By James Moreland
Ashburn, VA
June 11, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
Virginia Pons moves past the starting line at the first loop.
The Potomac River Twilight 4 mile race has built a solid reputation as a family event. While providing some of most competitive races at this less than common distance, the well attended mile fun run and all the entertainment after the event keep the race high in recidivism. While the classic rock band Dolley Sodds was warming up, event director Ray Pugsley was scurrying around filling a kid’s pool with ice to cool off the many different kinds of liquid refreshment awaiting the returning road warriors. Everyone knows that in this region June is really summer no matter what the calendar says. Pugsley was smiling as he said, “We dodged a bullet.” Indeed, after two record setting days in the last week, this year’s temperature in the low 80s seemed almost kind.
Owning the fourth fastest time of 20:07 from his runner-up spot in 2009 made Aaron Church, 35, the favorite. Church (left takes the final strides) was coming off a top ranking in the winter in his division and he was feeling good. Still, nobody told the other racers that he would win. On the way back past the starting line at about 2K in the race Church was riding easily in the back of a pack of seven racers. They had cruised through the opening mile in 4:49, which would put them on pace to take on Steve Crane’s event record of 19:47 from 2008. The race announcer keep the finish line informed by radio as they pushed through the next mile still sub 5:00.
Though perhaps the kindest day of the first five years, the race was really heating up, in more ways than one. After the race was done Church noted that he did not have a real speed, [not] and he made his break about 2.5 miles into the event. He did not want to leave the race to a sprint at the end. As the pack broke up a couple of the racers called it quits and dropped. Kent Pecora was from North Carolina and an unknown, clinging to the pace. Hugh Toland had won three races in the spring including a 15:45 5K. Ryan Deak had two wins and a 15:44 5K. As the runners came in view for the final two hundred meters, it was clear that Church would prevail. Church’s only race in the spring was a third overall four mile race in 20:43. This time he improved his pace to take it all in an event age group record 20:25. Pecora was next in 20:38. Deak looked really tired for a man moving so fast and settled for third place cash at 20:46. Toland was fourth in 21:02.
Coming up form the south was Williamsburg’s John Piggott. Piggott, 46, (left) as always, is training for the half marathon where he seems to excel the best. He had run 14 miles in the morning but “no one was pushing” him. As it turned out, he ended up in no man’s land in the race with no one within sight of him on either side. He did not even feel the pressure to press at the end. Still, he slipped in past the former course record held by the formidable Ted Poulos (22:42 – 2007) with a fine 22:30. That is the second fastest master time behind Darrell General’s 21:28 set in 2007.
Elite grandmaster George Buckheit (below) had the third fastest 50 and older time and one of the best lifetime racing résumés in the region – PR of 13:43 for 5K and 28:39 for 10K. Still, he just laughed when asked if he was going to break the tape this time. New minted grandmaster Jean Christophe Arcaz is a prolific racer and he always seems to do his best when the competition is tough. During his forties he and Ted Poulos had scores of close battles. This time he took the top grandmaster spot in 23:42 for 13th overall. The grandmaster best was set by Chuck Moeser in 2009 with 23:15.
Former age group winner Richard Adams, 60, was too tired to look around to see that nobody was close as he won by nearly three minutes In 26:54. His daughter was out on the course racing as well. Meanwhile Jason Page, 66, an age group record holder was on hand to watch his daughter race as well. She sure looked good racing. Page was at the Cascades Firechase 10K to watch another daughter win it all last month. Page will be back on the roads in time to take a shot at returning his rankings crown this summer.
In the morning the Lawyers have Heart race was turned into a 5K because of the heat. That was okay for Bob Gurtler, 76, of the Plains, VA. He had already run 35 of them this year. Still, by evening he was already itching to put in some more miles, winning his age group.
When John Piggott heard the top woman coming in he perked up his ears. Did they say Williamsburg? He knew he would know all the top racers from his hometown. Darcy McDonald led a well spaced line of young runners to the finish line. She ran the event’s third fastest time, 23:07. Laurel Jefferson followed in the sixth fastest time with 23:35. Third place went to Margie Shapiro with the seventh fastest time in 23:53. Only eight women have broken 24:00 on this course.
Shapiro is a =PR= owner. Her fine race was her first race in several years.
Master winner Linda Foley will soon be fifty. Finishing sixth in 25:49 she was not far off her overall winning time form the first year, 2007, when she ran 25:23. For the grandmasters, Liza Recto had just turned 55 and she thought she had a chance to medal. When the called her name as first in 32:02, she learned the she was top grandmaster as well, not far of the 55-59 record of 31:36.
On each runner’s bib was an F tag for food and a B tag for beer. Beer of course only went to adults but the burritos from Moe’s Southwest Grill went to all the runners. There were all kinds of juices, water, and soda as well as doughnuts, cookie, chips. Nobody was going to leave hungry. As the band started up, hundreds of runners mingled around the circus-like venue. There was a dunk tank and moon bounces, and the soft ice cream stand quickly formed a line.
When the awards were being announced, many of the runners were still eating and drinking. It sure is wonderful to get the awards so fast that everyone is still there to get them. While the race totals very with the temperatures over the years. This year’s 989 four mile finishers combined with the fun runners to more than 1100 participants which are very close to the most ever.
Overall Female
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Darcy McDonald Williamsburg VA 479 24 10 23:06.2 23:06.9 5:47/M
2 Laurel Jefferson Washington DC 539 25 14 23:33.3 23:34.1 5:53/M
3 Margaret Shapiro Herndon VA 642 34 17 23:51.9 23:52.1 5:58/M
Female Masters
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Linda Foley Oak Hill VA 204 49 33 25:47.0 25:48.2 6:27/M
Female 14 & Younger
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Adriana Rosas Silver Spring MD 857 11 113 30:06.6 30:08.2 7:32/M
2 Brenda Rosas Silver Spring MD 859 12 151 31:28.0 31:28.8 7:52/M
3 Emily Landeryou Reston VA 863 11 256 34:59.7 35:09.0 8:45/M
Female 15 to 19
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Corey Bolyard Sterling VA 544 16 98 29:41.5 29:46.5 7:25/M
2 Kelly O'Toole Woodbridge VA 506 18 101 29:47.0 29:55.0 7:27/M
3 Alayna Bigalbal Leesburg VA 607 15 132 30:44.1 30:45.0 7:41/M
Female 20 to 24
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Petra Cotes Annandale VA 386 22 24 24:56.7 24:57.0 6:14/M
2 Meagan Klein Arlington VA 803 24 149 31:25.4 31:37.5 7:51/M
3 Maddie Humphrey Reston VA 279 23 159 31:40.1 32:12.0 7:55/M
Female 25 to 29
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Sarah Bard Leesburg VA 382 26 31 25:40.8 25:41.5 6:25/M
2 Kathryn Neeper Washington DC 430 27 37 26:03.3 26:03.6 6:31/M
3 Michelle Christine Leesburg VA 641 29 108 29:53.1 29:56.6 7:28/M
Female 30 to 34
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Jennifer Pantall Sterling VA 414 32 76 28:26.1 28:30.8 7:07/M
2 Mary Otto Centreville VA 648 30 111 29:54.9 29:57.6 7:29/M
3 Amanda Statz Alexandria VA 69 32 118 30:17.4 30:20.6 7:34/M
Female 35 to 39
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Nancy Eiring Washington DC 827 38 56 26:59.3 27:00.8 6:45/M
2 Tatiana Sheptock South Riding VA 563 35 67 28:03.4 28:05.8 7:01/M
3 Alison Gittelman South Riding VA 34 38 71 28:13.7 28:17.8 7:03/M
Female 40 to 44
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Mijiko Phelps Reston VA 522 41 43 26:24.9 26:26.2 6:36/M
2 Kim Isler Oakton VA 404 43 59 27:16.9 27:17.8 6:49/M
3 Sue Piergallini Ashburn VA 493 44 106 29:51.2 30:03.0 7:28/M
Female 45 to 49
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Anita Freres Reston VA 871 46 65 27:43.5 27:51.2 6:56/M
2 Karen Ames Purcellville VA 496 45 154 31:32.0 31:40.0 7:53/M
3 Stephanie Cappello Ashburn VA 835 47 187 32:40.1 32:54.2 8:10/M
Female 50 to 54
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Cynthia Revesman Oak Hill VA 504 50 188 32:44.2 32:58.6 8:11/M
2 Paula Looney Ashburn VA 371 50 221 34:05.8 34:11.0 8:31/M
3 Shari Sturm McLean VA 282 50 295 35:55.5 36:39.8 8:59/M
Female 55 to 59
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Lisa Recto Lexington Park MD 707 55 167 31:57.5 32:02.1 7:59/M
2 Carla Bourgeois Montclair VA 840 58 345 36:56.8 37:16.4 9:14/M
3 Liz Roberts Leesburg VA 589 55 361 37:23.8 37:37.8 9:21/M
Female 60 to 64
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Lucille Walke Ashburn VA 674 62 45 26:28.8 26:28.8 6:37/M
2 Gayle Novig McLean VA 378 60 564 42:52.0 43:14.9 10:43/M
Overall Male
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Aaron Church South Riding VA 501 35 1 20:24.9 20:24.9 5:06/M
2 Kent Pecora Chapel Hill NO 524 22 2 20:37.7 20:37.7 5:09/M
3 Ryan Deak Burke VA 843 25 3 20:45.6 20:45.6 5:11/M
Male Masters
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 John Piggott Williamsburg VA 554 46 8 22:29.9 22:29.9 5:37/M
Male 14 & Younger
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Nathan Vigil Ashburn VA 786 13 102 29:48.0 29:50.7 7:27/M
2 Adam Bolton Leesburg VA 332 11 168 31:57.6 32:10.2 7:59/M
3 Eli Lifland Fairfax VA 869 12 210 33:46.1 33:52.6 8:27/M
Male 15 to 19
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Logan Feierbach Leesburg VA 396 16 22 24:22.3 24:22.6 6:06/M
2 Samuel Rodgers Leesburg VA 560 16 40 26:12.4 26:13.0 6:33/M
3 Mark Newberry Ashburn VA 537 16 51 26:48.8 26:49.3 6:42/M
Male 20 to 24
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Ethan Rissell Shippensburg PA 387 21 5 21:12.4 21:12.4 5:18/M
2 Matt Weber Sterling VA 626 20 23 24:30.2 24:30.2 6:08/M
3 Darin Miller Arlington VA 320 23 25 25:00.1 25:09.3 6:15/M
Male 25 to 29
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Josh Peterson Minneapolis MN 801 27 7 21:56.7 21:56.7 5:29/M
2 Justin Fritzius Purcellville VA 902 26 9 22:51.4 22:51.4 5:43/M
3 Pat DeRocco Arlington VA 571 27 12 23:26.6 23:27.1 5:52/M
Male 30 to 34
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Hugh Toland Fairfax VA 551 30 4 21:01.7 21:01.7 5:15/M
2 Aaron Schwartzbard Reston VA 600 33 6 21:18.8 21:18.8 5:20/M
3 Thomas Abbey Centreville VA 211 30 50 26:46.0 26:49.6 6:42/M
Male 35 to 39
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Marco Rosas Silver Spring MD 858 36 16 23:45.5 23:46.1 5:56/M
2 Rich Roberts Washington DC 818 39 18 24:06.2 24:08.0 6:02/M
3 Rob Meadows Landsdowne VA 759 39 19 24:10.6 24:10.6 6:03/M
Male 40 to 44
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Todd Jarman Potomac Falls VA 375 41 11 23:24.0 23:24.1 5:51/M
2 Kevin Bell Reston VA 666 42 13 23:30.0 23:30.1 5:53/M
3 Stephen Crago Vienna VA 254 42 20 24:11.9 24:13.5 6:03/M
Male 45 to 49
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 George Lane Ashburn VA 123 45 27 25:07.1 25:09.0 6:17/M
2 Dan DiFonzo Rockville MD 624 48 39 26:08.7 26:09.6 6:32/M
3 Rich Harfst Annandale VA 795 47 54 26:53.9 26:56.7 6:43/M
Male 50 to 54
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Jean Christophe Arcaz Rockville MD 829 50 15 23:41.3 23:41.7 5:55/M
2 George Buckheit Reston VA 842 53 28 25:14.5 25:15.5 6:19/M
3 David Pinnick Manassas VA 650 54 47 26:33.1 26:35.9 6:38/M
Male 55 to 59
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Chris Dettmar Reston VA 408 57 103 29:48.0 29:57.7 7:27/M
2 Stephen Nettl Reston VA 526 58 268 35:12.2 35:52.2 8:48/M
3 Ray Deegan Leesburg VA 274 55 269 35:13.2 35:35.6 8:48/M
Male 60 to 64
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Richard Adams Herndon VA 660 60 55 26:54.1 26:54.5 6:44/M
2 Jay Wind Arlington VA 706 61 96 29:35.3 29:37.3 7:24/M
3 Daniel Bentz Oak Hill VA 88 60 510 41:29.1 42:06.0 10:22/M
Male 70 to 74
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Tim Long Reston VA 306 70 503 41:15.0 41:32.0 10:19/M
Male 75 and older
Over Chip Gun
Place Name City Bib No Age all Time Time Pace
1 Robert Gurtler The Plains VA 272 76 600 44:38.5 44:45.2 11:10/M
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