Almost 15,000 runners had a perfect day for the inaugural Nike Women’s Half Marathon, though one stood out more than others.

Leading the packs of first-time half marathoners and visitors seeing the nation’s capital on foot for the first time, Alexandria’sSamia Akbar felt happy to run again.

[button-red url=”http://werundclive.com” target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]As she ran far ahead of her competition from the first mile, having the city to herself, on her way to winning in 1:19:32 over McLean’s Wendi Robinson’s 1:21:06, Akbar felt each step bringing her closer to the kind of appreciation for the sport that had worked itself out through repeated workouts, races and seasons.

“I got really nervous on the starting line because I’ve run for a living for years and I’d have such an ultra-competitive mindset before the gun,” she said. “This was a really nice chance for me to just go out and enjoy what I was doing. For the first time in a long time in a road race, I was able to actually hear the people cheering and it was fun seeing bands and step teams.”

It’s not as though running was bad for Akbar, who started running at Oakton High School before earning All-American honors at 10k at American University and running professionally for Reebok, including an Army 10 Miler win and qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials. But the routine that went into that training wore on her, and she hasn’t raced much lately.

“Had I run this a few years ago, I don’t think I would have appreciated it the same way,” she said. “It had a lot of switchbacks that slow you down, but those switchbacks gave you a chance to hear cheering on the other side every step of the way.”

Impressive as her pace was, Akbar served as a warmup act for nearly 14,500 others, many of whom were thrilled to finish.

Elainna Wright, of Alexandria, had never run more than 10 miles before, but with the help of coworker Samantha Bennett, she conquered the vicious 11th mile and broke through to the finish.

When confronted with the distance she had never run before, she gained a lot of motivation from the music in the 9th Street tunnel under the mall and a point when she told herself: “I can do this. I know I can, I’m just going to do this.”

The crowds on Pennsylvania Avenue pumped her up, and she got a lot of support from the volunteers.

“I’m not great at pacing myself, so Sam helped a lot,” Wright said. “She stayed back with me.”

Among those who stayed back were 1984 Olympic Marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson and Olympic distance runner Shalane Flanagan, who ran with Samuelson’s daughter, Abby, all finishing in 1:32.

The race partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, which attracted many visitors to the race. A group of four women from Ottawa all delighted in what the race had to offer.

“It was unreal,” said LeeAnne Ashfield. “You feel a real sense of community with all of these runners. It’s a special and emotional race for everyone.”

Nadia Maruschak got to see a single cherry blossom on a tree, her goal for the trip.

Sisters Alisha Prater and Chandra Von Tiechman ran in memory of their mother, whom they lost to multiple myeloma 10 years ago.

The course started at Freedom Plaza and after a trip through the Ninth Street tunnel, followed much of the Cherry Blossom course, come back through the tunnel after a trip around Hains Point for a loop around the Capitol reflecting pool before finishing back at Freedom Plaza. Prater enjoyed the trips across the Alrington Memorial Bridge in mile three, being able to see runners ahead of and behind her. The race’s entry fee was steep–$160 for most with a  $40 college student discount, but much of that went to cover the silver Tiffany’s necklace awarded to all finishers.

RunWashington’s Maggie Lloyd wrote about working the finish line

Though it was billed as the women’s half marathon, the race was open to men, and more than 538 ran. Some, like Arlington’sMatt Meldroum, were pressed into service when friends or significant others couldn’t make it. His girlfriend, Kristin Salvatora, prepared for the race with Team in Training, and made it to her 11-mile training run before spraining her ankle two weeks ago. Concerns that she could also be suffering a stress fracture led her to drop out, a decision she called “heartbreaking,” and have Meldroum run for her. Except she didn’t tell him it was a primarily female race.

“I was a little overwhelmed on the metro, all the women,” he said. “I definitely stood out, people were looking at me a little weird, but I kept going on strong.

“There were a lot of signs for free high fives. I cashed in on that, I was just trying to raise the energy!”

Some, like North Bethesda’s Darren West, ran to lend support. His wife, Elizabeth, was running her first half marathon and he wanted to be there with her. Though they ran separately, he got to see her on the course and said she was doing great.

“I didn’t feel weird at all, there was fantastic energy,” he said. “She was really excited to take her running to the next level. The Tiffany’s ‘bling’ was definitely an incentive.”

With some time, confusion and grief following the two explosions along the Boston Marathon sidelines turned to resolve and determination not to let terrorists ruin running. Hordes turned out Friday and Saturday to show that they would not be intimidated.

The bombing that left three dead and almost 200 wounded, including a Springfield woman who broke her leg, and the subsequent chase that claimed the life of a campus police officer only motivated those who turned out to the Crystal City Friday 5k, which took place as the surviving suspect was cornered in Watertown, Mass.

Adam Schans exited the Crystal City metro station Friday night with little time to spare.  On the sidewalk, about a quarter mile from the start, the Wilson High School freshman slipped into orange-black running shoes with neon laces, handed his track bag to his father, and took off for the starting line of the third of four Crystal Run 5K Fridays with an easy, feathery stride. Wilson High’s track team was off today; he’d race an evening 5k on the streets of Arlington instead.

Arlington’s Andy Murphy, 40, raced Friday night wearing his long-sleeved 2012 Boston Marathon shirt. He ran that year to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while his father, battling cancer, cheered him on.

During this year’s Boston Marathon, Murphy attended his father’s funeral in Arlington National Cemetery. Later that afternoon, after bombs exploded and tragedy struck Boston, his cell phone filled with text messages sent by concerned friends worrying he might be there.

Emily Dorsey, 30, also of Arlington, was racing 5k partly to celebrate her friend’s birthday. Next weekend, she’ll run the Nike Women’s Marathon. But for the two-time marathoner and Boston University graduate, racing last night also just seemed like the right thing to do.

Watching the race last night, and hundreds of runners take to the streets (not long after work let out for many of them), showing no signs of fear or doubt. Few, if any, complained about increased security such as bag searches for those planning to use the gear check.

Nobody loudly expressed worry about the possibility that unsafe weather conditions might delay the 6:30 p.m. start by up to 30 minutes and require runners to take shelter until it all passed, or that if severe weather persisted past 7 p.m. the  race would be postponed until May 3.

Bags were checked. The weather was the weather – the big downpour holding off.

Jane Webster, 35, of D.C., said after the race, “I love it when it’s overcast. She” – D.C.’s Rebecca Johnson, who she ran with – “loves it when it rains. Perfect.”

After a moment of silence, the runners were off.

From teens like Schans to 70-something-year-old mega-racers like Robert Gurtler of the Plains, Va., the race was on.

And with less than a mile left, as Michael Roethel, 24, of Herndon made the turn onto Crystal Drive, Arlington’s Claire Hallissey, who represented Britain in the marathon at the London Olympics, appeared to be reeling him in.

Roethel had heard about the Crystal Run 5k Fridays race series from a co-worker and promptly signed up for all four. “But this race was special for me,” he said, “especially the week after Boston.” When news of the bombings struck, he immediately thought of his friends running the race, he explained, adding, “They finished the race but other people weren’t as lucky. My heart goes out to them.”

Roethel was first across the line in 17:06. “I’ve never been first place before,” he said, “so this was a breakthrough.”

About two and a half minutes later, Schans crossed the line, pleased with his own effort.

And even though lightning forced race organizers to shorten the route for some runners, the race’s atmosphere remained upbeat.

Near the three-mile mark, co-workers Chris Stewart, Jacqui Balough, and Andre Dalton, though finished with their own races, cheered for other runners.

“There was a lot of support here – a lot of people wearing Boston attire,” said Stewart, 30, of Manassas, Va.

He added, “Obviously, from the turnout, people weren’t afraid of getting out in a big group. I saw somebody who said it best: ‘If you’re looking to break the American spirit, then marathoners and runners aren’t the people to target.’”

To which Balough, 26, of Arlington said, “It’s almost an incentive to still come out here” in spite of the weather.

To which Dalton, 38, of Springfield, chimed in, “Life goes on; can’t be scared. Keep on going.”

The next morning, hundreds of runners gathered for group runs Saturday morning to show support for the Boston Marathon and recognize the bombing victims. Many wore any variation of the blue and yellow adidas shirts and jackets that are hallmarks of trips from Hopkinton.

The Washington Running Club’s Dojo of Pain met Saturday morning to run and talk about what happened in Boston, but also to celebrate Silver Spring’s Alan Pemberton’s 60-65 men’s age group victory (2:57:52). He was in a post-race stupor in a restaurant a few blocks away, but his celebration was short lived.

“I was deeply into my second chocolate milk when we heard what sounded like thunder,” he said. “My wife was outside to get tickets for the post-race party, she said she thought it was a construction accident, building materials falling.

“Maybe a transformer blew? You’re so slow to assume the worst, that actual evil people are trying injure people. We heard more and more sirens, then the congratulatory messages turned to concern. It became pretty clear something horrible had happened.”

Casper Magacs of Binghamton, N.Y. was in town visiting his girlfriend’s cousin and decided to join a run at noon near the Mall. On Marathon Monday, he noticed bomb sniffing dogs at the starting line. Officials told him they were doing training and to not think anything of it. That caused a little trepidation but he put it behind him when the race started. “I was worried about not hitting the wall,” he said.

Virginia Jurica of Washington joined a DC Capital Striders run in the National Arboretum and brought a different perspective. After spending some time running in Baghdad’s Green Zone while in Iraq for work, she grew accustomed to the threat of danger in the form of mortar shells. The difference, she said, was that she expected them, being close to an insurgent guerrilla campaign.

“None of those people in Boston expected there’d be any danger, and why should they?” she said.  It was a celebration.”

Back on Monday, James Davis was walking towards the finish line after completing his first Boston Marathon in 3:08:32. A block away, he heard the blast.

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Before that moment, a Boston Marathon shirt expressed personal pride and achievement. It still does. But now, more than ever, the Boston Marathon shirt Davis and many others wore during the George Washington Parkway Classic expressed solidarity. It expressed love – for the race, for the city, for the people.

“I felt good to be out there with everyone,” Davis said.

In the week leading up to the event, the race’s organizers, Pacers Events, sent an email to runners letting them know that safety was their “number one concern.”

Runners checked gear in clear plastic bags, and noticed more of a security presence near the starting line. The finish area was blocked off and closed to non-runners, with no re-entry allowed. Once runners exited the finish area, however, they entered a post-race party in Oronoco Bay Park that was as lively as ever.

Seth Hutchinson, who broke the tape in 50:56, appreciated the extra security measures, he said. But Hutchinson, 29, also appreciated the focus placed on remembering what had happened in Boston.

“I think they did a great job,” he said.

The Charlottesville, Va., resident pinned a yellow ribbon, distributed before the race, to his Ragged Mountain Running racing team jersey, and went on to separate himself from Will Christian and Jordan McDougal by running the second half of the race in 25:00.

Christian, 29, of Norfolk, Va. was 2nd in 51:22, with McDougal 3rd in 52:18. The top master, Eric Makovsky, 40, clocked 59:53.

Shannon Miller, 28, of Arlington won the women’s race in 1:01:04.

“Runners have that spirit,” she said. “Definitely that spirit is here, which is really good.”

Miller was followed by Laura O’Hara, 33, of Alexandria in 1:02:33. Kristen Henehan, 33, of Kensington, Md., was third in 1:03:41. Kristi Markowicz, 42, of Arlington, was the top master in 1:05:29.In addition to honoring Boston, runners bought back bibs to raise money for the recovery of Peter Laboy, an Alexandria police officer who was shot while on duty.

O’Hara was one of them. “I’m so grateful for the people who keep us safe here,” she said.

O’Hara had to stop between the first and second miles to tie her shoe. From there, she struggled to find a good rhythm. Grinding along, she thought about Boston and people like Laboy whose jobs often put them in harm’s way, and “tried to be tough,” she said.

Ami Camardo, 42, also ran in honor of Laboy. She finished in 1:20:14, easily beating her pre-race goal of breaking 1:25, and was pleased to see what happened in Boston had not scared away spectators.

“They give you so much energy and adrenaline,” she said. “So it was really nice to see everyone out there and see them supporting us.”

Andrew Ellis, 54, of Falls Church, who finished in 1:24:42, raced with “Boston Strong” temporarily tattooed on both of his calves and also sported his 2011 Boston Marathon shirt.

The Boston area native used to live along the Boston course, and described running the race in 2011 with his daughter, then a senior at Boston College, as “the experience of a lifetime.”

“It was personal,” he said of the attacks. “Everybody knows somebody who ran, or was close to it, or was caught up in it, so it’s been an awful week.”

The race, on the other hand, was a highlight.

“This was a lot of fun,” he said. “I wouldn’t have missed it.”

If tailwind and the downhill course weren’t enough to get people rolling at the Pike’s Peek 10k in Rockville, five days of pent-up tension led to a moment of silence on the starting line to honor the victims and their families affected by the Boston Marathon bombing.

[button-red url=”http://www.mcrrc.org/pikes-peek-10k-5″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Race director Jean Arthur said that Monday’s tragedy created anxiety for her with less than a week until the race.

“It added a few extra steps,” Arthur said. “But it went off okay. People showed up and I’m happy about that.”

An impressive group made up the elite competition and led the way through some heavy wind conditions and a cool breeze. But runners seemed to enjoy the near-ideal running conditions downhill along the Rockville Pike to White Flint Mall.

First place finisher Girma Gebre and second place finisher Ayele Feisa, both of whom came from New York

City to compete, pulled away from the leading pack near mile three. Less than a mile later, Gebre was able to widen the gap even farther and brought home a $1,000 check with a winning time of 28:23. Washington, D.C.’s very own Tumicha Horsa also had an impressive finish with a time of 28:45, placing third and winning $650.

The women’s competition came down to Tsehay Getiso, a 19-year-old visiting from New York City for the race, and Jane Murage of Royersford, Pa. Both Getiso and Murage led the close-knit women’s pack for the majority of the race.

Getiso, who recently overcame an injury, is currently working toward qualifying for the 2016 Olympics. And despite her best attempt to hang on, Murage took home the $1,000-winning prize money by crossing the finish line two seconds faster than Getiso. Trailing less than a minute behind the first two women was third-place finisher Hirut Mandefro of Washington, D.C. Mandefro brought home $650 with a fast finish of 33:13.

The race’s additional security included K9 dogs at the start and finish and motorcycles that drove up and down the course. Though every year requires a strong police presence, which involves coordinating several large road closures, this year’s race implemented heightened security measures in the wake of recent events.

Caroline Thompson of Rockville, Md., who has been running with a group of five other friends, said that she noticed some anxiety in the air.

“I think everybody had such a great spirit about it,” Thompson said. “I didn’t hear anyone wanting to drop out and not run.”

While the 18th Annual Pike’s Peek 10k marked Thompson’s second time competing in the race, she ran the course seven minutes faster than she did in 2012.

Pike’s Peek marked Calvin Baxter’s first 10k race. A runner since 2001, Baxter of Silver Spring, Md. competed in a Superman t-shirt, the same shirt that his son wore for the Kids Fun Run. Though Baxter was a little nervous about competing in a race that he had signed up for only one day prior, he said he found himself wanting to pass people on the course.

“I just wanted to compete in the race to bring my son out here so that he could do the kid’s race,” Baxter said. “I didn’t realize that when you get out here, it gets kind of competitive.”

Tradition is important for Pike’s Peek, a race that celebrates finishing with a festival area full of food, family activities and live music. Thirteen years ago, Lieutenant Pedro Meneses competed beside his recruiting class when he was enrolled in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Training Academy. On the day of the Pike’s Peek 10k, Meneses led his own group of recruits to the race as head of the recruit fitness department for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, a tradition that he said has been going on for at least 13 years.

“This is culminating a lot of the training they’ve been going through at the academy,” Meneses said with recruits around him. “They’ve got another 10 weeks to go.”

Despite race security concerns throughout the country, the tradition and timeless racing spirit led to another successful  Pike’s Peek. The event proceeds went to the Montgomery County Youth Recreation Fund, Rockville Youth Recreation Fund, Scleroderma Foundation of Greater Washington DC and the RRCA Road Scholars.

After a few years of calm, the wind was back for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, but it didn’t slow Janet Bawcom as she set an American record while winning her third consecutive USA Women’s 10 Mile Championship.

The men, lead by Kenyans Daniel Salel with half-second victory over Allan Kiprono in 46:05 were off of Kiprono’s winning 45:15 last year, but Kenyan Caroline Rotich (52:46) and her three-second lead over Ethopian Belaynesh Oljira broke a two-year tradition of the women’s winner running 54:02.

It wasn’t Metro accessible, there weren’t bands every mile and the race might not have had the panache of a national series, but sure enough, a marathon went off Saturday morning in Northern Virginia.

The inaugural Runner’s Marathon of Reston and accompanying half marathon took charge of the streets and trails in a race that billed itself as being “designed by runners, for runners.”

Two sisters, Devin and Alex Nehill, had hatched a plan over Thanksgiving to run their first marathon together. They chose Reston because of the proximity to their hometown and ease of pre and post-race logistics. At the time, they had no goals other than to finish.

As Devin, 17, a senior at Bishop O’Connell, entered the home stretch around the South Lakes High School track, passing half marathoners still finishing, tears were streaming down her face. She took the female win and finished in an impressive 3:09:49, amidst cheers from her entire lacrosse team.

Wearing a shirt that said “The faster you run. The faster you are done,” she had a hard time putting into words how she felt as tears still streamed down her face from the shock and joy of the win.

Though Devin is an amazing runner, lacrosse is her best sport. She was a first-team WCAC and Division I all-state lacrosse player and an honorable mention All-American, as chosen by U.S. Lacrosse, she will be attending Division I Drexel University to lacrosse.

While Devil was roaring down the home stretch, her sister Alex, 19 and a student at Virginia Tech, was still on course. Winning your first marathon is nothing short of amazing. Devin however didn’t bask in her accomplishment, she quickly ran back on course to cheer on her sister.

Local masters runner DeeDee Loughran, 54, took 2nd in 3:15:14.  Alex Nihill rounded out the top three females with a time of 3:43:21.

On the men’s side of the marathon, 20-year-old Lee Kaufman clinched the win with a 2:52. Second place in 2:59, was 48-year-old Ian Clements. Clements, a veteran of 14 marathons, described the course as “extremely challenging.” He knew it was hilly but felt it was much harder than expected. His goal was to run around a 2:57 but early in the race knew that was not going to be possible on this course.

“There are trails and there are “trails,” he said, “The C & O Canal is flat and straight. The W & OD is straight and relatively flat. The trails in Reston aren’t straight, and they aren’t flat. It really takes a lot out of you as a runner.”

He had planned to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon but when a work tripped forced his to make other plans, the Alexandria resident said the Reston race was a no-brainer.

The half marathoners took off 30 minutes after the start marathon, and ran the same loop the marathoners did twice. Nate Spong, of Reston, took the win on the men’s side with a time of 1:24:03. Close behind him was Mike Honicker of Sterling, in 1:24: 55. Honicker and Spong are both prepping for triathlon seasons. Both felt the race logistics wise was well run, but did note that there were a lot of false flats and the course was extremely hilly.

Spong sung praises of the new race. “Well marked, the volunteers were awesome, Reston really needed a good half marathon and full marathon and Reston Runner’s delivered on that.”

On the women’s side, Kristen Herring took first in 1:32:08. Reston resident Sharon Adams, who eight days ago became the mother of an adopted 8-year-old from Haiti, took second with a time of 1:35:21. Adams said the race was very special for her. Having her third child there cheering her, screaming “go mommy go” was the icing on the cake to a fun race morning in her home town. Robin Witlin rounded out the top three women with a time of 1:35:48, finishing on her former high school track.

The Reston Runners decided last year to start a half marathon and marathon in Reston, to complement its variety of road races and triathlons. Dennis Hayes, Reston Runners club president and co-race director of the race, boasted of the tremendous community support the race not only had in the planning stages but also on race day. “Reston has needed a full marathon and a half marathon for a number of years and we are excited to make this a reality today.”

Hayes and his team of six co-race directors put together the race with runners in mind. “We wanted a race where we took the good parts of races we have run and improved upon issues we have encountered at other larger marathons.” Free pasta dinner the night before, morning packet pick up, and a buffet of post-race food that included pizza, buffalo wings, corn bread, oranges, bagels muffins and more, were a few of the perks of this low key long distance race.

The club chose the March date, so as not to compete with other large fall marathons, and to ensure relatively cool weather for participants.

Volunteers were plentiful at the race, making everything run smooth for participants. Mary Mullaney of Reston believes as a runner and triathlete it’s important to give back. “Volunteers make these races happen, and I participate in many throughout the year, so I also volunteer my time on the ones I’m not racing.” Aprille Sherman of Sterling, a member of Reston Runners, was really excited to be volunteering. The spirit here today is infectious; it makes you want to sign up to run another race. Sherman who is training for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler also felt that it’s important for runners to not just participate but to also give back to the sport they love.

Post-race, runner’s enjoyed the plentiful food in the South Lakes Cafeteria, staying warm while sharing their stories of what may become a favorite race of many.

Hilary Dionne was glad to attend her friend’s wedding in Alexandria, but it meant a sacrifice.

She wouldn’t be able to defend her title at the New Bedford Half Marathon in Massachusetts, a fast and deep race upon which her Boston Athletic Association teammates were descending. She’s training for the Boston Marathon, where she finished 15th, and as the third American, last year, and wanted to test how her training was going.

“I started looking for another half that was in March, and came across Rock ‘n’ Roll USA, and it just ended up working out well,” she said.

She started out hoping to run under 1:16, which would have been nearly a one-minute PR, but the uphill in mile seven muted those hopes. She trailed second-place finisher Lauren Philbrook until mile 10, when she took over and finished in 1:16:12, with Philbrook in 1:16:42.

“(The hill) broke up my momentum a bit,” she said. “For most of the race I was behind Lauren, she was always in sight but with a slight lead.  I caught her on the hills, but then she pulled ahead again a few times.”

Dionne, who lives in Charlestown, Mass., ran at Darthmouth but has asserted herself over longer races recently, with wins at the Cape Cod Marathon in 2011 and the ING Hartford Marathon in 2012, where she ran her 2:40:34.

In Boston, Dionne will match up, among others, with Philbrook, a Williams College alumna and Penn State graduate student.

The hills got her a bit, too.

“I think that I went out a little fast at the beginning, and had some trouble recovering and keeping up the same pace after the hills in the middle of the race,” she said. “Overall, I think it was a good race and a great workout and practice for the Boston Marathon.”

In the marathon, Philadelphia’s Ashley Olsen was apprehensive she took another step toward targeting the Olympic Trials qualfying standard.

“In the past few weeks a few old injuries seemed to be creeping back up,” she said.

Fortunately, she felt few of them when she started the race and nothing held her up as she won in 2:53:28 over Bethesda ultrarunner Justine Morrison’s 2:59:11.

“The course had a lot of turns and technical aspects but it always helps by keeping your mind sharp and you focused,” she said.

After taking a break from running after graduating from the University of Delaware, she took up triathlons and eventually gave marathons a shot. After finishing fourth in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon, she won the 2012 Run for the Red Poconos Marathon in 2:51:35. She may return to defend her title in May.

When runners registered for the most recent Montgomery Country Road Runners Club race, they were mistaken if they thought it would be a “piece of cake.” Little did they know that they would have to conquer tough-rolling hills through Seneca Creek State Park in order to cross the finish line.

“It’s a very challenging course,” said Carol English of Germantown, Md. “But it’s good. It builds character.”

Since 1997, English has been involved with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club. She is currently enrolled in the club’s speed development program, which included the club’s Piece of Cake 10k.

“The club is an amazing group,” English said. “They put on well-organized races.”

MCRRC’s Piece of Cake 10k, one of several races of the MCRRC championship series, attracted nearly 350 runners. The Piece of Cake title actually comes from the annual cake contest the MCRRC holds in celebration of the club’s birthday. This year’s race marked the club’s 35th anniversary.

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The race brought out several talented competitors, including Douglas Woods of Gaithersburg, Md. Woods trailed behind second-place finisher Eric DaSilva until the last 800 meters, when he passed DaSilva. “I just ran on his shoulder, he didn’t want any help,” Woods said. “I kicked the last half mile.”

[button-red url=”http://www.mcrrcphotos.com/2013Photos/Race-Photos/Piece-of-Cake-10K-2013/i-vLhX2nC” target=”_self” position=”left”] MCRR Photos [/button-red]Aside from the first-place title, Woods may have had another motivating factor waiting for him at the finish.

“Cake. Where’s the cake?” Woods asked as he looked around.

But not all runners were able to reward themselves with delicious cake in celebration of the club’s birthday.

“I gave up sweets for lent,” said Tommy Young of Brookville, Md., who had just completed his first 10k.

Unlike sweets, Young was able to enjoy quiet roads through the woods near Clopper Lake during the race. His girlfriend,Katherine Young of Silver Spring (they’re not related—they just happen to have the same last name), “pulled” Tommy in with the club earlier this year. Katherine has been involved with the club for two years.

Both of them plan on competing in the upcoming 10 Mile Cherry Blossom.

Cindy Conant of Kensington Md. was the first female finisher to cross the finish line with a time of 40:29. With Conant competing in races nearly every weekend, including the 10 Miler Cherry Blossom and the Boston Marathon, Conant said she prefers the low-key club races.

“I don’t have to pick up my race-packet the day before,” Conant said. “I want to end where I start.”

As the club wrapped up it’s 10k race, it was only the beginning of its annual meeting and awards brunch. Among the awards presented, four outstanding high school runner college scholarships were divvied up between Benjamin Withbroe of Einstein High School, Nick Simpson of Einstein High School, Isabelle Latour of Quince Orchard High School and Laura Nakasaka of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

“We’ll be living up to what they saw in us these past four years and will be working hard academically, in the community and in our sports,” Nakasaka noted.

Though the club rarely hands the award out, Dee Nelson of Gaithersburg, Md. was presented a life-time achievement award. With 45 years of running under her belt, the Piece of Cake 10k marked her 1,487^th race.

“I have found over the years that training less is actually working out,” Nelson said.

Nelson is nearing her goal of hitting 1500 races and averages nearly 60 races per year.

Among other impressive award-winning runners was Joe Sangillo of Rockville, Md. He received the most improved runner of year award. Sangillo may look like another other seasoned runner, but that wasn’t always the case. In two years, Sangillo weighed more than 100 pounds heavier and could barley complete a 12-minute mile. But just last year, after completing the MCRRC first time marathon program, Sangillo accomplished his goal: completing the Marine Corps Marathon in 3:40. Since 2006, Sangillo has lost a total of 130 pounds.

“Just don’t underestimate yourself,” Sangillo said. “I smashed any expectations that I had for myself.”

Saturday was full of surprises for runners at the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon.

[button-red url=”http://running.competitor.com/cgiresults?eId=54″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Chief among them was the weather — unexpectedly delightful despite days of resignation that the forecast for Saturday, a 70 percent chance of rain, according to the Running Weatherman, would leave runners soaked, chafed and miserable.

[button-red url=”https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.628521877175048.1073741833.189448104415763&type=3″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Photos [/button-red]Some, like Washington’s Sumona Mujumdar, had pleasant surprises, that she was able to perform as well as she did, given what happened a few months before. At the end of December, she was on Mount Etna in Sicily with her fiancé, celebrating their engagement. When a rock bounced down the volcano and struck her shin, splitting the skin open, she immediately thought of one of the last things she did before leaving for her vacation — signing up for the half marathon.

“I couldn’t run all of January, and I had to start really lightly in February,” she said. “I didn’t I’d be able to run very fast, just finish.”

Instead she beat her optimistic expectations and ran about 40 seconds per miles faster than she had hoped.

“I didn’t expect that at all,” she said. “It just kept getting better and better as I went on.”

The course redesign surprised some runners. Gone was the long climb up Connecticut Avenue to Adams Morgan, now replaced by a few miles on Rock Creek Parkway and a shorter, but steeper, climb to Calvert Street. That certainly gained the ire of a few.

Half Marathoner Kristie Adams of Washington knew the hill was coming but wasn’t prepared for it.

“I made it up it, but by mile nine my legs were shot,” she said.

Her friend Katie McGinley, another half runner from Washington, pushed up the hill and was rewarded with what seemed like a hallucination, possibly for overexertion.

“I saw someone I knew from college,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see him, of all people.”

It was funny because she runs races and looks around in hopes of seeing people she knows.

“I’m from New Jersey, so I’m probably not going to see anyone, but it’s fun anyway,” she said.

Marissa and Vladamir Djukanovic traveled from Richmond to run and arrived at the expo to retrieve their bibs 15 minutes before it closed Friday night.

“We didn’t train too much, but we also didn’t do too bad for training as little as we did,” Vladamir said. “The hill (to Calvert) was brutal.”

Marissa liked the course’s scenery, especially the monuments.

“It was nice to be able to see a lot of the city along the way.”

John Peyrebrune of Takoma Park didn’t have a fantastic time running the marathon, but he was happy to get out on the course, having spent much of the preceeding week sick.

“It wasn’t great,” he said, worn down more than he expected. “I’m doing an ultra this spring, so I want this to feel easier than it did.”

He still had support from his wife and children along the course.

For the seventh year in a row, Washington, D.C.’s spring marathon champion was a college athlete who competed for something other than a track team. For the first time, though, it wasn’t former lacrosse player Michael Wardian.

[button-red url=”http://running.competitor.com/cgiresults?eId=54″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Peter Lawrence came to Washington with his family for a spring break trip requested by his daughter.After 20 hours of driving, with stops in New Orleans, Atlanta, the now-41-year-old, who played tennis at the Virginia Military Institute hit town for a week of sightseeing with a cadre of elementary school-age children.

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It just so happened that the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon was taking place while he was in town.

“I needed another marathon,” he said. “I did Houston two months ago and it was time for another one.”

He spent most of the race running alongside Wardian, of Arlington, who spent more than six months dealing with multiple stress fractures that disrupted his prolific long-distance racing schedule.

“I figured Michael knew the course, so he was the right guy to run with,” Lawrence said.

Apparently not, because course revisions in Southwest Washington and a confused bicycle guide led the duo astray in mile 16, adding approximately 30 seconds to their times. Wardian’s experience ended up serving neither of them, and for a while it seemed it only enlarged their gap behind frontrunner Jordan McDougal, who held more than a two-minute margin at 18 miles.

“It hurt my PR a little bit,” Lawrence said, noting his 2:32:27 today was almost 2:30 better than his Houston Marathon finish Jan. 13, itself a dramatic improvement over the same race last year, when he ran 2:42:09.

McDougal’s lead shrunk in mile 19 after his stomach got the better of him and he called it a day, not bad work for a guy who decided less than a week ago to give the race a shot. By then, Lawrence had broken away from Wardian and was on his way to checking off “win a marathon” on his bucket list.

“Once I saw I was in the lead, I just kept going and going, tightening the screws a little bit,” he said. “By 25 I felt pretty comfortable.”

He got a boost seeing his wife, son, daughter, niece and nephew in mile 18, where things started to happen for him and he saw himself realize a dream he didn’t imagine having a few years ago. He wouldn’t quite get the sub-2:30 he wanted, but he’s not complaining.

“I started as a middle-of-the-packer,” he said about his introduction to marathon running at age 39. “I got better with more miles and some track speed work. I never realized how much that helped.”

In Houston, Lawrence trains with the Bay Area Running Club. He’ll be back there less than two days after breaking the tape at RFK Stadium.

Meanwhile, Wardian didn’t seem to mind trailing by almost two minutes. For his fourth run longer than 14 miles since he started running again in late January, he was surprised to have run so fast. Though he won the Lower Potomac River Marathon six days before in 2:42:31, it was not without its complications.

“I had to stop in the middle,” he said. “My bladder’s not used to holding so much fluid. Luckily I got by without a stop today.”

He’s running about a third of his normal mileage, but after staring into a huge chunk of his calendar unable to run at all, just being out there is a gift.

“I was unbelievably pumped,” he said. “I started out just happy to be in the top 10, but then you get to the point where you realize you have a shot at the podium and you get a little greedy.”

Third place finisher Eric Senseman, of Madison, Wisc. didn’t mind feeling greedy as he moved his way through the top six when the half marathoners peeled off. He was racing in Washington for the first time, though he’ll be returning in June for the North Face Endurance Challenge.

“I felt like they shut down the whole city for me,” he said. “It was a cool way to see D.C.”

The men’s half marathon came down to a dramatic move made on the hill leading off of the Rock Creek Parkway to Calvert Street. Ethiopian Tumicha Horsa put a move on Falls Church’s Chris Mills that Mills couldn’t cover.

“We were moving along at a little under five-minute pace and all of a sudden there was a giant hill,” Mills said. “He got me by about 15 seconds, but after that I didn’t get any closer and he didn’t get any farther ahead until the last mile. My coach thought I could catch him, but he had a kick.”

Horsa, through an interpreter, said he wasn’t familiar with the course, so he gauged his move on how the race was going with Mills and when he saw the hill, he took his shot.

“When I got to mile 12, I pushed,” he said, via the interpreter.

Horsa ended up in 1:06:44, with Mills behind in 1:07:03 and George Mason University alumnus John Holt in third in 1:08:20.