It’s a Sunday morning in December, a few minutes past 9. The weather is gray and cool and still, perfect for running.
RunWashington Editor in Chief Charlie Ban and Patrick Benko, who is 32 and a relatively recent running convert, meet at the chosen starting line: the gates to the Van Ness Metro station in Northwest Washington, D.C.
Everything is supposed to hurt during a marathon.
Right?
Almost 15,000 runners had a perfect day for the inaugural Nike Women’s Half Marathon, though one stood out more than others.
Leading the packs of first-time half marathoners and visitors seeing the nation’s capital on foot for the first time, Alexandria’sSamia Akbar felt happy to run again.
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.
In its 20th year this popular 5 mile race upgraded yet again. First, they certified the course (over the years the race has started from a quite a few different sides of the course). The race has already been famous for its prolific random awards. This year the race expanded to five year age groups to make the age challenge even more fair. The food has always been fun with dozens of doughnuts and coffee to go along with the healthier apples and bananas. This year there were scores of commemorative cupcakes with eatable logos. Comparing the different types for taste was an enviable task.
Last year David Nightingale battled Karl Dusen for the title winning in 23:56. Dusen’s 24:03 was solidly ahead of third place Gurmessa Megressa’s 24:25. Last year the event was a week after the mammoth St. Patrick’s Day 8K, which had been won by Demesse Tefera. Tefera started but dropped last year. This year Tefera battled New York’s Teklu Deneke, pulling away in the final sixty meter down hill charge to finish in 24:55. Dusen finished third this year in 25:53, all alone with fourth place Charlie Ban arriving nearly two minutes later. The certified course was about 250 feet longer than last year but that hardly explains the slower times. The sunny day was cool with a more than just pleasant breeze. The top reason may be that tomorrow will be national class competition at the massive (7500 person) St. Patrick’s Day 8K. Tefera will be there to defend his title.
Runners dodge the raindrops. Photos courtesy of Tinadawn Stratton.
For some it was their first race and for others it was their first marathon. Nearly 3,000 runners participated in the Freedom’s Run events that included a marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K in Shepherdstown, WV on Saturday, October 1. The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park was the starting location for the marathon, while the other three races started in Shepherdstown, crossed into Maryland and looped back to Shepherd University where all the events finished.
Elite racers get ready to rumble in Jon Hickman photo.
On the cusp of spring more than five hundred runners turned out for a glorious day. Scores of children enjoyed the one mile fun run. This race is famous for its scores of prizes for the young ones as well as the large amounts of money designated for Children’s National Medical Center. This year the check was for $65,000. In today’s race one young lady who you might have thought was more suited for the mile earned the “youngest, fastest award.” Ivy Richerson, just five-year-old ran the full five miles in 52:49.