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.
By James Moreland
May 29, 2010
Sterling, VA
For the Washington Running Report
This is the weekend for the unofficial start of summer but it had cooled down greatly from Thursday’s 91 degrees. The gnats sticking on your skin told of the searing humidity that runners would soon be basting in. That does not sound for a recipe for a personal record on a two-loop course with rolling hills, long hills, and stairway hills. Before the race we caught up with consensus favorite Aaron Church, 34, of South Riding, VA. Church (in photo) had not run the course before but was in awe of Philippe Rolly’s 2005 30:40 course record. He knew all about Rolly towing to a split second photo finish C.W. Moran, who at age 19 had owned the course record set in 2004 at 32:34. Rolly, the sub masters record holder from 2008 and Ray Pugsley the masters record holder from 2009 were absent. Church smiled and noted that a course record was unlikely. This from a man coming off a 30:55 at the Kaiser Permanente Pike’s Peek 10K just a month ago and a blazing Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10M in 50:52 with a 10K equivalent of 30:36.
By then the announcer was getting runners set to dart under the traditional ladder arch made by the Sterling Fire Department. And they were underway. Church jack rabbitted around the corner quickly and was soon out of sight of the nearly seven hundred finishers. By the mile, he had a 150 meters lead and the race was for second place.
The first mile was deceptively fast. The second fulfilled the axiom of “what goes up…” Still, there is always a large contingency of onlookers and supporters. After a Great spring Mary Beth Chosak was coming off a tough sixth place finish at the Capitol Hill Classic 10K race in 39:54. That same weekend Sarah Bard won it all at the Devotion to Children 4M in 24:48. This meant both racers would be battling most of the way. They were joined by Cathleen Willy for the journey. Nobody else was going to break forty that day as Bard pulled away to win in 39:06.
Humidity, hills, and heat did not seem to affect slim Linda Foley and she wore the de rigueur shades, more for the bugs than the sun. Foley also had a fine spring so far, finishing second at the Devotion to Children 4M in 25:22 but though she won the top masters spot she could not stay as close to Bard finishing fifth overall.
Dee Dee Loughran (accepting her award) already has the fastest 20K and the fastest half marathon not belonging to Joan Benoit Samuelson in 2010 as well as a chart topper at the Kaiser Permanente Pike’s Peek 10K in 40:47. But we are in Virginia and she was looking at the relatively soft 42:01 set by Ecris Williams. It has been hanging around for twenty years. Coming back down the opening stretch on the second loop she knew she was golden and busted the record wide open with a swift 41:23 and seventh overall.
Meanwhile, the trailing pack for the men was composed of four local young men who finished in a clump between 36:45 and 36:48. Patrick Wilson of Potomac Falls took the runner-up spot. Tom Steinbach was the top master in 38:15 for seventh place.
For the grandmasters, it was all Jason Page, 65, of Hamilton, VA in photo below. He is sneaky fast and loves to go out strong. It comes from many years of winning races by taking the lead. After the race it admitted he may have gone out too fast. “I really would have done better with a five mile race,” he lamented. “I ended up slowing to a 7:00 mile for the last mile.” Lucky for him it was a 10K because his best 5M at Germantown two weeks ago in 32:24 is a ways off of John Hosner’s 31:09. But his 40:35 today set aside and excellent 41:11 for the Virginia State record held by Cal Fowler.
Glenn Luttrell, 68, of Winchester, VA was pumped up by his second place age group win. “Soon I will seventy.” That was a tough challenge today as Chan Robbins of Arlington, VA took top honors in 50:53. And what of the 75 and older? This race is great in recognizing five year age groups and going three deep. Still as Terry McCarthy of Leesburg, VA has just turned 75, he knows competing with those young whippersnappers is well-nigh impossible. So he took on Bob Gurtler of The Plains, VA who is 75 and has already raced forty times this year.
At 2.5 miles and again on the second loop at 5.5 miles there was a fire truck sending a fifty foot fountain of water over the roadway to help cool the runners. The second time through what had been mist was more like a river.
After the race there was lots of water, though all of us had a sheen of liquid covering the outside of our bodies already. Bagels and bananas were abundant and the chicken sandwiches were spicy and hot. Giant Foods also handed out some reusable shopping bags with goodies inside.
To the left Ray poses with Old Glory.
Awards Listing (No Duplicate Prizes)
OVERALL MALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Lname Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =======
1 8 Aaron Church 34 South Riding VA 32:21
2 655 Patrick Wilson 17 Potomac Falls VA 36:45
3 653 Joshua Hardin 19 Potomac Falls VA 36:47
OVERALL FEMALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Lname Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =======
1 464 Sarah Bard 25 Leesburg VA 39:06
2 517 Mary Beth Chosak 31 Arlington VA 39:21
3 727 Cathleen Willy 26 Alexandria VA 39:52
MALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 434 Brian Robinson 19 Sterling VA 36:34
2 162 Stefan Vanburen 17 Potomac Falls VA 37:27
3 338 Brian Horlick 17 Manassas VA 37:55
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 542 Julie Bell 19 Vienna VA 48:21
2 615 Emily Henderson 19 Potomac Falls VA 48:46
3 345 Lauren Dalton 15 Sterling VA 49:04
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 (NET TIME)
1 713 Robert Mulloy 20 Great Falls VA 44:35
2 524 Brad Mitchell 22 Sterling VA 44:43
3 703 Jin Hwan 20 Potomac Falls VA 45:03
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 (NET TIME)
1 518 Katie Muething 24 Arlington VA 40:30
2 124 Karen Dickerson 24 Springfield VA 46:31
3 598 Marissa Olson 20 Leesburg VA 47:49
MALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 178 Dennis Haeberle 29 Reston VA 41:30
2 188 Daniel Torrico 28 Sterling VA 41:56
3 505 Brett Ruff 25 Arlington VA 43:30
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 617 Kristina Keller 27 Cleveland Heights OH 45:49
2 319 Miranda Rocker 28 Arlington VA 47:53
3 21 Ardene Kidby 25 Springfield VA 47:57
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 (NET TIME)
1 722 Greg Stemberger 33 Aldie VA 38:09
2 663 Greg Sprowl 32 Bethesda MD 38:35
3 416 Adam Borbidge 31 South Riding VA 39:23
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 (NET TIME)
1 384 Elizabeth Helland 32 Arlington VA 41:13
2 514 Kimberly Barnes 30 Leesburg VA 46:48
3 661 Cassie Henry 30 Potomac Falls VA 46:49
MALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 710 David Kent 38 Arlington VA 38:08
2 545 Brian Szabos 36 South Riding VA 38:29
3 81 Richard Haylor 39 Martinsburg WV 38:48
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 36 Heather Schaffer 39 Potomac Falls VA 42:03
2 180 Deborah Whitfield 37 Potomac Falls VA 43:52
3 289 Alison Gittelman 37 South Riding VA 44:28
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 (NET TIME)
1 499 Tom Steinbach 44 Sterling VA 38:06
2 200 Bin Mu 41 Reston VA 38:23
3 240 Dennis Billings 41 Woodbridge VA 39:35
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 (NET TIME)
1 601 Kristin Didomenico 43 Potomac Falls VA 42:37
2 479 Lynne Cuppernull 40 Herndon VA 44:30
3 80 Mary Kay Anderson 42 Leesburg VA 45:51
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 133 Gregory Gould 49 Sterling VA 40:34
2 664 Jim Bradford 48 Vienna VA 41:19
3 541 Robert Sichau 46 Alexandria VA 41:24
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 9 Linda Foley 48 Oak Hill VA 40:52
2 250 Mandana Mortazavi 46 Leesburg VA 43:57
3 812 Annie Downer 45 Herndon VA 47:32
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 (NET TIME)
1 611 Matt Rea 54 Potomac Falls VA 41:55
2 430 Kevin Apsley 53 Herndon VA 44:59
3 111 John Stacy 53 Fairfax VA 46:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 (NET TIME)
1 533 Deedee Loughran 51 Oak Hill VA 41:21
2 13 Carole Jones 53 Ashburn VA 46:55
3 112 Stephanie Danahy 53 Fairfax Station VA 50:04
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 14 Ken Krehbiel 56 Washington DC 43:59
2 10 James Moreland 57 Gaithersburg MD 46:39
3 600 Rob Colburn 55 Ashburn VA 50:27
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 712 Peggy Davis 58 Vienna VA 51:53
2 318 Anne Case 55 Manassas VA 59:55
3 446 Carla Bourgeois 57 Montclair VA 1:00:35
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 (NET TIME)
1 143 Ted Baca 64 Arlington VA 46:27
2 199 Bill Koetter 61 Ashburn VA 50:30
3 415 Jon Palks 60 Bowie MD 50:42
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 (NET TIME)
1 716 Linda Kearney 63 Oak Hill VA 53:49
2 398 Freyda Greenberg 61 Falls Church VA 58:17
3 815 Janet Ruth 60 Potomac Falls MD 1:15:46
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 (NET TIME)
1 248 Jason Page 65 Hamilton VA 40:33
2 402 Glenn Luttrell 67 Winchester VA 1:01:37
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 (NET TIME)
1 172 Pat Welch 65 Vienna VA 1:00:11
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 99 (NET TIME)
1 525 Chan Robbins 72 Arlington VA 50:53
2 87 Gordon Turner 70 Potomac Falls VA 52:17
3 372 Alan Rider 74 Reston VA 55:09
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 99 (NET TIME)
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 160 Jason Eller 16 M Sterling VA 44:10
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 543 Diane O'Neill-Mason 30 F Sterling VA 63:18
