All our hosts are back together in the studio with a grab bag of topics. Each host wrote down several topics on a piece of paper, which Farley pulls from a vase. Warning – the following descriptions are spoilers if you want to enjoy the topic reveals.
Name: Jess Micciolo
Ryan Hogan, elite athlete coordinator for P3R, talks about recruiting and caring for elite athletes who race the Pittsburgh Marathon, Liberty Mile and EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler. The Pittsburgh Marathon just played host to the first of two consecutive U.S. Half Marathon Championships.
Tim Hughes
Self-described age group: Thirties
In 2007, Greg Mariano ran the worst race of his life when he attempted, and did not finish, the New York City Marathon. He considered giving up running for good after that. But less than 11 years later, Mariano is turning heads as one of DC’s fastest improving sub-elite runners.
Originally from Colonie, N.Y., Mariano can still remember the first time he discovered his knack for running. During his high school freshman gym class, he was asked to run as far as he could for 12 minutes. Mariano ended up running 8.5 laps. “I don’t know what possessed me to try so hard,” he jokes.
As of May 9, all but three W&OD Trail-owned water fountains were working. The exceptions are Buckthorn Lane, Loudoun County High School, and Lee Highway
Georgetown senior Amos Bartel was named track performer of the meet at the Big East Track and Field Championships. His wins in the 800 meters and 4×800 meter relay were among four distance titles for the Hoyas:
Name: Patrick Hughes
Self-described age group: Too young for masters, too old to beat the college kids
Between the Techs and the Wolfpacks, the Hoos and the Hoyas on the starting line, there are dozens of other college teams. Their uniform designs might be a little funkier. There might just be five runners in their boxes, if that. And they might need to give you a hint as to what state their school is in, but what they lack in scholarships they make up for in passion for running.
The 90 Division III schools that carry D.C. area natives on their rosters are giving them an opportunity to continue their love for running, for being part of a team and for pushing their bodies’ limits. The non-scholarship division, mostly small private schools, represents the NCAA’s largest division, with 451 colleges and universities, besting Division I by 100.