Inaugural Race has Room to Grow
By James Moreland
September 27, 2008
Sterling, VA
For the Washington Running Report
With so many races competing for runners, it is hard to draw large crowds. The Wells Fargo Run for the Door 5K started off their first year with a lot of pluses. The race venue had huge parking loot with tons of room for this race to grow ten times as large. The course was coned off well so that even with its many turns, runners could easily stay on course. If you cannot have a fast course, make it real interesting.
Even before the runners lined up to get started, the air was thick with music from the booming music tent. There were fresh bagels and fruit for after the race and bless them, the bottled water was nestled in a bed of ice. After the past few days of chilling rain, runners might have forgotten how warm September really remains. Indeed, the race was a little nervous as the early morning skies contained some thunder and lightning. Fortunately that passed and runners were met with the lightest of drizzle, though the humidity made the air thick.
Ray (#1) and Cathy (#2) Pugsley of Potomac River Running both came out to help the race get started. Usually one of them has to stand on the sidelines. Today both were reasonable bets to finish in the top three and not even a long shot to win it all. Justin Fritzius of Purcellville, VA started on the far side with Pugsley front and center. Fritzius had won three 5Ks out right last summer in less than sixteen minutes. In 2008, he added three more victories in the summer, including the prestigious Annapolis 10 Mile.
The course had runners bolting around the shopping center in a half mile loop before cruising up Ridgetop Circle. The course’s “hills” were really mild and the “ridge top” reached at mile one was by no means daunting. The bear climbing on your back was the humidity as runners hastened down the long hill just after mile one. By this time, Fritzius had built a small cushion over Pugsley but could not shake fellow Purcellville racer Chris Schaeffer. At the tape, the photo makes it look as if Fritzuis is out for a stroll, crossing the line in 16:04, yet Scheaffer (16:07) is close enough to be partially blocked out of the photo.
Meanwhile, Pugsley (16:21) had all he could handle from fourth place David Miller of Leesburg VA, who ran 16:25. The race generously went three deep in ten year age groups and the winners in those divisions were uncontested. Fifth place Gary Grilliot (44) of Reston, VA hammered the masters in a spiffy 17:25. Michael Arrowsmith (149) of Reston, VA glided to glory in 18:51. Richard Adams Jr. (57) of Herndon, VA whiplashed his division bolting out to a forty second lead by the mile and taking it on home in 19:18. With no one competing in the 60-69 division, Maynard Weyers (72) of Alexandria, VA came roaring home to a cheering crowd, emphatically winning in an excellent 24:45.
Julia Rudd (25) of Herndon, VA has run a 5:06 mile this year and was hoping for something in the 17s. That was a tall order in today’s sticky weather. The top five runners (all men) were gone in a flash. She could latch onto to Michael Arrowsmith to help stay on pace, which she did, winning easily in 18:55. Cathy Pugsley started conservatively but by midway it seemed certain she would hold the number two spot, which she did in 19:09. Anita Freres had a great summer including an overall win and a top 5K in 20:09. She usually gets faster as the race wears on but she was not going to catch third place Danielle Russell (44) of Ashburn, VA. Russell, a new face, had an excellent 19:23. Freres, possibly aware that so-to-be-masters Jeanette Dumbrell was on her tail, pulled out her fastest 5K of the year (so far) in 19:56. Dumbrell was close in 20:04 to win her division. In the photo above, Lauren Dalton, just 13, of Sterling, VA gets a nice effort to win in 23:31.
Richards Adams Jr. (57) of Herndon, MD was seventh overall in 19:18. He hurried back to the finish line so he be the first one over to the massage table set up for runners.
Awards
FEMALE OVERALL
Place Num Name Ag City Gun T Net T Pace
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== ===== ===== =====
1 3 Julia Rudd 25 Herndon VA 18:55 18:54 6:05
2 2 Cathy Pugsley 39 Sterling VA 19:09 19:09 6:10
3 103 Danielle Russell 44 Ashburn VA 19:23 19:23 6:15
MALE OVERALL
Place Num Name Ag City Gun T Net T Pace
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== ===== ===== =====
1 127 Justin Fritzius 24 Purcellville VA 16:04 16:04 5:11
2 132 Chris Sheaffer 24 Purcellville VA 16:07 16:07 5:11
3 1 Ray Pugsley 39 Sterling VA 16:21 16:20 5:16
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 – 19
1 182 Lauren Dalton 13 Sterling VA 23:31 23:31 7:34
2 109 Natalie Nelson 11 Sterling VA 26:55 26:55 8:40
3 139 Kelly Miller 13 Leesburg VA 29:14 29:13 9:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 – 19
1 75 Michael Arrowsmith 19 Ashburn VA 18:51 18:50 6:04
2 138 Matt Gambogi 14 Leesburg VA 20:22 20:22 6:34
3 145 Brenden Veler 12 Bristow VA 25:30 25:30 8:13
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 – 29
1 111 India Imbs 23 Ashburn VA 26:01 25:54 8:20
2 65 Beth Nagel 26 Ashburn VA 27:24 27:23 8:49
3 70 Vivian Kim 29 Sterling VA 29:12 29:07 9:22
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 – 29
1 83 David Miller 25 Leesburg VA 16:25 16:25 5:17
2 69 Daniel Huertas 28 Herndon VA 25:15 25:09 8:06
3 22 Lawrence Lee 29 Sterling VA 25:23 25:16 8:08
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 – 39
1 97 Jeanette Dumbrell 39 Falls Church VA 20:04 20:03 6:28
2 106 Diane Lathom 37 Ashburn VA 22:09 22:07 7:08
3 38 Christine Cosgrave 33 Herndon VA 26:38 26:33 8:33
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 – 39
1 110 Robert Van Dyke 34 Ashburn VA 22:01 21:58 7:05
2 56 Il June Lee 30 Vienna VA 23:16 23:10 7:28
3 76 Kevin Powell 34 Sterling VA 23:24 23:16 7:30
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 – 49
1 140 Anita Freres 43 Reston VA 19:56 19:56 6:25
2 116 Michelle Jakab 43 Sterling VA 26:09 25:59 8:22
3 25 Vicki Lewis 48 Woodbridge VA 26:53 26:48 8:38
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 – 49
1 123 Gary Grilliot 44 Reston VA 17:25 17:25 5:37
2 95 Robert Sichau 44 Alexandria VA 19:46 19:44 6:22
3 120 Rob Schlegel 41 Clifton VA 20:20 20:19 6:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 – 59
1 178 Leslie Kash 52 Round Hill VA 26:51 26:47 8:38
2 67 Karen Leh 51 Sterling VA 29:03 28:49 9:17
3 68 Cheryl Beebe 51 Sterling VA 32:23 32:21 10:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 – 59
1 29 Richard Adams Jr 57 Herndon VA 19:18 19:18 6:13
2 84 Myron Kremer 51 Winchester VA 20:51 20:50 6:43
3 10 James Moreland 56 Gaithersburg MD 21:04 21:04 6:47
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 – 69
1 51 Jean Stewart 65 Washington DC 40:44 40:32 13:03
2 73 Toni Miller 60 Leesburg VA 52:41 52:22 16:52
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 – 99
1 113 Maynard Weyers 72 Alexandria VA 24:45 24:44 7:58
2 144 Terry McCarthy 73 Leesburg VA 28:59 28:55 9:19
3 119 Jim Hufford 74 Reston VA 30:24 30:18 9:45
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME – NET PACE 1 – 99
1 37 John Bratton 44 M Arlington VA 22:59 22:57 7:23
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME – NET PACE 1 – 99
1 66 Leila Lucas 46 F Ashburn VA 28:02 27:59 9:01
Wearing his Potomac River Running shirt, David Miller of Leesburg, VA flies home with a Ranked Runner time of 16:25 for fourth overall.
