Arlington Running Roundup

At the turnaround, Stephen Crane, 25, of Silver Spring ran neck-and-neck with Arlington's Bert Rodriguez, 28, but coming up the hill, it was Crane all the way, winning in 31:46. Bart Borghuis, 32, of Ashburn outclimbed Rodriguez for second in 32:16. Rodriguez held on for third in 32:28.

"Iron" Mike Wardian, 33, was right behind, fourth in 32:41; and three more Arlingtonians cracked the top 12 -- Scott Munro, 26, 10th in 35:52; Joseph Racine, 30, 11th in 35:55; and Daniel Sebhat, 17, 12th in 36:06.

Caroline White, 22, of College Park and Erin Swain, 26, of Clifton ran most of the race together, before White washed the hill to win in 37:51, with Swain second in 38:25.

Third in 40:04 was Arlington's Megan Sowa, 24. Behind her were Colleen Griesinger, 28, fourth in 40:58; Emily Sturm, 27, sixth in 41:17; and Anne Feldman, 26, 12th in 43:39.

The post-race music and health festival served as the endpoint for the Neighborhood Day Parade in the afternoon.

Robert Guidi, 45, covered the course in 1:01:41, 11th among men; and Brady Nelson, 29, was 13th in 1:03:17.

Among women, Wendy Kengor, 29, took 13th in 1:13:10; and Regina Powers, 38, energized 26th place in 1:17:34.

The next day, he tok 27th at Frederick Half-Marathon in 1:30:37.

Kunal Kamra, 26, led Arlington's team at Frederick Marathon, 62nd in 3:28:45.

Olivier Leblond, 36, broke 90 minutes in the accompanying half marathon, 1:29:49 and 12th overall. Jennifer Yezek, 31, ran 1:38:54 for 27th place.

Katie Muething, 22, placed 212th among women in 3:13:04. Laura Chipkin, 27, was 494th in 3:21:01; and Mary Beth Muething, 29, followed her sister's footsteps, 499th in 3:21:04.

Just six days after Boston, Michael Wardian ran 31:22 for 11th place. Joe Lamonte, 27, finished 25th in 33:15; and Gene Yoshida, 33, was 129th in 41:12.

Megan Sowa, 24, ran 1:06:58 for 51st overall, just ahead of Colleen Depman, 23, 53rd in 1:07:24. Marissa Maier, 23, finished 78th in 1:08:43.

In the accompanying 5K, Bert Rodriguez, 28, won it all in 15:34, 30 seconds ahead of second place. Meredith Glendening, 23, was Arlington's first lady, 43rd in 23:28.

Diana Pu-Huai Tong, 17, led the women's race, also by more than a minute ahead of Cindy Sachs, 39, second in 23:16.

Running and helping were many family members and friends of the late Julia Campbell, a Peace Corps worker murdered in the Phillipines in April 2007. At the pre-race gathering and post-race picnic, photos of Julia's life and work were on display.

Tim Casey won the race in 19:00, followed by Michael Megargee in 23:00, and Tom Buell in 23:10.

Among women, Camille Powell won in 33:21, edging Alma Robinson, 33:29, and Verlese Gastner, 34:11.

"This was a nice day for a race," said John Abbott, Wakefield Class of '69. "The kids has great enthusiasm. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning."

"My child doesn't do many outdoor activites, so this was her first race -- and her personal best," said Isabel Kaltenbach-Montemayor, Arlington's 2007 foster parent of the year.

Some of the participants missed the last turn and ran long because no course marshal was there, but a splendid time was had by all.

The course, downhill from Clarendon to the Pentagon and back -- uphill -- finishes into a post-race party with entertainment hosted by Mr. Days Bar Sports Rock Café. The post-race festival is the centerpiece of Arlington's day-long celebration, serving as the end-point of the Neighborhood Day Parade.

The race features an Arlington Neighborhood & Business Challenge. Arlington civic associations and businesses with the most participants registered win $500 donations to their favorite charities.

See www.battleoftheboulevard.com or call 703-623-9293.

In the men's race, Robert Wade, 25, took third in 32:40 behind Abiyot Abera's 30:18 and Stephen Crane's 32:37. Right behind was Chris Farley, 32, fourth in 33:06.

In the women's race, Rebecca Nathan, 42, was second overall in a her best 10K ever, 36:05, behind world-class runner Genet Gebretinsae's 34:35. Elizabeth Osburn, 24, sizzled in 40:16 for third place.

Joe Lamonte, 27, ran 55:18 for 36th; and Jared Lowry, 25, ran a jewel of a time, 56:09, for 44th.

In the accompanying 5K, Audrey Ting, 30, won the silver, second woman in 19:16. Jeff Pelligrino, 22, was 15th among men in 24:09.

Ashley Payne, 25, felt good, running second among women in 41:14, while Libby Wile, 26, took third in 43:57.

The course, downhill from Clarendon to the Pentagon and back -- uphill -- finishes into a post-race party with entertainment hosted by Mr. Days Bar Sports Rock Café. The post-race festival is the centerpiece of Arlington's day-long celebration, serving as the end-point of the Neighborhood Day Parade.

The race features an Arlington Neighborhood & Business Challenge. Arlington civic associations and businesses with the most participants registered win $500 donations to their favorite charities.

See www.battleoftheboulevard.com or call 703-623-9293.

Then again, perhaps no town anywhere has had such an athlete.

At SunTrust National Marathon in Washington on Saturday, Wardian three-peated, winning for the third straight time. In all its three years, the race has never known another champion but Wardian, 33.

He won in convincing fashion, putting down challenger Samuel Gebremichael after just five miles. From then on, Wardian steadily extended his lead to win in 2:25:00, four minutes ahead of Gebremichael, who had soundly beaten Wardian two weeks earlier at Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach.

Eddie Valentine, 28, showed heart, finishing 18th in 2:50:32. Thomas Cotton, 30, threaded to 37th place in 2:58:13.

Among women, Anne Kirchner, 24, was 32nd in 3:41:26.

In the accompanying SunTrust National Half-Marathon, Ryan Strohl, 25, ran 1:16:43 for 13th place among men. Justin Dietz, 24, finished 28th in 1:19:25. David Kent, 35, was super in 1:19:42 for 31st place.

Danielle Messinger, 30, rattled off a 1:32:53 for 24th.

Stephanie McJury, 22, went out in 25:59, for 12th place. Amy Knether, 33, was 40th in 29:32.

Christopher Jones, 24, hit the top 100, 97th in 3:09:38. Elena Richey, 28, was 62nd among women in 3:33:46. George (Ted) Hobart, 41, finished his 10th marathon at Shamrock -- 5:36:09.

From Arlington, 461 runners are registered for SunTrust National Marathon -- 344 in the half, and 117 in the full marathon.

Katie Allen, 29, was seventh among women in 27:12; and Claire Schrader, 30, shredded the course in 28:30 for 12th place.

In the accompanying 10K, Olivier Leblond, 35, ran a classic 40:33 for fifth place. 57-year-old David Crawford, running on a bum foot, won his age-group in 43:44.

Robyn Hoeschen, 26, was fourth among women in 44:47.

With a 2:40:12 qualifier at the same race, 2004 Marine Corps Marathon winner Mary Kate Bailey earned 24th seed at the Trials. Her baby is due between now and the Trials, so her participation is not expected.

Heather Hanscom's 2:42:02 at 2007 Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn., followed her 2003 Marine Marathon win in 2:37:59, the second-fastest-ever woman's time on the course.

In addition, former Arlingtonian Casey Smith qualified with a 2:44:58 at 2007 SunTrust Richmond Marathon, and Pacers Team's Kristen Henehan made the cut in 2:45:15 at 2008 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n Roll Arizona Marathon in Tempe, Ariz.

Among women, Andrea Emshoff, 29, a top local 5K runner training hard to extend her distance, broke four hours in the marathon for the first time, running 3:57:45 for fourth place. Erin Hellmold, 27, held on for eighth in 4:03:26.

Samantha Kirby, 39, enjoyed the luck of the Irish, eighth among women in 31:25. Allison Carney, 23, finished 13th in 32:43; and Colleen Griesinger, 28, was 15th in 32:45.

Elizabeth May, 27, celebrated third place in 46:09; and Grace Chan, 38, was sixth in 47:29.

Erik Ilif, 28, was Arlington's first finisher in accompanying Greenway Trail Marathon, 40th in 5:49:46.

Jim Cavanaugh, 66, proved his mettle, running the 50K on Saturday in 6:45:14, 64th among men. Then at the B&A Marathon in Severna Park, Md., the next day, he ran 4:40:59, 190th overall, for a total of 57.2 miles of racing in two days.

In the simultaneous B&A Half-Marathon, Rebecca Nathan, 42, was first woman across the finish line, 28th overall, in 1:27:51. Laura Chipkin, 27, was 62nd overall in 1:35:10; and Marymount professor Monica Robbers, 36, finished 80th in 1:37:52.

Among men, Marc Edmonds, 34, was lucky in 13th place in 1:23:35; and Hamilton Hardman, 39, nailed 79th overall in 1:39:04.

Matching that place among the women was Elizabeth May, 27, fourth in 56:02.

It was no country for old men, but a good race for Tim Arnade, 51, 100th overall in 1:06:39.

Kathy Dalby, 29, was Arlington's first lady, 262nd overall in 1:16:38. Chris's sister, Denise Farley, 28, was 291st in 1:18:16; and Karen Oettinger, 30, finished 378th in 1:23:33.

Marine Corps Marathon winner Kristen Henehan, 28, won the women's race in 36:02. Arlington's Samantha Kirby, 38, took 15th place in 40:50; and Colleen Murphy, 29, was 20th in 42:15.

The race is the fourth oldest 26.2-miler in the U.S.A. -- only Boston, Yonkers, and Culver City Marathons are older. The hilly three-loop course around Beltsville Agricultural Research Center is the most challenging marathon course in the D.C. area.

Andrea Nelson, 29, took 15th place in 4:22:16; and Elizabeth Klee, 35, painted 4:25:48 for 17th.

Among men, David Terry, 41, finished 55th in 3:52:17. Right behind him, 57th in 3:53:24, was Temesgen Habtemariam, 36; and Old Dominion 100-Mile ultra-marathon champion John David Powell, 55, was 81st in 4:17:48.

Kristen Hird, 31, was seventh among women in 56:07.

In the accompanying 5K, Andrew Dana, 25, earned the bronze medal, third in 18:39. Robert Simkins, 29, finished 13th among men in 21:34; John-Michael Kerwin, 24, cruised to 16th in 22:20.

Jenny Goransson, 24, got fourth among women in 20:54, ahead of Alissa Bibb, 26, fifth in 21:32.

Just five seconds back in third place in 45:16 was All-American 50+ athlete Maurice Pointer, 52, of Baltimore.

Matt Lowe, 27, was Arlington's highest finisher, seventh in 47:02. Mark Hand, 41, grabbed 11th in 48:12; and ultra-distance runner Bryon Powell, 29, took 14th in 49:11.

In the separate women's start five minutes after the men, Jessica (Short) Laurent, 27, of Centreville had a long lead in 51:05. Win Persina, 47, of Washington chased her in 51:55; and Amanda Stickel, 25, stuck to third in 52:58.

Arlington women scored fifth, sixth, and seventh places: Casey Kohut, 22, in 56:14; Terah Malette, 26, in 56:56; and Tracy Dooley, 38, in 57:00.

At least 75 runners participated in their first race, hoping to qualify for National Marathon & Half Marathon. Sponsors of the marathon from Reebok and Olympian Marc Davis were on hand to welcome the marathon hopefuls.

Race director James Scarborough presented post-race awards and thanked all the volunteers, including staff from Capital Hospice.

First male from Arlington was Alex Filides, 32, seventh in 5:24.9.

Christina Lee, 16, of Sterling ran 5:17.5, won the women's mile, then doubled in the 800 meter in 2:18.7, good for second overall.

Raymond Fan, 24, of Alexandria and Andrés Wright, 41, of Frederick, Md., lapped everyone in the 3000-meter, finishing first and second in 9:40.7 and 9:52.8. Charlie Mercer, 37, took eighth place in 11:07.2.

George Doumar, 46, was 381st in 1:43:10; and Linwood Ham, 41, sliced 1:51:52 for 933rd place. Among women, Peggy Hoyle, 42, was 375th in 1:58:28; and Beth Goulston, 35, rolled into 882nd in 2:06:21.

In the ING Miami Marathon, Arlington's top finisher was Robert Guidi, 44, 190th place in 3:26:19. Joya Teemer, 25, was 246th female in 4:19:19.

Mindy Thomas, 24, ran 5:22.2 for the fastest women's mile of the day, and Josh Hardin, 16, was fastest among men in 4:48.9. Steve Anderson, 51, placed sixth in the mile in 5:14.2; Mark Hand, 41, grabbed a 5:20.4 time; and Gretchen Gates, 25, closed on a 6:49.8 mile. Martha Merz, 45, doubled in the mile and 3000m in her first track meet in a few years, with 11:25 in the 3000m and 5:36 in the mile.

Charlie Mercer, 37, ran 10:48.6 in the 3000m, good for fourth place.

One meet remains in the three-meet winter series at TJ, Sunday, February 3, at 8 am. See www.pvtc.org/indoor or call 703-927-4833.

Rebecca Nathan, 42, was third female overall in 19:14; and Janna Schmickel, 45, finished seventh in 23:17.

In the accompanying JFK 20K, Will Weidman, 24, was Arlington's top finisher, 10th in 1:21:11. Douglas Herman, 31, took 16th in 1:24:40; and Roberto Rodriguez, 52, won his age-group, 20th overall in 1:25:36.

Kristin Dahling, 31, pushed to seventh among women in 1:34:31.

Both races were qualifiers for National Marathon, to be held in DC on March 29. Arlington's Michael Wardian, 33, the two-time defending champion, will aim to make it three in a row at the fast-growing race.

Rodriguez's Pacers teammate, Mary Christopher, 23, ran a 5:26.5 mile, finishing fourth among women.

James Barr, 40, cleared the bar at 1.71 meters (5' 7.5") in the high jump, good for fifth place. Providing the fireworks was Bruce McBarnette, 50, of Sterling VA, who set a men's 50-54 American record with a 1.87-meter (6' 1.75"). Barr's 11.99-meter shot put placed him fifth in that event, and his long jump of 18' 6.5" was 11th longest.

Some of the same athletes will compete at Potomac Valley Track Club's indoor meets at Thomas Jefferson Community Center on Sundays, January 20 and February 3, with events starting at 8:15 am. See www.pvtc.org or call 703-927-4833.

Rodriguez stayed ahead of both Thomas Edison High School star / Foot Locker South 2007 winner Leoule Degfae, 17, second in 16:31, and three-time defending champion Mudasar Haidat, 22, third in 16:32. The race started and finished across from Gateway Park and swirled down the footbridge to the Mount Vernon Trail on the Potomac Riverfront and back.

Among women, with 100 meters to go on the bridge back to Rosslyn, Betty Blank, 54, of Falls Church, caught early leader Sita Nataraj Slavov, 33, of Los Angeles . Blank won in 21:23, ahead of Slavov's 21:29. Eight-year-old Page Lester of Washington was third in 22:36. Jennifer Westfall-McGrail, 52, was Arlington's first female, sixth in 24:00.

Running with the men, Christina Lee, 16, of Sterling ran 5:17.1, the fastest female time of the day. Elizabeth Jones, 30, of Falls Church won the women's mile in 6:19.8, then ran the open mile even faster, 6:16.4.

Ethiopian star Abiyot Abebe, 20, new to Arlington, ran 8:49.5 in the 3000 meter, pulling Steve Mance, 23, of Alexandria to 8:55.0 -- two of the fastest times ever for this meet.

Third behind them in 9:46.3 was Diribe Ayele, 23, also new to Arlington, who brought along her friend Elfenesh Alemu, 2003 Tokyo Marathon champion and fourth place finisher at the 2004 Athens Olympic Women's Marathon.

Charlie Mercer, 37, ran 10:53.5 for ninth place.

Toni Marie Diegoli, 29, ran 1:15:40 for fourth among women, and Kristin Dahling, 31, was fifth in 1:17:27.

Audrey Ting, 30, finished fourth among women in 5:15, and Lane Wollerton,18, ran 6:49 for 18th place.

In the accompanying 10K, William Ellison, 41, ran 41:15 for seventh place, and Heidi Hiller, 24, found 11th place among women in 51:16.

Behind them Erik Kean, 30, took third in 35:17, and Pat Kohlmann, 36, finished fifth in 35:55.

Among women, Sushila Nanda, 46, was 10th in 45:33; Taylor Snook, 23, took 14th in 46:12; and Julia Taylor, 36, ran 49:55 for 30th place.

Runners enjoyed the post-race bonfire, cookies, cider, and hot cocoa, and the race benefitted the New School of Northern Virginia.

In the 55-meter dash, Shakeem Copeland, 13, of Fort Belvoir, ran 6.5 seconds, the fastest of the day, and his 27.7 won the 200-meter race. Viktor Green, 10, was Arlington's fastest finisher in both events, with 9.7 seconds for the 55m and 40.0 for the 200m. Green's 8'05" long jump placed him fourth in that event, behind Markel Harrison, 8, of Vienna and Dwight Lomax Jr., 11, of Woodbridge, who tied with 9'06".

Sebastian Bouroncle, 11, of Washington won the mile in 6:31.0, with Arlington's Tyler Spicer, 9, fourth in 7:06.9. Spicer won the 800-meter race walk 6:29.7, outraced Linnea Bouroncle, 8, of Washington, second in 6:30.8.

Roy Rinberg, 11, of Arlington ran 1:30.9 to win his heat of the 40-meter dash. The fastest in that event was 1:00.3, by Genamarie McCant, 13, of Fairfax Station.

Katie Franke, 10, of Falls Church won the discus throw in 32'06", with Sarah Keyser, 10, of Arlington second with 23'00".

The young athletes trained for the past 10 weeks for this track meet to get ready for PVTC's all-comers indoor meets at TJ on Sundays, January 6, January 20, and February 3. See www.pvtc.org or call 703-927-4833.

Arlington's Vanessa Hunter, 32, won the women's race by more than a minute, running 35:26. Lindsay Goulet Wilkins, 29, stepped fourth in 37:12, and Samantha Kirby, 39, rounded out the top 10 in 39:37.

Among women, Elizabeth May, 27, finished fifth in 1:42:54, just an eyelash ahead of Kristin Dahling, 31, sixth in 1:42:57. Jenny Keller, 30, was eighth in 1:44:46.

Washington-Lee High School graduate Sarah Weber, 18, back in town for Thanksgiving, was first woman in 19:04, outkicking Lisa Frischknecht, 22, of Fairfax, second in 19:09. Third place went to Arlington's Alison Stone, 26, in 21:38. The race attracted 954 finishers and benefitted Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless and Doorways for Women and Families.

Katherine Newberry, 29, of Williamsburg won the women's race in 27:59, ahead of Arlington's Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier Vanessa Hunter, 32, second in 28:41. Rebecca Nathan, 42, won the masters women's division, 15th in 33:03, with Monica Grillo, 43, second 40+ and 18th woman in 33:38.

Munro finished almost three minutes ahead of second place to win in 16:41, and Sowa was third overall and first woman in 19:24. Just four seconds faster would have placed her second overall.

Mary Beth Muething, 29, took fourth among women in 1:54:13, and Jennifer Yezek, 31, was 13th in 2:06:43.

Carrie O'Brien, 30, finished 73rd among women in 51:58.

Among women, Elizabeth Klee, 35, ran 1:36:40 for 56th place.

In the accompanying five-miler, Robert Platt, 56, was 37th in 39:32, and Erin Steinhagen 26, finished 74th among women in 50:39

The course record is held by Eric Clifton who ran 5:46:22 in 1994. The previous second-best time was Howard Nippert's 5:51:28 in 2005.

Bryon ("Goat") Powell, 29, a perennial at the race, finished 25th in 7:13:45; and William Weidman, 24, was 66th in 7:51:57.

Lana Leung, 38, ran 10:39:32 for 573rd place; Tammy Huck, 43, was 636th in 10:47:52; and Sarah-Amanda Lewis, 33, finished 656th in 10:52:25.

Lucia Davidson won the 60-69 age group in 12:22:56. Anstr Davidson's 12:23:01 was his 25th finish in a row. Ed Demoney, 73, finished in 13:16:40.

Hagerstown Herald-Mail story with photo of Wardian

Lindsay Goulet, 29, ran 2:51:16 for 15th place among women -- just four minutes away from qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Kaitlin Sheedy, 24, was 34th in 3:00:11.

Sandra Jean Kudrecki, was fourth among women in 51:51.

Andrew Ciarfalia, 25, ran 21:33 to take the fifth in the accompanying 5K. Alissa Bibb, 25, was fourth woman in 22:06.

Sarah Trotter, 24, covered the course in 20:56, second among women. Sushila Nanda, 46, was third in 21:27.

Among women, Britton Stackhouse, 28, also placed in the top ten, taking ninth place in 38:29. Rebecca Nathan, 42, earned third in her age group, 16th overall in 39:55; and Jacquelyn Beckley, 24, was 30th in 43:23.

At Richmond Marathon, Keith Giles, 31, was 169th male in 3:10:02; and Wendy Moltrup, 33, starred 48th among women in 3:23:45.

Profiled by New York Road Runners in a pre-race article titled "Can an underdog make the Olympic team?", Wardian knew that others in the field had personal best times 10 minutes or more faster than his 2:21:37 qualifying time. So he chose to take his best shot and lead the race from the start as long as he could. He went through the uphill first mile in 5:21 -- notably slow for a world-class field -- but sped up considerably in the downhill second mile to 9:36, well ahead of the pack behind him in 10:10. His 16:20 at 5K put him 24 seconds ahead of the pack, and he still held the lead at 10K with a 32:22. By then 24 runners clustered behind him just 3 seconds. The first of his pursuers caught Wardian at 35 minutes, and he hung on courageously to finish 92nd in 2:30:54.

Other area finishers included Christopher Raabe, 28, Washington, 16th in 2:17:01; Jacob Frey, 26, Oakton, 22nd in 2:18:19; Eric Post, 28, Centreville, 38th in 2:19:25; and Christopher Banks, 29, Washington / Albuquerque, 89th in 2:30:22.

Adugna Desalegn, 15, of Alexandria, ran 20:03, outkicking Arlington's Jacquelyn Beckley, 24, by one second to win the women's race. Meghann Proir, 26, of Arlington, was third in 21:19.

In the accompanying Rockville 10K, Mark Hand, 40, grabbed 11th place in 39:20. Kimberly Kroszner, 25, was 31st among women in 52:05.

Ayalew is in the U.S. at the invitation of Arlington Cooperation Foundation. "We are brothers -- we are family," said Ayalew after the race.

First from Arlington was Shamus Brady, 61st in 2:46:00. John Kelly, 24, took 78th place in 2:49:10; and Pacers owner Chris Farley, 31, ran 2:50:24 for 85th.

Kristen Henehan, 28, of Silver Spring won the women's division in 2:51:14, just ahead of Alexandria's Lisa Thomas, 31, second in 2:51:40.

Last year's fourth-place finisher, Samantha Kirby, 39, was Arlington's first lady, 15th in 3:06:55. Jenae Avallone, 29, nailed down 60th place in 3:16:47; and Katie Githens, 24, got 87th in 3:22:15.

Marathon man Dane Rauschenberg, 31, ran his personal best marathon, 115th in 2:55:34, after running 52 marathons in 52 weeks last year.

Washington DC mayor Adrian Fenty, 36, finished his second marathon of the year, covering the course in 4:10:53.

The marathon drew 20,667 from all over the world to Arlington, making it the fourth largest marathon in the U.S. and the seventh largest in the world.

In the accompanying 10K, Sean Barrett, 22, of Quantico, won in 33:06, three scant seconds ahead of Bradley Smith, 41, of Warrenton, second in 33:09. Erik Kean, 30, was sharp in third place, running 35:03. Alisa Harvey, 41, of Manassas, repeated as women's winner in 37:12. Kelly Devine, 23, led Arlington's women, fifth in 40:08.

Megan Sowa, 24, matched Dwyer's third place, finishing in 19:30. Sushila Nanda, 46, continued her comeback, running 21:34 for 12th place; and Kara McInroy, 17, was 23rd in 23:15.

Behind him was Ethiopian star Zereu Kelele, 26, second in 20:25. "I didn't realize it was a cross country race," said Kelele. "I wore my road shoes, and he outran me in the last mile." Erik Kean, 30, finished fifth in 21:51.

Among women, Audrey Ting, 30, was second in 25:38, behind international star Alisa Harvey, 42, who won in 23:07.

Kirstin Michel, 25, was 15th in 47:19; and Raffaella Valentino, 30 sent a 48:52 for 23rd place.

Kevin Coleman, 42, scared up second place among men in 35:40. Scott Branham, 24, finished 13th in 40:13, just ahead of Thomas Gouard, 25, 14th in 40:26.

Sarah Bessin, 38, led the women in 25:44, followed by Dana Raphael, 12, second in 27:06; and Joanne Gabor, 34, fourth in 27:22.

In the Baltimore Half-Marathon, Roberto Rodriguez, 51, was 79th in 1:31:31, and Kate Skidmore, 28, was 39th woman in 1:36:53.

Luke Ryan, 30, covered the challenging Baltimore Marathon course in 3:08:06, 74th among men. Lauren English, 24, hit her Boston-qualifying pace exactly in 3:40:00, 63rd among women.

The race started and finished in Arlington, Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 46, of Atlanta, Ga., became the race's oldest-ever women's winner, coming home in 58:31. "I have the greatest respect for soldiers who protect their country," said Zhdanova after the race. "I was inspired to see so many people running this race after losing a limb in the war. I am grateful to my sponsor, Foot Solutions, for inviting me here and keeping me healthy." Born in Russia, Zhdanova has long dominated masters running in the U.S.A.

Arlington's first female finisher, Samantha Kirby, 39, ran 1:06:43 for 28th place. Kaitlin Sheedy, 24, was 32nd in 1:09:00; and Jenae Avallone, 29, finished 53rd in 1:10:11.

Of the top 10 men, five were Brazilian, three Ethiopian, and two Kenyan. Jose Ferreira, 31, of Rio De Janiero, led the pack in 49:21.

Bert Rodriguez, 28, ran 53:57 as Arlington's pace-setter, finishing 18th. Mark Williams, 26, ran 58:17 for 62nd place; and Glenn Voelz, 37, broke one hour, clocking 59:49 for 85th place.

Washington DC mayor Adrian Fenty, 36, crossed the river to finish 467th in 1:08:53.

Jared Nyamboki, 30, last year's winner in 48:24, is back to defend his championship. He enjoyed his visit to Virginia so much that he moved here in August and now lives in Fairfax.

Also returning is Alisa Harvey, 42, of Manassas, who won last year's women's race in 59:00, her fourth Army Ten Miler crown.

Arlington's top male entry is Bert Rodriguez, 29, a graduate of United States Naval Academy and winner of Arlington's 2007 Custis 12K in 38:11. He will wear bib #35. Among women, Rebecca Nathan, 42, wearing bib #26, wins her age group at many local races and was first female in 19:27 at Arlington YMCA 2005 Trick or Trot 5K.

Best viewing on this side of the river is the 8:00 a.m. start on Route 27 facing the Pentagon northbound to Arlington Memorial Bridge and the finish off the 14th Street Bridge into the Pentagon South Parking Lot.

Before the start, parachutists from the US Golden Knights and Canadian Skyhawks will jump from planes onto the Pentagon parking lot at 7:10 a.m. A health fair and youth activity zone will be open to the public all morning from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

Finisher #199 in 58:51 was University president James Bundschuh. "Once again, this was fun to be out with all the people," said Dr. Bundschuh.

Three Arlington women ran together -- Amy Haak, 26, third in 24:58; Megan Fedorenchik, 27, fourth in 24:59; and Elise Haupt, 26, fifth in 25:00.

Marymount professor Monica Robbers, 36, won the women's race in 21:25, just ahead of Karen Young, 39, Boyds, Md., second in 21:31. Jinny Lay, 40, of Falls Church was third in 22:37.

Vanessa Hunter, 32, finished second in 1:18:31 among an international field at Parks Half Marathon in Montgomery County. Earlier this year, she qualified for the U.S. Trials, to be held Sunday, April 20, 2008, in Boston.

Michael Wardian, 33, who runs the Trials in New York City on Saturday, November 3, ran 1:08:08 for fourth place.

Behind Wardian were Chris Farley, 31, 14th in 1:14:47, and Marc Edmonds, 34, 37th in 1:23:43.

Among women, in eighth place was Lindsay Wilkins, 29, running 1:24:32, and ninth was Cheryl Carr, 24, in 1:26:05.

Kelly Devine, 23, finished third among women in 18:57; and Kaitlin Sheedy, 24, shot to fifth in 19:40.

Among men, Philip Pommerening, 42, was 36th in 21:20; and John Arbab, 47, was 40th in 21:37.

Among women, Kimberly Person, 42, took fourth in 35:38. Amy Kramer, 32, ran 38:04 for 12th, and Ligia Rodriguez-Rosado, 32, was 24th in 39:41.

Four Arlington men finished in the top 10. Kevin Coleman, 42, led the pack, fourth in 18:33. Mark Hand, 40, was fifth in 18:55, followed by Scott Munro, 25, sixth in 19:21, and John Bacon, 50, seventh in 19:25.

Winning her age group and 10th among women in 19:09, was Rebecca Nathan, 42. Katelyn Radack, 21, racked up 16th place in 21:44; and Megan Carroll, 23, was 18th in 22:07.

Jorge Medina, 22, of Falls Church took the lead after the first mile around Crystal City and pushed his advantage on the loop around the Pentagon, winning in 15:14. Eight seconds back in 15:22 was Arlington's Michael Wardian, 32. Allen Carr, 24 of Herndon drove to third place in 15:29.

Right behind them were a trio of Arlington runners -- Bert Rodriguez, 28, fourth in 16:26; Erik Kean, 30, fifth in 16:34; and Jared Lowry, 24, sixth in 16:52.

School Board member Ed Fendley, 42, finished 52nd in 19:44. Race co-director Detective Dan Borrelli, 48, ran 21:51 for 122nd place. County Board member Walter Tejada, 50, was 311th in 23:49.

Among women, Lauren Manero, 26, of Ft. Belvoir, was the gold medalist, 15th overall in 17:49, winning women's law enforcement division.

Arlington's Tonya Dodge, 32, took second in 18:14; and Martha Merz, 44. of Annandale was third in 19:00.

Gabby Grebski, 36, grabbed eighth among women in 20:18; Mary Christopher, 23, ran 20:30 for 10th place, just ahead of Megan Kehoe, 34, 11th in 20:50.

Jim Markovich, 31, ran 20:44 for 23rd place.

Will Ellison, 41, ran 18:41 for 28th place at the Kentlands 5K, and Chan Robbins, 70, was an age-group champion in 22:15, 128th overall.

Kristin Dahling, 31, was Arlington's top female finished at the Charm City 20 miler, 68th overall in 2:36:30.

Megamarathoner Dane Rauschenberg, 31, ran 1:28:26 at the Bikila Half Marathon, 10th among men and first in his age group. Grace Chan, 38, was eighth among women and won her age group in 1:43:01.

On Saturday, Wardian, 33, ran 25:22 to win 26th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run in Williamsport, Maryland.

On Sunday, he ran 53:01 to win WaWa 10 Miler at Hartwood in Fredericksburg, more than a minute ahead of second place.

Bruno Fernandez, 30, finished 135th at WaWa in 1:25:13; and Phillip Johnson, 42, was 174th in 1:28:50.

Lyndsey Gunn, 28, won her age group, 107th overall, in 1:21:31. Elizabeth Strickland, 26, struck 257th in 1:42:36; Christine Willett, 46, took 277th in 1:46:00; and Anne-Marie Garcia, 43, ran 1:57:32 for 317th.

Matthew Rodjom, 27, ran 1:04:08 for 30th place. Keith Giles, 31, took 59th in 1:06:39; Will Ellison, 41, was 72nd in 1:07:00; and Naval Academy graduate and former admiral Paul Ryan, 56, cruised into second place 55-59, 91st overall in 1:08:14.

Among women, Katie Sheedy, 24, took sixth in 1:08:49, second 20-24, followed by Monica Grillo, 43, eighth in 1:09:05 and winning her age group. Danielle Messinger, 29, stamped 1:12:05 for 21st place, third 25-29.

Arlington's Rebecca Nathan, 41, won the women's race in 6:19, followed by Grace Chan, 38, also of Arlington, second in 7:00. In the masters' mile, Henry's mom, Kitty Phillips, 42, was first female and second overall in 6:59.

PVTC's last meet of the season is the regional championship Potomac Valley Games, Saturday-Sunday, September 1 and 2, at Langley High. See www.pvtc.org or call 703-481-3530.

Phil Reutlinger, 28, and Jason Weber, 30, both of Arlington, challenged each other for 12.4 miles, finishing in second and third place overall in 1:08:51 and 1:09:14. William Schaffer, 40, took second in his age group, eighth male, in 1:15:59; and Erik Kean, 30, rounded out the top 10 in 1:17:56.

In the accompanying 10K, Matthew Salerno, 26, finished 16th in 36:52, followed by Tom Heinemann, 38, 26th in 38:28; and Paul Steenen, 44, 47th in 41:20.

Sushila Nanda, 46, won a cowbell for finishing third in her age group and 13th among women in 43:40. Kate Abrey, 27, opened up 23rd in 45:56; and Jessica Gunn, 27, targeted 58th in 52:03.

Arlington athletes brought home a slew of second places. Douglas Carl, 31, took second in the mile in 4:53.1. Emily Blagg, 13, snagged second among women in 5:56.5. Neil Fairclough, 50, Arlington, earned silver in the 400m hurdles in 1:09.2. Jeff Spugnardi, 37, pole-vaulted 10 feet, for second, and Alderton' 6.20m (20'4") long jump was the second-farthest of the meet.

The last all-comers meet of the season is Saturday, August 18, and the championship meet is Saturday-Sunday, September 1-2, all at Langley High School. See www.pvtc.org or call 703-481-3530.

David Atkiss, 24, of Centreville won this year's edition in a fast 16:28, despite the heat. 1984 Olympic marathoner John Tuttle, 48, of Villa Rica, Ga., vied for second place for most of the race before dropping back to sixth place in 17:16, behind Greg Holden, 27, of Washington, second in 16:50; Stan Walsh, 20, of Burke, third in 16:58; and Arlington's Joe Racine, 29, fourth in 17:09.

Among women, Mindy Thomas, 23, of Stafford finished first in 18:48, ahead of the defending champion, Arlington's Toni Marie Diegoli, 28, second in 19:39. Abbey Blume, 24, flourished to fifth place in 22:21.

More than a dozen high school and middle school students ran the race, plus at least one elementary school student -- Jamie Fendley, 8, ran 29:05, with his mother Joyce alongside, as his father, Arlington School Board member Ed Fendley, zipped from point to point by bike to cheer for him.

Erick A. Jordan, 37, finished 10th among men in 39:16 at Friends of the W&OD 10K, and Niko Tombras, 28, took 22nd in 45:43.

Kerry Meagher, 23, of Washington, won the women's mile championship in 5:05.8, with Arlington's Mary Christopher, 22, sixth in 5:24.6.

In the masters' (40+) mile, George Buckheit, 50, of Reston ran 4:54.0 to win. Paul Ryan, 56, was Arlington's top finisher in that race, fifth in 5:22.4.

In the 3000-meter (1.86-mile) championship race, Medina turned the tables, winning in 8:56.7, ahead of Rodriguez's 8:59.9. Arlington's Tonya Dodge, 32, won the women's 3K championship in 10:22.7.

Bright and early on Saturday morning, Michael won Rock 'n Run 8K at Fort Hunt Park in 26:32. Arlington's Samantha Kirby, 37, won the women's race in 32:17.

Then Saturday night, at Rockville Rotary Twilighter 8K, he finished 14th in 25:20 in a stellar international field.

Behind him there were Joe Lamonte, 27, 42nd in 26:35; and Chris Farley, 31, 52nd in 26:52.

Toni Diegoli, 28, was Arlington first female finisher, 28th in 31:48. Megan Sowa, 24, took 38th in 32:50; and Jessie Sackett, 28, was 43rd in 33:07.

Mega-marathoner Dane Rauschenberg, 31, proved his versatility by running a 1:03.3 400-meter, and a 5:10.8 mile, good for seventh place. Douglas Carl, 31, finished second in the mile in 4:51.1. Adam Alderton, 33, ran 100 meters in 11.2 -- fifth place in an excellent time -- then ran the 110 meter hurdles in 20.2.

Vaclav Malek, 24, long-jumped 1.93 meters (6'4") for second in that event; and James Barr, 39, took fourth with 1.73m (5'8"). Barr also threw the shot put 12.99m (42'7.5") for second place and won the javelin in 49.05m (160'11"), ahead of Alderton's 47.8m (156'10").

Still to come this season are meets on July 21, August 4, August 18, and the annual championship September 1-2. See www.pvtc.org for a schedule of events.

Toni Marie Diegoli, 28, ran a come-from-behind race, moving from fifth place to first among women in 26:02. Robyn Hoeschen, 26, was sixth in 27:43; and Alissa Bibb, 25, ran 29:07 for ninth place, with her whole family in town from Jericho, Vt.

Behind Osburn in 10th place was Sushila Nanda, 46, finishing in 21:27 and winning her age group. Jill Metzger, 29, was 44th in 25:58.

The next race in the series in Thursday, July 26, at 6:30 pm at Bluemont Park. See www.novarun.com.