• The last few days’ worth of heavy, sustained rain has caused Lake Accotink to flood a little. It’s not a huge problem, and affects only the area near the dam, but you should not try to cross it. In fact, don’t try to cross any flooded trails, you have no idea what might be under there. At the very least you’ll probably twist your ankle.
• For the 2017 season, the local Gatorade Players of the Year for cross country include, for D.C. Gonzaga sophomore Gavin McElhennon and National Cathedral School senior Page Lester, for Maryland Walter Johnson senior Abbey Green and for Virginia, Loudoun Valley junior Sam Affolder and South Lakes senior Olivia Beckner.
• The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Loudoun Valley coach Marc Hunter boys’ coach of the year.

• Washington, D.C. consultant Jonathan Terrell completed the World Marathon Challenge, in which runners complete marathons on every continent over the course of seven days.
• The transfer period for the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run is open through 11:59 p.m. Feb. 29.
• South Lakes alumnus Alan Webb will be one of the inaugural inductees to the National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame.  Webb, the American record holder in the mile since 2007, will join 29 other inductees, including former U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) who has lived in Washington, D.C. Here’s his July 2017 appearance on Pace the Nation.
• The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B voted to approve a 1.6 mile segment of the Metropolitan Branch Trail, which will connect Fort Totten to Takoma Park, Md.

• Herndon High School alumna Hiruni Wijayaratne ran a Sri Lankan record 2:36:35 at the Houston Marathon Jan. 14. The dual citizen, who lives in Boulder, qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
• Pace the Nation host Chris Farley, who also owns Pacers Running Stores, saved his 19* year sub-3-hour marathon streak Dec. 29 on Hains Point. Read the Washington Post’s telling of the story.
• Arlington resident Jay Wind has written a novel, Arlington Sunrise, about the Marine Corps Marathon and so much more.
• Safety Alert: WTOP reports that a man “who appeared to be jogging” grabbed a young girl at around 4 p.m. Jan. 3 on a path near Wrightwood Place in Sterling.
• WMATA told the National Park Service Jan. 11 that the Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle over Glover Archbold Park is at risk of imminent collapse. Additional barriers have been added to the park entrance and Park Police personnel are reportedly patrolling for trespassers.

• Annandale resident Caleb Hymans ran a 10k single-age world record for 12-year-old boys at the Turkey Trot 10k in Quantico Nov. 18, running 35:34.
• Fairfax’s Sarah Bishop, who won the Marine Corps Marathon seven seconds short of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials standard for 2020 beat that standard Dec. 3 at the California International Marathon, running 2:42:36. Arlington’s Jessica McGuire, who ran 2:43:55, also qualified. McGuire was a guest on Dec. 11’s Pace the Nation podcast. Kyle Stanton, of Rockville, qualified by running 2:17:48.
• Matt Rodjom will represent the United States in the World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup, part of the 2018 London Marathon. He runs despite Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, which distorts most of his vision directly ahead.
• Rochelle Basil (1:25:42) of Fairfax and Austin Kidd (1:14:14) of Columbus, Ga. won the RRCA D.C. state half marathon championship at the Gar Williams Half Marathon Dec. 17.
• Three two-time local Foot Locker finalists raced Dec. 9 in San Diego. Walter Johnson’s Abbey Green finished 12th in 18:03.4, exactly a minute behind winner Claudia Lane of California. National Cathedral School’s Page Lester was two places behind Green in 18:06.4. Heather Holt, from George Marshall, was 31st in 18:48.4.

Heritage alumna Weini Kelati led locally-connected collegiate runners at the NCAA Championships with a seventh place finish in the Division I meet, where she helped the New Mexico team to the championship. Georgetown individual qualifier Jonathan Green finished 10th. Clarksburg’s Lucie Noall finished 75, running for Queens and George Marshall’s Jenna Robbins finished 201st with her Shippensburg team in Division II. I have very little research on Division II rosters, so please comment if I’m missing anyone. Christopher Newport finished third in the Division III men’s race, and JJ LaPointe‘s (Bishop O’Connell) 14th place finish went a long way to making that happen. Abigail Levine, a Bethesda-Chevy Chase alumna running for Carnegie Mellon, finish 108th.

Read More

• A man found unconscious Saturday on the W&OD Trail has been identified. He was found around 12:43 p.m. near the Fairfax County Parkway. 
• Alexandria’s Bethany Sachtleben qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials Saturday, running 2:39:00 to win the Richmond Marathon.
• Georgetown’s Jonathan Green won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships. Georgetown finished fourth, American finished 12th and George Washington finished 14th. Tai Dinger, a St. Albans alumnus, will race for Stanford, Chase Weaverling from Poolesville and Alex Corbett from Lake Braddock will race for Virginia and Northwest’s Diego Zarate will race for Virginia Tech.
• Maryland’s Alexandra Lucki, Georgetown’s Martha McDonald and Kentucky’s Katy Kunc, a Lake Braddock alumna, will race at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships Saturday, Nov, 18 in Louisville after qualifying as individuals. Locally, Georgetown finished third, Maryland ninth, American finished 15th and George Washington finished 18th in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Heritage’s Weini Kelati will race with New Mexico’s team, Lake Braddock alumna Hannah Christen will race with Mississippi, Patriot’s Rachel McArthur will race with Villanova, Paint Branch’s Bethlehem Taye will run with N.C. State.
• Several local high school graduates will compete at the Division III Cross Country Championships. Christopher Newport’s team will include JJ LaPointe of Bishop O’Connell, Cavanaugh McGaw of Lake Braddock and Billy Rabil from West Springfield. Quince Orchard’s Liam Walsh will run with Carnegie Mellon and St. Albans’ Marcelo Jauregui–Volpe will race for Haverford. Jeff Gibson, from Edison now running for Mary Washington, made it as an individual qualifier. Carnegie Mellon’s women’s team, including Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s Abigail Levine, will also compete. The races are Saturday, Nov. 18 in Elsah, Ill.
• Pace the Nation has and interview with Marine Corps Marathon Marketing Director Marc Goldman.

• The Marine Corps Marathon transfer period runs through Sept. 14.
• The Army Ten-Miler transfer period has closed.
• From The Washington Post: Biking advocates worry I-66 expansion project puts a bike trail too close to traffic
• RunWashington Editor in Chief Charlie Ban appeared on Pace the Nation this week. Listen to hear about his affinity for barroom brawl scenes in movies.

The transfer program for the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon and Five Miler registration transfer period runs through Aug. 31.

Alex Gibby, a McLean native, will coach distance runners at Harvard University. He previously coached at UNC Charlotte, the University of Michigan, the College of William and Mary and Stephen F Austin State University.

The Washington Running Club will conduct its annual Run of Shame Monday, Sept. 4, starting at 8:30 a.m. from Georgetown Waterfront Park.

Serena Burla, the world championships marathoner from Stafford who trains in the D.C. area, is facing a recurrence of cancer in her leg.

• Repairs to a water pump outside of the Foundary Branch Tunnel is forcing a detour of the Capital Crescent Trail until at least late November.
• Sean Graham has been hired to coach the American University track and cross country teams. He was most recently an assistant at the University of Kentucky and previously served as an assistant at American, and a volunteer assistant at George Mason.
• A handful of runners with local connections competed at the IAAF World Championships this weekend.
  • Georgetown alumna Emily Infeld finished sixth in the 10k, running 31:20.45 behind Ethiopian winner Almaz Ayana’s 30:16.32.
  • Stafford’s Serena Burla, formerly of Falls Church, was 11th in the IAAF World Championships Marathon, running  2:29.32, Lindsay Flanagan, formerly of Silver Spring, finished 37th in 2:39.27.  Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo won in 2:27.11. Hiruni Wijayaratne, a Herndon alumna running for Sri Lanka, made it halfway before dropping out.
  • Edose Ibadin, a District Track Club member competing for Nigeria, ran in the 800 meter heats, finishing in 1:46.51. He was the second non-qualifier for the semifinals, 0.09 seconds out of the last advancing spot.

In celebration of South Lakes alumnus Alan Webb‘s American record in the mile on 3:46.93, set 10 years ago, July 21, Pace the Nation is featuring him on this week’s podcast and he appeared with Chris Lear at the Pacers Navy Yard store July 22 to talk about Lear’s book Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile at the Pacers Book Club. You can watch the conversation above.

The Marine Corps Marathon entry transfer program is open through Sept. 14.

The Army Ten-Miler entry transfer program is open through Aug. 28. The race maintains a bulletin board marketplace for race bibs.

Abbey Green, a rising senior at Walter Johnson, finished 10th at the Pan American Junior games 3,000 meters in 10:19.66

Roosevelt Island has reopened after 200 trees infected by the Emerald Ash Boarer were removed.

Read More