- Silver Spring’s Will Etti, who RunWashington featured in its 2015 marathoners series, was a guest on the Run Farther and Faster podcast, talking about diversity in running and his experiences with racial profiling.
- Kensington resident Anthony Brennan III was charged with three counts of second-degree misdemeanor assault resulting from a June 1 incident on the Capital Crescent Trail. Social media users publicly identified two men who were not involved.
- Beach Drive, between the Maryland state line and Broad Branch Road in D.C.’s Rock Creek Park will remain closed to traffic through July 24.
- Longtime Montgomery County Road Runners Club volunteer George Tarrico, of Rockville, died June 6.
- Walter Johnson alumna Jenna Goldberg, a state cross country champion and Foot Locker finalist, will be a speaker on what is billed as an online “motivational talk” Monday June 16 at 5 p.m. Register here.
- This week’s Potomac River Running Instagram Live, starting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, will feature Moise Joseph, Kareen Lawson, Kelly Kavanaugh and Kim Griffin.
- Arlington County and Washington, D.C. tracks are open. Don’t be dumb about using them.
- A white male in his 20’s, with brown hair, wearing blue shorts, no shirt, and a black fanny pack exposed himself to a woman on the Custis Trail June 8 around 11 a.m. For more information, check ArlingtonNow.
- The National Arboretum will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Adam Staveski struck four times in the first month of the DMV Distance Derby, taking May course records in Arlington, Rock Creek Park, Roosevelt Island and RFK Stadium. Molly Ritter holds the women’s lead with the two Beach Drive segments and Burke Lake.
More about the Distance Derby:
Name: Ciara (Donohue) Adam
Self-described age group: I am 23 so in races, I guess the age group 20-30?
Residence: I live with my husband in Winchester, Virginia
Occupation: I am a registered nurse at Winchester Medical Center
Volunteer roles in the running world: I can’t think of a volunteer role I have had with the running world recently, but I am hoping to look more into assistant coaching/volunteer coaching at local schools when the pandemic clears up.
How has your running changed in the last few weeks: Running the last few weeks has been a blessing. I work 12-hour night shifts in the hospital and when I fit in a run, I am always way less anxious about work. Fresh air has never felt better when you run after being in the hospital all day. New-nurse anxiety is a real thing topped off with being a new nurse during a crazy pandemic. Running is that something I am familiar with and keeps me grounded. In times of uncertainty, it feels wonderful to fall back to the sport I love most.
Why you run: Although I am not running near as much as I used to during high school and college, I find that when I do find the time to fit in good run, I am so much more relaxed and clear-minded. I find (as most people do) running as a de-stressor and I always feel 100% better when I get my feet out the door. It feels so good to challenge your body, feel your heart beating, and just be in your thoughts.
- Georgetown alumna Kate Landau was a guest on the Morning Shakeout podcast. She was the top finisher with local ties at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Read more about her here
- Mike Smith, another Georgetown alumnus and former director of track and field, was a guest on the Morning Shakeout a few weeks ago.
- Fairfax County Public Schools tracks are now open to the public. Don’t be idiots about it!
- Loudoun County High School alumnus Tommy Curtain will be a guest on Wednesday night’s Potomac River Running Instagram Live, from 8-9 p.m.
- Georgetown alumnus Dylan Sorensen ran a 4:37 mile while dribbling a basketball.
- The USA Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association awarded All-America awards to NCAA Championships qualifiers. Distance runners with local ties include:
- Division I: Northwest alumnus Diego Zarate, a Virginia Tech student, in the mile; Briar Woods alumnus Jack Joyce, a Virginia Tech student, in the distance medley relay; Chantilly alumnus Brandon McGorty, a Stanford student, in the distance medley relay; Heritage alumna Weini Kelati, a New Mexico student, in the 5k, 3k and distance medley relay; Westfield alumna Sara Freix, a Virginia Tech student, in the 3k and distance medley relay and Patriot alumna Rachel McArthur, a Colorado student, in the distance medley relay.
- Division III: Quince Orchard alumnus Liam Walsh, a Carnegie Mellon student, in the mile; Georgetown Day School alumus Tristan Colaizzi, a Williams student, in the distance medley relay and Thomas Jefferson alumna Abigail Shoemaker, a Chicago student, in the 5k.
Name: Randall Myers
Self-described age group: Masters > 40
Residence: Arlington
Occupation: Emergency Medicine Physician
Why you run: I enjoy training for, preparing for and competing in races
- The Montgomery County Council voted to approve $54.9 million to replace the tunnel carrying the Capital Crescent Trail under Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. The tunnel is due to open in 2026, three years after completion of the Purple Line station, which will occupy the previous tunnel.
- Beach Drive and Ross Drive in Rock Creek Park will remain closed to traffic through June 8.
- Montgomery Blair alumna Morgan Casey wrote for the UMBC Retriever about how disruptions in her live during the pandemic have challenged her recovery from an eating disorder. She had earlier shared her story with RunWashington.
- Former Freedom and Forest Park coach Leroy Worley was named interim cross country and track coach at Emory and Henry College.
- I will be appeearing on Potomac River Running’s Instagram Live Wednesday, May 20 from 8 pm – 9 pm.
Name: Trevor Myers
Self-described age group: Grandmaster, not quite older than dirt
Residence: Bethesda
Occupation: Anesthesiologist-Dominion Anesthesia, Chief of Anesthesia Virginia Hospital Center-Arlington
Volunteer roles in the running world: Usually and obviously, I’m typically running the medical tent for larger races, but chip in anywhere I can.
How has your running changed in the last few weeks: My mental and physical exhaustion of the past six weeks has made it very difficult to find the energy to get time in, so I’ve returned to my favorite spot on the Potomac River over and over again
Why you run: Running has always been an escape for me, a respite in the storm of life. This has never been truer now, as we fight the scourge of Covid19.
You’re at a picnic at a park, and so is another family nearby. Your uncle gets drunk and belligerent, wanders over to the other family, gets rude, starts taking food without asking.
If both families wanted the uncle to stop, who would he be more receptive to?
“When we’re talking about violence against unarmed African Americans, whether by police or civilians, it’s largely been our family trying to get the drunk uncle to stop,” D.C.’s Fred Irby said. “His family is looking at what’s happening, shaking their heads and saying ‘he doesn’t represent us as a family,’ but they haven’t done anything to pull him back.”
These days, Irby is applying that metaphor to the Feb. 23 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was running in a Glynn County, Ga. neighborhood. After more than two months with no action by local authorities, the Georgia Bureau of Investigated Gregory and Travis McMichael and charged them with murder and aggravated assault May 7.
In an online movement, #IrunwithMaud, that gained momentum following the May 6 release of video footage of the incident and stoked in large part by New York-based activist Alison Désir, runners dedicated their runs on May 8, which would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday, with many running 2.23 miles, commemorating the date of his murder. While there’s no shortage of violent incidents, including deaths, of unarmed African Americans, this was the highest profile, if not the first, involving a victim reported to be exercising at the time, particularly running.
It caught on, with thousands of runners, unable to gather because of physical distancing orders, followed through on social media platforms.
Mike Ricci set the stage for his 2020 by running the New Year’s Day 5k in Gaithersburg. As it turns out, by mid-May, he’s been spending more time working with the Manna Food Center, the race beneficiary, than he has been running outside.
As communications director for Gov. Larry Hogan, Ricci’s been cut off from the leisurely runs out in the Old Line State while he manages the outreach for one of the country’s most active governors during the coronavirus pandemic, which ranges from state-wide communications down to relationship building to tackle consequences of the pandemic, including food insecurity.
“I pretty much stick to the treadmill,” he said, quick to add, “not just because of the stay-at-home order, but because of my hours.”
Ashley Donovan is used to starting off her ultramarathons with a low-key command. “Go” usually suffices. But the start of her latest 24-hour run was accompanied by sirens.
At 6:01 a.m. May 9, as she started on a day’s worth of solitary 0.2-mile loops around the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad building and parking lot, an ambulance rolled out on a call. That service, and her fundraising run, hammered home the 24-hour nature of emergency response and demonstrated why she was doing this. The secretary on BCCRS’ Board of Directors, Donovan, of Upper Northwest D.C., has been a volunteer EMT since 2015.
“People have been surprised when they hear I’m still volunteering,” during the coronavirus pandemic, she said. “This was a fine opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our emergency response system.”
The fundraising effort around her feat totaled more than $11,000, which will be split between the rescue squad and Feed the Fight, a nonprofit that feeds emergency and healthcare workers meals from local restaurants and caterers.
