News - RunWashington

Cross Country Weekly Roundup #3

Published September 22, 2014 at 12:10PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:51PM

Photo: Charlie Ban

Thirty-three of the 62 All-RunWashington preseason runners competed at the Oatlands Invitational in Leesburg, with teams from Maryland and D.C. making it the first of the big opportunities this season for harriers to race their contemporaries from across the river.

It served as a debut for Weini Kelati, a recent transfer to Heritage, who moved to Virginia from her native Eritrea. She won the race in 18:12, just off the course record, despite stopping twice to tie her shoes. Loudoun Valley junior Andrew Hunter easily won in 15:21 over Walt Whitman senior Evan Woods, who ran 15:55.

Have Shoes, Will Travel

By Katie Bolton

Published September 22, 2014 at 11:17AM | Updated May 7, 2019 at 12:08PM

Pack your bags, we're going to an out-of-town marathon. Photo: Sara Alepin/Photos from the Harty

In 2013, runners from the D.C. region traveled more than 37,000 miles to finish marathons as near as Baltimore and as far as Honolulu, and that’s before we count trips to marathons on other continents. This region may play host to the venerable Marine Corps Marathon and the fresh-faced Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon among more than a dozen others, but it’s safe to say that runners here have shoes, will travel.

What’s not to love about a destination race? You can choose a course that plays to your strengths, take a 26.2-mile tour of another city, or visit friends and family. Sure, you might struggle with jet lag, toss and turn all night in an unfamiliar bed, or realize that you left one of your shoes back in Bethesda. But you’re also about to share an experience with hundreds or thousands of fellow marathoners who know all the highs and lows of a training cycle and who want you to succeed only slightly less than they want to beat you across the finish line.

The Dojo of Pain

By Dickson Mercer

Published September 21, 2014 at 9:35PM | Updated April 11, 2018 at 4:41PM

Dan Yi and Alan Pemberton (first and second from the left in the foreground) have built a steady following on Hains Point. Photo: Dustin Whitlow

Cue an early scene from “Karate Kid.”

The kid himself walks into Cobra Kai dojo and discovers that his nemesis is the top student. If that wasn’t intimidating enough, the kid also encounters a meathead instructor, or sensei, as he’s laying out some raw facts.

Hunter, newcomer Kelati, dominate Oatlands

By Charlie Ban

Published September 20, 2014 at 10:57PM | Updated June 11, 2019 at 2:40PM

Walter Johnson's Kiernan Keller chases George C. Marshall freshmen Heather and Ashley Holt. Photo: Charlie Ban. (Note: I do not yet know which Holt is which)

Loudoun County’s cross country teams were gracious hosts at the Oatlands Invitational, but not pushovers.

Last year’s 3A state champion Andrew Hunter of Loudoun Valley continued to exhibit his dominance that has been budding since last spring to win in 15:21, and Heritage newcomer and Eritrean native Weini Kelati surprised the field with an early lead that was never threatened, despite a loose shoelace that forced her to stop twice. She won in 18:12.

Local college cross country teams enter the fray

By Charlie Ban

Published September 15, 2014 at 1:13PM | Updated September 15, 2014 at 3:24PM

Photo: Charlie Ban

Five local college teams battled on the Naval Academy golf course, with the Salty Dog Invitational serving as a de facto D.C. championship, since all of the teams compete in different conferences.

[button-red url=”http://www.navysports.com/sports/m-xc/stats/2014-2015/mensvarsityrace.html” target=”_self” position=”left”] Men’s Results [/button-red]On the men’s side, American University (Patriot League led the D.C.-based teams in the men’s race, finishing second to Navy, which all but closed out team scoring with the top four finishers. Nicholas Regan and Brendan Johnson led the Eagles in fourth and fifth place. George Washington (Atlantic 10) followed in sixth, with Howard (Mid-Eastern athletic Conference) in eighth and Bowie State (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) in 10th.

Cross Country Weekly Roundup #2

By Charlie Ban

Published September 15, 2014 at 12:46PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:51PM

Ben Fogg kicks in the third leg to help Lake Braddock win the boys' race at the Braddock Relays. Photo: Charlie Ban

Laid end-to-end, the races by the scoring five of a cross country team would stretch 15.5 miles.

As cool as that would be, it would take forever, so the Braddock Relays cuts it in half, gives the runners and atmosphere otherwise saved for high school football games and pits the teams against one another, one runner at a time.

The Tower

By Dan DiFonzo

Published September 15, 2014 at 11:46AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:51PM

Jim Vollmer celebrates when he learns his Poolesville girls cross country team won the 2013 divisional title. Photo: Melanie

When he last set foot on a track, all was right in Jim Vollmer‘s world. He was at the Maryland state track and field championships over Memorial Day weekend, working as a race official and silently cheering on his Poolesville High School runners, whom he coached in cross country.

He left the meet with genuine excitement and a feeling of satisfaction for the achievement of his runners on this sunny spring day. Senior Chase Weaverling capped a sensational senior year by winning the state title in the boys’ 3200 meter race. And the girls’ and boys’ 4×800 meter squads ran spirited efforts to finish third and fourth, respectively.

Taylor sets course record, Fernandez defends, at Navy-Air Force Half

By Jacqueline Feldscher

Published September 15, 2014 at 11:37AM | Updated August 18, 2015 at 12:40PM

Ann Battle bounds up the hill at the end of the Navy 5 Miler to finish third. Photo: Cheryl Young

Many runner notched new personal records – and broke some course records as well – on a beautiful morning at the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon.

[button-red url=”http://www.zippyraceresults.com/search.php?ID=4284″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Half Marathon Results [/button-red]Erin Taylor, who runs with Capital Area Runners, had hoped to finish in the top three, but ended up winning the half marathon for the women in 1:20:36, getting a new PR and breaking the course record, despite running much of the course on her own.

Parks Half winner doubles back from 4:05 mile

By Charlie Ban

Published September 15, 2014 at 10:37AM | Updated August 18, 2015 at 12:40PM

Julia Taylor, satisfied that she kept her first two miles at the Parks Half Marathon under control. Photo: Mark Schadly

Siraw Kebede might have run a little faster on more than two hours of sleep, but not much.

[button-red url=”http://www.mcrrc.org/parks-half-marathon-men-1″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Men’s Results [/button-red]The Parks Half Marathon winner got in from New York at about 3 a.m., the morning after he ran 4:05.3 to win the New York Road Runners Road Mile division at the Fifth Avenue Mile.

Cross Country Weekly Roundup #1

By Charlie Ban

Published September 8, 2014 at 8:15AM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 4:52PM

Local cross country teams were in action throughout the region last weeknd, including at the Monroe Parker Invitational, where Chantilly's Xaveria Hawvermale (with orange shoes) staked her claim to be mentioned among contenders for the Virginia 6A individual title. Photo: Ed Lull

Every week during the cross country season, we’ll hear from our RunWashington coaches panel to learn what they liked about the most recent races, including some normative judgments that I, as a journalist, feel unqualified to make.

Local teams ran at the Monroe Parker, Great Meadows, Lake Forest, Seahawk and Brunswick invitationals, among others. The heat and humidity played a big part in slowing times down.