It had been a while since Bethany Graham had run down the long stretch that leads to the Virginia state meet finish line at Great Meadow. Three years in fact, since she had made it through a cross country season unscathed. In that time, John Champe high school grew to 6A from 4A, and when the senior finished first with a 34-second margin of victory over Ocean Lakes sophomore Aniya Mosley running 17:42, she nearly led the Knights to a team title in the state’s largest division.
Her own race held true to her formula all season – go out fast and hold on. Within seven minutes, she was alone.
“The last mile was pretty difficult, but I managed to finish strong,” she said. “I was pretty lucky all season to stay healthy.”
But unfortunately for Champe, the six of the top 11 finishers were running without their teams, meaning Lake Braddock’s top finisher Sophie Willis’s 12th place finish only counted as six points, cutting the advantage Graham offered. Lake Braddock put seven ahead of Champe’s fifth and edged the Knights by eight points.
“We didn’t even think we’d be on the podium,” Graham said. “We were going up against so many teams that been so good for so long. After we lost Mythri Madireddy to an injury, it encouraged the younger girls to step up, and they did.”
- A slew of Division I collegiate runners with local connections will race in the NCAA Championships Saturday in Vigo County, Ind. (let me know if I missed anyone, I imagine I left someone out in D III)
- Georgetown’s men qualified as a team, with Nick Wareham, Spencer Brown, Jack Van Scoter, Price Owens, Matthew Bouthillett, Rusty Kujdych and Shea Weilbaker ran for the Hoyas at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Madeline Perez and Sami Corman qualified individually, as did George Washington’s Suzanne Dannheim.
- Loudoun Valley alumnus Peter Morris, Lake Braddock alumnus Alex Corbett and Richard Montgomery alumnus Rohann Asfaw will race for the University of Virginia.
- Tuscarora alumnus Fitsum Seyoum and Northwest alumnus Diego Zarate will race for Virgina Tech, as will Westfield alumna Sara Freix, who qualified individually.
- Sidwell Friends alumna Taylor Knibb and Loudoun Valley alumna Natalie Morris will race for Cornell University.
- Patriot alumna Rachel McArthur will race with the University of Colorado team.
- Hetiage alumna Weini Kelati, last year’s runner-up, will race with the University of New Mexico team.
- Saturday, in Louisville-Jefferson County, Ky. the following local cross country runners would appear to be competing in the NCAA Division III Championships.
- Edison alumnus Jeff Gibson will race for the University of Mary Washington.
- Chantilly alumnus Tyler Amos will race with Johns Hopkins University’s team.
- Quince Orchard alumnus Liam Walsh will race with Carnegie Mellon University’s team.
- Georgetown Day alumnus Tristan Colaizzi will race with Williams College’s team.
- Westfield alumna Didi Pace will race with the Washington & Lee University team.
- Chantilly alumna Ana Morris will race with the Emory University team.
- Four more runners with local connections recently qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Georgetown alumnus Nick Golebiowski ran 2:18:39 at the Monumental Marathon Nov. 9 in Indianapolis, and Lake Braddock alumna Kathy Newberry ran 2:43:47. Eleanor Roosevelt alumna (and swimmer) Hannah Cocchiaro, of Columbia, Md., ran 2:40:08 at the Richmond Marathon, ahead of George Mason High School alumna Susanna Sullivan, who lives in Reston and ran 2:43:21.
Name: Daniel George
Self-described age group: M 30-35
Residence: Bethesda, MD
Occupation: Physical Therapist at ProAction PT
Volunteer roles in the running world: Water boy at multiple MCRRC races, Pacer at Cherry Blossom 10 miler, medical tent volunteer, guide runner for 2004 para-olympian
Why you run: My college coach would say “for fun and personal bests” but currently, for well-being and because it comes naturally.
For four years in New York, Jillian Pollack seemed to be throwing her time, energy and sweat into a hole the size of a skyscraper foundation.
It wasn’t wasted – she met her best friends as a runner for Columbia University – but running wasn’t the same as when she was a star a Winchester’s Millbrook High School.
When she came back five years later to run the New York City Marathon, she got the payoff she had been working toward years before, one that put the Olympic Marathon Trials standard squarely in her view.
“I enjoyed running there and I made my best friends there, but college running didn’t go well,” she said. “I never made a conference meet, but I loved the sport.”
Marine Corps Marathon winner Brittany Charboneau talks about her comedy and running careers. Docs wonders if he has a future in improv.
Bethesda’s Tom Kramer may not have run every single Marine Corps Marathon, but that’s only because he skipped the first one. From then on, 76-year-old Kramer has run 43 of the 44 Marine Corps Marathons, an achievement that has put his name in the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame.
With 43, he moves into the lead for most Marine Corps Marathon finishes. He had been tied at 42 with Arlington’s Al Richmond, whose “Groundpounder” streak ended last year when he passed on running his 43rd. Donald Aycock of Fairbanks, Alaska and Steve Bozeman of Lynchburg have finished 42. Maureen Higgins of Perdidio Beach, Ala. leads the women with 32 finishes.
After running his 16th Army Ten-Miler, Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, the former chief of staff of the U.S. Army, reflected on the role that physical fitness plays in today’s military, his career in the Army and his life as a runner.
This year, at age 80, he ran the course in 2:07:07. During his tenure as chief of staff from 1995-1999, he ran the course, in 1998, in 1:10:45, finishing 1,207 out of 7,933 men.
Name: Julie Peasley
Self-described age group: 40-45
Residence: Springfield
Occupation: Medical Librarian
Volunteer roles in the running world: I have worked a lot of water stops over the years. I also love to help with pop-up cheer stations. If you have run DC Rock’n’Roll in the past five years, you have likely seen me and my friends at the top of the Big Hill as you turn on to Calvert, handing out candy and ringing the cow bells. We will be at the Richmond Marathon in a few weeks, too, so if a devil throws some candy at you, it might be me!
Why you run: I first did it for my health and sanity. I was battling health issues and worked in a high-stress environment. I started walking every day at lunch and decided to see how far I could walk in 30 minutes, trying to pick up my pace. I quickly moved on to the Couch 2 5K program and ran my first marathon a year after that. I now run because I am part of an amazing running group and it feels like a rolling party when we are together.
Jessica McGuire didn’t qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials on raw talent. It took hard work.
That’s according to her coach, Jerry Alexander, who coaches the Northern Virginia Running Club.
“She has maximized her ability like no other athlete I’ve ever worked with,” he said.
Alexander didn’t initially think that running an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying time of 2:45 or below was realistic. McGuire was able to bring her personal record, then 3:13, down to 2:55 at the 2016 Chicago Marathon. But even from there, qualifying for the Trials would still mean getting her time down by more than 10 minutes.
Brookland resident and Gonzaga cross country coach Ariel Laguilles ran more than 400 miles over nine days. He traced the pilgrimage route taken by St. Ingatius Loyola, who founded the Jesuit order.
