Runners (and Cherry Blossoms) in the Wind

Spring 2016's weather so far has proven volatile.  About a week before the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in DC it was apparent that we were in for a cold, windy race morning.  With steady winds at 20+ mph and gusts up to 40mph, the going was definitely tough in several sections of the race.  Competitors experienced some of the worst winds in the final two miles while making their way back from Hains Point.

Despite the sub-optimal weather conditions, many Striders came out to throw down impressive performances against stiff competition.

Team Competition:

Julia Roman-Duval (95th overall - 58:30) and Caroline Bauer (117th overall - 59:25) led the Striders women with crazy sub-hour performances.  Beth Hannon (64:18), Alex Wang (64:18), Tiffany Hevner (69:04) rounded out this impressive team.  Somehow they were the only open ladies team, so they won!  With performances like these it's likely they would have run away with the victory anyway.

Carlos Renjifo lead the men in with his 26th place finish in a time of 53:14.  The Striders men stacked up three more runners in 54th (Kevin Ford - 56:11), 63rd (Eric Schuler - 57:10), and 64th (Ryan Bull - 57:13).  The unofficial results have this group in second place!

Additional Notes/PRs:
Julia and Caroline were the 4th and 5th American women across the line, respectively, and both achieved PRs.

Beth Hannon and Mark Loeffler both achieved PRs, running 58:42 and 64:18, respectively.

(Photo Credits:  Greg Schuler via facebook)