By Dickson Mercer
Alexandria, VA
April 22, 2012
For the Washington Running Report
Sean Graham almost backed out. In the week leading up to today’s George Washington Parkway Classic, the 32-year-old Pacers athlete missed three days of training due to illness. By Friday, Graham was feeling better. By Saturday, elite athlete coordinator Jordan Zwick was urging him to give it a shot.
[button-red url=”http://www.swimbikerunphoto.com” target=”_self” position=”left”] Photos [/button-red]Good thing Graham took Zwick’s advice. Near the 7-mile mark, Graham took the lead and proceeded to put 61 seconds on runner-up Eddie Jones, 35, of Boise, ID. He won Pacers Event’s annual 10-mile race in 51:03.
Running his first race in the DC area, Jones was impressed. “I started pulling away and he just came out of nowhere,” he said of Graham at the finish in Old Town Alexandria.
Graham moved to Arlington from Oregon three years ago. Both he and Jones have sub 14-minute 5K speed and are relatively new to the 10-mile race distance.
Runners were greeted at the start in Mount Vernon with overcast skies, a cool temperature, and an off-and-on drizzle. For the first hour or so, rain was not much of a factor. And even though the rolling point-to-point course on the George Washington Parkway featured a fairly steady headwind, runners mostly praised the conditions.
“It was not too hot, not too cold, pretty much perfect for 10 miles,” Graham said.
Matthew Barresi, 29, of Falls Church was third in 52:18. Jordan McDougal, 24, and Charlie Ban, 29, of McLean ran 52:52 and 53:24, respectively, rounding out the race’s contest for top Americans. Ethiopia’s Seife Geletu broke up the contingent with a time of 52:41, good for 4th overall.
Geletu lives in Washington, DC with fellow Ethiopian and course record-holder Demesse Tefera, who in 2007 posted 47:30. (The women’s course record-holder is Tatiana Chulakh of Russia, who the same year clocked 55:39.)
Derik Thomas, 46, of Alexandria was top master in 57:33.
“There was a headwind,” Thomas said. “It was steady. Once you got to mile 8, you were exposed to it. It hit hard.”
Thomas, however, had the benefit of a pack to work with – five guys working together, running in a line – that carried him through a negative-split effort, he said.
Thomas’s wife, Lisa Thomas, was second in 1:00:25, bested only by Ethiopia’s Tiringo Getachew Shiferaw.
“The weather was hard,” said Shiferaw, who was pleased to get the win in 58:50.
Thomas, 36, competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January but has nonetheless maintained a steady spring racing schedule. This was her best finish at the GW Parkway Classic yet.
“It usually takes something like this … to get me concentrated for the summer and fall,” said Thomas.
Laura O’Hara, 32, of Alexandria was third in 1:01:04. Michaela Courtney of Arlington (1:02:24), Kerry Allen of DC (1:02:39), and Jenny FitzGerald (1:02:55) of Woodbridge, VA rounded out the top 5 Americans. Samantha Kirby Cole, 43, of Arlington was top master and 9th overall in 1:04:48.
With more than 8,000 runners registered, the 10-miler had nearly 5,000 finishers and the 5K had more than 800.
For Andrea Ricketts, 28, of Alexandria, who wore a Boston Marathon shirt, today’s 10-mile race gave her confidence that recent injury troubles are behind her, she said. Ricketts finished in 1:12:33 and is plotting a return to Hopkinton.
From the finish chute, runners had just a short walk to the post-race celebration in Oronoco Bay Park.
Before heading there, Greg Gonzalez, 41, sporting the T-shirt from his first race –
October’s Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon – took a second or two to catch his breath.
Gonzalez’ friend and coach, Noah Simon, 36, of Arlington, a runner of 15 years, was congratulating him for running a huge “PR,” except Gonzalez had no idea what the term meant.
“I don’t know what that means … Oh, personal best,” he said.
As it happens, Gonzalez had entered the GW Parkway Classic, his second race, with the simple goal of averaging faster than the 8:28 pace he had averaged in October. But, pushed by Simon, Gonzalez gutted out 1:16:44, nearly a minute-per-mile faster than that.
Just a year ago, the lawyer discovered that running helped him solve problems he was having with his back.
10 Mile
FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ======= =======
1 52 Shiferaw Tiringo-Geta 27 Alexandria VA 58:49.2 58:49.2
2 32 Lisa Thomas 36 Alexandria VA 60:24.2 60:23.9
3 8 Laura O'Hara 32 Alexandria VA 61:03.6 61:03.6
4 5 Michaela Courtney 28 Arlington VA 62:23.9 62:23.9
5 4092 Kerry Allen 23 Washington DC 62:38.9 62:38.2
6 4449 Jenny Fitzgerald 32 Woodbridge VA 62:55.6 62:54.9
MALE OVERALL RESULTS
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ======= =======
1 4 Sean Graham 32 Alexandria VA 51:02.6 51:02.6
2 2 Eddie Ernest-Jones 35 Boise ID 52:03.1 52:03.1
3 3144 Matthew Barresi 29 Falls Church VA 52:17.9 52:17.9
4 49 Seife Geletu 30 Washington DC 52:41.0 52:41.0
5 38 Jordan McDougal 24 Warrenton VA 52:51.8 52:51.8
6 18 Charlie Ban 29 McLean VA 53:23.1 53:22.9
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 10 - 19
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 3222 Katie Necochea 17 Springfield VA 1:12:25.5 1:11:57.8
2 4379 Mary Johnson 18 Alexandria VA 1:30:01.4 1:27:46.2
3 925 Lyssa Bantleon 19 Sewickley PA 1:29:08.8 1:27:59.8
4 4984 Tate-Louisa Mikkelsen 14 Alexandria VA 1:33:33.3 1:32:07.0
5 3518 Kayla Stamey 17 Herndon VA 1:34:36.0 1:34:02.2
MALE AGE GROUP: 10 - 19
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 1300 Lewis Millholland 16 Falls Church VA 1:04:38.4 1:04:35.7
2 3970 Murray Iv Johnston 14 Alexandria VA 1:17:51.2 1:17:12.6
3 5265 James Culcasi 16 Merchantville NJ 1:19:49.3 1:17:36.3
4 2412 John Green 16 Arlington VA 1:19:19.5 1:18:55.0
5 1793 Eric Esposito 14 Sterling VA 1:20:07.7 1:19:52.2
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 29
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 2063 Kyra Rathbun 25 Alexandria VA 1:03:02.6 1:03:01.2
2 5201 Lauren Woodall 26 Washington DC 1:03:10.6 1:03:10.2
3 1839 Phoebe Markle 28 Alexandria VA 1:04:52.7 1:04:50.3
4 6091 Sarah Brown 25 Washington DC 1:05:32.0 1:05:30.9
5 4469 Katie Schettig 29 Washington DC 1:05:39.0 1:05:34.1
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 29
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 51 Chalie Bitew 24 Washington DC 54:00.1 54:00.1
2 19 Garret Martucci 23 Arlington VA 55:06.0 55:06.0
3 1066 Gregory Mariano 26 Arlington VA 55:41.3 55:41.3
4 4089 Brian McCabe 26 Washington DC 56:22.2 56:22.2
5 1119 Tripp Southerland 27 Washington DC 57:08.4 57:08.4
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 4209 Stephanie George 30 Chevy Chase MD 1:06:59.0 1:06:55.6
2 2726 Georgeanne Fayrweathe 33 Annandale VA 1:07:10.4 1:07:05.7
3 4353 Amanda Juratovic 33 Alexandria VA 1:08:47.1 1:08:34.8
4 5712 Abigail Stiles 32 Norfolk VA 1:09:09.8 1:09:03.8
5 57 Kimberly Gayton 37 Wellington VA 1:10:49.1 1:10:34.5
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 1495 Hugh Toland 31 Fairfax VA 55:31.4 55:31.4
2 1643 Jose I Gonzalez 33 Arlington VA 55:34.3 55:34.3
3 5747 Keith Levasseur 33 Columbia MD 57:31.9 57:31.9
4 4676 Jeremiah Doyle 31 Arlington VA 58:42.8 58:42.8
5 179 Richard Rapine 39 Alexandria VA 59:12.8 59:12.4
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 9 Samantha Cole 43 Arlington VA 1:04:47.5 1:04:47.2
2 5710 Suzanne Himes 42 Alexandria VA 1:05:48.3 1:05:42.6
3 7 Bridget Bowers 41 Alexandria VA 1:07:08.2 1:07:06.8
4 2086 Lori Wallace 41 Alexandria VA 1:12:15.9 1:07:27.5
5 3541 Amy Smith 41 Fairfax VA 1:09:58.1 1:09:48.7
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 4423 David Kent 40 Arlington VA 59:59.5 59:59.5
2 4323 Evan Weisel 40 Alexandria VA 1:00:13.9 1:00:13.9
3 4063 Andrew Pugh 42 Washington DC 1:00:47.6 1:00:43.1
4 116 Dave Cahill 40 Arlington VA 1:01:27.7 1:01:26.4
5 4036 Reynolds Wilson 40 Arlington VA 1:01:48.8 1:01:47.1
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 770 Mary Gellerup Bolich 49 Plymouth WI 1:10:24.1 1:10:19.7
2 2659 Elizabeth Dann 45 Arlington VA 1:14:58.5 1:14:41.1
3 5064 Barbara Noe 47 Alexandria VA 1:16:10.8 1:16:10.8
4 5838 Nancy Lopez 46 Alexandria VA 1:21:11.5 1:16:34.8
5 5755 Patricia Cuff 47 Alexandria VA 1:18:13.4 1:17:48.0
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 35 Derik Thomas 46 Alexandria VA 57:33.0 57:33.0
2 5987 Chris Rotunno 49 Washington DC 1:02:46.3 1:02:44.2
3 629 John Rhodes 46 Herndon VA 1:03:25.1 1:03:23.0
4 4132 Shawn Buettner 45 Washington DC 1:05:18.6 1:04:01.4
5 2518 Kenneth Springer 45 Alexandria VA 1:04:18.4 1:04:05.6
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 2657 Lorraine Ross 51 Arlington VA 1:12:20.3 1:12:11.1
2 952 Teresa Lent 50 Arlington VA 1:14:22.7 1:14:04.4
3 4891 Blake Rushin 50 Vienna VA 1:17:09.9 1:17:00.3
4 2941 Linda Kennedy 51 Alexandria VA 1:19:42.3 1:19:06.3
5 409 Darcy Gruttadaro 51 Arlington VA 1:20:30.3 1:19:13.0
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 48 Greg Cauller 52 York PA 59:33.2 59:33.2
2 5986 William Clem 52 Bethesda MD 1:06:26.5 1:06:23.8
3 5988 Philip Bender 50 Washington DC 1:10:16.8 1:10:10.2
4 1682 Gregg Brinegar 51 Alexandria VA 1:10:19.9 1:10:15.6
5 2336 Gerald Bruce 51 Alexandria VA 1:11:40.8 1:11:31.9
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 4972 Carole Jones 55 Ashburn VA 1:13:35.5 1:13:20.4
2 2817 Julie Lee 55 Arlington VA 1:23:53.5 1:23:38.7
3 3521 Joanne Hampton 55 Purcellville VA 1:24:15.9 1:23:42.2
4 1619 Tobin Gatto 56 Alexandria VA 1:26:48.2 1:25:28.0
5 3575 Martha Martin 55 Burke VA 1:26:36.0 1:25:58.7
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 1873 Bruce Halpin 55 Ashburn VA 1:04:55.1 1:04:53.1
2 4278 Dan Mendelson 55 Washington DC 1:08:36.6 1:08:35.7
3 2553 Peter Blair 56 Alexandria VA 1:10:49.8 1:10:31.8
4 5084 Ken Krehbiel 58 Washington DC 1:12:57.5 1:12:54.9
5 586 Steve Thienel 59 Columbia MD 1:13:08.8 1:12:58.0
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 793 Lynne Kidder 61 Frederick MD 1:31:21.4 1:30:57.7
2 2425 Leslie Stanfield 62 Reston VA 1:32:32.7 1:30:58.5
3 2465 Shirley Compton 63 New Middletown OH 1:36:57.1 1:33:30.2
4 1951 Tom Montgomery 62 Woodbridge VA 1:36:18.9 1:34:20.0
5 888 Mariam Morad 62 San Diego CA 1:40:19.9 1:39:03.7
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 6356 Chris Arey 61 Stafford VA 1:11:13.0 1:11:00.6
2 2798 Donald Kearns Jr 60 Falling Waters WV 1:13:22.6 1:13:08.3
3 1833 Harry O'Hara 63 Fredonia NY 1:13:15.4 1:13:11.7
4 3120 Frank Spicer Jr 60 Clifton VA 1:16:32.9 1:16:27.0
5 4798 Norm Seip 60 Alexandria VA 1:17:29.2 1:17:08.4
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 1780 Mary Napoleon 66 Batesville VA 1:33:53.6 1:32:24.1
2 1192 Lucia Davidson 66 Arlington VA 1:34:46.2 1:33:07.6
3 3852 Shelley Prince 65 Mc Lean VA 1:39:57.7 1:39:57.7
4 2881 Donna Casey 65 Annandale VA 1:51:10.5 1:47:01.8
5 135 Maryellen Cameron 68 Falls Church VA 2:01:28.3 1:59:06.4
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 4678 Bob Chase 66 Falls Church VA 1:15:02.6 1:14:55.7
2 4351 Alan Ryder 65 Big Flats NY 1:22:13.9 1:21:43.0
3 4350 Stephen Banks 66 Springfield VA 1:22:23.7 1:21:45.5
4 2776 Gary Chase 67 Lorton VA 1:23:55.7 1:23:00.2
5 4390 Krupakar Revanna 68 Falls Church VA 1:25:25.3 1:24:37.7
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 4907 Nancy Linck 70 Alexandria VA 1:45:56.1 1:43:44.1
2 4661 John Finney Jr. 72 Arlington VA 1:54:12.1 1:52:06.2
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 3663 Leon Sample 72 Alexandria VA 1:27:44.4 1:27:23.2
2 609 Bill Earner 70 Crownsville MD 1:42:16.4 1:40:15.4
3 633 Gene Simaitis 74 Bowie MD 1:56:45.2 1:52:47.2
4 1360 Eric Thompson 70 Chevy Chase MD 2:08:47.8 2:03:43.4
5 2808 Robert Mulholland 73 Accokeek MD 2:16:23.8 2:13:38.5
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 79
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
MALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 79
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 80 - 84
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
MALE AGE GROUP: 80 - 84
Place No. Name Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= =========
1 1 Don Trilling 84 Alexandria VA 3:18:12.4 3:18:12.4
5K
FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ======= =======
1 8936 Jackie Gruendel 5K 37 Clifton VA 18:03.9 18:03.9
2 8682 Alexandra Smargiassi 5K 20 Washington DC 20:21.3 20:20.9
3 9008 Helen Knudsen 5K 31 Washington DC 22:11.6 22:08.9
MALE OVERALL RESULTS
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ======= =======
1 8613 Keith Freeburn 5K 38 Centreville VA 17:49.1 17:49.1
2 8436 Brad Byrnes 5K 32 Alexandria VA 18:07.9 18:07.9
3 8367 Connor Pearson 5K 17 Alexandria VA 18:37.1 18:37.0
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 09
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8931 Eva Haddock 5K 9 Alexandria VA 36:12.7 34:53.8
2 8483 Khalean Honesty 5K 9 44:21.3 42:53.8
3 8754 Samantha Uhrin 5K 8 Alexandria VA 43:59.3 43:24.0
MALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 09
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 9182 George Pacious 5K 8 Alexandria VA 27:22.5 26:31.3
2 8296 Charlie McCoy 5K 8 Arlington VA 27:30.5 27:30.5
3 8692 Ian Magnell 5K 9 Woodbridge VA 30:55.7 30:00.5
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 10 - 19
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8435 Elley Donnelly 5K 16 Fort Belvoir VA 25:55.9 25:25.2
2 8060 Kassie Smith 5K 16 Virginia Beach VA 26:55.6 26:23.9
3 8438 Catherine Logrande 5K 13 Alexandria VA 26:36.8 26:28.7
MALE AGE GROUP: 10 - 19
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8439 Michael Logrande 5K 15 Alexandria VA 18:51.9 18:51.8
2 9052 Tucker Burnett 5K 15 Alexandria VA 22:33.8 22:06.7
3 8596 Andrew Wright 5K 11 Indian Head MD 22:24.8 22:24.8
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 29
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8154 Aliza Caplan 5K 25 Philadelphia PA 22:18.0 22:08.9
2 9035 Lauren Groth 5K 28 Washington DC 24:01.7 23:59.8
3 1543 Emily Godenschwager 5K 27 Reston VA 24:04.1 24:03.2
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 29
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8111 Miguel Matta 5K 27 Arlington VA 19:24.2 19:24.0
2 8187 Thomas Johnson 5K 28 Alexandria VA 20:40.5 20:39.5
3 8169 Wade Meyers 5K 23 Raleigh NC 22:14.3 21:30.0
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8179 Laura Scott 5K 35 Arlington VA 24:33.6 24:14.9
2 8878 Laura Bryan 5K 32 Springfield VA 25:30.3 25:26.4
3 8723 Sara Olsen 5k 33 Gaithersburg MD 25:50.8 25:36.1
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8775 Ellins Thomas 5K 31 Gainesville VA 18:46.2 18:46.2
2 8901 Jason Bryan 5K 32 Springfield VA 19:27.9 19:27.9
3 9009 Brian Knudsen 5K 33 Washington DC 20:36.2 20:35.6
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8186 Rebecca Cranna 5K 43 Annandale VA 26:57.9 26:49.5
2 8651 Stephanie Ruiz 5K 43 Arlington VA 27:34.4 27:29.6
3 8328 Liz Brinson 5K 41 Silver Spring MD 28:42.6 27:33.2
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8678 Matt Erskine 5K 42 Arlington VA 22:29.2 22:28.0
2 8581 Alex Garrett 5K 43 Fairfax VA 23:17.7 23:04.9
3 9188 Daniel Twomey 5K 43 Alexandria VA 23:24.5 23:20.0
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 9059 Lorraine Wilson 5K 46 Great Falls VA 25:08.2 25:04.8
2 8180 Cheryl Logan 5K 46 Arlington VA 26:29.1 26:05.9
3 9115 Sharon Hancock 5K 46 Ashburn VA 27:52.5 27:26.0
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8607 Robert Martin 5K 48 Fairfax Station VA 20:05.0 20:05.0
2 8635 Jack Tade 5K 47 Falls Church VA 20:45.6 20:45.5
3 8948 Mark Harris 5K 49 Alexandria VA 21:28.7 21:10.6
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8380 Sandy Thurston 5K 54 Arlington VA 27:06.8 27:00.2
2 8057 Victoria Nguyen 5K 52 Arlington VA 27:02.8 27:02.8
3 8056 Paige Jones 5K 50 Alexandria VA 28:12.3 27:54.7
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 9053 Wally Burnett 5K 53 Alexandria VA 27:48.9 27:21.2
2 6066 Chuck Tyrpak 5K 51 Reston VA 28:25.1 27:48.7
3 8015 Scott Smith 5K 50 Dumfries VA 28:23.6 27:51.4
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8560 Merrilee Seidman 5K 57 Alexandria VA 25:25.2 25:25.2
2 8817 Grace Rascati 5K 55 Alexandria VA 28:01.0 27:58.0
3 8206 Rita Cook 5K 57 Bethesda MD 28:58.4 28:54.9
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8542 Gary Presuhn 5K 57 Burke VA 20:22.6 20:22.6
2 8559 Paul Bousel 5K 58 Alexandria VA 20:50.6 20:50.6
3 8529 Kenyon Erickson 5K 58 Vienna VA 21:00.0 20:59.6
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8401 Shannon Burcroff 5K 61 Alexandria VA 32:18.3 32:00.0
2 8053 Margaret Stancampiano 5K 62 Vienna VA 34:30.7 33:41.2
3 8309 Lynn Amende 5K 61 Edgewater MD 34:27.4 34:10.4
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 9012 Fred Protopappas 5K 63 Silver Spring MD 22:44.3 22:41.7
2 9016 Edwin Patout 5K 63 Washington DC 26:31.8 26:26.3
3 9011 Curt Demars-Johnson 5K 61 Okemos MI 28:29.9 28:03.5
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 79 Linda Kornett 5K 65 Annandale VA 37:50.9 36:57.6
2 8355 Teresa Revanna 5K 65 Falls Church VA 46:09.8 45:30.2
3 8386 Susan Scott 5K 66 Spotsylvania VA 51:17.7 50:27.9
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8881 Keith Padgett 5K 65 Alexandria VA 26:28.0 26:25.8
2 8297 Ernesto Reyes 5K 66 Arlington VA 30:49.8 30:40.4
3 9017 Warren Snaider 5K 65 Washington DC 33:00.4 32:30.4
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8908 John Gluck 5K 74 Alexandria VA 25:53.2 25:49.0
2 8141 Jim Verdier 5K 70 Alexandria VA 30:13.9 30:13.8
3 9176 Carl Magnell 5K 71 Woodbridge VA 42:21.2 41:25.9
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 79
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
MALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 79
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 80 - 84
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8359 Marilyn Karoly 5K 82 Alexandria VA 1:08:47.0 1:08:09.0
MALE AGE GROUP: 80 - 84
Place No. Name Race Age City St Guntime Nettime
===== ===== ===================== ==== === ================== == ========= =========
1 8612 Larry Dickerson 5K 80 Burke VA 28:29.8 28:28.3
“At this time last year,” Gonzalez admitted, “there was no way I could envision ever running a 10-mile race.”
By Steve Nearman
Washington, DC
March 17, 2012
For the Washington Running Report
There was little drama determining the champions of today’s Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon around the four quadrants of Washington, DC. There was plenty of drama, however, from the thousands of runners whose bodies were not so acclimated to the unseasonably warm temperatures.
Local favorite Michael Wardian of Arlington and George Washington University medical student Meghan Bishop ran dominating races and easily tamed the field of 3,181 starters (3,129 finishers) at the seventh annual race. Wardian, who outruns the field in what seems like at least a marathon or ultra a weekend, covered the 26.2-mile course on autopilot, winning here for the sixth time in seven years in a pedestrian 2:26:35. He earned $1,000.
Wardian opened a big gap early, but had to fight off eventual runner-up Travis Barczak, a 22-year-old Detroit native in his marathon debut. Barczak charged a mile down North Capital Street and drew even with Wardian at 11 miles. But the rookie was no match for the 37-year-old veteran, and six miles later Wardian dismantled Barczak’s hopes for a marathon victory.
“I was smelling blood,” said Barczak, who competes in cross country and is on spring break from Wayne State University this week. “I saw the front guy was relaxed. You’ve got to take advantage of the down hills.”
Wardian was unfazed.
“I started throwing in some 5:17 miles and putting some distance on him,” Wardian recounted. “He was running pretty fast. It was cool. I like to race. And if somebody wants to race, let’s get it on.” Wardian traveled solo from the Southwest Waterfront past Nationals Stadium and all through Anacostia back to the finish.
Barczak slowed considerably over the second half (1:16:41) and ended in 2:28:56. Scott Allen of Washington, DC (2:36:05), Benjamin Emmanuel of Arlington (2:38:24) and Philippe Rolly of McLean (2:41:34) followed.
“I was hoping to run 2:35 but I ended up at 2:41,” said Rolly, who turns 40 this year and is prepping for a successful masters campaign.
Bishop, meanwhile, had no visions of grandeur in her first race over 10 miles. Wearing headphones on a course full of live bands, the 26-year-old from Blue Bell, PA, said she was just happy to be running again after three busy years of medical school, working 80 hours per week to become an orthopedic surgeon.
“I was not expecting to win,” said Bishop, whose last long race was two years ago at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. “I was just hoping to go under three hours.” Bishop, who was a top distance runner for the College of William and Mary, came close – 3:01:40 – leading the entire course. She took home a $1,000 check for her sweat.
Immediately upon cross the finish line, she took up residency in the medical tent. “My legs were wobbly near the end,” Bishop admitted. “It is probably from dehydration.”
Bethany Sachtleben, 20, from Manassas, trailed her by nearly 10 minutes in 3:11:25. Silvia Baage of Washington (3:13:50), Noalig Montagnon of New York City (3:15:05) and Patricia Soumoff of Southampton, NY (3:16:13) were next.
Four hours into the marathon, drama began to consume the finish area as many runners collapsed or nearly collapsed. The culprit most likely was the temperature, which was mid-50s with haze at gun time 8:00 a.m. but rose into the 70s and full sun by the afternoon.
“We were ready for everything, heat, cold, you name it,” said Dan Cruz, head of media relations for the Rock ‘n’ Roll series. “There were about five minutes when it looked like a war zone.”
In the accompanying half marathon, which drew 16,477 starters and 16,291 finishers, Ricky Flynn nailed his only goal, which was to win, speeding around 13.1 miles in 1:06:39. Flynn, with a personal best 1:04:15 last fall, said he signed up for the race more as a workout as he transitions from marathon training to track sharpening for this June’s Olympic track and field trials. Flynn placed a surprising 12th in the Olympic Marathon trials in January in a debut 2:12:29.
“I was using it as more of a workout than a race, trying to get back in track shape,” said the Lynchburg, VA, resident who grew up in nearby Damascus, MD. His “workout” banked him $1,000.
Flynn said he traded the lead with Washington-based Ethiopian Gurmessa Mergerssa for the first five to six miles. Once they hit Mile 7, Mergerssa abruptly backed off the pace and Flynn turned it on for the next mile. “I just pushed the pace to make sure he didn’t come back on me,” he explained. Mergerssa fell back more than a minute and posted a 1:07:57 time. Italian Paolo Natali was third in 1:08:07.
Ethiopians Askale Merachi and Tiringo Getachew swept the women’s half in 1:16:52 and 1:20:42 respectively. Local favorite Lisa Thomas of Fairfax was third in 1:22:17.
Just before noon, Janette Ray and her training partner Dexter proudly completed the half marathon. Both received their finisher medal around their neck and their water. Then Dexter rolled over onto the pavement in total content.
Not to worry, Dexter is a 6-year-old white lab who has assisted Janette in four marathons and now her fourth half marathon in the past two years. Dexter is Janette’s right arm, a limb she lost to cancer as a baby.
“He needs exercise and so do I,” said Janette, a Kingstowne, VA, resident who was united with Dexter five years ago after a second surgery on her left arm. “I couldn’t move the arm so he minimizes the load.” Janette said Dexter pulls laundry out of the dryer and carries things on his back, along with walking with her five to six miles every day after her work at the Office of the Secretary of Defense Washington Headquarters Services.
Janette was waiting for her husband John to complete the full marathon.
“I’d like to do marathons again but I have a balance problem now and I’m afraid of falling on my face,” the 49-year-old said. “Today we ran 10 minutes per mile which is pretty good for us. Dexter ran all the way through nine miles; then we walked. This is the first race where they actually gave him a finisher’s medal!”
Marathon by division
| Div | Name | Sex | Age | City | ST | Net |
| 1 | Patrick Hearn | M | 21 | Sykesville | MD | 2:46:46 |
| 2 | Steel Flynn | M | 23 | Mount Washington | PA | 2:49:55 |
| 3 | James Graves | M | 21 | Winston Salem | NC | 2:56:26 |
| 1 | Benjamin Emmanuel | M | 26 | Arlington | VA | 2:38:23 |
| 2 | Jesse Contario | M | 28 | Arlington | VA | 2:46:59 |
| 3 | Andrew Zernovoj | M | 26 | Emerald Hills | CA | 2:50:31 |
| 1 | Nick Gramsky | M | 34 | Vienna | VA | 2:39:46 |
| 2 | Richard Velazquez | M | 31 | New York | NY | 2:42:16 |
| 3 | Daven Oskvig | M | 34 | Amherst | NY | 2:45:55 |
| 1 | Karsten Brown | M | 37 | Front Royal | VA | 2:48:18 |
| 2 | Chris Farley | M | 35 | Arlington | VA | 2:51:59 |
| 3 | William Uher | M | 37 | Odenton | MD | 2:53:21 |
| 1 | Camerino Ortega | M | 41 | Chantilly | VA | 3:02:44 |
| 2 | Joerg Schroeder | M | 44 | Rockville | MD | 3:04:43 |
| 3 | Stephen Sundown | M | 44 | Upper Montclair | NJ | 3:06:44 |
| 1 | Kelly Ricke | M | 46 | Olathe | KS | 3:04:53 |
| 2 | Robert Denmark | M | 46 | Arlington | VA | 3:06:04 |
| 3 | Gary Obert | M | 46 | Arlington | VA | 3:10:19 |
| 1 | Mark Neff | M | 50 | Derwood | MD | 2:47:27 |
| 2 | Glenn Trimboli | M | 50 | Bloomfield | NJ | 3:16:29 |
| 3 | Jim Cummings | M | 51 | Mannington | WV | 3:21:25 |
| 1 | Robert Towne | M | 59 | Spokane Valley | WA | 3:27:06 |
| 2 | Vernon Loeb | M | 56 | Wynnewood | PA | 3:28:12 |
| 3 | David Pinnick | M | 55 | Manassas | VA | 3:31:58 |
| 1 | Dana Beyeler | M | 60 | Russell | PA | 3:10:51 |
| 2 | Skotin Leonid | M | 62 | RU | 3:15:01 | |
| 3 | Von Jennings | M | 64 | Clarksville | MD | 3:53:14 |
| 1 | Gregory Chaconas | M | 66 | Washington | DC | 4:01:53 |
| 2 | Robert Walker | M | 67 | Pittsburgh | PA | 4:13:04 |
| 3 | Lynn Brown | M | 66 | Crownsville | MD | 4:22:01 |
| 1 | Won Yub Lee | M | 73 | Salamanca | NY | 5:14:29 |
| 2 | Benito Vazquez | M | 72 | PR | 5:15:45 | |
| 3 | James Simpson | M | 70 | Huntington Beach | CA | 5:36:17 |
| 1 | Elizabeth Bleuer | F | 22 | Arlington | VA | 3:16:37 |
| 2 | Esther Kendall | F | 24 | New York | NY | 3:18:22 |
| 3 | Alyssa Tewksbury | F | 23 | Wyalusing | PA | 3:22:40 |
| 1 | Ashley Duerr | F | 27 | Falls Church | VA | 3:15:30 |
| 2 | Sarah Moore | F | 29 | Aliso Viejo | CA | 3:18:21 |
| 3 | Keelin Wellott | F | 26 | Rochester | NY | 3:19:45 |
| 1 | Noalig Montagnon | F | 30 | New York | NY | 3:11:29 |
| 2 | Patricia Soumoff | F | 33 | Southampton | NY | 3:14:53 |
| 3 | Kathryn Claiborn | F | 31 | Philadelphia | PA | 3:20:13 |
| 1 | Ayano Murase | F | 35 | Washington | DC | 3:26:39 |
| 2 | Janie Hayes | F | 38 | Washington | DC | 3:29:15 |
| 3 | Leslie Kasmir | F | 36 | Arlington | VA | 3:30:56 |
| 1 | Sandrine Falgon | F | 41 | Washington | DC | 3:20:03 |
| 2 | Cathy Ross | F | 40 | Burke | VA | 3:21:51 |
| 3 | Melissa Senall | F | 40 | Fairport | NY | 3:24:46 |
| 1 | Ellen Komesarook | F | 47 | Gaithersburg | MD | 3:21:42 |
| 2 | Anne Helsabeck | F | 45 | York | PA | 3:39:20 |
| 3 | Phyllis Sevik | F | 47 | Ellicott City | MD | 3:43:00 |
| 1 | Barbara Haney | F | 53 | Fort Washington | MD | 3:45:05 |
| 2 | Theresa Gusman | F | 52 | Dickerson | MD | 3:52:39 |
| 3 | Patricia Keating | F | 50 | Dayton | MD | 3:55:25 |
| 1 | Myong Dunn | F | 55 | Hanover | MD | 3:52:29 |
| 2 | Elizabeth Baumgarten | F | 55 | Stone Ridge | VA | 3:53:50 |
| 3 | Stephany White | F | 56 | Grovetown | GA | 3:56:46 |
| 1 | Colleen Piccone | F | 60 | Pittsford | NY | 4:17:01 |
| 2 | Sandra Bradley | F | 60 | Portland | OR | 4:21:12 |
| 3 | Mary Fredlake | F | 62 | Washington | DC | 4:30:37 |
| 1 | Joanne Murphy | F | 66 | Baltimore | MD | 4:55:05 |
| 2 | Ruth Liebowitz | F | 69 | Staten Island | NY | 5:33:52 |
Half Marathon by division
| Div | Name | Sex | Age | City | ST | Net |
| 1 | Woohyun Kim | M | 14 | Centreville | VA | 1:59:20 |
| 2 | Jake Edwards | M | 14 | Sykesville | MD | 2:10:21 |
| 3 | Brandon Marquart | M | 14 | Ellicott City | MD | 2:12:21 |
| 1 | Thomas Selishev | M | 16 | Silver Spring | MD | 1:19:37 |
| 2 | Kevin Clark | M | 17 | Fayetteville | NC | 1:33:23 |
| 3 | Cory Staton | M | 15 | Fairfax | VA | 1:35:18 |
| 1 | Chris Hague | M | 23 | Kensington | MD | 1:14:37 |
| 2 | John Clark | M | 18 | Carlisle | PA | 1:17:17 |
| 3 | Conor Murphy | M | 18 | Greenlawn | NY | 1:18:11 |
| 1 | Darryl Brown | M | 29 | Exton | PA | 1:09:29 |
| 2 | Joe Kelly | M | 26 | Arlington | VA | 1:13:09 |
| 3 | Patrick Murphy | M | 27 | Washington | DC | 1:13:29 |
| 1 | Daniel Blouin | M | 33 | CA | 1:09:00 | |
| 2 | Phil Reutlinger | M | 33 | Alexandria | VA | 1:12:43 |
| 3 | Eddie Valentine | M | 32 | Arlington | VA | 1:16:02 |
| 1 | Matthew Thomas | M | 37 | Alexandria | VA | 1:13:21 |
| 2 | Tim Fahey | M | 38 | Arlington | VA | 1:15:02 |
| 3 | Mike Carriglitto | M | 36 | Pottstown | PA | 1:16:01 |
| 1 | Michel Couillard | M | 44 | CA | 1:19:12 | |
| 2 | Andrew Pugh | M | 42 | Washington | DC | 1:22:20 |
| 3 | Mike Bloemker | M | 43 | Shawnee | KS | 1:25:27 |
| 1 | Thomas Jensen | M | 48 | Oakton | VA | 1:21:07 |
| 2 | David Phipps | M | 48 | Severna Park | MD | 1:23:35 |
| 3 | John Michael Chapin | M | 45 | Alexandria | VA | 1:24:37 |
| 1 | Kevin D’Amanda | M | 50 | Bethesda | MD | 1:21:26 |
| 2 | Christopher Ryan | M | 53 | Washington | DC | 1:24:58 |
| 3 | John Whitridge | M | 50 | Rockville | MD | 1:26:52 |
| 1 | Bill Raabe | M | 57 | Washington | DC | 1:24:23 |
| 2 | William Loomis | M | 57 | Silver Spring | MD | 1:33:50 |
| 3 | Ken Krehbiel | M | 58 | Washington | DC | 1:41:21 |
| 1 | Bob Albritton | M | 60 | Vienna | VA | 1:28:04 |
| 2 | Carl Randall | M | 60 | Fredericksburg | VA | 1:31:10 |
| 3 | Bob Becker | M | 60 | White Hall | MD | 1:31:48 |
| 1 | John Morris | M | 67 | GB | 1:32:57 | |
| 2 | Michael Luke | M | 65 | Roslindale | MA | 1:53:13 |
| 3 | Michael Serene | M | 66 | Akron | OH | 1:53:40 |
| 1 | Malcolm Cohen | M | 70 | Ann Arbor | MI | 2:22:10 |
| 2 | David Loprinzi | M | 72 | King City | OR | 2:22:35 |
| 3 | Ken Morrison | M | 71 | Manassas | VA | 2:27:01 |
| 1 | Lou Wilson | M | 75 | The Woodlands | TX | 3:21:43 |
| 1 | Kerry Lane Magalis III | F | 13 | Front Royal | VA | 1:52:10 |
| 2 | Bryanna Leyen | F | 14 | Perry Hall | MD | 2:05:58 |
| 3 | Sarah Harmer | F | 14 | Wall Township | NJ | 2:07:27 |
| 1 | Rachel Labella | F | 16 | Bristow | VA | 1:41:19 |
| 2 | Mary Brass | F | 17 | Dunwoody | GA | 1:46:25 |
| 3 | Madison Oliver | F | 15 | Clifton | VA | 1:52:34 |
| 1 | Kerry Allen | F | 23 | Washington | DC | 1:26:40 |
| 2 | Susan Bentley | F | 23 | Jamestown | NY | 1:27:04 |
| 3 | Caitlin Dorman | F | 24 | Washington | DC | 1:29:20 |
| 1 | Teal Connor | F | 26 | Washington | DC | 1:24:17 |
| 2 | Wendi Robinson | F | 25 | Washington | DC | 1:24:39 |
| 3 | Laura Hutchinson | F | 29 | Holyoke | MA | 1:26:57 |
| 1 | Jeanna Composti | F | 31 | New York | NY | 1:24:42 |
| 2 | Bridget Holt | F | 33 | Gambrills | MD | 1:25:09 |
| 3 | Kendra Goffredo | F | 31 | EC | 1:26:47 | |
| 1 | Susan Dominowski | F | 35 | Germantown | MD | 1:24:31 |
| 2 | Chrissy Graham | F | 38 | Olney | MD | 1:28:01 |
| 3 | Jennifer Sober | F | 38 | McHenry | MD | 1:28:36 |
| 1 | Leslie Cohen | F | 44 | North Potomac | MD | 1:24:32 |
| 2 | Jennifer Smith | F | 41 | Baltimore | MD | 1:32:12 |
| 3 | Sally Foster | F | 40 | Linthicum Heights | MD | 1:33:19 |
| 1 | Grace McElroy | F | 45 | Sleepy Hollow | NY | 1:29:51 |
| 2 | Andrea Meuser | F | 45 | Vienna | VA | 1:33:07 |
| 3 | Shannon Smith | F | 46 | Washington | DC | 1:35:19 |
| 1 | Kathleen Russo | F | 52 | Salisbury | NC | 1:40:04 |
| 2 | Ruth McArthur | F | 54 | Boerne | TX | 1:42:23 |
| 3 | Teresa Lent | F | 50 | Arlington | VA | 1:42:46 |
| 1 | Linda Ottaviano | F | 56 | Cold Spring Harbor | NY | 1:44:42 |
| 2 | Susan Gold | F | 56 | Fairfield | CT | 1:45:26 |
| 3 | Linda Sheaffer | F | 56 | Washington | DC | 1:54:06 |
| 1 | Serge Harrison | F | 62 | Cockeysville | MD | 1:54:05 |
| 2 | Anne Forsha | F | 61 | Derwood | MD | 1:55:21 |
| 3 | Ann Rosenthal | F | 62 | Bethesda | MD | 1:57:10 |
| 1 | Chris Craun | F | 65 | Bethesda | MD | 1:56:59 |
| 2 | Janice Jacobs | F | 65 | Arlington | VA | 2:07:39 |
| 3 | Lucia Davidson | F | 66 | Arlington | VA | 2:17:00 |
| 1 | Sharon Leicham | F | 70 | Memphis | TN | 2:23:12 |
| 2 | Mary Dowell | F | 72 | Lynn | MA | 3:09:58 |
| 3 | Betty Wright-Thomas | F | 70 | Washington | DC | 3:15:34 |
| 1 | Anne Morris | F | 75 | Springfield | VA | 3:22:57 |
| 2 | Matilda Lowe | F | 78 | Sarasota | FL | 3:43:42 |
| 1 | Katy Curnyn | F | 91 | Littleton | NH | 3:11:16 |
Inaugural Race has Room to Grow
By James Moreland
September 27, 2008
Sterling, VA
For the Washington Running Report
With so many races competing for runners, it is hard to draw large crowds. The Wells Fargo Run for the Door 5K started off their first year with a lot of pluses. The race venue had huge parking loot with tons of room for this race to grow ten times as large. The course was coned off well so that even with its many turns, runners could easily stay on course. If you cannot have a fast course, make it real interesting.
Even before the runners lined up to get started, the air was thick with music from the booming music tent. There were fresh bagels and fruit for after the race and bless them, the bottled water was nestled in a bed of ice. After the past few days of chilling rain, runners might have forgotten how warm September really remains. Indeed, the race was a little nervous as the early morning skies contained some thunder and lightning. Fortunately that passed and runners were met with the lightest of drizzle, though the humidity made the air thick.
Ray (#1) and Cathy (#2) Pugsley of Potomac River Running both came out to help the race get started. Usually one of them has to stand on the sidelines. Today both were reasonable bets to finish in the top three and not even a long shot to win it all. Justin Fritzius of Purcellville, VA started on the far side with Pugsley front and center. Fritzius had won three 5Ks out right last summer in less than sixteen minutes. In 2008, he added three more victories in the summer, including the prestigious Annapolis 10 Mile.
The course had runners bolting around the shopping center in a half mile loop before cruising up Ridgetop Circle. The course’s “hills” were really mild and the “ridge top” reached at mile one was by no means daunting. The bear climbing on your back was the humidity as runners hastened down the long hill just after mile one. By this time, Fritzius had built a small cushion over Pugsley but could not shake fellow Purcellville racer Chris Schaeffer. At the tape, the photo makes it look as if Fritzuis is out for a stroll, crossing the line in 16:04, yet Scheaffer (16:07) is close enough to be partially blocked out of the photo.
Meanwhile, Pugsley (16:21) had all he could handle from fourth place David Miller of Leesburg VA, who ran 16:25. The race generously went three deep in ten year age groups and the winners in those divisions were uncontested. Fifth place Gary Grilliot (44) of Reston, VA hammered the masters in a spiffy 17:25. Michael Arrowsmith (149) of Reston, VA glided to glory in 18:51. Richard Adams Jr. (57) of Herndon, VA whiplashed his division bolting out to a forty second lead by the mile and taking it on home in 19:18. With no one competing in the 60-69 division, Maynard Weyers (72) of Alexandria, VA came roaring home to a cheering crowd, emphatically winning in an excellent 24:45.
Julia Rudd (25) of Herndon, VA has run a 5:06 mile this year and was hoping for something in the 17s. That was a tall order in today’s sticky weather. The top five runners (all men) were gone in a flash. She could latch onto to Michael Arrowsmith to help stay on pace, which she did, winning easily in 18:55. Cathy Pugsley started conservatively but by midway it seemed certain she would hold the number two spot, which she did in 19:09. Anita Freres had a great summer including an overall win and a top 5K in 20:09. She usually gets faster as the race wears on but she was not going to catch third place Danielle Russell (44) of Ashburn, VA. Russell, a new face, had an excellent 19:23. Freres, possibly aware that so-to-be-masters Jeanette Dumbrell was on her tail, pulled out her fastest 5K of the year (so far) in 19:56. Dumbrell was close in 20:04 to win her division. In the photo above, Lauren Dalton, just 13, of Sterling, VA gets a nice effort to win in 23:31.
Richards Adams Jr. (57) of Herndon, MD was seventh overall in 19:18. He hurried back to the finish line so he be the first one over to the massage table set up for runners.
Awards
FEMALE OVERALL
Place Num Name Ag City Gun T Net T Pace
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== ===== ===== =====
1 3 Julia Rudd 25 Herndon VA 18:55 18:54 6:05
2 2 Cathy Pugsley 39 Sterling VA 19:09 19:09 6:10
3 103 Danielle Russell 44 Ashburn VA 19:23 19:23 6:15
MALE OVERALL
Place Num Name Ag City Gun T Net T Pace
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== ===== ===== =====
1 127 Justin Fritzius 24 Purcellville VA 16:04 16:04 5:11
2 132 Chris Sheaffer 24 Purcellville VA 16:07 16:07 5:11
3 1 Ray Pugsley 39 Sterling VA 16:21 16:20 5:16
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 – 19
1 182 Lauren Dalton 13 Sterling VA 23:31 23:31 7:34
2 109 Natalie Nelson 11 Sterling VA 26:55 26:55 8:40
3 139 Kelly Miller 13 Leesburg VA 29:14 29:13 9:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 – 19
1 75 Michael Arrowsmith 19 Ashburn VA 18:51 18:50 6:04
2 138 Matt Gambogi 14 Leesburg VA 20:22 20:22 6:34
3 145 Brenden Veler 12 Bristow VA 25:30 25:30 8:13
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 – 29
1 111 India Imbs 23 Ashburn VA 26:01 25:54 8:20
2 65 Beth Nagel 26 Ashburn VA 27:24 27:23 8:49
3 70 Vivian Kim 29 Sterling VA 29:12 29:07 9:22
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 – 29
1 83 David Miller 25 Leesburg VA 16:25 16:25 5:17
2 69 Daniel Huertas 28 Herndon VA 25:15 25:09 8:06
3 22 Lawrence Lee 29 Sterling VA 25:23 25:16 8:08
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 – 39
1 97 Jeanette Dumbrell 39 Falls Church VA 20:04 20:03 6:28
2 106 Diane Lathom 37 Ashburn VA 22:09 22:07 7:08
3 38 Christine Cosgrave 33 Herndon VA 26:38 26:33 8:33
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 – 39
1 110 Robert Van Dyke 34 Ashburn VA 22:01 21:58 7:05
2 56 Il June Lee 30 Vienna VA 23:16 23:10 7:28
3 76 Kevin Powell 34 Sterling VA 23:24 23:16 7:30
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 – 49
1 140 Anita Freres 43 Reston VA 19:56 19:56 6:25
2 116 Michelle Jakab 43 Sterling VA 26:09 25:59 8:22
3 25 Vicki Lewis 48 Woodbridge VA 26:53 26:48 8:38
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 – 49
1 123 Gary Grilliot 44 Reston VA 17:25 17:25 5:37
2 95 Robert Sichau 44 Alexandria VA 19:46 19:44 6:22
3 120 Rob Schlegel 41 Clifton VA 20:20 20:19 6:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 – 59
1 178 Leslie Kash 52 Round Hill VA 26:51 26:47 8:38
2 67 Karen Leh 51 Sterling VA 29:03 28:49 9:17
3 68 Cheryl Beebe 51 Sterling VA 32:23 32:21 10:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 – 59
1 29 Richard Adams Jr 57 Herndon VA 19:18 19:18 6:13
2 84 Myron Kremer 51 Winchester VA 20:51 20:50 6:43
3 10 James Moreland 56 Gaithersburg MD 21:04 21:04 6:47
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 – 69
1 51 Jean Stewart 65 Washington DC 40:44 40:32 13:03
2 73 Toni Miller 60 Leesburg VA 52:41 52:22 16:52
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 – 99
1 113 Maynard Weyers 72 Alexandria VA 24:45 24:44 7:58
2 144 Terry McCarthy 73 Leesburg VA 28:59 28:55 9:19
3 119 Jim Hufford 74 Reston VA 30:24 30:18 9:45
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME – NET PACE 1 – 99
1 37 John Bratton 44 M Arlington VA 22:59 22:57 7:23
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME – NET PACE 1 – 99
1 66 Leila Lucas 46 F Ashburn VA 28:02 27:59 9:01
Wearing his Potomac River Running shirt, David Miller of Leesburg, VA flies home with a Ranked Runner time of 16:25 for fourth overall.
By Dickson Mercer
Washington, DC
May 15, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
Name a local road race and Wilson Komen has probably won it. In 2005 and 2006, not long after the Eldoret, Kenya native moved to Washington, DC, the now 33-year-old runner more or less ruled the local roads. After winning the Capitol Hill Classic, though, Komen admitted that today’s race was his first taste of victory in quite some time.
“I just wanted to get a race in and see how I could do,” Komen said shortly before the awards ceremony. “I’m happy with it. It’s been awhile since I won a race.”
Komen won the Capitol Hill Classic, a challenging 10K race that starts and finishes at Stanton Park, at 5th and C streets in northeast Washington, DC, on a sunny, slightly humid morning in 32:24. Garrett Ash, 27 from Connecticut took second in 33:29. He then cruised to victory in the 3K, held about two hours after the 10K in 10:14.
This year’s Capitol Hill Classic, which offers a 10K, 3K, and fun run on historic Capitol Hill, had about 3,000 participants who traveled to the event from more than 20 states.
Kumsa Eticha, 27, of Washington, DC took third in 33:49, a day after placing second in the We’ve Got Your Back 5K in Reston, VA.
Local ace Maggie Infeld, 25, of Washington, DC was the top female, running 36:37 to hold off Alexandria, VA’s Lisa Thomas, 35, by 29 seconds. Kristi Markowicz, 41, of Arlington, VA took third in 38:24.
Top finishers received prize money of $200, $150, and $100, respectively. The top male masters finisher was DC resident Rodney Loeppky, running 35:51to place fifth overall. Markowicz was the top female masters finisher in matching her time that earned her second place in the Winter Runner Rankings.
Although Komen is losing track of the exact number, the Georgetown Running Company employee and Reebok-sponsored runner guesses he has run at least 30 marathons. In peak form, he ran 2:18:26, good for 14th place at the 2006 Boston Marathon. That same year, he placed third at the hilly Under Armour Baltimore Marathon in 2:17:06. More recently, Komen, who has dealt with hamstring problems in recent years, took third at the SunTrust National Marathon in 2:31:00.
“I’m going to pick it up now, just see what I can I do,” Komen said.
Sheika Brown, 29, of Frederick, MD finished 391st out of almost 1,000 female finishers in 58:29. She ran the Frederick Half Marathon on May 7 but said she had always wanted to run the Capitol Hill Classic.
Steve Coles, on the other hand, had run the race before. In 2000 the 53-year-old Frederick resident said he took up running as an incentive to quit smoking cigarettes. Eleven years later, Coles said he no longer smokes, and mixes the Capitol Hill Classic in with two marathons and several 10Ks he races every year. The course, he said, passes by the DC native’s former rival high school, Eastern Senior.
The Capitol Hill Classic was founded 32 years ago. Proceeds from the nonprofit race benefit Capitol Hill Cluster, a public school with three campuses: the Peabody Early Childhood Center, Watkins Elementary, and Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
Traditionally the race has started at 8:30 a.m., race director Don Montuori said. Due to events related to National Police Week, this year’s race started an hour earlier so Independence Avenue would not be blocked to traffic after 9:00 a.m. Also, to stay clear of Independence Avenue, the 3K course was rerouted on race day (and measured at 2 miles by the police patrol car).
After directing the race for his sixth year, Montouri, a runner and Capitol Hill resident, said the cost for putting on the Capitol Hill Classic has been on the rise since 2002. Combined fees to Metropolitan Police and the city have quadrupled since then to about $33,000, which used to be roughly equivalent to the amount that the race would raise for Capitol Hill Cluster.
“It’s a question for the PTA next year to decide whether we can afford to have it,” Montouri said.
The course, which takes runners along Massachusetts Avenue, around Lincoln Park and down to East Capitol Street before sending runners back for a loop around the U.S. Capitol, has not changed much since the event was founded, Montouri said. Race volunteer Mike Soderman called it a “runner’s course.” Komen, who ran the last four miles alone, described it as a “little challenging.”
The course record for men is 30:38, set by Gurmessa Kumsa in 2006. The women’s course record is 35:27, run by Heather Hanscom in 2002.
Afterward, an awards ceremony was held in Stanton Park. In front of the statue of American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, mats were laid out in the grass and many runners cooled down with a yoga session.
It would be a shame to lose this longest-running 10K race in the District of Columbia. This one has grown very nicely, and has become more than just a neighborhood event, attracting runners from all over the region as well as 27 different states. As typical of races today, this one included a wide range of ages from toddler to octogenarians; the sexes tip back and forth for majority participation, with women today holding the edge.
Awards Listing
Age Group Awards Based on Net Times
MALE
Place Name Ag City Time
===== ======================= == ===================== =======
1 Wilson Komen 33 Washington DC 32:24
2 Garrett Ash 27 Manchester CT 33:29
3 Kumsa Ethicha 27 Washington DC 33:49
FEMALE
Place Name Ag City Time
===== ======================= == ===================== =======
1 Maggie Infeld 25 Washington DC 36:37
2 Lisa Thomas 35 Alexandria VA 37:06
3 Kristi Markowicz 41 Arlington VA 38:24
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 9
1 Ava Cavanaugh 8 Washington DC 51:30
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 10 - 14
1 Jackson Todd 12 Washington DC 48:47
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 10 - 14
1 Taylor Knibb 13 Washington DC 47:08
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 Thomas Smyth 18 Washington DC 40:03
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 Margaret Haley 18 Usaf Academy CO 45:02
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 Alexander Wepsala 23 Washington DC 39:01
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 Anna Novick 22 Hayama Machi 39:19
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 Matt Shechtman 26 Atlanta GA 36:11
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 Susan Hendrick 25 Washington DC 38:45
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 Daniel Yi 30 Alexandria VA 36:39
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 Laura Ramos 32 Silver Spring MD 40:59
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 Andrew Lipscomb 36 Alexandria VA 36:43
Photo below: Arrington Peterson (#2205) and Mary Robison (#2439), both 12, hold hands to finish the 2-mile race in 16:35.
By James Moreland
Waldorf, MD
April 16, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
This spring’s weather has been even more erratic than usual and we were warned that is was not going to a warm and gentle day. But we had Regency Furniture Stadium, home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. We had lots of free parking and shelter from the coming storm. The 10 mile race started first at 8:00 a.m. followed by the 5K which started at 8:15 a.m. but ran in the reverse direction. It seemed a little strange that the starting line was almost a half mile from the stadium but that was well planned so that the two races would return and enter the stadium in left field and charge to the finish line at home plate.
It was very windy for the runners as they made their way to the starting line but it wasn’t the wind that knocked over the start stanchion. The power generator that filled it with air stopped a couple minutes before the start. Of course, it was quickly repaired and the start was on time. Unlike the big dog 10 milers such as Credit Union Cherry Blossom and GW Parkway Classic from the last two weeks, this race had no superstars. Most of the runners were reluctant to place themselves to close to the starting mats.
By the start the winds had died down and though the sky was ominous, there no tear drops from the clouds. The course was accurately called fast and flat. Still, at the start, runners were reluctant to take the lead. After turning onto Billingsley Road, Joseph Olson, 26, of California, MD took the reins and moved away from the field, winning by more than a mile in 1:00:33. Nine of the top 25 runners were women. The top three women finished in a bunch at 7-9 overall.
The battle for second place was close with Don Stakes, 31, of Port Tobacco, MD holding on to defeat top master John Moran of Washington, DC 1:07:48 to 1:08:11. Seventh place overall Teresa Murphy, 32 of Waldorf, MD was the top woman in a solid 1:11:00. That battle for runner-up was razor close. Note that the top three times are decided by gun time. Second place Tricia Shaw, 30, of Washington, DC ran an identical 1:11:36 with Jacqueline Vanderslice, 29, of Arlington, VA. If the two had been vying for the age group, Vanderslice would have won with a seven second better net time.
Awards Listing for the 10 Mile (No Duplicate Prizes)
MALE OVERALL
1 1226 Joseph Olson 26 California MD 1:00:33 X
2 1288 Don Stakes 31 Port Tobacco MD 1:07:48 X
3 1213 John Moran 41 Washington DC 1:08:11 X
FEMALE OVERALL
1 1219 Teresa Murphy 32 Waldorf MD 1:11:00 X
2 1274 Tricia Shaw 30 Washington DC 1:11:36 X
3 1316 Jacqueline Vanderslice 29 Arlington VA 1:11:36 X
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
1 1151 Jacob Johnson 12 White Plains MD X 1:30:37
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 1299 Benjamin Szoch 17 La Plata MD X 1:16:00
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 1148 Michael Huskey 24 Mechanicsville MD X 1:43:59
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 1241 Sarah Pritchard 21 Annapolis MD X 1:14:31
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 1055 Steven Cornish 26 Washington DC X 1:08:22
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 1193 Christine Manfredonia 26 Arlington VA X 1:14:02
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 1289 Joshua Staley 34 Elkridge MD X 1:09:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 1256 Alison Roland 30 Philadelphia PA X 1:14:48
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 1156 John Jordan 39 La Plata MD X 1:13:04
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 1224 Stephanie Norwell 35 Arlington VA X 1:17:02
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 1154 Marcus Jones 41 Hughesville MD X 1:15:17
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 1049 Claire Chiamulera 41 La Plata MD X 1:14:49
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 1067 Kenneth Dean 46 Upper Marlboro MD X 1:14:18
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 1359 Jennifer Kohout 47 Anchorage AK X 1:15:40
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 1173 James Landis 50 La Plata MD X 1:13:44
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 1135 Laurel Hess 54 Lititz PA X 1:21:18
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 1009 David Bailey 55 Clinton MD X 1:18:44
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 1119 Elizabeth Hall 59 Kensington MD X 1:57:49
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 1337 Bernard Wright 64 Pomfret MD X 1:22:48
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 1034 Esther Buchser 62 Abingdon MD X 1:31:15
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
1 1321 Robert Warrington 70 La Plata MD X 1:55:13
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
In the 5K race, there were twice as many women as men. All of the 5K runners finished long before the rains came. Cheryl Hendricks, 55, of Waldorf, MD was second overall for the only Ranked Runner time in the 5K. Michelle Diverio, 25, also of Waldorf, MD won easily in 22:17. The men’s race was far from easy Mark Van Horn, 21, and George Hall, Jr., 42, both of Waldorf, MD pulled ahead of third place Paul Geary, 45, of Towson, MD (20:53) and ran side by side to the finish. The younger Van Horn edged out victory by a second in 19:41.
Racing into a stadium is always fun. Had the day been sunny it would have glorious. For the ten mile the rains began in the second half of the race. The course was so well marshaled with cones, police, and lots of volunteers. There was more water stops than we would have needed even on a sunny day and they even had porta johns on the route. Runners were very polite. When you got passed then warned you with a pleasant “passing on your left.” Every volunteer was praised for their efforts. Also for a rural race on an inclement day, there were a lot of spectators cheering us on.
At the finish there was plenty of food and runners got to pick up their premium. If you did not care for regular racing food, the concession stand was open for business. And what a relief it was to finish with a place to get quickly out of the rain. The worst of the rain did not start till later in the afternoon but it would be easy to get chilled standing around under the clouds.
Awards Listing for the 5K (No Duplicate Prizes)
MALE OVERALL
1 2695 Mark Van Horn 21 Waldorf MD 19:41 5
2 2575 George Hall, Jr. 42 Waldorf MD 19:42 5
3 2567 Paul Geary 45 Towson MD 20:53 5
FEMALE OVERALL
1 2548 Michelle Diverio 25 Waldorf MD 22:17 5
2 2581 Cheryl Hendricks 55 Waldorf MD 25:27 5
3 2741 Heather Cohen 26 Hollywood MD 25:54 5
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
1 2708 Andrew Wright 11 Indian Head MD 5 25:41
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
1 2570 Kirsten Greenwaldt 14 La Plata MD 5 28:39
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 2505 Bradley Adams, Jr 17 Port Tobacco MD 5 25:45
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 2662 Peyton Reynolds 15 Waldorf MD 5 29:36
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 2745 Jeff Sebastian 23 Waldorf MD 5 22:49
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 2657 Marisha Proctor 21 La Plata MD 5 29:54
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 2671 Christopher Schoenbauer 26 Baltimore MD 5 21:39
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 2542 Catherine Dean 28 Waldorf MD 5 26:30
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 2612 Derrick Knight 31 Waldorf MD 5 22:06
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 2538 Debra Danisek 30 Fairfax VA 5 27:24
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 2739 John Childers 39 Swan Point MD 5 20:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 2727 Angela Bennett 36 Huntingtown MD 5 29:18
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 2725 Jeffrey Morrison 40 Mechanicsville MD 5 28:41
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 2670 Daniela Saldana 41 La Plata MD 5 27:30
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 2615 Steven Lindeman 46 Grasonville MD 5 23:10
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 2709 Thadine Wright 46 Indian Head MD 5 32:20
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 2585 Bert Hindman 52 Lexington Park MD 5 21:58
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 2678 Mona Sims 52 Odenton MD 5 31:23
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 2737 Bruce Jennings 55 La Plata MD 5 27:05
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 2753 Michelle S 55 College Park MD 5 28:36
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 2559 Ron Falke 61 Millville DE 5 31:54
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 2619 Joan Manfredonia 65 Southbury CT 5 35:22
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
By Tami Faram
Quantico, VA
February 18, 2010
For the Washington Running Report
The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) and U.S. Marines from Marine Corps Base Quantico will present the annual Healthy School Award to the students of Eagle View Elementary in Fairfax, VA, during a school assembly on Thursday, February 18, at 2:00 p.m. in the school gym at 4500 Dixie Hill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.
The award is the result of the student’s participation in the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun Run held on October 24, 2009 in Arlington, VA. Out of 353 schools, Eagle View was one of the top three in overall student participation at the one-mile fun run held for kids ages 6 to 13.
During the assembly members of the United States Marine Corps will lead the students in PT drills while promoting health, fitness, and strong bodies. MCM partners, Sodexo, and the National Children’s Museum will participate in the ceremony. MCM’s Miles the bulldog, Sodexo’s Lift-Off!, and the school’s Eagle mascot will add to the festivities.
Online registration for the 2010 Healthy Kids Fun Run opens May 5, 2010 at www.marinemarathon.com.
Potomac River Running Announces Run for Haiti 5K and Fun Run
By Kristin Idle
Reston, VA
February 10, 2010
For the Washington Running Report
Due to Winter Storms the February13 date is being postponed to March 7, 2010
Potomac River Running Announces “Run for Haiti 5K and Fun Run” In Support of Earthquake Relief Efforts
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, Potomac River Running announces the Run for Haiti 5K and Fun Run on Sunday, March 7 at 9:00 AM. All race proceeds will be donated to the Haiti relief efforts to support the thousands needing medical treatment and basic supplies.
The 5K will be staged at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive) in Reston, VA. The course will run on the asphalt paths throughout scenic Reston, with the start and finish on the South Lakes High School track. To help maximize donation efforts to the victims, race t-shirts will not be included in the race registration. Rather, a donation bin will be available on race day to collect old race t-shirts from participants. These shirts will be personally delivered to those in need by Moise Joseph, Haitian Olympian in the 800 meters and a =PR= employee.
This devastation hits close to home for Moise Joseph. Moise was a 12 time All-American while at the University of Florida. He competed for Haiti in the 2004 Olympics and has been a member of four World Championship teams. Moise is currently training and racing on the track at the national and international level. For him, running has provided the road to a better life. Moise still has family in Haiti and sadly still does not know the whereabouts of all his relatives. As soon as is feasible, he will return to Haiti to help his family and community.
Please join Potomac River Running to raise funds in support of the earthquake relief efforts. All donations will be given to the American Red Cross. To register, please go to www.potomacriverrunning.com or visit a =PR= store (Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Reston, Tyson’s, Cleveland Park, and Rockville). Late registration and packet pick up will take place on Saturday, March 6 at =PR= Reston (11911 Democracy Dr.) from 12-7:00 PM. Race day registration will take place at South Lakes High School on March 7 from 7-8:15 AM. Top age-group winners will be awarded and recognized.
Editor’s note: These are outtakes from our profile of Christo Landry that appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of RunWashington.
On choosing golf over cross country as a high school freshman: “It was my grandpa. I just played golf with him whenever I saw him growing up. I still have fun playing when it’s warm outside. I’m not necessarily very good, but I’m also not a complete disaster on the course.”
On Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s success in ‘mental sports’: In football “my first year we were playing Centerville for our homecoming and we had signs that said we will not lose … by more than 50. We lost 49-0. The score of all score of all three games – varsity, JV, freshman – was 106-0. Needless to say, that wasn’t our strong spot, neither was basketball.”
On injury troubles that weren’t always because of running: Like the time at the College of William and Mary that he lost control of his bike while riding to class. “Rather than bail out into some bushes … I ended up smashing my knee into the building and bruising a nerve.” Landry missed nine weeks.
On what it meant, in 2006, to have an A team finish 8th at NCAAs and a B team win the IC4A Championship in cross country. “Oh, man, there were some parties when we got back.”
On not partying: “I was really boring in college. I didn’t drink until I was 21. It was just kind of a personal thing – it’s like, let see if you can do that. Then, after I turned 21, I was always injured, so it’s like, I’m not going to drink because that’s going to slow down my recovery. So I never really went out and partied. And as far as the team as a whole, we didn’t really drink much during the season, because we wanted to be good. Now, granted, the two weeks we had off after the season, I’m not sure if some people were sober at all during that time. So that was always fun to watch.”
On his “vice”: “I’d say my biggest vice was just staying up too late – maybe staying up until 12, 1 a.m. in the morning. Granted, I didn’t have class until noon, so I didn’t have to get up until 11, so I’d get my 10 hours, just not at the right time for your body to recover optimally. It’s still my biggest problem: just making sure I consistently get to bed early. So now I am trying to make sure I get to bed by 10, which I’ll slip up on one or two days a week.
On his first year as a professional running: In March, 2011, Landry ran 14:20 in the 5,000 at the Raleigh Relays (he ran faster as a college freshman). At Mt. Sac he ran 14:10. “So I go to Payton Jordan at Stanford, I’m running the 10k, and going there I’m like, ‘Well, shoot, I’ve done this for almost a year now post-collegiately. If I don’t race something decent here, alright, I’m done. I no longer have it.’ And I got in that race and ended up splitting 14:20 for my first 5k and 14:10 for my second 10K, running 28:30 in my first 10k. And I’m like, ‘Alright, ok, we’re good; we can keep going at that point.’”
On discovering the roads a month later: Landry entered the 8k national championships in Carmel, Ind., winning $2,000 for 4th place. “I didn’t know any better. I just drove down there, booked my own hotel, just drove over to the start of the race at the beginning. I didn’t know anything about them putting you up, race hotels, anything about that.” At Peachtree the next month Landry’s room was comped. “The race hotel is the Ritz. Compared to me booking a $40 a night hotel, it’s like, ‘I don’t know what most road races are like, but I do know which end of the scale I want to be on.'”
On gradual success on the roads: “I started those [national championship] races and I was finishing in the four to eighth range – and you know, gradually every year I have worked my way up.”
On long long runs: “When you get used to running 2:20 in training, when you move up to the marathon, if you want your body to adjust, naturally you have to run further.” Prior to the Chicago Marathon last year, Landry did a three-hour run on a six-mile stretch of road, covering 32 miles. “I felt fantastic after that long run. I mean, I probably ate a whole bag of tortilla chips afterward – get some salt back in my body. … But I felt great.”
On his Olympic dream: In 2008, Landry, still in college, and hurt at the time, watched the U.S. Olympic track trials in Eugene. “I made a promise to myself I would be participating in the next one, and sure enough I was. I managed to get myself tripped and fall flat on my face in the 10k; not the best way to run that. The television cut out beforehand, so everyone just saw the bad time and the bad place. There I made the promise to myself I will make the Olympic team next time it comes around.”
On his plan to make the 2016 Olympic team: “Well, hopefully I’ll have two shots at that, and need only one.” This spring he’ll focus on getting an A standard qualifying time for 10,000 meters. In August, Landry will transition to training for the marathon trials. This way, if he doesn’t qualify in the marathon, “then I have a shot to come back and prepare for the 10k trials. And if I have the A standard out of the way, I don’t have to peak at Payton Jordan to get the standard there and then compete at the trials as well, which is very difficult.”
