Any runner who understands the basics of delayed gratification — a principal so central to this sport — could appreciate the Leesburg 20k’s new course, now in its second year. The rolling hills on Dry Mill Road are gone, replaced by a long, grinding grade on the W&OD Trail, one that snuck up on South Riding’s Tatiana Sheptock.
“My eyes wouldn’t see it, but my legs felt it,” she said. “It definitely felt a lot better on the way back.”
She made her return to the race after an eight-year absence. She’s seen some change since then — when she ran she ran 1:40:47 on her way to finishing the Marine Corps marathon in 3:42:40 two months later.
This year, she ran 1:19:48 for third place, and will head into another marathon training effort with hopes of running 3:05 at Marine Corps.
“I’m a completely different runner now,” she said. “The race feels different, and I’m running paces for long races I could barely keep up for shorter distances.”
Both winners took advantage of the relief that came with the downhill to make their moves. Men’s winner Sean Barrett pulled away from Kieran O’Connor after the turnaround and ran to a 1:06:18 finish. Women’s winner Meghan Ridgley, of Ashburn, broke away from Arlington’s Erin Taylor after 7.5 miles to go onto an almost one-minute margin of victory- 1:17:16 to 1:18:12. Both are training for marathons, Ridgley Philadelphia and Taylor Richmond.
“I love this course,” Ridgley said. “It’s fun and you can see other people on your way out and back. A bunch of people I coach were out here and they did great.”
Ridgley coaches, and races, with the Potomac River Running training program, as does Sheptock and hordes of other top finishers.
Barrett’s race strategy changed as soon as he realized that his trainers were not going to cut it. In the rush to get out the door of his Arlington home to get to Leesburg for the 7:30 start, he forgot his racing flats.
“I tried to push off on my toes, but after a few miles it wasn’t happening,” he said. “I became a heel striker for the rest of the race.”
He’s looking ahead to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, Army Ten Miler, .US Road Racing Championships 12k and USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Bend, Ore., where he’s headed with some of his Georgetown Running Club teammates in December.
O’Connor, who finished as the eighth American at the 2012 Boston Marathon, hadn’t competed since that scorcher, but acquitted himself well on the course to run 1:06:40.
“I was freaking out trying to find a bathroom seven minutes before the race, and ended up not taking my inhaler,” he said. “So I had my torso feeling pretty uncomfortable for a while.”
Though runners from farther east cleaned up on the men’s top spots, 249 of the 892 20k finishers were from Leesburg, Ashburn and Sterling, representing well at one of Loudoun County’s top races.
Carole Jones estimated that the Ashburn Area Running Club had more than 30 runners out on the course, and many PRed.
“The camaraderie was incredible,” she said. “It’s hard not to run well when you have so much support out there. I felt like I saw people I knew every minute.”
Jones ran 1:31:24 to finish 15th and second in her age group, second if only because Oak Hill’s DeeDee Loughran ran 1:22:35 to dominatingly win the women’s masters title. McLean’s John Zimmerman ran 1:11:41 to lead the male masters.
Kris Wolcott loved the opportunity to run near home.
“It was a home course advantage,” she said. “I run here every day and knowing the course made the race a lot less nerve-wracking.”
She was enthusiastic about seeing Ridgley, her coach, running so well. Like Ridgley, she’s headed to the Philadelphia Marathon in November — her first.
The race also included a 5k, won by Hugh Toland in 16:16 and Margie Shapiro in 18:19. That option appealed to Sterling’s Jason Lovelady, who ran it while his wife, Suzanne, ran the 20k.
“I’m not a runner, but I like to come to races with her,” he said. “The course was flat, so that appealed to me. It sounds like she wasn’t crazy about the hills in the longer race.”
The pair is considering their fall racing schedule, perhaps making a repeat trip to a costumed race, where last year the ran as Popeye and Olive Oil.
“Maybe not so much polyester this year,” he said. “That wasn’t really comfortable.”
| Leesburg 20k/5k |
| Aug. 18, 2013, Leesburg, Va. |
| Results: 20k 5k |
| Photos 1 Photos 2 Photos 3 |
By James Moreland
Leesburg, VA
August 14, 2011
For the Washington Running Report
As Michael Wardian was finishing his preparations he had a big grin on his face. He noted that he had just won a 10K but the race was “almost too short.” This year would be his fifth time racing the 20K and he had won the last three years. There were three other submasters in the elite field. Frenchman Philippe Rolly who back in 1999 had won the St. Patrick’s Day 10K in 30:27, well ahead of Wardian’s 30:55 PR. Rolly had dappled in Wardian’s forté winning a fifty miler in 2008 in just over seven hours. Wardian had won the JFK 50 Miler in 2007 in 5:50:34.
Italian Edi Turco loves to run. He told us at the DCRRC Landon Cross Country Saturday night that he looks for a race every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Like Michael he runs fifty plus races a year. Often onlookers wonder if these guys would not be faster with fewer races. Perhaps Wardian might improve on his 14:55 PR, which does seem a little out of touch with his new marathon PR of 2:17:49 set this year. And of course he always maintains, “I love to toe the line.”
Third in that group of mega runners is Karsten Brown of Front Royal. About ten years ago, he was just getting started and trying to quit his clove cigarettes. Now he runs a hundred miles a week and will race close to a thousand miles this year. After falling in one 50K in July he bounced back on August 6 to run fifth overall at the Dahlgren Heritage Rail Trail 50K. The next day he took on the Dog Days Cross Country 8K. Still, more than 75 races already this year and a really busy week of racing, he was not feeling to optimistic about a victory.
Tall and slender with his cap on backwards Wardian stayed right with the 10K leaders as the masses roared down Harrison Street. The next three miles plus are all up hill and the wheat, which was a little soggy from the morning’s rain, would soon get separated from the chaff. Jared Abuya, 34, of Gainesville, VA had the best of the race coming up the final hill alone in a 1:05:50 for the second fastest time ever on the course. Aaron Church set the record in 2006 with 1:04:29. The next runner was Wilson Komen of Washington, DC. The lanky Komen has run sub thirty for a 10K and been ranked number one in the Washington Running Report Running Rankings. Though he loves to run, lately he had not been racing as much. His 1:06:19, the third fastest time for the event, proved he still has his stuff. Wardian floated in next in 1:08:10. It will probably mean he will have to go and find another long race to run. He has scheduled the North Face Endurance Challenge Kansas City 50K on August 27.
The next two runners ran close together and almost did not seem aware they were in a battle. Neither surged, and Matt Logan bested Oberst Enzian by five seconds in 1:10:36 to round out the top five. The top master was hard charging Derik Thomas who always seems to finish near the top. At 45, his 6:02 pace on a very muggy day was marvelous. As Rolly crested the hill in 1:13:45 he did not seem to be aware that Edi Turco was coming up behind him in 1:13:57. But the savvy racers always know where their competition is. Brown rolled in just behind Thomas in 1:15:17 and at least at that point it looked as if he might be considering a day off. By Tuesday we expect to see him back out running the Paul Thurston 4.5 miler at Burke Lake.
For the women, Elena Orlova eschewed the 20K in favor of the 10K. That would have been a battle royale. Orlova had set the submaster record in 2009 in 1:17:34 while finishing second overall, followed by Meghan Ridgley. Last year on the short course (12 miles), Orlova won it all at an identical pace with Lisa Thomas of Vienna, VA less than a minute behind. This year Thomas was being pushed ever so close to the record. Ridgley was again third overall with a very nice 1:19:21. The battle for the gold was not decided until the final meters as Lindsay Wilkins, also of Vienna, clung on tenaciously. Thomas touched down in 1:17:40 with Wilkins five seconds behind. Erin Swain out dueled Sarah Bard for the fourth spot 1:20:35 to 1:20:47.
The 20K event is in its 8th year. This year the two races combined for the second largest crowd behind the perfect weather 2008 event which produced 137 ranked runner times, which is 10% of the field. Normally the course is very hot and the bright sun can whittle down the runners. This year the weekend was wet. The early morning rain cooled the air but left it drenched. There were no new records set in the 10K. In the 20K there were two. Grandmaster DeeDee Loughran, 53, finished ninth overall knocking 35 seconds off her record set in 2008. Right behind her Lanie Smith, 19, of Reston, VA (left) set the new teen standard with 1:26:55 and that was with a 30 second late start.
The 10K race is similar to the fabled Greasey Gooney 10k, the first 5K plus is a winding uphill that gets steeper as you go. When you turn around all but the final hundred meters is downhill ride to the finish. Even the four mile marker was eager to get to the finish line. It ended up about a quarter mile closer to the finish line by the time runners caught up with it. While that made for an awful long fourth mile split, mile five was really, really fast. For those hurrying back to the front of the Tuscarora Mill Restaurant at the finish line, there were no worries. The crew that supports the food and drink know their work. For nearly ten years, they have made a science of producing lots of great snacks and plenty of cold drinks. One runner looked at all the iced drinks and said, “They all have sugar in them.” Yes!!
The race always brings out the elite racers and especially the durable ones. Charging down past mile four the race was not yet decided. Lucinda Smith, 29, of Darnestown, MD had a slim lead but Julia Webb easily had Smith in her sights. They were racing with the top men as well, Smith winning in 37:23. That was one spot behind masters winner John Zimmerman’s 37:18. Webb came in soon after as sixteenth overall in 37:33. Speaking of masters, top ranked master and today’s race director Ray Pugsley said of Elena Orlova’s race, “Once you reach, forty everyone is aware of age.” Peggy Yetman, 43, of Leesburg, VA is nearly back to full form and held off Orlova for third place in 38:15. Orlova, 41, finished in 38:24, the same pace she ran the last two years in the 20K. Melissa Rittenhouse, 35, was next among the seven runners who qualified for the open division of the Runner Rankings.
For the men, everyone said that the winner looked like a kid. Joshua Hardin is a junior at William and Mary. Last year he struggled on the hot and hilly Cascades course in 36:47, finishing second among the five teens in the top six. The year before he was Rookie of the Year, breaking 31 minutes twice with a 30:37 10K best as a freshman. Today, he blasted ahead a prerace favorite Seife Geletu to a crushing 32:23 victory. Geletu’s worse race of the summer had been a 16:04 Run through History 5K overall win. He had won his age group at the prestigious Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K in 25:28. His runner-up finish in 33:18 had some runners eyeing their Garmins. Kevin Shirk was third with a solid 33:44. Top teen Patrick Spahn had run the Twilight 8K in 26:47 (34:01 10K equivalent). At Leesburg, he mustered a 35:47 for sixth overall.
Ronnie Wong and Jim Noone both belong to the 50 Plus Club. Wong turns 65 in September and won his division in 44:57. Noone, 67, easily won his division in 45:45. For the even older, jovial Leesburg resident Terry McCarthy, 76, bested mega racer Bob Gurtler, 76. Gurtler projects to again finish with more than fifty 5Ks and 100 races in a year. Of the 11 men older than 70 in the race, Dixon Hemphill, 86, is the oldest by a decade. Hemphill is still the race director for the popular Goblin Gallop 5K, which is run of the Let Freedom Run 5k course in the fall.
With all the food and drink after the race, some runners were hoping for some beer to fill the classy commemorative pint glasses each runner received in their packet. The race course has changed a few times over the years but after 23 years, the race is still a summer classic.
Awards Listing for the 10K (No Duplicate Prizes)
MALE OVERALL
1 477 Joshua Hardin 20 Sterling VA 32:23 V
2 803 Seife Geletu 29 Washington DC 33:18 V
3 785 Kevin Shirk 31 Winchester VA 33:44 V
FEMALE OVERALL
1 105 Lucinda Smith 29 Darnestown MD 37:25 V
2 537 Julia Webb 28 Charlottesville VA 37:33 V
3 536 Peggy Yetman 43 Leesburg VA 38:15 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
1 745 Tyler Lichtenberg 14 South Riding VA 40:04 V
2 433 Joe Haberlin 14 Ashburn VA 50:33 V
3 266 James Wroe 14 Ashburn VA 51:19 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 1 - 14
1 267 Annie Akagi 10 Leesburg VA 61:55 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 697 Patrick Spahn 18 Fairfax Station VA 35:44 V
2 361 Ian Rappaport 19 Vienna VA 37:00 V
3 462 Jarret Cutsail 18 Warrenton VA 38:49 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 15 - 19
1 618 Karissa Love 17 Leesburg VA 48:06 V
2 663 Abbey Cademartori 16 South Riding VA 48:53 V
3 85 Jaclyn Shepherd 18 Leesburg VA 50:07 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 521 Rich Saunders 23 Alexandria VA 34:14 V
2 346 Keith Flanders 24 Silver Spring MD 36:22 V
3 149 Michael Nordlund 24 Arlington VA 37:40 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 109 Jillian Pollack 22 Winchester VA 40:53 V
2 30 Kailey Gotta 22 Steubenville OH 42:21 V
3 733 Erin Landy 21 Burke VA 44:19 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 168 Brennan Feldhausen 26 Baltimore MD 35:58 V
2 750 Andrew Ciarfalia 28 Reston VA 36:44 V
3 780 Timothy Snyder 25 Frederick MD 38:06 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 518 Kelly Swain 26 Vienna VA 40:36 V
2 671 Tamara Shear 25 Washington DC 42:37 V
3 736 Bre Morton 27 Centreville VA 44:03 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 45 Hugh Toland 30 Fairfax VA 34:06 V
2 784 Matthew Lofkin 32 Winchester VA 35:52 V
3 783 Sean Allen 31 New Market MD 36:52 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 636 Andrea Cardy 31 Reston VA 42:02 V
2 644 Meredith Samson 31 Chantilly VA 42:06 V
3 637 Tasha Stryker 31 Arlington VA 42:16 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 659 Keith Freeburn 37 Centreville VA 37:25 V
2 576 Aaron Holley 36 Washington DC 39:17 V
3 273 Giovanni Cordova 35 Reston VA 41:22 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 652 Melissa Rittenhouse 35 Harrisonburg VA 40:09 V
2 299 Tatiana Sheptock 35 South Riding VA 44:45 V
3 718 Cristina Burbach 37 Washington DC 45:23 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 789 John Zimmerman 44 McLean VA 37:17 V
2 289 Craig Chasse 41 Reston VA 38:44 V
3 571 Matteo Mainetti 41 Fairfax VA 38:57 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 575 Elena Orlova 41 Gaithersburg MD 38:23 V
2 459 Kim Isler 43 Oakton VA 41:58 V
3 746 Cheryl Young 42 Reston VA 44:40 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 798 Matt Anderson 45 Fairfax VA 40:08 V
2 540 James Darling 46 Falls Church VA 41:54 V
3 172 Mark Peterson 49 Purcellville VA 45:52 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 737 Kristen Barner 46 Rockville MD 47:49 V
2 626 Marsha Demaree 46 Marriottsville MD 49:30 V
3 710 Judy Swain 46 Purcellville VA 52:07 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 153 Harry Linde 52 Sterling VA 40:50 V
2 283 Rhys Williams 50 Reston VA 43:45 V
3 274 David Lee 53 Arlington VA 45:57 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 207 Nina Van Winkle 51 Vienna VA 51:10 V
2 309 Betty Sutter 53 Reston VA 54:27 V
3 621 Susan Manning 51 Virginia Beach VA 56:28 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 417 Roland Rust 59 Bethesda MD 39:43 V
2 800 James Lee 56 New Market MD 48:24 V
3 557 Dennis Doyle 56 Arlington VA 49:34 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 531 Peggy Davis 59 Vienna VA 52:40 V
2 510 Leslie Kash 55 Round Hill VA 54:00 V
3 680 Carla Bourgeois 58 Montclair VA 60:53 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 678 Ronnie Wong 64 Baltimore MD 44:54 V
2 24 Robert Ring 63 Harrisonburg VA 54:38 V
3 666 Chris Wells 60 Sterling VA 55:32 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 458 Linda Kearney 64 Oak Hill VA 52:35 V
2 410 Freyda Greenberg 62 Falls Church VA 53:06 V
3 530 Laurel Clement 62 Haymarket VA 55:39 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 450 Jim Noone 67 Fairfax VA 45:40 V
2 572 Bob Chase 66 Falls Church VA 47:41 V
3 709 Paul Holley 65 Ashburn VA 62:48 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 342 Pat Welch 66 Vienna VA 60:40 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 74
1 451 Chan Robbins 74 Arlington VA 55:07 V
2 682 Ken Quincy 73 Vienna VA 56:47 V
3 812 Warren Pitts 73 Baltimore MD 59:01 V
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 70 - 74
1 463 Ecris Williams 72 Reston VA 64:21 V
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 75 - 99
1 814 Terence McCarthy 76 Leesburg VA 64:18 V
2 366 Robert Gurtler 76 The Plains VA 65:51 V
3 272 Dick Coogan 79 McLean VA 80:18 V
Awards Listing for the 20K (No Duplicate Prizes)
MALE OVERALL
1 2518 Jared Abuya 34 Gainesville VA 1:05:50 X
2 2572 Wilson Komen 33 Washington DC 1:06:19 X
3 2652 Michael Wardian 37 Arlington VA 1:08:10 X
FEMALE OVERALL
1 2504 Lisa Thomas 35 Vienna VA 1:17:40 X
2 2505 Lindsay Wilkins 33 Vienna VA 1:17:45 X
3 2118 Meghan Ridgley 32 Ashburn VA 1:19:21 X
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
1 2701 Thorpe Lichtenberg 17 South Riding VA X 1:12:25
2 2694 Brady Guertin 15 Ashburn VA X 1:17:17
3 2574 Austin Lushinski 16 Ashburn VA X 1:18:31
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 01 - 19
1 2292 Lanie Smith 19 Reston VA X 1:26:25
2 2712 Alexandra Ludtke 18 Purcellville VA X 1:35:25
3 2186 Laura Kinley 19 Jefferson MD X 1:41:26
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 2719 Oberst Enzian 24 Charlottesville VA X 1:10:40
2 2636 Alec Saslow 23 Arlington VA X 1:27:06
3 2656 Christopher Smith 24 Centreville VA X 1:38:28
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 20 - 24
1 2260 Juhie Kumar 24 Great Falls VA X 1:35:20
2 2454 Victoria Butler 24 Ashburn VA X 1:37:25
3 2634 Liz Cresswell 24 West Chester PA X 1:38:16
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 2739 Matt Logan 25 Washington DC X 1:10:36
2 2216 Mark Buschman 27 Ellicott City MD X 1:12:09
3 2611 Brian Carnes 26 Leesburg VA X 1:16:27
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 25 - 29
1 2509 Erin Swain 29 Vienna VA X 1:20:33
2 2639 Sarah Bard 27 Leesburg VA X 1:20:45
3 2507 Annie Feldman 29 Vienna VA X 1:25:07
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 2288 Jeremy Lynch 31 Falls Church VA X 1:22:26
2 2334 Tim Soltren 34 Fairfax VA X 1:25:35
3 2654 Matthew Van Auken 31 Alexandria VA X 1:27:53
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 30 - 34
1 2580 Megan McNew 32 Baltimore MD X 1:25:43
2 2225 Laura Ramos 32 Silver Spring MD X 1:26:41
3 2311 Jessica McGuire 31 Arlington VA X 1:27:36
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 2736 Philippe Rolly 38 McLean VA X 1:13:44
2 2264 Edi Turco 38 Arlington VA X 1:13:56
3 2716 Karsten Brown 37 Front Royal VA X 1:15:15
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 35 - 39
1 2132 Tenley Ludewig 36 Washington DC X 1:29:03
2 2021 Nancy Eiring 38 Washington DC X 1:30:13
3 2007 Jennifer Zimmerman-Ra 38 Purcellville VA X 1:36:02
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 2062 Kevin Bell 42 Reston VA X 1:19:57
2 2679 Christopher Green 42 Sterling VA X 1:24:17
3 2638 Chris McKee 42 Vienna VA X 1:24:58
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 40 - 44
1 2018 Tonya Stotler 44 Leesburg VA X 1:33:16
2 2635 Billie Boersma 40 Alexandria VA X 1:35:15
3 2397 Diane Lathom 40 Ashburn VA X 1:39:28
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 2553 Derik Thomas 45 Alexandria VA X 1:14:54
2 2655 Eugene Holmes 46 Arlington VI X 1:20:26
3 2690 Howard Frost 45 Falls Church VA X 1:24:42
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 45 - 49
1 2479 Mandana Mortazavi 47 Leesburg VA X 1:32:43
2 2005 Amy Perkins 47 Leesburg VA X 1:42:33
3 2297 Anna Bradford 47 Vienna VA X 1:47:26
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 2740 Bob Ferry 51 Vienna VA X 1:20:55
2 2541 Kevin Dix 52 Manassas VA X 1:27:09
3 2585 Elias Tinta 53 Rockville MD X 1:28:53
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 50 - 54
1 2503 Deedee Loughran 53 Oak Hill VA X 1:25:48
2 2230 Carole Jones 54 Ashburn VA X 1:34:28
3 2304 Ellen Mannion 50 Herndon VA X 1:42:58
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 2686 Bruce Halpin 55 Ashburn VA X 1:24:17
2 2587 Richard Morgan 59 Silver Spring MD X 1:28:31
3 2276 Clyde Rollins 56 Herndon VA X 1:33:15
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 55 - 59
1 2352 Marcy Foster 57 Reston VA X 1:47:38
2 2561 Maria Nusbaum 59 Reston VA X 2:01:03
3 2178 Marilee Seigfried 59 Purcellville VA X 2:02:28
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 2567 John Bolton 60 Leesburg VA X 1:43:24
2 2565 Richard Kaplar 60 Herndon VA X 1:47:48
3 2598 Robert Lewis 63 Washington DC X 1:48:14
FEMALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 60 - 64
1 2711 Linda Mills 61 Salisbury MD X 1:50:19
2 2023 Mary Fredlake 61 Washington DC X 1:59:52
MALE AGE GROUP: NET TIME 65 - 69
1 2122 Bill Vislay 65 Bumpass VA X 1:43:16
2 2545 Lou Shapiro 69 Silver Spring MD X 1:45:33
3 2362 Patrick Brown 66 Reston VA X 1:51:59
