It was seven months.
Seven months of torturous unknowing. Seven months of never-ending fatigue and sluggishness for George C. Marshall High School alumna Natalie Bardach. Seven months of doubt and disappointment. Seven months of just surviving a sport she had once thrived in, helping to win team conference, regional and even state titles.
For a high school athlete with only four years — twelve total seasons — of running available to them, seven months is 20 percent of their career. It feels like an eternity.
“I [didn’t] even know what to do anymore,” Bardach said. “I [was] training so hard and working so hard and I [was] not feeling any better. I was telling myself that it was my fault.”
For Robinson Secondary School alumna Seneca Willen, it was three months. A three month long agonizing descent from a freshman phenom who was running at the front of the pack to a slumping sophomore languishing in the back. Three months of “it’s all in your head” and wondering if freshman year was her peak.
“It was very sad,” Willen said. “I thought it was all mental and just thought, ‘I’m never going to get any better.'”
Name: Megan Schoffstall
Self-described age group: 30
Residence: Montclair, Va.
Occupation: Stay at home mom to four kids, part-time admin for Honorable Service Realty
How has your running changed in the last six months: I went from training for a mile on the track to training for a 50k!
Why do you run: To challenge myself
When did you get started running: I’ve only been running for two years. I started running after seeing my husband run his first marathon in Richmond in 2018. Seeing all the runners cross the finish line that day was so inspiring. I ventured out one evening with my sights set on four miles, not actually sure I would be able to make it back home. Well, I made it back home, and I’ve been running ever since.
You’ll never have a still enough day to see it quite that way, but the Potomac River is a mirror.
On one side, the C&O Canal Towpath, ranging from sandy with a few puddles to vast, flat and smooth, all the way to Cumberland.
Across the span, however, you’ll find the opposite — rugged, rocky and halting. The Potomac Heritage Trail. The name means a lot of things — primarily a network of trails flanking the river between the Potomac and Ohio river basins — but in D.C., it means the towpath’s sinister sibling.
- The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile has been postponed until Sept. 11-12, with the lottery running June 1-13.
- The Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation is putting together a Bike and Pedestrian Network Plan to prioritize resources for bike and pedestrian improvements over the next five years. Comments, which you can make on the map, will be accepted until Jan. 22.
- Oakton and American alumna Keira D’Amato’s 2:22:56 at the Marathon Project was the seventh fastest American women’s marathon time. She was a guest on the I’ll Have Another podcast.
- Heritage alumna Weini Kelati was a guest on the Citius and Keeping Track podcasts.
- Georgetown alumna Rachel Schneider was a guest on the C Tolle Run podcast.
- Montgomery County Department of Transportation is repairing a culvert that will close a section of the Matthew Henson Trail for several months at Turkey Branch Parkway and Grenoble Drive. MCDOT will install an ADA compliant detour for trail users. See more information here
The DMV Distance Derby, RunWashington’s substitute for a robust road racing season, has recorded 677 times for 22 segments since May 2020. Using the Strava app, runners can run a variety of distances on courses throughout the D.C. area at a time of their choosing to earn bragging rights. Often, they are a break from the tranditional 5k, 10k, etc. distances common in road racing.
The 2.5-mile Hains Point segment, clockwise between the gates in East Potomac Park, has seen the most action with 80 men and 45 women trying. Brian Rich (12:34) and Nina Zarina (13:30) hold the leads so far. Others are ripe for more attempts, with only a few people running the WB&A Trail and the Washington’s Birthday Marathon loop in Prince George’s County, Kenwood in Montgomery County or the National Aboretum.
Even if you don’t run all out in an attempt to set a personal best, these courses are also an opportunity to try running in a new place.
We’ll be doing a full year, running through April 30, and I will write glowing profiles of the runners with the most segment leads over that time.
View overall results for the first seven months of the DMV Distance Derby here
Name: Don Laub
Self-described age group: 60s
Residence: Cabin John, Md.
Occupation: Retired for now
Volunteer roles in the running world: None in running, although I worked with The Phoenix for some of their climbing and CrossFit activities in Boulder and Denver. The Phoenix is a sober, active community that started in Boulder in 2006 and now serves recovering alcoholics and addicts in 44 cities.
How has your running changed in the last six months: It is more consistent.
Why you run: I love running. It bolsters my emotional health especially given the stresses of the pandemic.
- MoCoRunning’s Kevin Milsted, whose dedication to comprehensive record-keeping in high school cross country and track has been peerless, has begun compiling track and cross country results for Washington, D.C. schools, Inter-high Track, focusing on meets prior to the internet era.
- Anthony Brennan III, of Kensington, Md. pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of second-degree assault for a June 1 incident on the Capital Crescent Trail, WTOP reported.
- The Rock ‘n’ Roll D.C. marathon, half marathon and 5k, scheduled for March 27, has been postponed to Nov. 13.
- Arlington’s Oliver Leblond set an American record for the men’s age 45-49 age group for the 100 mile track run in 12:41:57.
- Montgomery County, Md. schools will not run indoor track this winter.
- Georgetown alumna Rachel Schneider was a guest on the I’ll Have Another podcast.
- Endeavorun is conducting a survey about its possible running retreats.
Name: Shannon O’Neil
Self-described age group: 25-29
Residence: NE, DC
Occupation: Attorney
Volunteer roles in the running world: I’ve previously volunteered as a coach for Girls on the Run, and when I’m not running them myself, I can often be spotted spectating my heart out at local races.
How has your running changed in the last six months: I’ve battled a couple of injuries and basically given up on running with other people, but I’m also more grateful than ever for the days that I’m able to start my morning with a run.
Why you run: To experience something bigger than myself. Sometimes that’s the thrill of a race, or the camaraderie from a group workout. But sometimes it’s just getting to see the sun rise over the Anacostia River.
The Dojo of Pain held a certified marathon and half marathon Dec. 5 in East Potomac Park.
Josh Merlis of the Albany Running Exchange regales Farley with the story of the marathon he put on, and Farley ran, in November.
