News - RunWashington

Molly Huddle sets 12k national record in winning .US National Road Racing Championships

Published November 17, 2013 at 3:59PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:05PM

Shalene Flanagan and Molly Huddle run side-by-side approaching six miles at the .US National Road Racing Championships in Alexandria. Photo: Cheryl Young

The size of the women’s elite field, impressive as it was, didn’t matter at the inaugural .US National Road Racing Championships. Within a half mile, it was down to two — Shalane Flanagan and Molly Huddle, dueling side-by-side over 12k of winding roads in Old Town Alexandria. Shortly after 10k, split in 31:38, Huddle got a few steps on Flanagan and widened her lead to eight seconds to win in 37:50 in an American record. Results

Though Huddle won the $20,000 prize for first place, both were well under Deena Kastor’s 38:24 American record for the infrequently-run distance, a record Kastor ran en route to the Berlin Half Marathon in 2006. Race announcers declared it a world record, though the International Association of Athletics Federations doesn’t certify 12k road records.

Chantilly tops tight team race at state meet

By Charlie Ban

Published November 16, 2013 at 6:27PM | Updated April 11, 2018 at 3:49PM

Fairfax's Aaqib Syed races Adam Huff to the line at the Virginia 6A boys state championship. Photo: Ed Lull

In that first stretch of a cross country race, everything seems within control. Runners bide their time, some try to bank a few seconds, maybe break the field, or do something otherworldly. When all of those plans come together, it’s chaos. And out of chaos, at the Virginia High School League, four teams wound up at the top of the standings in the boys 6A race, separated by four points, with Chantilly on top. Oakton’s Jack Stoney won the individual title in 15:24, a personal record.

In the 5A race, Thomas Edison’s Louis Colson continued his dominant year, winning in 15:06. It’s the first year the state’s reclassification has split up schools into six races, versus the previous three. 6A results 5A results

Alexandria hosting .US National Road Racing Championships

By Dickson Mercer

Published November 16, 2013 at 5:02PM | Updated November 16, 2013 at 7:44PM

The 2013 USA Running Circuit (USARC) will culminate tomorrow morning on the streets of Alexandria, where some of America’s best distance runners will compete for $100,000 in prize money, including $20,000 for the winners. The inaugural .US National Road Racing Championships – USA Track and Field’s first wholly owned-and-operated road race – will take runners of all abilities on a 12k journey starting and finishing near Oronoco Bay Park, a spot local runners know well.

How it works: The road racing series includes national championships for races ranging from a mile to the marathon. The first 10 U.S. runners at each race earn points, with 15 points awarded for 1st, 12 for 2nd, and 10 for third. Tomorrow the top 10 finishers will earn triple points, which provides extra incentive for runners farther down on the leaderboard.

Alcorta, Oakton win first Va. XC titles, W-L finishes second in first-ever appearance

By Charlie Ban

Published November 15, 2013 at 9:27PM | Updated April 11, 2018 at 3:49PM

Hailey Dougherty (1070) and Allie Klimkiewicz (1073) led Oakton to its first girls state cross country title. Photo: Ed Lull

The girls 6A races at the Virginia High School League cross country championships were short on drama, but featured plenty of firsts for Northern Virginia programs.

West Springfield’s Caroline Alcorta pulled away from the pack within seconds of the start and bolted to a 29-second lead by the first mile on her way to a 39-second win over Lake Braddock’s Hannah Christen, setting a course record in 17:13 at the Great Meadows in Fauquier County. In winning the 6A title, the first state meet after redistricting ended the former three-classification system, she ran was 32 seconds faster than she ran for second place last year, and her first cross country state title.

Nearly Naked Mile draws the scantly-clad running skimpy times

By Maggie Lloyd

Published November 12, 2013 at 1:44PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:06PM

Halloween has come and gone, but last Saturday Reston Town Center was full of Chippendales dancers, shirtless superheros, and other barely clad runners ready for the third annual Nearly Naked Mile.

Thankfully, no one ran completely au naturel (this is a family-friendly event, after all), but a few racers pushed the limits with skin-tone bodysuits or Speedos. Some bib numbers took up more real estate than clothing.

Beautiful day beckons for rescheduled Wilson Bridge Half

By Dickson Mercer

Published November 10, 2013 at 5:03PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:06PM

The history of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon is short but impressive.

Four years ago, in its debut year, the women’s race was won by Catherine Ndereba, better known as “Catherine the Great.” In its second year, a new course record was set (1:02:37) and four American men notched qualifiers for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

GMU debuts in Atlantic 10 with women’s individual win, strong showing by men

By Charlie Ban

Published November 3, 2013 at 10:46PM | Updated April 11, 2018 at 3:50PM

George Mason's Bethany Sachtleben pulls away from Richmond's Jill Prentice on her way to winning the Atlantic 10 cross country individual title. Photo: Charlie Ban

The starting line was crowded when George Mason showed up for the cross country conference meet this fall, especially for the men.

Instead of facing off against four other teams, the scene at the last Colonial Athletic Association meet, the Patriots were one of 13 teams in the Atlantic 10. The women had previously competed in a pool of eight teams. In their first year in the A-10, the Mason men finished third and the women eighth, with Bethany Sachtleben winning the overall women’s title. Longtime conference member George Washington finished 11th in the men’s race and didn’t score in the women’s race after a runner dropped out with an injury.

DC breaks in new state XC meet

By Erin Masterson

Published November 3, 2013 at 2:34PM | Updated April 11, 2018 at 3:50PM

Scaling the final steep hill towards the finish line of the D.C. State High School Cross Country Championships at Fort Dupont Park in Washington D.C., Georgetown Day School teammates Tristan Colaizzi and Aiden Pillard impulsively decided to finish the race together, hand in hand. Having trained and raced side by side all season, often finishing within seconds of each other, made racing down the final straight away together at the DC championship meet even more special. Though they finished with an identical time of 17:34 for the 5k race, Pillard, a junior, was officially declared the winner, and later MVP of the boys race. Colaizzi, a sophomore, was happy for Pillard and with his own performance, saying, “It hurt, but it hurt good, and there’s nothing better than running next to teammates.”

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Leesburg sees a fast-moving Halloween parade

By Emily Dusen

Published October 31, 2013 at 2:30PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:07PM

Photo: Emily Dusen

The crisp, cool fall weather and the picturesque setting of the Paxton Campus, provided the perfect backdrop for the fourth annual Ghost, Goblins and Ghouls Spooktacular 5k and Scarecrow Sprint Fun Run. The event had a “spooktacular” theme, complete with a costume contest, Halloween themed entertainment, and store trick or treating. Participants came dressed in an array of amazing costumes – there were superheroes, ninja turtles, Disney characters, Care Bears, princesses and a zombie bridal party – to name a few. Everyone arrived not only ready to run, but ready for the costume contest as well.

The 5k race started at 4 pm and took several hundred participants from the Paxton campus throughout the neighborhood streets. The course offered a “spooktacular” feel and is rumored to be haunted. The overall winner was Paul Schoeny, of Hamilton, Va. This was his first time running the Spooktacular 5k, and he finished in a quick 17:24. He enjoyed the race and described the course as “fast and scenic.” He found the event to be fun for the whole family and plans to return next year. On the women’s side, 36-year-old Elizabeth Hollis of Leesburg crossed the finish line first in an impressive 20:45. This was Elizabeth’s second time running the 5k and she improved her time by a full minute from the year before. In 2012, she placed third for women, and was excited for her win.

Military Running: Patrick Fernandez

By Rachel Beckmann

Published October 30, 2013 at 12:35PM | Updated November 4, 2013 at 12:44PM

Patrick Fernandez duels Skeeter Morris during the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon. Photo: Cheryl Young

It’s frustrating when people attribute competitive athletes’ success to natural ability.

Anyone who dabbles in competitive endurance sports knows natural ability will only take you so far. The mind and the heart separate the good from the truly great. In every elite athlete there is a visible intensity with which they pursue nearly everything they do.