Cross country is a rough sport. Athletes brave all kinds of weather and all kinds of terrain; they run on hills, rocky trails, mud and sometimes even through creeks. Sometimes that iconic and pastoral racing environment isn’t available every day, but even in a “concrete jungle” with some of the worst traffic in the nation, many D.C. runners still log those miles.
The Oatlands Invitational in Leesburg served as a showcase for the nearby Loudoun Valley, but not just the school’s nationally-top-ranked boys’ varsity team. Junior Sam Affolder‘s 15:43 win for 5k led the way for five team titles and three runner-up finishes for various Viking teams.
Affolder, seniors Peter Morris (third, 16:01) and Colton Bogucki (ninth, 16:19), and juniors Jacob Hunter (13th, 16:29) and Jacob Windle (20th, 16:52) scored 46 team points and had all finished before second place Cary, N.C.,’s Green Hope had two runners in. The Falcons, who also came up for the 2014 DCXC Invitational, scored 117 points and Delaware’s Salesianum School was third with 194 points.
“We’re moving,” reads a massive sign in the storefront window at 7516 Leesburg Pike near Tysons Corner.
To the passerby headed to do some grocery shopping, it may seem like any other storefront. But this location, home of one of the the longest continuous-running specialty running stores in the D.C. area, has held a special place in the running community since 1991. That’s not to say it hasn’t changed over the years–it began as Fleet Feet Sports, then Metro Run and Walk and, finally, Potomac River Running.
Name: Mike Tosto
Self-described age group: 30-34
Six weeks before a marathon is a good time to take stock of how training is going, but even moreso because Sept. 14 is the last day Marine Corps Marathon runners can legally transfer bibs for the race.
The good news for runners on the fence is that as one of the most popular marathons in the country, demand for their bibs is high, and they can almost certainly recoup their registration fee. In addition, for local runners, who don’t have added travel and lodging commitments, there’s less of a financial sunk cost in bailing on Marine Corps, making it easier to fall back, take a few more weeks to train and take a shot at a later marathon, in Richmond, Philadelphia or Rehoboth.