Photo by Cheryl Young
Catherine Mitchell bent down to remove the timing chip from her daughter’s shoe at the Ringing in Hope 5k in Ashburn. She paused, stood up to face Emma.
[button-red url=”http://prracing.racebx.com/files/results/4d9205ce-7a0c-46c1-8929-4f56c0a86522/50343fe8-8128-4689-bc5d-7633c0a8651f/ringing%20in%20hope%205k%20overall.htm” target=”_self” position=”left”] 5k Results [/button-red]Great job,” she said. “I’m so proud of you,” and hugged her daughter.
Catherine and her husband Lance are triathletes and Emma aspires to join them. Though she is adept at swimming, she hoped to improve her running and targeted the New Year’s Eve race at Brambleton Town Center. At 10 years old, her goal was to break 30 minutes, which the trio, from Ashburn, did with 23 seconds to spare.
[button-red url=”http://prracing.racebx.com/files/results/4d9205ce-7a0c-46c1-8929-4f56c0a86522/50343fe8-8128-4689-bc5d-7633c0a8651f/ringing%20in%20hope%2010k%20overall.htm” target=”_self” position=”left”] 10k Results [/button-red]
She beamed with pride when Catherine told her about her dramatic improvement over her practice runs.
“She broke 30 minutes 18 years before I did,” Catherine said. The hometown race’s 5k offered recent Brambleon transplant Karl Dusen a chance to race seriously for the first time since the USATF Half Marathon championships in Duluth, Minn. six months prior. He cleared the field within the first half mile and cruised to victory in 16:25 over Jim Nielson’s 17:19, slightly ahead of Eric Sorenson five seconds later, who was led off the course.
It’s been a busy few months for Dusen, who, since he last raced, turned 30, moved from Rockville, Md. and welcomed his second daughter with his wife Emily, who finished sixth in her first race back. Their daughter, Juliette, was on hand to, if not see her parents race, cheer for them, though that just as likely might have been crying.
“It was great to race out here,” Dusen said. “I’ve been adjusting to training with the baby around, but we’re getting a hang of it. Emily looked pretty good out there and we’re just happy to represent Brambleton.”
Women’s winner Peggy Yetman, of Leesburg, was also shaking the rust off following a break after the world Ironman championships in Hawaii this past October, where she was top 10 in her age group.
“I had to start again sometime,” she said. “He (her husband, Chris) pushed me out the door for this one,
if I was going to start up again I’d better just do it and stop worrying about it.”
She exceeded her expectations of running 20 minutes when she finished in 18:28, nearly a minute and a half ahead of Columbia, Md.’s Tiffany Hevner (19:50). Reston’s Lisa Johnston was third in 20:04.
The 10k started simultaneously with the 5k, which meant men’s winner Andrew Ciarfalia had some company for the first half, but was left to his own devices as he ran off to a 34:39 win.
Springfield’s Jeremy Lynch (35:08) and Ashburn’s Kory Jessen (37:01) followed.
“I slowed down a bit in the second half,” Ciarfalia said. “It got a little lonely and I just focused on catching 5k runners. It was fun, they cheered for me.”
He’ll be focusing on the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, with the Reston Ten Miler along the way.
Melissa Saunders spent her 10k chasing down other runners, primarily D.C.’s Cris Burbach, whom she caught in the fifth mile.
“It was scarier when I passed her, because then she knew I was there and I was waiting for her to come back,” Saunders said. “I knew she was gunning for me.”
Saunders, of Potomac Falls, prevailed, 40:36 to 40:57, and both had a solid margin over Burke’s Cathy Ross, who finished in 42:25.
Saunders ran the race for the third time, and found the flat course to be a dramatic improvement over the Charlotteville Fall Classic Half Marathon she won as a student at the University of Virginia.
“It seemed like we ran every hill in Charlottesville,” she said. She is planning on the Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon in March in Virginia Beach.
The 5k gave Briar Woods High School runners Chris Schopper (18:21) and Brian Presler (19:20) a chance to check their fitness following their cross country season. Their team does not have an indoor track season, so they are just getting back into their workouts after their fall campaigns.
“It was a good benchmark,” Presler said. “We’re starting 2013 with a good idea of what we have to do to hit our goal times for track.”
By James Moreland
Burke, VA
November 26, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
No times for brakes as the race starts at the top of the hill.
The glorious weather continues to reign (not rain) throughout the busiest weekend of the year. Many runners took a break from the busiest racing day of the year to eat dinner and go out shopping. Friday seemed like Sunday. Then Saturday was almost perfect. Locals even thought it was almost too warm, while a few slender Caribbean transplants announced that anything colder than 70 degrees was too cold.
The sun was already warming up the day as runners lined up just above Burke Lake and released by the magic ‘G’ word plunged down the fast first half mile. From there the course circled around the lake like a necklace with only a few gentle hills. The weather had been dry but not enough to make the gentle layer of leaves crackle. Some of the lead runners played traffic cop and warned unsuspecting hikers that an avalanche of runners would soon be heading their way. Everyone wanted to be out on this day.
Many of the Thanksgiving weekend races are called fun runs as nearly 10% of all the racers for the year come out to play. Still, lots of the top racers are eager to try out their stuff. Early in the race Keith Freeburn, 37, took over the lead duties. Freeburn has been coming on strong for the last year though rarely at the very front of the pack. He knew Rob Bell, 22, was right there with him and that helped propel both of them to very solid times, especially for a course that is half cross country. Right at four miles the runners headed up a steady incline and Bell made his move. The final half mile is mostly a quick downhill but the final 100 meters is the steepest hill on the course. Bell held on to win in 28:42; Freeburn was next in 28:48.
Usually youngsters do best on cross country and, being generally lighter, fly up hills better. Today six of the top 13 men were masters. Fifth place Kevin Lynch, 44, (right)was earliest the top master in 30:06. David Pinnick, 55, commanded the grandmaster field, finishing 20th overall in a swift 33:47.
Looking around the field Laura Ramos, 32, (left) must have felt like the favorite. However, this is a traveling weekend and you never know when a ringer is going to come into town. Olivia Poblacion, 25 of Corvallis, OR came in from the west coast to set the new standard for the event in an excellent 30:59 that made her the eight finisher overall. Ramos followed her in with a very nice 32:42. Before the race Sushila Nanda, 50, smiled and said yes her leg was still bothering her but she had a few more races that she wanted to do before she would fix it. She blasted out with the lead women covering the first mile in about 6:30. After that she settled in some but still had a very nifty 37:14 to finish as the second master and the first runner older than fifty, Cathy Ross was the first master at fourth overall in 34:26. The grandmaster and 20th overall was Janet Janas. Janas is coming off her first WRR Runner Ranking in the fall season.
After the race there were bagels and bananas to go with gallons and gallons of hot coffee with real cream and bottled water. One runner said as he offered his young daughter a cinnamon raisin bagel, “I ran in the race; you eat the food.”
OVERALL MALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =======
1 212 Rob Bell 22 Gainesville VA 28:42
2 211 Keith Freeburn 37 Centreville VA 28:48
3 232 Adam Roggia 26 Stafford VA 29:47
OVERALL FEMALE (GUN TIME)
Place Num Name Age City Time
===== ===== =================== === ===================== =======
1 109 Olivia Poblacion 25 Corvallis OR 30:59
2 265 Laura Ramos 32 Silver Spring MD 32:42
3 206 Leah Stiegler 21 Vienna VA 33:32
MALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 297 Steven Kool 17 Vienna VA 31:11
2 267 Joe Brough 16 McLean VA 31:25
3 328 Steven Harokopus 15 Vienna VA 36:30
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 1 - 19 (NET TIME)
1 319 Tara Landy 18 Burke VA 35:06
2 89 Kayla Grimmett 18 Burke VA 37:02
3 249 Mary Pollin 15 Burke VA 37:16
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 207 Jason Dods 22 Vienna VA 33:05
2 55 Alec Rosenman 23 Fairfax Station VA 34:25
3 54 Mark Brier 26 Wilmington DE 35:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 29 (NET TIME)
1 170 Emily Williams 29 Arlington VA 38:47
2 53 Lauren Rosenman 25 Fairfax Station VA 38:49
3 163 Heather Hunter 25 Fairfax VA 40:47
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 85 Michael Feeney 34 Burke VA 29:59
2 359 Frank Gold 34 Warrenton VA 30:28
3 345 Oscar Tiglao 34 Lorton VA 31:48
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39 (NET TIME)
1 397 Laura Barringer 35 Fairfax VA 38:41
2 269 Mary Blair 32 Springfield VA 39:08
3 281 Romana Johnson 37 Dumfries VA 39:22
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 331 Kevin Lynch 44 Chantilly VA 30:04
2 30 Dennis Billings 42 Woodbridge VA 30:54
3 322 Matt Anderson 45 Fairfax VA 31:04
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 49 (NET TIME)
1 73 Cathy Ross 40 Burke VA 34:25
2 136 Barbara Murillo 46 Fairfax VA 39:20
3 338 Mary Maver 46 Springfield VA 39:57
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 370 David Pinnick 55 Manassas VA 33:44
2 233 Myron Kremer 54 Winchester VA 36:09
3 80 Malcolm Carlyle 54 Leesburg VA 36:17
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 59 (NET TIME)
1 324 Sushila Nanda 50 Arlington VA 37:13
2 155 Janet Janas 50 Clifton VA 41:04
3 61 Cynthia Martin 54 Springfield VA 41:13
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 69 (NET TIME)
1 35 Robert Taylor 61 Alexandria VA 38:11
2 364 Jim Avila 63 Arlington VA 42:12
3 246 Rick Rice 65 Burke VA 43:56
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 69 (NET TIME)
1 263 Carolyn Rice 66 Burke VA 45:18
2 259 Kathryn Fanelli 62 Annandale VA 1:00:39
3 4 Nancie Becker 61 Rockville MD 1:16:59
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 99 (NET TIME)
1 10 Chan Robbins 74 Arlington VA 40:58
2 111 Robert Gurtler 76 The Plains VA 53:01
3 226 Dick Nanto 70 Clifton VA 1:01:11
The final climb to the finish was no “walk in the park.”
By James Moreland
Fairfax, VA
April 30, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
Ryan Deak makes it look easy, racing home in 34:07.
The wind was blowing so strong that the balloon arch needed two handlers. The day was sunny but cool as the quixotic season bounced from hot to cold. Perhaps the first things runners noticed for this first time race is the great signage. From all sides there were signs and marshals leading the runners to the free parking, registration, and the starting lines for the 10K at 8:30 a.m. and the 3K at 9:00 a.m.
In the square, surrounded by spring flowers, the event was well organized. Centered by the stage and the energizing music, runners took note that there was a fully stocked chow line for after the race. Both races had the same finish line but the starting lines were not in sight of each other. The finish line was on the east side of the square on West Street. The 10K started on the south side, still on West Street.
There were no superstars here today so the crowd moved slowly up to the lead ChronoTrack mat, perhaps not wanting to assume a lead position. At the start runners were treated to a hundred meters of pure downhill before circling back around and up to Main Street. The little uphill separated the wheat from the chaff even before runners enjoyed the long downhill in the opening mile.
There were hundreds of cones and scores of marshals keeping everyone on course. One runner noted after the race that with so many turns the course may have run a little long. Certified courses are measured on the tangent and the cones were placed in the middle of the roads on the turns causing racers to make a 90 degree turn each time. There were no killer hills and quite a few medium long down hills but lots of turning and up hills can take a bite out of a runner’s pace.
Ryan Deak, 25, of Burke, VA quietly powered away from the field. It was all over long before the first of dozens of little hills and turns broke up the pace from the runners. He was one of seven runners with a Ranked Runner time in the 10K. Even though his bib number was 911, he did not need any help to cruise to an almost three minute victory in 34:07. Ramsey Wilson had a solid 36:57 for second overall, followed by Blake Sims with 37:55.
Before the race it was not just the volunteers who thought the breeze was making it cold. Elite athelete Anita Freres, 46, of Reston, VA was hugging herself to stay warm and claimed she was going to take it easy. Kayley Byrne, 23, of Oak Hill, VA (photo) blew away from the field to win soundly in 40:56, fifth overall. Freres started back further but powered her way forward in the first half of the race to put herself in position to take second from Cathy Ross, 39, of Burke, VA 43:45 to 43:19.
Midway through the course as runners started down a long hill, they were greeted by a massive display of gorgeous, multi-colored azaleas that took up most of a corner lot front yard.
The marshals were very good at warning runners of impending turns and hills. It was great to hear at 5.5 miles that the last hill was done. The course had finished its circumnavigation and the final quarter mile was even downhill. The sun was a lot brighter and most of the runners were no longer complaining that it was cold.
For nearly all the racers the final stretch was accompanied by returning 3K runners.
Crossing the finish line past the Capital Running Company RV, runners needed only to make a quick U-turn and soon there were enjoying hot chili with cheese (vegetarian or Cincinnati). There were bagels and cream cheese as well as fresh fruit and plenty of bottled water and Gatorade.
The awards ceremony went smoothly with top three overall getting very nice prizes such as $150 dinner certificates. The age groups went two deep with restaurants, grocery stores, Pacers Running, and movie coupons.
Fairfax CASA is a public charity that recruits and trains citizen volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are under the court’s protection in Fairfax County. Nicknamed “the eyes and ears of the judge,” CASA volunteers help ensure that these vulnerable children are placed in safe, permanent, and loving homes as quickly as possible.
The first year event really knows how to run a race. There were nearly five hundred finishers in the 10K and nearly 300 finishers in the 3K run/walk.
10K Awards
MALE OVERALL
1 911 Ryan Deak 25 Burke VA 34:07
2 796 Ramsey Wilson 39 Falls Church VA 36:57
3 564 Blake Simms 32 Fort Belvoir VA 37:55
FEMALE OVERALL
1 419 Kayley Byrne 23 Oak Hill VA 40:56
2 919 Anita Freres 46 Reston VA 43:15
3 550 Cathy Ross 39 Burke VA 43:19
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 12
1 666 Sarah Proctor 12 Chantilly VA 1:06:18 1:06:18
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 13 - 17
1 132 Cameron Rhodes 16 Fairfax VA 47:23 47:23
2 823 Conner Pleasants 15 Fairfax VA 49:03 49:03
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 13 - 17
1 801 Bridget Snydstrup 14 Fairfax Station VA 59:37 59:37
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 18 - 24
1 173 Brian Skram 24 Arlington VA 45:34 45:34
2 646 Andrew Borden 24 Alexandria VA 48:40 48:40
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 18 - 24
1 458 Elizabeth Thrall 24 Annandale VA 50:08 50:08
2 782 Jennifer Purdum 24 Vienna VA 50:37 50:37
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 34
1 587 Leyi Lin 31 Chevy Chase MD 40:22 40:22
2 252 Kristopher MacK 34 Fairfax VA 41:12 41:12
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 34
1 388 Jennifer Procopio 29 Alexandria VA 46:14 46:14
2 149 Mamie Kingsley 25 Arlington VA 46:36 46:36
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 44
1 909 Erik Heyer 39 Washington DC 43:07 43:07
2 345 Jonathan Parks 38 Manassas VA 43:24 43:24
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 44
1 189 Judy Doldorf 38 Manassas VA 46:16 46:16
2 547 Brooke Alsamman 44 Fairfax VA 46:59 46:59
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 54
1 620 Rhys Williams 49 Reston VA 44:07 44:07
2 912 Bill Stahr 50 The Plains VA 45:57 45:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 54
1 328 Lorraine Breedon 49 Washington DC 51:10 51:10
2 487 Bonnie Berkowitz 45 Vienna VA 55:48 55:48
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 64
1 691 Steve Sakry 58 Stafford VA 43:41 43:41
2 429 Michael Wesbecher 63 Oakton VA 44:43 44:43
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 64
1 88 Robin Kirby 56 Arlington VA 1:02:36 1:02:36
2 16 Meredith Dumm 59 Fairfax VA 1:02:50 1:02:50
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 99
1 455 Jack Tozier 68 Oakton VA 53:09 53:09
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 99
1 802 Maryellen Burke 73 Fairfax Station VA 1:01:35 1:01:35
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 51:42 47 Robert Dolecki 39 M Sterling VA 52:12 22:12
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 50:37 782 Jennifer Purdum 24 F Vienna VA 50:55 20:55
