Sparks Be Flyin'

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):

The lead pack just after the start

Caroline finishing

Tiffany's last few strides

Robyn

Dorothy

 Down in Old Ellicott City, Chris battled UMBC alums at the Ellicott City 5k.  He grabbed 3rd in 18:45 and first Master.

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!

Columbia Women's Distance Festival (WDF)

The conditions this morning were hot and humid, but that didn't deter some 400 women from taking on this year's edition of the Columbia Women's Distance Festival (WDF).  What makes this number particularly impressive in my mind is that the no-show rate was less than 10% -- an impressive number when conditions are perfect for running.  You ladies are tough!  Hats off to all of you.

Times didn't seem to be affected too much by the heat, with the eventual winner, Anna Holt-Gosslin, taking a commanding  victory in 17:45. Behind her was UnSong Ostrowski, who continues to run PRs, this time shaving an insane 20 seconds from her previous best and finishing in 18:26.  Kelly Westlake also had an excellent race, finishing 4th overall (1st in the master's category) with a time 18:51 -- her fastest 5k this year.  Samantha Matthews was next in 5th, equaling her time from the Baltimore Women's Classic (19:37) in tougher conditions.  Samantha was followed closely by Robyn Humphrey (19:48, 6th, 2nd master).  Closing out the list of performances was the dynamic trio of grand masters, who yet again achieved a 1-2-3 sweep for the 50+ age category: Pat Wilkerson (8th, 20:17), Janeth Scott (14th, 21:14), and Dorothy Beckett (17th, 21:22).


Full results are available here: http://striders.net/events/wdf/2012. Pictures will hopefully be posted soon.

RACING TEAM WOMEN DOMINATE AT HCS WDF 5K

On another hot and humid morning, the women of the Racing Team took several top honors at the HCS Women's Distance Festival 5k. Stefanie Commins showed she is beginning to return to old form as she took off at the gun and never looked back to beat local stars Sherry Stick and Denise Knickman in 18:28.

Donna Wecker and Kelly Westlake battled one another with Donna creeping away at the end to claim 1st Master. Pat Wilkerson continued to be 'Mrs. Consistent' posting a time of 20:20 for 9th overall and 1st Grandmaster. Dorothy Beckett was tops in the 50-54 age group with her 21:45, only hours after returning from a late night flight from CA.

Official results:

1 Commins, Stefanie 18:28

4 Wecker, Donna 19:26

5 Westlake, Kelly 19:34

9 Wilkerson, Pat 20:20

16 Beckett, Dorothy 21:45

AWESOME JOB LADIES!!!