By James Moreland
Leesburg, VA
January 1, 2012
For the Washington Running Report
Truth be told, of all the races held on the turn-of-the-year weekend, this one offers the most adventure. Through the years, the wacky weather has been anything from a warm but heavy rain to a blistering cold wind chill where hiding on the down side of one of its many hills is actually a plus. Or perhaps we could have a storm of the century as we did at the start of 2010 where no one even dreamed of trying to leave the house. The voting is in and this year’s sunny, windless day with close to sixty degrees of warmth has been chosen for the race’s official weather.
December had been mild but when the sun continued to shine on the New Year many people still had time to head down to Ida Lee Park and sign up for the 10K that started at 10:40 or the 4K fun run that started twenty minutes before that. The 4K was an untimed event but when the race announcer started the event, about 400 happy people bounded down and across the opening field. Most of them looked as if they were going for a fast time. As is custom when the 10K starts, runners will begin meeting returning 4K runners near the bottom of the ¼ mile hill. This year the start was rushed so we could get going before the 4K winner (and he did receive an award) crossed the starting line.
Runners were advised that the course was still a little damp and with the warmer weather the way would be soggy. The course, however, was very solid . . . for a cross country course. After bounding down the hill runners briefly take a road toward the first of many hills. The tree-lined country road is just dirt but the footing was not bad. Just before the second mile runners crisscross between the farm buildings at the crest of the hill. From there, runners snake down the long hill to the bottom of the course. Then, joy of joys, they added gravel to the paved roads and the climb back up to mile four was made without ever looking up. The crews at the water stops cheered us on, perhaps amazed that we made it to the top. The day was so wonderful. Many of the runners come year after year, not for fast times but to enjoy a fun course to start the year.
Course record holder Abiyot Endale (32:24 – 2011) which he pilfered from runner-up Aaron Church who produced the event’s fourth fastest time (33:05 – 2011), were absent. Matt Maline (above) had been third in a swift 33:55. This year, with no one to chase and a light challenge behind him, he coasted to victory in 35:02. William Bylund finished the final climb a little more than a minute later in 36:27. Matt Woods produced the third place time in 36:54. Most runners are at least two minutes slower than on a road 10K.
Kevin Lynch (left) was top master last year in 39:01. This year he aged up to the 45-49 division and won again, this time in 39:36. Grandmaster Bruce Halpin, 55, ran 41:50 last year which would have been nifty this year as William Clem, 52, was tenth overall in 41:52. Alas, he ran 42:02. Still, with generous five year age groups both runners went home with first place awards.
Malcolm Senior, 61, proudly set the event age group record with 42:42 last year. This year he again coasted to victory by a mile.
Bill Stahr, 51, ran five races for the holiday weekend for 146 races in 2011 and three already for the New Year.
For more than a year Bill Joyce, 67, has been not been racing. He comes out to the races looking on longingly. Today he renewed his racing with a very solid 49:23. He modestly started 16 seconds behind the leaders. When told, “He’s back!” he demurred with, “Well, not yet.” Later that evening I spoke with Ronnie Wong, 65, and advised him that he would be looking over his shoulder very soon. He had already seen the results as well as the last two 5Ks run by Jason Page, 66, another returning champion. Last year John Elliott, 73, was disappointed by his 50:34 even though it was an event record. This is not a fast course. Doug Morris, 73, (below) was not far behind in 52:30. This year Morris rambled home in 52:23 but his net time was 51:04.Doug, you are an elite runner who belongs at the front of the starting line.
Many racers ran more than one race on this weekend, perhaps it is easier when the races start later in the day. Six of the top ten women were forty or older. Heather Schaffer, 40, of Potomac falls, VA (left) led the way in 44:26. Young Zanny Ludtke, 18, was next in 45:45, followed quickly by four runners from Leesburg. Mandana Mortazavi, 48, took third place with a gun time of 46:38. She had the closet time toward a new age group record. (46:30).Mandana, you must also start closer to the front (net time of 46:32). After all you did when you were fourth overall at the Running in Hope 10K just the day before in 43:05.
Karen Young, 43, also had five races for the weekend for 144 races for 2011. She raced her 49th 10K in the morning of the 31st. Sunday morning she proudly announced, “I got my Blank last night.” The Blank is an award given to runners in the 50 Plus club who race 50 or more races in a single distance. Naturally she started the year up again with a 10K in the morning followed by a 5K in the afternoon on Sunday. “Toward the end I looked up ahead of me and saw a lot of people walking. I didn’t think I was going that slow,” said Young after the race. Young is often a Ranked Runner.
Jacqui Hanson, 41, also needed to start closer to the front. She finished top in her division with 46:41 but started twenty seconds behind the leaders. Tenth place Carole Jones, 54 (below), was top grandmaster in 48:37. Next year when she turns fifty-five she might just speed past the event record of 50:23 set by Heather Sanders in 2011.
At the awards ceremony, 75-year-old Patricia Cuff was tops in her division. The awards were announced old to young. When we got to the 45-49 age group, there was another Patricia Cuff (junior?). Yes, she was the daughter. Running is for families. Ecris Williams, 71, did not make the race for the first time in the 14 runnings of the event. She still hold records in three divisions.
Before and after the race Dave Berry, who travels up from South Carolina each year, was entertaining the crowd with his music, much of it from the sixties and seventies. The youngsters enjoyed his oldest song, the Hokey Pokey.
The joy of this event is that when you finish there are rows of chairs in a heated auditorium with indoor plumbing. There was plenty of bottled water and lots of hot coffee and cocoa. Bagels with cream cheese as well as bananas are laudable runners’ foods. Even better was the scores and scores of fresh baked giant cookies from Vie de France.
Always your fastest race of the year and for most the best.
Awards Listing - Men
MALE
Place Num Name Ag City Finish
===== ===== ====================== == ===================== =====
1 483 Matt Maline 28 Oak Hill VA 35:02
2 347 William Bylund 27 Great Falls VA 36:27
3 367 Matt Woods 32 Falls Church VA 36:54
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
1 268 Steven Kool 17 Vienna VA 40:56
2 398 Devon Kirk 16 Purcellville VA 43:13
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 382 Andrew Knotts 20 Martinsburg WV 37:42
2 414 Andrew Castles 20 Gainesville VA 47:19
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 58 Eric Hammesfahr 26 Leesburg VA 47:10
2 356 John Heydon 26 Frederick MD 47:46
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 68 Adam Borbidge 33 South Riding VA 38:40
2 281 Nate Verwys 34 Fairfax VA 43:07
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 442 Aaron Holley 36 Washington DC 38:42
2 464 Marty Newhouse 39 Falls Church VA 44:25
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 44 Kenneth Shapiro 42 Frederick MD 39:55
2 379 Lawrence Kusko 42 Stephen's City VA 42:49
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 421 Kevin Lynch 45 Chantilly VA 39:36
2 304 James Darling 47 Falls Church VA 42:54
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 28 William Clem 52 Bethesda MD 41:51
2 334 James Dunn 51 Leesburg VA 44:45
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 428 Bruce Halpin 55 Ashburn VA 42:00
2 297 Richard Morgan 59 Silver Spring MD 43:31
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 88 Malcolm Senior 61 New Market MD 44:24
2 232 Richard Cleland 62 Leesburg VA 51:34
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 377 Bill Joyce 67 Herndon VA 49:07
2 303 Jack Tozier 69 Arlington VA 55:03
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
1 83 Douglas Morris 73 Delaplane VA 51:04
2 49 Louis Garczynski 71 Sterling VA 63:12
MALE LEESBURG RESIDENT
1 198 Chris Stotler 44 Leesburg VA 43:16
MALE ROTARIAN RESIDENT
1 472 Thomas Dunlap 39 Round Hill VA 51:19
MALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 217 Jarrod Dungan 31 M Leesburg VA 44:35
Awards Listing - Women
FEMALE
Place Num Name Ag City Finish
===== ===== ====================== == ==================== =====
1 369 Heather Schaffer 40 Potomac Falls VA 44:26
2 184 Zanny Ludtke 18 Round Hill VA 45:45
3 327 Mandana Mortazavi 48 Leesburg VA 46:38
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
1 251 Catherine Gorick 18 Broadlands VA 52:43
2 123 Shannon McClellan 17 Boonsboro MD 57:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 56 Erika Hansen 20 Oakton VA 48:27
2 393 Julia Crowley 20 Waterford VA 53:11
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 183 Cassie Ludtke 27 Round Hill VA 55:45
2 432 Tara Larrick 27 Stephen's City VA 59:10
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 438 Sharon Logue 33 Leesburg VA 46:47
2 489 Kathryn Dunn 31 Purcellville VA 47:46
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 308 Tiffany Graham 36 Reston VA 49:01
2 203 Alison Smith 37 Leesburg VA 49:58
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 325 Jacqui Hanson 41 Leesburg VA 46:21
2 392 Lydia Pelliccia 44 Washington DC 47:24
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 31 Tonya Stotler 45 Leesburg VA 46:52
2 279 Patricia Cuff 47 Alexandria VA 48:45
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 201 Carole Jones 54 Ashburn VA 48:31
2 364 Kelly Pickard 52 Oyster Bay NY 50:44
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 95 Peggy Davis 59 Vienna VA 55:28
2 299 Maria Nusbaum 59 Reston VA 58:37
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 162 Freyda Greenberg 62 Falls Church VA 60:07
2 239 Patricia Danielle-Kay 60 Reston VA 64:05
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 234 Pat Welch 67 Vienna VA 62:37
2 418 Punkin Lee 65 Middleburg VA 66:50
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 99
1 291 Patricia Cuff 75 Montgomery Vill MD 76:29
FEMALE LEESBURG RESIDENT
1 325 Jacqui Hanson 41 Leesburg VA 46:21
FEMALE ROTARIAN RESIDENT
1 403 Sharen Gromly 58 Winchester VA 80:30
FEMALE FIRST TIME RACER: NET TIME - NET PACE 1 - 99
1 176 Linda Reynolds 49 F Leesburg VA 62:34
