Hanson smokes the competition for Katie's hand in marriage

Aspiring medical student and GRC alumnus Ryan Hanson continued a flurry of matrimonial planning for our teammates when he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Katie. Look at him!!!!

Shop Run Saturday

PMurph and I will meet at the store tomorrow at 8 a.m. for an easy 10 or so (a little earlier than usual due to the weather). Anyone interested?

Sunday: Difficult Run

Karl and I are running at here at 9am.

Comment if you want to join.

SENT: Outlaw Engaged!

FLASH: Outlaw engaged...to Calamity Jane (Liz Elko)

Saturday Shop Run

Anyone interested in an hour of easy running starting at 9am?

I'm thinking about staying in the shade and taking the Glover Archibald Trail to Rock Creek before circling back to the Store via the towpath.

Any takers?

Father's Day 8k Photos

Witters descended from the heavens to win this year's race. Photos can be viewed and downloaded:

http://jimmydaly.me/FathersDay2012-1

and

http://jimmydaly.me/FathersDay2012-2

Please tag people you know!

Weekend Wrap & Wednesday Workout

From Coach Jerry:

FATHERS DAY 8K

The FD8K could not have gone better! The race went off without a hitch and it sure seemed to me that everyone who ran enjoyed themselves. Great results don’t happen by accident, and there was a ton of work that went into making the event so wonderfully successful. I know I speak on behalf of everyone when I say thank you for a job well done to Murph and Charlie for shouldering such a huge amount of the load. There were others who did a significant amount of work, but Murph and Charlie deserve special recognition for a job well-done!

RACE RESULTS

We had several athletes in action in the final weekend of the spring season. Witty and LTO represented GRC with distinction at the 8k. Witty did not need to rely on his fabled closing speed to earn the win in 25:20, capping off an excellent season that saw him run major PRs at 800, 1500, and 5000. LTO also finished off her season in fine style with a very solid 29:45, a new GRC meet record. It goes without saying that at GRC we accept nothing less than total victory, but just this one time, we’ll give LTO a pass for finishing second to an athlete sharpening up for the Olympics.

In Duluth, we had an excellent performance from Jake, who I hereby declare officially back in shape after his PR of 1:09:19 in difficult conditions. Jake has worked extremely hard coming back from a serious injury, and his PR was well-earned, to say the least. Beth also ran a nice PR of 1:22:30. Beth was fit to run much faster, but the weather precluded her from truly showing what she can do. Beth had a great season, having previously run huge PRs at 5k, 10k, 10 miles, and she will have her shot at glory in the half this fall. Sam had an off day in Duluth, but his results this season speak for themselves. Sam will learn from this race as he continues to develop into a legitimate national-class performer. Karl also had an off day, but he’s going to keep right on rolling this summer, and the way he’s been improving in the last few weeks bodes well for his return to greatness in the near future.

Last but not least, Meghan Lockett had an outstanding performance at the New Balance high school nationals in North Carolina, running 5:05.43 for the mile, and placing 10th in the emerging elite classification. I’m going to venture way out on the proverbial limb and predict that Meghan has a future in this sport. Well done!

FALL SCHEDULE

Now that we’ve both completed our triumphant spring season we can turn our collective attention to planning for a huge fall. I’ll provide much greater detail soon, but suffice to say for now that I’m working on the fall race schedule, and I hope to submit my draft for notice and comment to the esteemed GRC Board this week, and have a tentative schedule ready for publication no later than early next week. I’m already getting fired up for what promises to be GRC domination!

WORKOUT THIS WEEK

The forecast is for extreme heat on Wednesday, and that will likely be the rule, not the exception, for the next several weeks. In an (admitted feeble) effort to minimize the affect of the heat, we’ll move the start time for practice back to 7:30 pm for the next few weeks (so the warm up is pushed back to 6:45). When the sun gets below the tree line, it provides some relief, so this minor change could help, and certainly won’t hurt.

The men’s turnout this week will likely be small, as many of you are still on (or just starting) your hiatus from track work. Guys, if you plan to come out on Wednesday, give me a holler, and once I see who will be there, I’ll write a workout and send it out on a need to know basis.

I’ll send the women’s workout separately.

Again, sincere thanks to Murph and Charlie for their excellent work at the 8k. 

See you Wednesday at BCC for a 7:30 start.

Witters, Hallissey prevail in 3rd annual Father's Day 8k

Full results can be found here.

FLASH: Matias qualifies for U.S. Father's Day team

Leo Palavecino was born today, giving Matias and Katie a great excuse to miss the 8k. He's 6 pounds and 14 ounces, an even 20 inches long.

From Katie's blog (as of June 14): Going the Distance: baby P has swam: 469.96 miles, biked: 1276.48 miles, walk/ran: 114.20 miles, and done: 51 hot yoga classes

Klim is "top Fox" at USATF Half Marathon Championships

Klim: 1:09:19
Luff: 1:09:22
Dusen: 1:10:05
Young: 1:22:30


Jake picked it up after passing 10 miles in 52:53 and kicked in his last 1.3 miles pretty solidly to furiously outkick Sam at the finish, or so I imagine. It's the cherry on top of a successful comeback from an injury-riddled 18 months for the Red Fox. Nobody passed him after the fifth mile. Took down turncoat Sloane in mile 4.

GRC Set to Hold 3rd Annual Father's Day 8K

Now in its third year, the Father’s Day 8K – to be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17 – will feature an Olympian, a national champion at distances ranging from 50 to 100 kilometers, some of Georgetown Running Company Racing Team’s best athletes, a 1K fun run for children, and plenty of free cupcakes.

Held on a flat-and-fast, out-and-back course on the C&O Canal Towpath in Georgetown, the GRC Racing Team-produced event has a tradition of providing families with the perfect outing to cap the holiday. And the event is perfectly timed with Men’s Health Week, part of a month-long campaign to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and women.

“An evening race gives dads the morning to sleep in and the afternoon to spend with their families. Then they can bring the family to Georgetown to cheer for them while they race and cap off a relaxing Fathers Day taking everyone to Thomas Sweet for a well-deserved ice cream,” Race Director Patrick Murphy said.

During the Father’s Day 8K, most of the racing team’s members will volunteer rather than race. The event serves as the club’s sole source of funding, which allows members a modest stipend to travel to professional competitions and national championships to represent both the team and the regional running scene.

All participants will receive a technical race shirt. Awards will be presented at a post-race happy hour at Chadwick’s to the top three men and women, the top men and women in each 10-year age group, and to the top Father-Son and Father-Daughter teams.

For marathoner Claire Hallissey, 29, a U.K. native who has lived in Arlington, Va., since 2010, the Father’s Day 8K will serve as one of her final tune-ups before she heads to London to represent Britain in the summer Olympics.

“The timing of the events works perfectly into my training for the Olympics, and the canal is one of my favorite training spots,” said Hallissey, who claimed a place on the Olympic marathon team by running 2:27:44, good for 10th overall, at April’s Virgin London Marathon.

On the men’s side, the Father’s Day 8K features Michael Wardian, a 37-year-old Arlington resident who works as an international ship broker at a Georgetown company. In addition to that, Wardian, a father of two, has racked up national titles at 50K and 100K, is a three-time Ultra Runner of the Year, and has won the District’s National Marathon six times. In last year’s Father’s Day 8K, he placed third just a day after running a new personal marathon best of 2:17:49, qualifying him for his third U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.


Representing GRC, Laura O’Hara and Ryan Witters will be in the mix of contenders vying for titles.

O’Hara (right), 32, of Alexandria was a two-time Foot Locker finalist who later competed for Stanford University, and was twice ranked in the country’s top 10 for the steeplechase. The U.S. House of Representatives historian was the top American at the 2010 Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, and is coming off a personal best of 35:51 at the Pike’s Peek 10K in April.

Witters (left) lives in the District, and is a 2011 graduate of the University of Evansville. The engineer at Clark Construction has run personal bests on the track this spring in the 800, 1500, and 5,000: 1:54.3, 3:53.6 and 14:40, respectively.

“Laura and Ryan are indicative of the two types of athletes we’ve built the team around: the established star and the developmental runner,” Jerry Alexander, the racing team’s head coach, said. “Laura has competed at the highest levels of the sport, and she continues to excel. Ryan, on the other hand, came to GRC with lots of talent but very little experience, and has learned from more established athletes what it takes to run at a high level.”

The race will start and finish on the canal towpath in Georgetown at Potomac and Grace Streets, NW, and the turnaround is near Fletcher’s Boathouse. Water will be available at the midway point.

After the race, participants will be able to enjoy refreshments from our featured sponsors, cupcakes provided by Georgetown Cupcakes, and meet with representatives of the Men’s Health Week Campaign.

After the post-race celebration and awards ceremony, all participants are invited to a happy hour at Chadwicks (3205 K Street NW, D.C.), which will offer beer and appetizer specials.

2012 Fathers Day 8K Sponsors:

• Georgetown Running Company
• Georgetown Cupcake
• Chadwick’s
• Tim Horst & Jim Whitnah of Llewellyn Realtors
• Ambassador Travel
• Honest Tea
• Thomas Sweet

To register, and for more about information about the race, go to www.fathersday8k.com. On race day, registration will held at the Georgetown Running Company (3401 M Street NW, D.C.) from 2-4:30 p.m., and at the start/finish at Potomac and Grace Streets from 5-6:15 p.m. To enter the father-son and father-daughter competition, email fathersday8k@gmail.com.

--Dickson Mercer

CTR - 4:31 for 70.3

FLASH: CTR swims, rides and runs 4:31 at Eagleman. This writer has no idea what that means...

GRC Wins Press Club 5k

REPORT: course was long (again)

BYSTANDER:  "Damn, those Georgetown Running girls are here again.  Last year they had like 5 girls, and they all broke 20!  They make me feel bad about myself."

  1.   51:44 Georgetown Running Club    (  17:15)
=====================================
  1    16:33  Brian McCabe            M 26
  2    17:04  Matt Logam              M 35
  3    18:07  Lindsay Donaldson       F 26
  4 (  18:19) Hilary May              F 23
  5 (  18:31) Lauren Woodall          F 26
  6 (  18:51) Elizabeth Laseter       F 23
  7 (  19:00) Susan Hendrick          F 26

Sunday: The Line @ 9

We'll probably run a 10-12 mile loop and then add on as necessary.

Shop Run Saturday

For those not competing/cheering at the Press Club 5K, there will be a shop run featuring our USATF Half Marathon Team on Saturday at 9am.  Provide extra time to arrive and find parking as the Lawyers Have Heart 10K will be going on that morning, shutting down roads and consuming many parking spaces.

GRC debutantes ready for Press Club 5k

The GRC Racing Team will take a shot at top team honors at the Beat The Deadline! Press Club 5k Saturday morning with two promising new additions.

Middle distance aces Hilary May and Brian McCabe will wear GRC uniforms for the first time as they move up in distance. May holds Harvard's record in the 1000m at 2:49.07, where she twice finished second at the Heptagonal Championships. She also ran 2:08.7 for 800 meters, and 4:30 for 1500 meters.

McCabe holds American University's 1000m record at 2:24.9, and also ran 1:52.2 for 800, and 3:48.3 for 1500.

"Both of these athletes will be major contibutors to our progam in the months and years to come," said GRC coach Jerry Alexander.  Hilary is a young runner with tremendous untapped potential at 5k and 10k, and she is ready to make the transition to longer distances.  Brian took some time off after college, and he is ready to get back to competing on a very high level, both on the track, and on the roads.  I'm extremely excited to see what they can do this fall, and beyond."

They will join Susan Hendrick, Lindsay Donaldson and Lauren Woodall at the race. Joe Wiegner may show up to meet Tony Horton's push up challenge.

Witty Double: 4:22/15:10

FLASH: Witty tunes up for his inevitable victory in the Father's Day 8k with a 4:22/15:10 double at the Real Estate Games at American University. this evening.

In the 5k, Witty lapped the entire field once, and much of the field 4 or 5 times, and dodged traffic for the final 4k.  Despite his victory, he failed to secure a phone number from any of the Redskins cheerleaders in attendance. 

FLASH: Order restored to Washington Running Scene

UPDATE:  Klim kompletes 20 mile "Dueling Ferries" course in 1:59:03, wresting the course record from He Who Shall Not Be Named and returning it to it's rightful place with the GRC. 

I am running "Duel Ferries" (sic) tomorrow at 8:30am. As most of you know, "Duel Ferries" is a ten mile loop run over natural terrain. I aim to run two loops and treat it as a progression run. CTR will be joining be for the second loop starting around 9:40am (getting there by 9:30am). If anyone wants to join for the first loop (8:30am) or the second (9:30am) let me know. I could use all the help I can get.

"Duel Ferries" starts at the intersection of Edward's Ferry Rd and River Rd in Poolesville.

Welcoming a new BAIN!

Congratulations are in order for Chris Bain and Shannon O'Neill.  Seamus Malcolm Bain was born at 7:59pm this evening.

Saturday Run

Anyone interested in an 8 AM run on Saturday from the Georgetown Store? I'm looking to do about 65 minutes.