Shalane Flanagan

Alexandria hosting .US National Road Racing Championships

Published November 16, 2013 at 5:02PM | Updated November 16, 2013 at 7:44PM

The 2013 USA Running Circuit (USARC) will culminate tomorrow morning on the streets of Alexandria, where some of America’s best distance runners will compete for $100,000 in prize money, including $20,000 for the winners. The inaugural .US National Road Racing Championships – USA Track and Field’s first wholly owned-and-operated road race – will take runners of all abilities on a 12k journey starting and finishing near Oronoco Bay Park, a spot local runners know well.

How it works: The road racing series includes national championships for races ranging from a mile to the marathon. The first 10 U.S. runners at each race earn points, with 15 points awarded for 1st, 12 for 2nd, and 10 for third. Tomorrow the top 10 finishers will earn triple points, which provides extra incentive for runners farther down on the leaderboard.

Perfect Weather Greets Inaugural Nike Women’s Half Marathon

By Charlie Ban

Published April 30, 2013 at 3:10PM | Updated June 25, 2015 at 5:24PM

Samia Akbar nears the 10k mark in 37:28 as she leads the Nike Womens Half Marathon. Photo: Charlie Ban

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.

What the Volunteers Saw…

By Maggie Lloyd

Published April 30, 2013 at 3:03PM | Updated August 8, 2013 at 7:01PM

Claudia Seglas of Miami Springs, Fla. shows off her prize at the finish line. Photo: Brian Knight Swim Bike Run Photography

Yes, you can learn a lot about a woman by the contents of her purse, but I think it’s more telling to watch the way she reacts at a finish line, and I saw the whole emotional spectrum while volunteering for DC’s inaugural Nike Women’s Half Marathon.

My job was simple: scan runners’ race bibs as they filed through the finish area towards some seriously glamorous swag. Between the volunteers offering water bottles and foil blankets, a squad of ROTC men in tuxedos hand-delivered Tiffany’s pendant necklaces housed in that iconic baby blue box tied with a simple white ribbon. Whenever there was a lull in the crowd, all it took was a “who wants their Tiffany’s necklace?” yell to get exhausted finishers to smile and “woohoo!”