• A slew of runners with local connections will race in the NCAA Division I and III Cross Country Championships this weekend.
  • Georgetown’s men and women, including West Springfield alumna Keira Bothwell, will race the Division I championships Nov. 20 in Tallahassee, along with George Mason’s Annabelle Eastman. The field will also include:
    • Patriot alumna Rachel McArthur, running for Colorado
    • John Champe alumna Bethany Graham, running for Furman
    • Washington Latin alumnus Luke Tewalt, running for Wake Forest
    • George Marshall alumna Heather Holt, running for N.C. State
    • James Madison alumna Rachel Shoemaker, running for Rice
  • Catholic will have two individual qualifiers in John O’Rourke and Paige Wilderotter at the Division III race in Louisville. The field will also include:
    • Brentsville alumni Sam Llaneza and Sarah James, both running for Lynchburg
    • Gonzaga alumni Gavin McElhennon (Johns Hopkins) and Cullen Capuano (Washington University)
    • Bethesda-Chevy Chase alumnus Josh Fry, running for Colorado College
    • Stone Ridge alumna Genevieve DiBari, running for Pomona
    • Northwood alumnus Tim Boyce, running for St. Lawrence
    • Meridian alumna Logan Funk, running for Christopher Newport
    • Chantilly alumnus Tyler Amos, running for Johns Hopkins
    • Washington Latin alumnus Oliver Spiva, running for Amherst
    • Quince Orchard alumna Elizabeth Cassell, running for Dickinson
    • Briar Woods alumnus Aidan Nathan, running for Case Western
    • Georgetown Day School alumna Ilana Zeilinger, running for Bates
• As winners of the Stone Mill 50 Mile Saturday in Montgomery County, Nicolas Crozier and Kristen Kelman won RRCA Ultrarunning titles for 2021.
• The lottery for the 2022 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run will be open Jan. 3- Jan. 16.

Heavy rain in late October forced a postponement for the Montgomery County Championships, and put coaches in a bind. How should they approach a race for bragging rights, when the regional meets, which would hold their fate for the state meet, loomed three days later?

For Gildon Kirk, in his first year coaching cross country at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, he saw it as a learning opportunity for his star sophomore Varri Higgins.

“Last year during the track season, she didn’t have much competition until the post-season, and that showed when she had to race the faster girls in the state,” Kirk said. “We looked at every race as an opportunity to get some more experience and get a feel for how to compete.”

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• Loudoun Valley alumnus Drew Hunter and Heritage alumna Weini Kelati won USATF 5k titles atAbbott Dash to the Finish Line in New York.
• T.S. Wootton coach Kellie Redmond was a guest on the Run Farther and Faster podcast.
• See some photos from the Maryland 4A West regional.

I took a whole bunch of photos last Thursday at the Patriot, Liberty, Concorde and National district championships. Check them out here.

• Heritage alumna Weini Kelati broke the America 10k road racing record Sunday at the Boston 10k for Women, running 31:18.
• Sherwood High School is celebrating Dan Reeks’ more than 50 years in coaching Nov. 6 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.  Read more about his coaching career here.
• George Mason University’s Jack Ikenberry and Annabelle Eastman were named Atlantic 10 Performers of the Week for their races at the Princeton Invitational.
• American University’s Oscar Counsell was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his race at the Pirate Invitational.
• St. John’s coach Desmond Dunham was a guest on Pace the Nation, talking about his book Running Against the Odds.
• Construction on a new pedestrian bridge over Wiehle Avenue is set to begin sometime next summer, Reston Now reported.

• The new dual trail portion of the W&OD Trail is open in Falls Church, nearly 1.5 miles of trail from Little Falls Street to North West Street. The altered section of trail features an 11-foot-wide path for cycling, an 8-foot-wide path for walkers, and a 2-foot-wide colored and textured median between the two paths to separate trail users traveling at different speeds.

• Powerline work by Dominion Energy along the W&OD Trail in Ashburn will require a five-mile detour Oct. 18 – 22, with a chance it could take up to a week longer.
• The Richmond Marathon, seen as Marine Corps fallback option, has sold out, though the race plans to expand the field somewhat.

• The Montgomery County Planning Board will review and provide advisory comments to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation on the Capital Crescent Surface Trail and Tunnel on Oct. 14. Sign up to testify and send in comments.

• The Road Runners Club of America will hold its 2022 one mile national championship at the Loudoun Street Mile May 30 in Winchester, Va.
• Oakton and American alumna Keira D’Amato finished fourth at the Chicago Marathon.
• Herndon alumna Hiruni Wijayaratne was a guest on the Run Eat Sleep Show.
• Arlington resident and former Georgetown coach Julie Culley was a guest on the I’ll Have Another podcast.
• Sidwell Friends alumna Taylor Knibb was a guest on the Inside Tri podcast.
• Knibb will participate in a DC Triathlon Club discussion Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Register here

Mud changes the dynamic at Glory Days Invitational

Thais Rolly, Gillian Bushee and Anna Macon Corcoran were content to cruise along during the Glory Days Invitational, working together to push the pace and covering ground. 

Then the ground got involved. 

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• Joan and Drew Hunter were guests on Pace the Nation.
• George Mason’s Annabelle Eastman was named Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week for her race at the Paul Short Invitational.

In her first full season of high school cross country racing, Grace Finnegan is trying to balance her early success with recognition that she still has a lot to learn.

After a few open races during her freshman year at Richard Montgomery, she’s facing new runners every week and trying to pick up tips and process each experience.

“I was trying to read everyone else’s energy,” she said. “It’s a skill I’m still learning.”

She figured it out at the Octoberfest Invitational at Great Meadow, running 17:59 to win over Herndon junior Gillian Bushee (18:14) and hit her first sub-18 cross country 5k.

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• American freshman Oscar Counsell was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week following his race at the Jasper Fall XC Invitational.
• Oakton alumnus Garrett Woodhouse, running for Utah State, was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week following his 14th place finish in the Montana State Cross Country Classic.
• Loudoun Valley alumna Kyra Holland was named William and Mary Student-Athlete of the Week following her ning place finish at the Virginia Invitational.
• George Washington junior James Glockenmeier was named Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week folliwng his win at the James Madison University Invitational.
• George Washington first-year Olivia Syftestad was named Atlantic 10 Rookie Performer of the week following her ninth place finish at the James Madison University Invitational.