior Rachel McArthur was 41st in 18:04, after finishing fifth at the regional meet.

Course records on both sides at Alexandria Turkey Trot

By David Pittman

Published December 1, 2015 at 12:48PM

The Alexandria Turkey Trot attracted runners of all sizes. Photo: Cheryl Young

Most of the record 5,700 runners of Thursday’s 40th anniversary Alexandria Turkey Trot had a day full of eating Thanksgiving dinner on their minds.

But winners Habtamu Arga and Susanna Sullivan were thinking about something else; course records.

Here Comes the Payoff

By Emily Rabbitt

Published November 20, 2015 at 10:08PM

With two weeks to go before this Philadelphia Marathon, Matt Deters’ training started to pay off in a race.

He set a personal best at the Veterans Day 10k, running 32:06 on a cool, windy day to finish fourth.

Hengst and Knibb take top honors at Md-D.C. Private Schools XC meet

By Dan DiFonzo

Published November 16, 2015 at 9:33PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

Dalton Hengst and Jack Wavering lead the large school varsity boys at the Maryland-D.C. Private Schools Cross Country Championship. Photo: Dan DiFonzo

For McDonogh sophomore Dalton Hengst, the hay was in the barn. He had a great week of practice, a healthy taper and all that was left was about fifteen minutes of hard work plowing through the fields in his racing shoes.

[button-red url=”http://www.mocorunning.com/meet.php?meet_id=3296″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]A controlled pace combined with a final surge over the last quarter mile paid off for Hengst as he crossed the line in 15:49 to beat out Good Counsel senior and defending champion Jack Wavering by two seconds (15:51) and claim his first Maryland-D.C. Private Schools Cross Country Championship.

Chelanga wins 12k for second national title

By Dickson Mercer

Published November 15, 2015 at 6:40PM | Updated November 16, 2015 at 8:35PM

Photo: Dustin Whitlow/ D.Whit Photography

It looked like Sam Chelanga was ready to press the pace. The lead pack – more like the entire elite field – was approaching the two-mile mark, stretching across George Washington Memorial Parkway, when the 30-year-old moved out front and took control of the national 12k championship this morning.

Turns out it was just a test, or more like a suggestion. “I was just trying to instigate the guys to go faster but they didn’t want to do it,” said Chelanga. So he slowed down, the pack again enveloped him, and Chelanga steeled himself for the final three-quarter-mile long straight shot to the finish.

Molly Huddle wins third-straight U.S. 12k title

By Charlie Ban

Published November 15, 2015 at 3:24PM | Updated November 16, 2015 at 8:40PM

Brianne Nelson leads the pack that chased after Molly Huddle. Nelson finished fifth. Photo: Dustin Whitlow/ D. Whit Photography

Molly Huddle took control from the start of the .US National 12k and concluded her scorched earth campaign through the USATF Running Circuit.

Since a last-second kick for third by Georgetown alumna Emily Infeld kept 31-year-old Huddle off the World Championships 10k podium, she has dominated the road racing scene, recording wins at 20k, 5k, 10 mile and 10k to win the domestic professional circuit.

WJ girls win third straight, three MoCo individuals are runners-up

By Charlie Ban

Published November 14, 2015 at 10:16PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:48PM

Rohann Asfaw stays on Eric Walz's heels in the third mile of the 4A championship. Photo: Charlie Ban

The D.C. area only had one champion at the Maryland state cross country championships, but it was one that’s easy to remember: the Walter Johnson girls.

[button-red url=”http://www.mocorunning.com/meet.php?meet_id=3566″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]The Wildcats claimed their third consecutive 4A team championship with a 51-85 win over Dulaney, a team coach Tom Martin said was the fastest in school history. Their team score matched their winning total last year, and their scoring five all fit in the top 21.