News - RunWashington

GW, Georgetown women win conference titles

Published November 1, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated November 5, 2021 at 8:15AM

Georgetown women celebrate their Big East championship. Photo: Courtesy of the Big East Conference

Two local college teams and a variety of other local runners won individual honors at college conference cross country meets last weekend.

Georgetown won its second straight Big East title in Indiana George Washington University’s women won their first Atlantic 10 Cross Country title Saturday in Ohio. Georgetown’s Maggie Donahue won the Big East individual championship, George Mason’s Annabelle Eastman won the Atlantic 10 individual championship and John Champe alumna Bethany Graham, running for Furman, won the Southern Conference individual championship.

Nearly 350 locals finish Boston Marathon

By Charlie Ban

Published October 11, 2021 at 8:00PM | Updated October 12, 2021 at 4:10PM

D.C.'s Camille Doom (right) races the Boston Marathon. Photo: Kerry Allen

Running Shorts

By Charlie Ban

Published October 11, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated October 14, 2021 at 12:17PM

A portion of the W&OD Trail in Falls Church now has separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists. Photo: Jay Westcott, The Tysons Reporter

The new dual trail portion of the W&OD Trail is open in Falls Church, nearly 1.5 miles of trail from Little Falls Street to North West Street. The altered section of trail features an 11-foot-wide path for cycling, an 8-foot-wide path for walkers, and a 2-foot-wide colored and textured median between the two paths to separate trail users traveling at different speeds.

The Montgomery County Planning Board will review and provide advisory comments to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation on the Capital Crescent Surface Trail and Tunnel on Oct. 14. Sign up to testify and send in comments.

Sullivan’s elite entry leads local Boston contingent

By Charlie Ban

Published October 5, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated October 6, 2021 at 3:08PM

Susanna Sullivan runs the Up Dawg 10 Miler in November 2020. Photo: Charlie Ban

It may have taken nearly 18 months, but marathon runners are returning to Boston this weekend for the delayed 125th Boston Marathon, including upwards of 417 local runners.

The elite field will include two locals and three others who have been among RunWashington’s Trials Fever marathoners who ran in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials and have ties to D.C. area. Woodbridge native Alex Taylor, University of Maryland alumnus Patrick Reaves and Howard County native Brian Harvey are in the men’s elite field Reston’s Susanna Sullivan, fresh off a 1:10:50 half marathon in late September looks to lead the local women, with Alexandria’s Bethany Sachtleben and Arlington’s Nina Zarina also in the race

Second-half moves work for Octoberfest winners

By Charlie Ban

Published October 4, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated October 6, 2021 at 4:20PM

The varsity boys start the Octoberfest Invitational. Photo: Charlie Ban

In her first full season of high school cross country racing, Grace Finnegan is trying to balance her early success with recognition that she still has a lot to learn.

After a few open races during her freshman year at Richard Montgomery, she’s facing new runners every week and trying to pick up tips and process each experience.

New rivalry fuels exciting Georgetown Prep race

By Charlie Ban

Published September 26, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated September 30, 2021 at 9:58AM

Daisy Dastrup leads Avery Graham in the last half mile of the Georgetown Prep Invitational. Photo: Charlie Ban

Avery Graham didn’t even recognize a fellow Montgomery County runner at the Oatlands Invitational, where she finished three seconds behind Poolesville sophomore Daisy Dastrup.

When Graham, a Sherwood freshman, saw her two weeks later at the Georgetown Prep Invitational, she restructured her goals for the race.

Marine Corps Marathon cancels 2021 in-person races

By Charlie Ban

Published September 24, 2021 at 1:45PM

More than 600,000 white flags have filled part of the Washington Monument lawn in late September, a temporary art installation memorializing and visualizing the American death toll from COVID-19. Anyone practicing the 18th mile of the Marine Corps Marathon course run nearby, and the juxtaposition became unavoidable when the race announced its second straight cancelation.

Citing safety and security precautions, Marine Corps canceled the Oct. 31 in-person marathon, 50k and 10k on Sept. 24, 11 days after the Army Ten-Miler canceled its Oct. 10 race. After the Army cancelation, Marine Corps race director Rick Nealis said he felt good about his race’s logistics to reduce crowding by runners before, during and after the race, including a vaccination requirement, but the linchpin was the support staff’s availability. Nealis had been confident enough in the race’s outlook that he had executed nonrefundable supply contracts for the race.

Marine Corps Marathon commits despite Army Ten-Miler setback

By Charlie Ban

Published September 20, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated September 24, 2021 at 6:20PM

Courtney Hodock and John Keating run the 26th mile of the 2019 Marine Corps Marathon. Photo by Ed Lull

Update: The Marine Corps Marathon races were canceled on Sept. 24.

Despite last week’s cancelation of the Army Ten-Miler’s Oct. 10 in-person race, Marine Corps Marathon race director Rick Nealis believes his Oct. 31 race is ready to go off as planned.

Kimutai runs away from Cherry Blossom field, Simbassa wins US 10 mile title

By Charlie Ban

Published September 13, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated September 15, 2021 at 4:39PM

Augustus Maiyo and Abbabiya Simbassa race the fifth mile of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile. Photo: Charlie Ban

Kenyan Edwin Kimutai left the American field behind to fend for itself at the rescheduled Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, pulling away in the third mile and cruising to a 32-second win in 45:45.

Behind him, Abbabiya Simbassa and Augustus Maiyo battled for the U.S. 10 mile championship, with Simbassa gapping Maiyo, the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon champion, by five seconds, finishing second overall in 46:18.

Nell Rojas wins Cherry Blossom, US 10 mile title

By Maggie Lloyd

Published September 12, 2021 at 7:00PM | Updated September 17, 2021 at 7:55AM

The lead women's pack, including eventual winner Nell Rojas (third from left) runs the first mile of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile. Photo: Charlie Ban

Nell Rojas (52:13) held off Jenny Simpson (52:16) in a kick to the finish between the two Boulder, Colo. residents racing their first Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, which doubled as the USATF 10 Mile Championships. Both athletes competed in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June, as did Sara Hall of Flagstaff, Ariz. who finished fourth for American women today in 52:43. Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai (52:23) and Caroline Rotich (52:25) placed third and fourth overall, respectively.

Simpson’s entry into the race marked the long distance road racing debut for the three-time Olympian and three-time World Championship medalist.