By James Moreland
Reston, VA
October 8, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
Running is a sport for the young and even more so the young at heart. Running in races has increased every year in the last decade. With the economic down turn in the last few years, runners are coming out in even greater numbers. The annual Great Pumpkin 5K was blessed with a picture perfect autumn day and brought out big time racing numbers. Waiting for the race to start, one runner asked another if she was going to race with her. “Oh no, I don’t really run. I just came out for the fun.” The reply was, “Well next year, I will run with you.” The oldest runner of the race was Larry Dickerson, 80. He was wearing a bright yellow pair of running shoes that enviously caught the eye of one of the youngsters. Dickerson always near the top of the rankings, smiled and said, “I’ll will them to you.”
Colorful costumes were on display. One runner at the front of the pack was painted like a Halloween skeleton. Further back in the pack a woman was decked out in a full Batman costume. The Oktoberfest celebration at the Reston Town Center was set for the whole weekend with the race as a centerpiece. This year the late summer rains did a number on the pumpkin crop, so we missed out on a giant pumpkin like the half ton monster at the 2009 event. Still, there was lots of smaller pumpkin, often with faces designed on them.
Top ranked Henry Wigglesworth, 54, had scouted the course and found it to his liking. He was looking for another sub 17:00 minute race. A number of the older runners such as Jean Christophe Arcaz, 50, and Steve Robinson, 56, (coming back from a year layoff), were looking for some competition to spur on the fast times on a perfect racing morn. The first two, Wigglesworth (17:15) and Arcaz (17:44), both finished in the top eight overall. Arcaz noted that the top three just disappeared. He knew he would have to work hard to catch Wigglesworth. Wigglesworth noted after the race that he would have preferred Arcaz up on his shoulder pushing him to a faster time. He had been really impressed by Arcaz’s Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (He had been first in 58:48). “Sub 60:00 is pretty good!” he exclaimed.
Third grandmaster Peter Cini (18:58) speculated that Arcaz was better the longer the race. Both he and Wigglesworth discussed where the best (fastest) 5Ks might be found. Late October offered one of the best choices at the Valvoline Instant Oil Change Goblin Gallop 5k & 1k Fun Run in Fairfax, VA at the end of the month. Robinson was so eager to be back on the circuit that he ran out quickly with the top dogs. After the race he was ecstatic. “I was hoping to break 21:00 and I almost broke 20:00,” he said with a wide grin of his new 55-59 event record in 20:05. Amazingly, after Wigglesworth’s 17:15 record, the next two fastest grandmaster age groups were set in the first year (2009) by Jason Page, 64, (19:27) and Bill Joyce, 65, (19:58). The master record was set by open class runner Ray Pugsley in 15:28.
The first year was Steve Magness upset reigning rankings champion Steve Crane by fifty meters in 15:05. The next year the course changed a bit and the top two runners dipped under 15:00 with third place Frank DeVar just missing in 15:03. This year the clear favorite was Abiyot Endale (left). In the spring he upped his game racing three of the fastest 10Ks in the region, finishing in the top three every time. His slaying of the field at the Pike’s Peek 10K in 28:19 gave a strong hint that Gurmessa Megeressa’s event record of 14:51 would soon be history. Today three more age groups would break 15:00 minutes. Looking relaxed, Endale always seems to be toying with the competition, winning easily in 14:25. Second place Girma Desta at thirty-five is still racing in excellent form for a marvelous 44:44. DeVar was again third but this time it was also the third fastest event time in 14:48.
There was cash for the top three overall but for some reason they decided not to pass out age group prizes on race day. Endale (89.5%) led five runners with age graded performances higher than 87%. Dee Nelson, 68, was third overall at 88:1% with her 24:45 finish.
In the women’s race Kayley Byrne, 23, took over early and won in a sparkling 19:05. The next two places were decided later in the race. Runner-up Karina Lubell posted a 19:44 with Tiffany Hevner not far behind in 19:56. Of the first dozen runners these two, at 31, were the only ones older than thirty. Last week at the McLean 5k Jen Norris (right) was fourth overall and top master. (The overall winner was Win Persian, 51,). That course was a similar rolling course with turns but it featured some misty showers that turned torrential for those who lingered on the course. Today Norris plowed ahead for the top masters spot in 22:20. Not far behind her were the top two grandmasters. Sushila Nanda, 50, ran a very credible 22:33 for the event record. She also stopped about every half mile with leg cramps. She started up again as some of the slower runners caught up. After the raced she was thanking them for helping to pace her. “I saw one woman who I thought might be in my age group and I wanted to beat her.” That runner was 55-year-old Elizabeth Baumgarten who just missed catching her in 22:37. That gave her the second highest age graded rating for the women at a national class 79.9%.
Female runners comprised 59% of the field. With all the racing competition of forty races a weekend and the massive Army 10 miler on tap tomorrow, the numbers were less than might have been expected for this wonderful race. Still, there were 1100 timed finishers, plus untimed runners as well. The kids’ race consisted of hundreds of little ones divided by age with four different colors of bibs.
Many volunteers worked long and hard to make this event work. Race morning started at 3:00 a.m. to get everything in place for the runners. At packet pickup whole families came out to help deliver the goods to the racers. On Friday, the Chen family had three young boys about 6 to 11 years old. They quickly took over the jobs with alacrity. Mom was able to just watch most of the time. The youngest made sure everyone got an Anthem bag while the oldest diligently marked off bibs before dispensing with the shirts. They really went to town when they got the chance to stuff the bag with race fliers, the more the merrier. Once a packet of fliers was finished they reached for more, exulting when more were provided. After the pick-up closed for the evening, we surprised them with an early Halloween, a bag of chocolate candies. It is a safe bet they will be back net year.
FEMALE OVERALL
Place Num Name Ag City Gun T Net T Pace
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== ===== ===== =====
1 467 Kayley Byrne 23 Oak Hill VA 19:05 19:03 6:08
2 1221 Karina Lubell 31 Washington DC 19:44 19:44 6:22
3 846 Tiffany Hevner 31 Columbia MD 19:56 19:56 6:25
MALE OVERALL
Place Num Name Ag City Gun T Net T Pace
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== ===== ===== =====
1 3 Abiyot Endale 26 Bronx NY 14:25 14:25 4:39
2 2 Girma Desta 35 Washington DC 14:44 14:44 4:45
3 1 Joseph Devar 23 Washington DC 14:48 14:47 4:46
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 12
1 1135 Emily Landeryou 12 Reston VA 22:22 22:16 7:10
2 613 Kate Brunotts 11 Ashburn VA 25:22 25:21 8:10
3 1134 Sophia Landeryou 9 Reston VA 25:55 25:47 8:18
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 12
1 669 Ian Whitfield 9 Potomac Falls VA 20:42 20:42 6:40
2 660 Joshua Kay 11 Leesburg VA 23:08 22:46 7:20
3 1217 Owen Walker 12 Reston VA 24:13 24:13 7:48
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 13 - 15
1 1177 Mary Pollin 14 Burke VA 22:07 21:58 7:04
2 1157 Morgan Witcock 13 Herndon VA 22:26 22:26 7:14
3 938 Kacey Hirshfeld 15 Reston VA 24:07 24:03 7:45
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 13 - 15
1 719 Lewis Millholland 15 Falls Church VA 17:50 17:50 5:45
2 1191 Mikey Peterson 14 21:32 21:27 6:54
3 1218 Eli Lifland 13 Fairfax VA 22:30 22:10 7:08
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 16 - 19
1 780 Erin Geraghty 19 Woodbridge VA 20:50 20:50 6:43
2 1210 Gabrielle Merritt 16 Elon NC 21:55 21:55 7:04
3 483 Lisa Bell 18 Vienna VA 24:38 24:35 7:55
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 16 - 19
1 1184 Chris Zapple 19 Falls Church VA 18:02 18:02 5:49
2 1208 Zachary Dailey 16 Great Falls VA 18:20 18:18 5:54
3 1068 John Tiernan 16 Reston VA 20:12 20:02 6:27
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 1183 Natalie Anble 22 Fairfax VA 20:29 20:29 6:36
2 482 Julie Bell 21 Vienna VA 20:53 20:50 6:43
3 504 Amara Lewis 23 Alexandria VA 21:00 20:54 6:44
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 873 James McLaughlin 23 Herndon VA 20:11 20:06 6:29
2 1058 Nate Perry 23 Herndon VA 20:12 20:07 6:29
3 1250 Benjamin Burnheimer 24 Ashburn VA 20:58 20:57 6:45
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 785 Stephanie Manchin 27 Arlington VA 22:10 21:26 6:54
2 763 Melanie Clairy 29 Reston VA 22:14 21:39 6:58
3 841 Jayme Dorsett 25 Reston VA 23:37 23:07 7:27
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 65 Charlie Ban 29 McLean VA 16:15 16:15 5:14
2 939 Andrew Ciarfalia 28 Reston VA 16:55 16:55 5:27
3 424 Sean McLaughlin 25 Centreville VA 17:28 17:28 5:38
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 708 Dana Drever 34 Ashburn VA 23:56 23:23 7:32
2 862 Karen Preston 34 Ashburn VA 24:59 24:35 7:55
3 681 Jessica Sartorius 34 Vienna VA 25:52 25:52 8:20
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 311 Dan Petouvis 33 Fairfax VA 18:10 18:09 5:51
2 684 Titus Mott 34 Reston VA 19:44 19:41 6:20
3 1027 Auberde Merilan 31 Reston VA 20:35 20:30 6:36
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 1067 Paula Knepper 38 Reston VA 23:02 23:00 7:24
2 1003 Tia Roy 36 Ashburn VA 23:34 23:25 7:33
3 692 Holly Khatchadurian 37 Reston VA 24:03 23:55 7:42
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 1196 Joshua Doan 37 Arlington VA 18:37 18:36 5:59
2 748 Glen Case 36 Ashburn VA 18:52 18:51 6:04
3 107 Michael Rohlf 36 Washington DC 19:25 19:25 6:15
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 824 Jen Norris 40 McLean VA 22:20 22:14 7:10
2 1141 Jill Jaggard 43 Great Falls VA 23:42 23:42 7:38
3 184 Terry Short 40 Reston VA 25:04 24:22 7:51
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 1147 Tom Powers 43 Chevy Chase MD 19:11 19:10 6:10
2 1143 Shawn Flaherty 40 Herndon VA 19:54 19:54 6:25
3 1109 Matt Tourville 40 Alexandria VA 21:35 21:35 6:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 937 Diana Hirshfeld 45 Reston VA 24:08 24:04 7:45
2 776 Chana Richitt 47 Manassas VA 25:30 24:05 7:46
3 1146 Suzanne Powers 45 Reston VA 25:04 24:43 7:57
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 818 Robert Sichau 47 Alexandria VA 20:15 20:09 6:30
2 1105 Thomas Marks 45 Ashburn VA 20:31 20:31 6:36
3 1046 Robert Barlow 45 Reston VA 21:02 21:02 6:47
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 1043 Sushila Nanda 50 Arlington VA 22:33 22:33 7:16
2 886 Carla Freyvogel 54 McLean VA 23:59 23:58 7:43
3 419 Daniela Micsan 52 Reston VA 26:03 25:59 8:22
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 1004 Henry Wigglesworth 53 Washington DC 17:15 17:15 5:34
2 1170 Jean-Christophe Arcaz 50 Rockville MD 17:44 17:44 5:43
3 1187 Peter Cini 53 Fairfax VA 18:58 18:58 6:07
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 396 Elizabeth Baumgarten 55 Stone Ridge VA 22:37 22:35 7:16
2 990 Cindy Beyer 55 Reston VA 24:59 24:49 7:59
3 553 Peggy Corley 55 Fairmont WV 25:01 25:01 8:04
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 1207 Steve Robinson 56 Oak Hill VA 20:05 20:05 6:28
2 1239 Kenyon Erickson 57 Vienna VA 20:31 20:29 6:36
3 1169 Rod Devan 58 Alexandria VA 20:50 20:47 6:42
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 1055 Catherine Kemper 60 Des Moines IA 28:59 28:53 9:18
2 403 Jane Blong 61 Potomac MD 34:49 34:45 11:11
3 147 Linda Echard 60 Reston VA 36:22 35:40 11:29
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 1059 Jack Kehoe 63 Burke VA 25:08 25:05 8:05
2 550 Ting-Yi Oei 62 Reston VA 27:42 26:25 8:30
3 831 Jack Harvey 60 Centreville VA 26:53 26:45 8:37
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 1220 Dee Nelson 68 Gaithersburg MD 24:45 24:45 7:58
2 1112 Rebecca Brown 67 McLean VA 36:06 34:38 11:09
3 1037 Feryal Barakat 67 Rockville MD 57:45 56:32 18:12
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 509 Fred Kohut 66 Cold Spring NY 32:51 32:11 10:22
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 74
1 1128 Abigail Edwards 71 Reston VA 40:34 39:09 12:36
2 1251 Yuidgard Deitrich 70 Washington DC 43:52 41:43 13:26
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 74
1 676 John Gluck 74 Alexandria VA 25:04 24:58 8:02
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 75 - 79
1 246 An Duong 75 Centreville VA 32:18 30:59 9:59
2 592 Bendy Viragh 77 Washington DC 32:38 32:30 10:28
3 976 Dick Coogan 79 McLean VA 38:27 38:01 12:14
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 80 - 99
1 408 Larry Dickerson 80 Burke VA 28:43 28:36 9:13
