Mark Leininger did a lot while in D.C., including breaking the American University 10,000-meter record. But running off the track, at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, spurred him to greater heights and longer distances.
“I didn’t really think about [competing post-collegiately on the roads] too much,” Leininger said. “I wanted to still run faster on the track.”
Celebrate Memorial Day and honor our past and present military heroes! Join your friends and neighbors on May 25, 2026 in Ashburn, VA for RINGING IN HOPE: A SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS (5K, 10K & 1-Mile Freedom Fun Run) and make this Memorial Day a truly memorable one. Run, Walk or Jog and celebrate with us as we honor and recognize the men and women who serve our country!
Enjoy spring at the U.S. National Arboretum during the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) Flowering 5K. This run or walk will take you past garden collections brightly colored with spring flowers, over tree-lined rolling hills, and along streams winding their way to the Anacostia River. Enjoy cherry blossoms, magnolias, and so much more!
This race is not only scenic but also safe and secure. All roads are closed to cars during this race so you can safely enjoy running or walking through this 451-acre urban green space. A professional race announcer will call out runners as they cross the finish line and music will get you in the groove before and after the event.
Bethany Graham wasn’t sure what to make of Taryn Parks. The senior from Greencastle-Atrim in Pennsylvania has been a mainstay at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships since her freshman year and had run 4:37 for 1600 meters over Memorial Day weekend. Graham ultimately chose not to change her plans for the Oatlands Invitational.
“I knew she raced pretty similar to me, that she liked to get out,” Graham said. “I decided to just run normally and see what happened. I didn’t want to change too much because she was in the race.”
Successful partnerships between coaches and runners all involve some give and take. Regardless of how established a coach is, two-way communication is crucial to keeping runners healthy and improving. For a new coach whose native sport is soccer, like Lauren Brewer at Broad Run, having a runner who knows the ropes helps a lot.
Senior Ellie Desmond has been doing her fair share of teaching.
Name: Cody Uhing
Self-described age group: 25-29
Bryce Lentz was frustrated with his dead legs. After he dropped a place to finish third at last week’s Pole Green Invitational, he aired his bodily grievances to his coach Dave Davis.
“I really don’t care, it’s September,” Davis recalled saying to Lentz, who is starting his junior year at Colgan High School. “The leaves are still green and you’re running 65 miles a week. Nothing matters.”
When Arthur Scott celebrates his 60th birthday on Oct. 7, he’ll be gearing up to mark another milestone — his 25th consecutive Marine Corps Marathon.
The Washingtonian native, who now lives in Charlotte, has run every Marine Corps Marathon since 1995, despite vowing never to run a marathon, then to run only one, then to stop after his 20th… you get the idea.