Brooke Curran should not be alive. On March 17 she should have been alone on a 3-hour training run at Prince William Park in preparation for a 100-mile race.
Luckily enough, the park was closed and she had to relocate to Fountainhead Regional Park where a group of women, total strangers from a Moms Run this Town group invited her to join them on a run. They were chatting about summer race plans and getting to know each other when Curran realized something was wrong, “all of a sudden, it was like a sledge hammer hitting my head.”
Unwilling to leave their new companion behind, especially after she emptied the contents of her stomach several times over, the moms escorted Brooke back to the parking lot where she called her husband to come and get her. Curran believes, “that was the third miracle of the morning.”
Her husband Chris almost never picks up the phone, but for whatever reason, he did that morning. The park was closed, there were other runners with her, and Chris picked up the phone, without this atypical chain of events, Curran may very well not be here with us today.
Name: Leah Williams
Self-described age group: mid 30’s
Residence: Olney, Md. by way of College Park
Occupation: Genetic counselor
Why you run: Running is my time. If I’m running with friends, it’s my time to socialize and be challenged by a group of people who “get me.” If I’m running solo, it’s my time to get whatever I need that day – sometimes I relish the quiet, sometimes I need speed to get out some negative energy, and sometimes I just want to zone out and listen to a great podcast. Either way, it’s my time to dedicate to myself which is otherwise hard to find in my daily life.
When did you get started running: In college. I have a hard time sitting still, and was looking for something to challenge me and get some of my energy out. I never considered myself a runner and thought I was just terrible at it, which was the perfect motivation to see if I could actually do it.
- The College Park parkrun received the Chair’s Award from the College Park Community Foundation.
- Alexandria’s Julie Hatenbach appeared on the Rambling Runner podcast following her breakthrough race at the Houston Marathon.
- Alrington’s Michael Wardian appeared on the Fierceful podcast.
WTOP reporter Dave Dildine talks about rescuing a runner who fell into Broad Branch creek during the recent snowstorm.
Name: Miguel Cuya
Self-described age group: Early 40s
Residence: Fairfax
Occupation: Probation Officer
Volunteer roles in the running world: Every year I volunteer as a driver for elite runners competing in the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. I am also a race director for a few DC Road Runners races, including the DCRR Cross Country 3+Miler, DCRR Bluemont 5k, and the National Capital 20-Miler and 5-Miler.
Why you run: After running for the last 10 years, I have found running to be a great stress reliever and a great way to keep fit. More importantly, I have found running to be a great way to meet people and now most of my close friends are runners.
When did you get started running: I started running at age 32. In the past, I used to associate running with going around in circles around the high school track (no workout plan like PE in high school). This changed after I ran my first race, the DCRR Capital Hospice 12k, in February 2009. This was the moment when I decided I was going to start running and competing in races.
We’re finalizing the 2018 Runner Rankings, but first we want to make sure everyone’s races have been counted. Check here and search for yourself and if you ran any of these races and they don’t match your listing, let us know at [email protected] by Friday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m.
- Citing budget constraints, the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon and 5 Miler have been cancelled. George Banker suggests registering discontent with the decision in writing to:
- Captain Roy Undersander
Chief of Staff, NDW
1411 Parsons Ave., SE
Suite 200
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5001
- Captain Roy Undersander
- Two more locals qualified for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials at the Houston Marathon Jan. 20. Poolesville alumnus Chase Weaverling ran 1:03:58 in the half marathon to beat the 1:04:00 standard and Georgetown Running Club member Maura Linde, a Sykesville, Md. native and Century alumna, ran 2:44:37.
- Georgetown alumnus Amos Bartelsmeyer also appeared on the Citius podcast after running 3:55 for the mile in his first post-collegiate race.
- Fairfax’s Rochelle Basil will compete at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, March 30 in Aarhus, Denmark, for her native New Zealand. She ran at George Mason University.
After a few weeks off, the hosts are back to catch up and look ahead. Note that despite what Farley says, the Runner Rankings are not final yet!
