Susanna Sullivan forgot her watch Sunday morning when she headed to the line for the St. Patrick’s Day 8k.
“I don’t think it changed my approach to the race going in,” she said. “If anything, it made me stay aggressive in the middle of the race. I didn’t have any objective feedback so I probably pushed harder than I usually do in the middle.”
We talk a lot about walls in marathoning. We push through them–effortlessly or gasping for breath–on our way to the finish line. Race over.
One problem: the finish line is the real wall. No negotiations. This requirement doesn’t move for any of us. We must change, not the race. The most successful marathoners don’t break through this final barrier–they hit it, full force.
For one last time, Jack Stoney took a bite out of a pineapple with his cross country teammates this fall. A captain of the Oakton High School team, Jack continued the quirky tradition of biting into (“not cutting!”) a pineapple during a postseason meet. It marked the end of a chapter in what has already been an impressive running career.
Jack noticed his running talent at a young age, when he ran purely for fun. Once he joined his high school cross country team, he was hooked.
In college, Jack McMahon ran a personal best of 4:34 in the mile.
On Dec. 1, McMahon was ranked second in the men’s 80-and-up division of RunWashington’s runner rankings, having run eight local races between 5k and 10k. He’s 83 and lives with his wife in a retirement home in Montgomery County.
They’re often the first ones out of the gate at races, cranking wheelchairs along courses and chasing the thrill. No matter what was taken from them, they won’t relent in their pursuit of happiness.
Mullen grew up playing football, basketball, running track and field and competing in Olympic weightlifting. When he enlisted in the Army in July 2009, he displayed such strength and endurance during his first day of physical training that he was tabbed to be a 240 Machine Gunner, a routine that would involve carrying more than 100 pounds in gear. After completing the required training, he joined the 10th Mountain Division, which deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in May 2011.
Bits of running news that cover enough to be seen in public, but short enough to keep your interest.
>>The Run! Geek! Run! 8k, formerly run at West Potomac Park, will now become a 5k run at Fairfax Corner. The MCRRC Piece of Cake 10k has added a 5k race.
Meanwhile, CAR member Sanchez was running his third marathon after being inspired by Boston. He had started the race slow and reached a pace well above his standing PR. As he fell in alongside Shaub, Sanchez sensed that he would have to push his coach and training partner through to the end of the race. Acutely aware of Sanchez’s pace and peppiness, Shaub gave him one order: “Just go.”
That’s love.
When you think of Valentine’s Day, what comes to mind? How about waking up early on a frigid Sunday morning to run a 5k dressed in a frilly pink tutu? No? Anybody?
For the eleven hundred who showed up to run the Love The Run You’re With 5k in Pentagon City, it became abundantly clear that there’s more to this “Hallmark holiday” than flowers, chocolates and overly expensive dinners that require a reservation six months in advance.
Voting has closed for the Best of Washington Running 2014. Check out RunWashington’s May/June issue for results!
Oakton Junior Allie Klimkiewicz is still buzzing from her team’s first state cross country title last fall. She has raced the VHSL 6A State Cross Country Championships every year since she was a freshman, but the team win made this year extra special.
“It feels very unreal,” she said. “We had the talent this year and everything just came together. We all shared [the win] together. I think our team dynamic was really good this year. Everyone just clicked.”