To hear Tom Brumlik tell it, Albert Velikonja approaches an August time trial with the same intensity as he does a state championship final.
“It was pretty evident from the first lap last year that he was going to be pretty good,” Brumlik said of the now-senior, who was trying cross country after a moderately successful sophomore track season.
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.
Name: Stephanie Balaconis
Self-described age group: Female 31-40
As a freshman, Jenny Schilling’s Heritage Pride jersey never fit quite right.
Riley’s Rumble’s reputation is forged on its heat, hills and humidity. The annual half marathon in Germantown and Boyds, Md. markets itself as a masochists’ dream, with a roughly 170 foot climb in mile 12 to extinguish many runners’ hopes of a fast time. And, as part of the Montgomery County Road Runners’ Club’s series of low-key races, it is both budget-friendly and bereft of awards, Until now. This year, Race Director Ida-Lina Diak toyed with awarding giant novelty oversized checks to the winners of the half and 8k, only to have them made out for $0. In the end, she and assistant race director Melanie Mollica settled on the amount of 1 million Strava kudos, which, unfortunately, have a cash value of 1/1,000,000th of a cent.
Like many trios, each member brings something special to the group. Among West Springfield’s Three Terrors, now seniors, Sean Stuck won the state outdoor 3200 meter championship in 6A and Chris Weeks was second in the 1600 meters. But on the cross country course, Sam Pritchard leads the Spartans. He finished third in the Virginia 6A meet last fall, and is the top returning runner this season.
“Sam is the most natural cross country runner (among the three seniors), but he’s the least flashy,” said coach Chris Pellegrini. “He shows the most natural instincts and that’s shown in his races. He has the best mid-race understanding of where he has to put himself to do what he wants to do.”
D.C.’s Roman Gurule talks about his transformation from barfly to track nerd, providing an audiobook version of this earlier RunWashington article.