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When nearing the end of an hour-long run in this hot and humid weather, the last thing you want to put your body through is a full on sprint. But just a few weeks ago at approximately 6:05 a.m., several runners of the Pacers 5 a.m. running group spent the last few minutes of their run sprinting as fast as they could.

As the group made their way down 13th Street, N.W. toward P Street, several runners of the group passed a woman holding a bag and a man walking as they described, “close behind her.”

If you’re hoping to catch some looks in Georgetown, hop behind the wheel of race organizer Jay Wind’s maroon Ford Aerostar XLT van. I did in 2011, for a spin around M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. It handled well enough, but what mattered was inside. Enough equipment to manage a road race, or have a lot of fun on the lam:

On back-to-back weekends, local high school distance runners performed well at Virginia’s state meets and the national outdoor championships.

The top performance at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. June 13-15 came from West Springfield’s distance medley relay team, which ran 11:39.45 to win thanks to performances by Katie Kennedy, Michelle Lipka, Reagan Bustamante and Caroline Alcorta, who lowered their 11:51.45. Lake Braddock was third at 11:52:17.  The Spartans were also third in the 4×800 at 8:58.32, and Poolesville was 27th in 9:31.67. In the girls 4xmile, Lake Braddock finished 23rd in 21:33.87.

Finding out the best aspects of the Washington running scene is harder than one would expect. Generally, the top few vote-getters in each category separated themselves from the rest of the field, but there were a few blowouts. Most voters agreed that the C&O Canal Towpath was the best natural surface trail, the Jingle All the Way 8k was the top race in the winter (though it’s technically before the solstice). Cherry Blossom wins top spring race and, like it was ever a question, the Marine Corps Marathon dominated the fall races.

Thank you to everyone who nominated their favorites and then voted for them. I hope that when out-of-towners voted, and I know several did, that they got a good look at what we have to offer in Washington and suburban Maryland and Virginia. I don’t think I speak out of turn when I say it’s all pretty great.

Dan DiFonzo is a public relations professional who has been writing for RunWashington, usually about his native Montgomery County, since 2014. That includes a tribute to friend and fellow coach Mike Broderick, published earlier this year. Read more of his work here

Name:  Dan DiFonzo

Age group world record

Falls Church’s Reinhardt Harrison broke an age group record for 10-year-olds at the Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon May 25, running 1:35:02 to eclipse Noah Bliss’ 1:37:15, set three weeks earlier. U.S. athletes hold 17 of 85 single-age records for the half marathon, which are kept by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Harrison set a world record for 10-year-olds at 10 miles at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in April, running 1:11:24.