Joe Cassella 5K Race Report

By James Moreland
Great Falls, VA
May 15, 2011
For Washington Running Report

Like Sleepy Hollow, the Great Falls section along Georgetown Pike is a pretty well kept secret. Not that many races get held there. The ones that do have names like Difficult Run, named after one of the many parks along the roadside. You really do [button-red url=”http://www.joecassellafoundation.org/about-us.php” target=”_self” position=”left”] More About Joe [/button-red]have to slow down to transverse this section of town with its winding turns and steep hills but the view is great.

Last year in the inaugural year the skies opened up a drenched the field. Everybody proclaimed the course a challenge. “So you are going to Great Falls. Expect a really hilly course.”  We did and it wasn’t. Great Falls Village went all out. The police cordoned off all the roads. The rumored shortage of parking was just that – rumor. One veteran runner was told to prepare for a tough finish and ran too timidly in the first half only to learn that there were virtually no hills on the course.

The entire course was lined with more cones than you could shake a stick at. No chance of getting lost.

The scores of kids returning from the mile fun run were all laughter and smiles, probably because they knew what the 5K racers would find out soon enough, the course was actually fast. A pack of three flew away recklessly up the opening rise. The first time anybody knew something was up was about a half mile into the race when we heard a couple of squeals as two young runners went down. Then turning the corner we discovered the course was going cross-country. The country already soaked from last night’s rain was a steep down hill in the mud. That only lasted for fifty meters and after another hundred meters of flat on the grass runners were on the road again. Just before the 2K sign runners returned along the path, making the course technically a cross country race.

Cresting the hill there was a chance to see runners taking on the down hill, which was distinctly tougher than the uphill. The rest of the way the race tilted up and down a tad but barely past flat with the steepest down hill section the final tenth of a mile.

As late as two miles the pack was still three with Birhanu Feysa, 29, of Silver Spring, MD leading the way. The other two were straining some and third place Seife Geletu, 29, of Washington, DC (left) fell off the pace to finish in 16:22. That was still well ahead of Edi Turco’s event record from last year at 16:46. Turco, 38, a fine submaster, could not stay with the lead pack. Today he did well to hold off Vinnie Derocco 17:25 to 17:35. Derocco came in from San Diego to take a shot at the 30-39 age group medal. Ryan Foster, 25, was runner-up and earned $100 for a nifty 15:51. Feysa stayed golden to set the new standard with 15:47 and take home $200.

Before the race, runners noted that there were a lot of fast women runners. Fast is the technical term for runners that spend lots of times running warm-ups in front of the starting line. Last year champion Mijiko Phelps of Reston, VA(below). She won in a runaway 19:59, ahead of Gina Cassella’s 21:30. This year it was evident early that she was running for second place. At forty, her time of 20:20 was impressive. Keneni Orgesa, at 39, was one of only two runners in the top eight younger than 40. She pulled away easily winning it all in 19:18.  Fourth place Anita Freres, 46, was third master in 21:49. That was well off her normal pace. Her husband noted that she had finished fourth yesterday at the We’ve Got Your Back 5K in 21:05.  She started slower than normal, possibly a victim of hilly hearsay heresy.

Perhaps the biggest story of the women’s race was 56-year-old Heather Sanders. From McLean she must have known the course. She ran a very nice 23:34 for the top grandmaster spot. She had the second best age graded time behind Orgesa for the women and edged out all of the men from Turco on back.

Ted Baca, 65, is back after taking some time off from racing. He definitely started too conservative, thinking hills, but still had a very nice 23:44.

After the race there were so many pastries, muffins, fruit, and beverages (hot and cold) to choose from. With four massage tables and music playing in the lovely courtyard it was so nice the rain held off to allow runners to linger. At the finish line of the race, friends and family of Joe Cassella lined up to congratulate runners with high fives as they crossed the ChronoTrack mats.

Awards

Overall Male 				

Place	Name	City	Age	Overall	Chip	Gun	Pace
1	Birhamu Feysa	Silver Spring, MD	29	15:47	15:47 5:05
2	Ryan Foster	Washington, DC	25	2	15:50	15:51 5:07
3	Seife Geletu	Washington, DC	29	3	16:22	16:22 5:17

Male 14 & Under						
1	Daniel Hulett	Great Falls, VA	12	35	23:02	23:10 7:28
Male 15 to 19						
1	Benjamin ShaperoGreat Falls, VA	17	523	22:08	22:08 7:08
Male 20 to 29						
1	Chris Hamel	Methuen  MA	27	6	18:07	18:07 5:51
Male 30 to 39						
1	Edi Turco	Arlington, VA	38	4	17:25	17:25 5:37
Male 40 to 49						
1	Stephen Crago	Vienna, VA	42	10	19:19	19:19 6:14
Male 50 to 59						
1	Michael Sundel	Falls Church, VA	50	22:34	22:39 7:18
Male 60 to 69						
1	Ted Baca	Arlington, VA	65	43	23:41	23:44 7:39
Male 70 & Over						
1	Bill Pepelko	Great Falls, VA	76	230	34:51	35:13 11:22

Overall Female 				

Place	Name	City	Age	Overall	Chip	Gun	Pace
1	Keneni Orgesa	Washington, DC	39	9	19:18	19:18 6:14
2	Mijiko Phelps	Reston, VA	40	14	20:20	20:21 6:34
3	Afsaneh Azar	Vienna, VA	41	18	20:58	20:59 6:46

Female 14 & Under						
1	Adriana Rosas	Silver Spring, MD	11	23:34	23:34 7:36
Female 15 to 19						
1	Kathryn West	Great Falls, VA	17	42	23:40	23:44 7:39
Female 20 to 29						
1	Katie Muething	Arlington, VA	25	25	22:11	22:13 7:10
Female 30 to 39						
1	Carolyn Reiderman	Chantilly, VA	30	23:52	24:01 7:45
Female 40 to 49						
1	Anita Freres	Rockville, MD	46	22	21:49	21:52 7:03
Female 50 to 59						
1	Heather Sanders	Mc Lean, VA	56	38	23:32	23:34 7:36
Female 60 to 69						
1	Diane Goyette	Reston, VA	65	204	32:59	33:23 10:46
Female 70 and over						
1	Marjorie Crago	Gainesville,  FL	70	35:07	35:51 11:34

 

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By James Moreland
Crystal City, VA
July 23, 2011
For the Washington Running Report

A look at the start before the runners lined up.

This race is an event. Wandering around the center you could easily see this event was fully prepared with food and drink, from Budweiser to Muscle Milk with a side of ice cold water in between. Some of the other events closed up shop with the record heat wave this week but Pacers knew that runners are a tenacious bunch.

They knew they would be coming in record numbers. Some would be reveling in the fact that it was so hot. Last weekend Rockville Rotary Twilight 8k proved that a well planned can handle just about anything. Those who did not know they could not handle it… handled it. Michael Wardian coming off a treadmill marathon the night before was all smiles before launching into a solid 16:24 that made him the top submaster.

Wardian, (left) among a long list of Chuck Moeser fans, echoed his credo that anything is possible just go after it was zest. Mega mile Mike has already qualified for the Olympic Trails qualifying PR at Grandmas (2:17:49). Still, he was justly even more proud of his third place finish at the where few dare to tread Bad Water Ultra Marathon where he ran 135 miles in 26:22.

Steve Hallinan, winner of last fall’s Capital Running Company Veterans Day 10k in 29:54, was the clear favorite as the massive field pressed across the starting line. Make no mistake even with tough conditions; this field like past years is packed with elite runners.  Last year was nearly as hot as Julius Kogo hosed the field with an incredible 14:03. This year while much of the field was winding past the finish line at the halfway of the double out and back course, Hallinan was easily winning in the 11th time in the first four years that was faster than 15:00.

Seventy meters back Birhanu Feysa glanced nervously over his shoulder like he was making a jail break. Then he turned back realizing that he had number two in the bag with a swift 15:02. The next three came in with a rush, led by Fasil Bizuneh of Flagstaff, AZ.  Frank Devar had his fastest time of three races in 15:10 though the first two years was a slightly different course that was perhaps slightly hillier.

This course is pancake flat though runners seem pleased by the downhill (maybe a foot) in the first mile versus the dreaded last mile (maybe two feet up hill). Maybe there were just a little more heated then ya think?

Fifth place Andrew Dumm may have felt the heat even more as the last two years he had been well under 15:00. His time of 15:13 was just ahead of Bert Rodriguez who had been faster than 15:00 when he won it all at the Clarendon 5K last fall.

The top master was no surprise though it was well off Edmund Burke’s overall win at the Crystal City Friday race in the spring. Anytime you have 25 men faster than 17:00 who know you have a competitive race.

For the women, before the race Alisa Harvey, 45, was alluding to how hard hot weather can be on racers. Modest but realistic, when she is not expecting to be the overall winner, you know you have a tough field. Last year another masters runner Elena Orlova won it all in 17:20, and she was 20th overall. Did we mention that it was hot this year? After the race Harvey was asked if she saw Orlova. Her answer was “Briefly at the start and then whoosh!”

Tezata Dengarsa has been dominating all year winning the spring rankings. She raced Pike’s Peek in 33:59 while Orlova has been regrouping for the first six months of the year and had a tepid race there in 38:12. Last week she ran the Twilight 8K to a masters victory in 29:36 but Dengarsa had a 5K victory in June at 16:42. At the gun Dengarsa pulled away to win in 17:11. That was the same time that Orlova ran in 2009 to finish third overall.

This year Erin Koch moved ahead at the finish in 17:36 to edge Orlova (17:38) and hard charging Lisa Thomas (17:41). Thomas had been third overall last week in Rockville with 28:47 so it is clear that Orlova is making her way back to the full speed that earned her the highest ranking for a master runner in 2010.

Alisa Harvey (left) is at her best in the first mile of a race with world class middle distance speed. Still her masters win in 18:34 would have made all but seven of the women jealous. She had been third overall in the inaugural year with 17:42.

For the grandmasters, Jean Christophe Arcaz continues to make it look easy with a blazing 18:25. Heather Sanders, 56, whipped all the runners 50-59 by at least a minute, and there were appropriately fifty of them.

Before the race runners were continuously warned about the heat. There were two water stations on the course as well as and sponge station and a mist making machine. We all sweated copiously anyway. At the finish there were many barrels of iced water bottles. Eager runners clustered around the first couple of barrels which were refilled a number of times. Smarter, stronger runners moved past them to the still full and ultra chilled barrels further back.

Just past the liquid was the food tent. After runners walked through grabbing chips and fruit there was a Muscle Mile stand. Following that was the McCafe truck and then the King of Beers as runners circled back around to their bag check area. Hundreds hung around listening to the invigorating music. Now the breeze seemed almost cooling in the shaded park in the middle of the square. That is where the awards started promptly at 9:30.

With plentiful free parking and all these amenities, it is no wonder why this twilight race continues to grow.

AWARDS LIST 

                         FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time Net Time 
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ======== ======== 
    1  2653 Tezata Dengarsa        29 Arlington          VA 17:10.40 17:10.40 
    2    16 Erin Koch              23 Chevy Chase        MD 17:35.79 17:35.79 
    3  2109 Elena Orlova           41 Gaithersburg       MD 17:38.00 17:38.00 
    4  2075 Lisa Thomas            35 Alexandria         VA 17:40.69 17:40.69 
    5  2375 Stefanie Slekis        23 Dumfries           VA 17:58.69 17:58.69 

                           MALE OVERALL RESULTS

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time Net Time 
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ======== ======== 
    1    11 Steve Hallinan         25 Washington         DC 14:50.08 14:50.08 
    2  2650 Birhanu Alemu Feysa    29 Silver Spring      MD 15:01.32 15:01.32 
    3  1153 Fasil Bizuneh          31 Flagstaff          AZ 15:06.21 15:06.21 
    4  1152 Frank Devar            23 Washington         DC 15:09.45 15:09.45 
    5    67 Andrew Dumm            26 Arlington          VA 15:12.84 15:12.84 

                         FEMALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 5

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1607 Ella Harrison           5 Falls Church       VA   44:43.6   42:20.0 

                          MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 5

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1638 Alex Horowitz           5 Washington         DC   37:43.4   34:55.0 

                         FEMALE AGE GROUP:  6 - 10

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2122 Anissa Cheikh          10 Annandale          VA   30:45.5   30:30.4 
    2  1759 Michelle Emery         10 Arlington          VA   34:11.9   32:53.5 
    3  2364 Olivia Nammo            8 Arlington          VA   36:37.1   35:16.7 

                          MALE AGE GROUP:  6 - 10

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1610 Rheinhardt Harrison     7 Falls Church       VA   24:27.3   24:13.2 
    2  1578 Blake Deterding         7 Alexandria         VA   29:48.4   29:00.4 
    3  2946 Michael Halpern         7 Anchorage          AK   32:50.4   32:19.1 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  11 - 14

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2005 Brenda Rosas           12 Silver Spring      MD   23:34.2   23:34.2 
    2  2035 Katie Rogers           13 Alexandria         VA   24:17.7   23:55.8 
    3  2451 Adriana Rosas          11 Silver Spring      MD   24:38.8   24:38.8 

                         MALE AGE GROUP:  11 - 14

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2381 John Rangel            14                         19:43.0   19:42.4 
    2  1540 Alex Min               14 Burke              VA   25:05.7   23:21.2 
    3  1921 Lozie Goolsby          14 Alexandria         VA   24:03.5   23:40.9 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  15 - 18

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1281 Amanda Parker          18 Burke              VA   22:31.6   22:06.3 
    2  2053 Kendall Cowne          16 Chantilly          VA   24:00.3   22:22.8 
    3  2413 Nina Srikongyos        17 Springfield        VA   23:19.3   22:30.0 

                         MALE AGE GROUP:  15 - 18

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2909 Lou Colson             15 Alexandria         VA   16:42.1   16:40.7 
    2  2048 Dagmawi Abebe          17 Gaithersburg       MD   17:09.1   17:09.1 
    3  2113 Luke Levan             18 Burke              VA   17:14.2   17:13.7 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  19 - 29

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2649 Keneni Chala           28 Washington         DC   18:24.4   18:24.4 
    2  2038 Erin Swain             29 Arlington          VA   18:38.4   18:38.4 
    3    68 Laurel MacMillan       21 Arlington          VA   19:07.5   19:07.5 

                         MALE AGE GROUP:  19 - 29

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1    60 Will Viviani           29 Arlington          VA   15:24.0   15:24.0 
    2    57 Jeff Brannigan         22 Washington         DC   15:27.2   15:27.2 
    3  2356 Ryan Foster            26 Arlington          VA   15:33.4   15:33.4 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2040 Lindsay Wilkins        33 Arlington          VA   18:17.7   18:17.7 
    2  2929 Jackie Gruendel        36 Clifton           VA   18:52.6   18:52.5 
    3   100 Annie Grondin          38 Arlington          VA   20:22.6   20:17.4 

                         MALE AGE GROUP:  30 - 39

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1807 Bert Rodriguez         31 Arlington          VA   15:18.4   15:18.4 
    2  2652 Tareku Bokan           30 Herndon            VA   15:30.4   15:30.4 
    3  2248 Michael Wardian        37 Arlington          VA   16:23.2   16:23.2 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1    18 Alisa Harvey           45 Manassas           VA   18:34.2   18:34.2 
    2    58 Kristi Markowicz       41 Arlington          VA   19:09.5   19:09.5 
    3  1682 Corky Sturtevant       41 Springfield        VA   22:51.7   22:36.3 

                         MALE AGE GROUP:  40 - 49

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1    53 Edmund Burke           42 Burtonsville       MD   16:54.0   16:54.0 
    2  1446 Bill Pemberton         40 Alexandria         VA   17:17.5   17:16.0 
    3  2666 Derik Thomas           45 Alexandria         VA   17:38.6   17:38.6 

                        Female Age Group:  50 - 59

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2627 Heather Sanders        56 Mclean             VA   23:40.4   23:33.4 
    2  2010 Linda Kennedy          50 Alexandria         VA   24:52.0   24:08.7 
    3  2805 Dorothy Wright         53 Dumfries           VA   27:18.0   26:56.1 

                         Male Age Group:  50 - 59

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2613 Jean-Christophe Arcaz  50 Rockville          MD   18:25.1   18:25.1 
    2  1107 Peter Cini             53 Fairfax            VA   19:57.1   19:55.2 
    3  1141 Scott Livingston       51 Pittsburgh         PA   20:27.5   20:24.5 

                        FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 - 69

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1755 Mary Kessler           62 Wallingford        PA   26:41.9   26:30.4 
    2  1754 Melanie Brennan        61 Alexandria         VA   32:20.2   32:07.9 
    3  1932 Wilma Uribe            61 Alexandria         VA   35:48.4   34:49.8 

                         Male Age Group:  60 - 69

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  2209 Bob Hersh              60 Arlington          VA   25:20.9   24:39.6 
    2  1716 James Carey            60 Alexandria         VA   27:28.7   26:47.9 
    3  2698 Richard Turner         60 Washington         DC   28:25.7   26:49.9 

                        Female Age Group:  70 - 99

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1428 Frances Widmann        76 Chapel Hill        NC   32:48.2   31:52.6 

                         Male Age Group:  70 - 99

Place No.   Name                  Age City               St Gun Time  Net Time  
===== ===== ===================== === ================== == ========= ========= 
    1  1515 Ken Quincy             73 Vienna             VA   29:18.1   29:14.7 
    2  2134 Robert Gurtler         76 The Plains         VA   33:40.0   32:54.6 
    3  1251 John Finney Jr.        71 Arlington          VA   34:15.0   33:09.4

 

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