As Independence Day happened, we're all reminded of the sacrifice Will Smith and others made all those years ago to fend off the alien invasion such that we can continue celebrate our Nation's birth and run races in the tough heat and humidity that is common this time of the year...
Let's get started with last weekend as we had the WDF. Conditions weren't terrible, but they were far from ideal. As I stood at the halfway point doing the course marshal thing, there was a nice lead pack that flew back. Caroline ended up not being able to cover the move but had a good one, running 19:57 for 2nd. Tiffany was right behind for 3rd (20:00). Robyn was next, winning the Master division, 20:16 for 4th. Dorothy destroyed her AG yet again, rounding out the top 10 in 21:54. A few race shots (courtesy: Mike Fleming):
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| The lead pack just after the start |
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| Caroline finishing |
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| Tiffany's last few strides |
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| Robyn |
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| Dorothy |
Yesterday was one of my favorite races of the summer, mostly for the age group award structure...the Arbutus Firecracker 10k. Chris was back at it and won his AG in 37:37. Jason, still on the rebound, ran 38:32 for 13th and 2nd in AG behind Chattin. Maurice got the AG win in 39:20 and Dave wasn't far behind in 39:39.
A few brave souls ventured to Reston to run the very competitive Firecracker 5k. Based on the names, it appears several Africans showed up. Bobby ran a heck of a race, winning his AG in 19:40. Mick followed suit with the AG win, finishing 73rd in 20:05. In the ladies race, Tiffany snuck into the top 20, crossing the line in 19:49.
Finally, the Lang family took a roadtrip to ATL for the Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10k in the world! This race doubled as the USA 10k Road Championship. Phil ran 37:54 and Vicki was 44:09 in hot and humid southeast weather! Ryan Hall ran pretty crappy. My boy Matt Tegenkamp brought home the USA title!
