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.
With some time, confusion and grief following the two explosions along the Boston Marathon sidelines turned to resolve and determination not to let terrorists ruin running. Hordes turned out Friday and Saturday to show that they would not be intimidated.
The bombing that left three dead and almost 200 wounded, including a Springfield woman who broke her leg, and the subsequent chase that claimed the life of a campus police officer only motivated those who turned out to the Crystal City Friday 5k, which took place as the surviving suspect was cornered in Watertown, Mass.
Back on Monday, James Davis was walking towards the finish line after completing his first Boston Marathon in 3:08:32. A block away, he heard the blast.
[button-red url=”http://www.zippyreg.com/rwt/results/2013/0421gwpc/” target=”_self” position=”left”] Results[/button-red]
If tailwind and the downhill course weren’t enough to get people rolling at the Pike’s Peek 10k in Rockville, five days of pent-up tension led to a moment of silence on the starting line to honor the victims and their families affected by the Boston Marathon bombing.
[button-red url=”http://www.mcrrc.org/pikes-peek-10k-5″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Race director Jean Arthur said that Monday’s tragedy created anxiety for her with less than a week until the race.
After a few years of calm, the wind was back for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, but it didn’t slow Janet Bawcom as she set an American record while winning her third consecutive USA Women’s 10 Mile Championship.
The men, lead by Kenyans Daniel Salel with half-second victory over Allan Kiprono in 46:05 were off of Kiprono’s winning 45:15 last year, but Kenyan Caroline Rotich (52:46) and her three-second lead over Ethopian Belaynesh Oljira broke a two-year tradition of the women’s winner running 54:02.
It wasn’t Metro accessible, there weren’t bands every mile and the race might not have had the panache of a national series, but sure enough, a marathon went off Saturday morning in Northern Virginia.
The inaugural Runner’s Marathon of Reston and accompanying half marathon took charge of the streets and trails in a race that billed itself as being “designed by runners, for runners.”
Hilary Dionne was glad to attend her friend’s wedding in Alexandria, but it meant a sacrifice.
She wouldn’t be able to defend her title at the New Bedford Half Marathon in Massachusetts, a fast and deep race upon which her Boston Athletic Association teammates were descending. She’s training for the Boston Marathon, where she finished 15th, and as the third American, last year, and wanted to test how her training was going.
When runners registered for the most recent Montgomery Country Road Runners Club race, they were mistaken if they thought it would be a “piece of cake.” Little did they know that they would have to conquer tough-rolling hills through Seneca Creek State Park in order to cross the finish line.
“It’s a very challenging course,” said Carol English of Germantown, Md. “But it’s good. It builds character.”
Saturday was full of surprises for runners at the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon.
[button-red url=”http://running.competitor.com/cgiresults?eId=54″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Chief among them was the weather — unexpectedly delightful despite days of resignation that the forecast for Saturday, a 70 percent chance of rain, according to the Running Weatherman, would leave runners soaked, chafed and miserable.
For the seventh year in a row, Washington, D.C.’s spring marathon champion was a college athlete who competed for something other than a track team. For the first time, though, it wasn’t former lacrosse player Michael Wardian.
[button-red url=”http://running.competitor.com/cgiresults?eId=54″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Peter Lawrence came to Washington with his family for a spring break trip requested by his daughter.After 20 hours of driving, with stops in New Orleans, Atlanta, the now-41-year-old, who played tennis at the Virginia Military Institute hit town for a week of sightseeing with a cadre of elementary school-age children.