FLASH: LOCAL WOMAN SPOTS METEOR

Last night, during one of her nightly stares into the sky at 15th and T NW, Kerry saw a meteor at roughly 9:20.

http://www.amsmeteors.org/members/imo_view/browse_reports?event=PENDING

As reported to the American Meteor Society, there is some question as to the presence of a "Frag." Though her experience level is recorded as "1," it is apparent that the number serves as a ranking. When did you see your last meteor? I thought so...

DEVELOPING: several people confirmed this sighting, I says

Grandma's Marathon: BREAKING: 3 MASSIVE marathon PRs!

BREAKING NEWS: 

Our marathoners all set HUGE PRs at Grandma's Marathon!! Kristin ran 2:48:06* for a TEN minute PR (and the #3 spot on the GRC All-Time list), Kieran ran 2:20:47 to PR by EIGHT minutes (taking the #2 spot on the All-Time list), and Outlaw ran 2:26:50, a FIVE minute PR!! A truly awesome day for GRC marathoners! Details and play by play below:

*all times are unofficial.

Our distance crew is taking on Grandma's marathon this morning. Stay tuned here for updates (or check out @runnerteal on Twitter for more minute by minute analysis/general nonsense.)

Weather conditions: cloudy and rainy, but cool. So far thunderstorms are holding off. All our racers are agreed the rain beats DC's humidity. 

10K splits:

Kieran - 32:44 (on pace for 2:20:33)

Outlaw - 34:39 (2:28:47 pace)

Kristin - 39:16 (2:48:40 pace) 

Half splits:

These marathoners know what they are doing! After conservative starts, they are all settling in and cranking down the pace. 

Kieran - 1:08:54 (2:17:47 pace, aka OTQ pace!)

Outlaw - 1:13:35 (2:26:49 pace) 

Kristin - 1:23:09 (2:46:17 pace) 

20 mile splits:

Kieran - 1:45:28 (2:18:09 pace) 

Outlaw  - 1:51:51 (2:26:32 pace) 

Kristin - 2:06:46 (2:46:03 pace) 

Finish (unofficial):

Kieran - 2:20:47 (~8 min PR!!!, #2 GRC All-Time!)

Outlaw - 2:26:50 (~5 min PR!!) 

Kristin- 2:48:06 (~10 min PR!!!!, #3 GRC All-Time!)

Weekend Preview: Grandma's Marathon and Father's Day 8K

Over the river and through the woods (and halfway across the country), to Grandma’s Marathon the GRC racers go.

After slogging through high mileage weeks in even higher humidity, a hardy group of GRC distance specialists is eager to reap the rewards by heading west to Duluth, MN for the Grandma’s Marathon and Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon this Saturday. Luke "The Blond Whale" Meyer, Kieran "Rube" O'Connor, Jerry "Outlaw" Greenlaw, and Kristin "Snakes" Johnson are all in excellent shape and ready to use the notoriously flat and fast courses to go after Olympic Trials qualifying times and huge PRs.

Kieran and Outlaw at Cherry Blossom. Photo by Cheryl Young. 

Luke is looking to make a third trip to the Olympic Trials by qualifying for the marathon with a 1:05 half marathon. After racing the Garry Bjorklund Half last year, he is back with a vengeance. An excellent spring training session should help him stake claim to the standard.

In the full marathon, Kieran is ready to nab a trials qualifier by going after the 2:18 standard. Kieran is in the best shape of his life and has looked great in workouts; “He has a real shot at qualifying,” says Coach Jerry.

After making promising marathon debuts in 2014, Outlaw and Kristin are ready to show the marathon who’s boss. With lessons learned from their debuts combined with recent training, their times are ready to fall in a big way. Coach Jerry says, “Outlaw’s training was excellent, and he’s looking at running a big PR.” Kristin is in great shape, running some superb workouts this spring after a PR-filled fall. Coach Jerry states what those who have run with Kristin know first hand: she is ready for a major breakthrough.

Yours truly will be on location in Duluth to bring the breaking news of breaking PRs and OTQs so stay tuned Saturday morning!

On Sunday, back along our own river and woods, GRC is hosting the 6th annual Father’s Day 8K. Celebrate Father’s Day with a flat, fast run along the C & O Towpath, a family-friendly atmosphere, and a finish jam-packed with homemade treats (some of which may be literally jam packed) and amazing raffle prizes! Sign up today!

A few dozen reasons to sign up for the 8K.

FLASH: GRC debutante Hannah Rowe shows the most heart at Lawyers

Photo by Lavar Curley

On a classically muggy summer morning in DC, Hannah Rowe made her GRC debut a good one, winning the Lawyers Have Heart 5k on Saturday in a sensational time of 17:35. Shauneen Werlinger was nipping on her coattails with a second place effort of 17:42. Both of these ladies have earned a spot in the GRC top 5 all-time with these excellent performances.

The GRC men also showed the humidity who's boss with a 1-2-3 sweep. Luke Meyer ran 15:46 for the win, followed by Sean O'Leary in second with a time of 16:35, and Dave O'Hara finished with a solid third place run of 16:59.

Up next for the GRC is Grandma's Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon on Saturday, June 20. The GRC contingent of Kristin Johnson, Luke Meyer, Kieran O'Connor, and Jerry Outlaw will hope for a bit less humidity in the northern town of Duluth, Minnesota as they'll all be striving to hit the personal bests for which they've been training hard all season. Stay tuned for a race preview this week!

Duluth News Tribune honors Nina and welcomes the GRC to Grandma's Marathon

The Duluth News Tribune has written a stellar article about Nina Brekelmans and the GRC in anticipation of the events of next weekend.

Georgetown Running Club members come to Grandma's Marathon mourning death of teammate by Louie St. George


Kristin Johnson, Kieran O'Connor, Luke Meyer, and Jerry Greenlaw will represent the GRC at Grandma's. Kristin, Kieran, and Jerry will run the full 26.2 miles, while Luke will run the half. Both races will take place Saturday morning in Duluth, Minnesota.

Our teammate Nina

After making her mark in Kentucky, Mexico, New Hampshire, Egypt, Jordan and Washington, D.C., Nina Brekelmans was about to head back to the Middle East, ready to take on the world when a fire in her Dupont Circle rowhouse June 3 claimed her and a neighbor. She was 25.

She had finished her Master’s in Arab Studies at Georgetown less than three weeks earlier and her parents, who are living in China, were on hand for commencement.

She was due to return to Jordan, to work on a Fulbright grant studying women’s athletics as a means of encouraging confidence and self esteem. Her high school friend and GRC teammate Mary Grace Pellegrini said that on the verge of her new life, Nina was primed to change the world with her energy, talent, intellect and raw determination.

“She was at a happy stage of her life,” Mary Grace said. “She had a sincere and deep love for the people of the Middle East. It’s where she felt at home.”

While in Jordan during part of a one-year language and cultural immersion fellowship (she started in Egypt until civil unrest prompted Americans to leave), she won her first attempt at a half marathon at the Dead Sea, taking home some prize money, meeting members of the royal family and generally being treated “like a star,” Mary Grace said.

“She was an absolute dynamo,” she added. “And she was so proud to wear her GRC shirt on the podium.”

About the half marathon, she said, "for once in my life, I am quite pleased with the result, as well!"

That gave some insight into the standards that she set for herself. Despite taking up the sport in earnest only a few years before, and having won the Cross Country on the Farm 5k in 2012 in Derwood, Md., she was only starting to be satisfied with her performances when she won on a competitive stage.

Nina came to competitive running later in life than most of her teammates. While an undergrad at Dartmouth, she rowed on the crew team, but a run at home in Louisville during a semester break with Mary Grace opened a new door for her.

“I told her ‘Nina, you’re running really fast, you’re in great shape,’” Mary Grace said. “I told her she could probably walk on to the team at Dartmouth. She played soccer (and tennis) in high school but would have been one of our best cross country runners.” 

So Nina showed up to the Dartmouth home invitational, cheered on by professors, friends and crew teammates who knew they’d lose her from the team if she ran too fast. She did, and became a harrier for the Big Green. 

“Her career at Dartmouth was limited by injury, but she ran some very solid times in college,” said GRC Coach Jerry Alexander. The highlight of her collegiate career came in Boston, where she ran a 9:56 3000m. “She was essentially a very talented beginner when she joined GRC in the fall of 2012.  She was really committed to continue her development with GRC, and was training extremely well.”

Injuries plagued her throughout her running career, but they only affected her body. She remained determined throughout and committed to her teammates both new and old. She beemed with pride when she had a chance to watch college teammate Alexi Pappas race in Alexandria last fall at the .US National 12k, and even though she loved her experiences in Egypt (before relocating to Jordan during her language fellowship), she regretted missing out on celebrating teammates’ successes.

“It's been really fun to follow your racing results and see massive PR after PR. Wish I were there to enjoy these moments with you!” she wrote to her teammates.

Mary Grace remembered her as a devoted and genuine friend. 

“Nina would remember things about people that they’d just mention in passing,” she said. “She knew I had a great race at the Penn Relays, and she found a poster for the meet while visiting her brother at Penn and gave it to me."

That handoff meant carrying the vintage poster with her across the eastern United  States over a few weeks. 

"That’s the kind of thing she’d do for her friends. She was a wonderful friend and so sincere."

And despite those injuries, she was determined to do something with her running. As she left for Cairo she told her teammates she wasn’t going to let inconveniences keep her from the sport she had grown to love.

“I do plan on training in Cairo,” she wrote at the time. “Through the heat, pollution and traffic, and probably getting shouted at.”

That was typical Nina.

“She was always challenging herself,” Mary Grace said. “To excel at academics, to go after the most competitive scholarships in the country, to learn another language. With Arabic, she was really on another level, truly exceptional.”

That future was going to take her away from D.C., but not before she made an impression on her teammates.

“Nina was very, very proud to be part of GRC,” Jerry said. “She was willing to do whatever it was going to take to hang with the girls, and she was a great teammate in every sense of the word.”

I'd hear her wheezing as she'd push to keep up with her far more seasoned teammates and initially thought it was an indication of some weakness, but I realized quickly that it was indicative of her strength and focus to do what it took to be a better runner, to push herself harder.

We’re left to only imagine where she would have topped out and the impact she would have had in the Middle East and beyond.

“She was ready to go out into the world and make a difference,” Mary Grace said. 

Wednesday workout, June 3

RACES

Frances set another club record on Saturday, running 4:30.9 for the win at the New Balance Twilight 1500 in Boston. Despite the record, Frances's race is not one that she will remember fondly, to say the least, as she was injured in the final 100 meters, and the injury will preclude her from reaching her goal of qualifying for nationals. Frances is understandably disappointed by the premature conclusion to what had been a very, very promising season, but she's overcome much more significant setbacks than this, and she will be back better than ever, and will proudly represent GRC at the Olympic Trials in 2016.

In happier club record news, Susan ran 2:16.01 for 800 for a very close second place in the Garden State Track Club meet in New Jersey. Susan's performance was impressive on several fronts, including that this was her first 800 since 2009, her training has not been at all geared towards a race that short, and she didn't even know that she was running the 800 until about an hour before the gun went off. In yet another excellent performance during his breakthrough season, Cabell won the 1500 at the GSTC meet in 3:53.9, and while Cabell fell short of the club record, he's taking one more shot at it tomorrow night in Philadelphia, and if the conditions are conducive, he's got a great chance to put his name at the top of the list.

On the roads, Shauneen continued her winning ways at the We've Got Your Back Race for Spinal Health, running 17:58. Sean O'Leary ran 16:37 for 5th place, and while they both hoped to run faster, the course was extremely challenging, and the heat and humidity didn't make things any easier. Finally, Sean Barrett gave it a go at the San Diego Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Realizing that it was not his day, he turned around at the 5 mile mark to head back to his car. Sean's description of what came next is worth sharing. "Thankfully, a good 25-30 people felt the need to inform me that I was running in the wrong direction. As if the tens of thousands of people going the correct direction was not enough of an indication."

WORKOUT

The men are at BCC on Wednesday for our normal 7:15 start, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

It's ladies night on Tuesday, and we'll also get going at 7:15, with a 6:30 warmup.

Jerry

Club records fall up north

We had another hot weekend of racing here at the GRC, one week after summer's unofficial start. Even when DC's heat and humidity make workouts slow, legs sluggish, and temperaments cranky, training and racing do not take a hiatus for this adaptable team. Despite the dramatic return of summer, two club records came tumbling down, in addition to several other good performances both near and far.

After calling an audible on her race choice for the day when only one other person showed up to run the 1500, Susan Hendrick defied expectations to run a 2:16.01 in the 800 meters at the adidas Garden State Twilight Open Meet in New Jersey. Although such short distances are not typically in the GRC women's team's collective wheelhouse, Susan demonstrated true resolve in running an excellent time and setting a high bar as the new club record. Flexibility and versatility and are paramount here at the GRC!

At the same meet, Cabell Willis narrowly missed another 1500 meter PR with a first place effort of 3:53.94.

Frances Koons raced to a solid finish of 4:30.91 for the win at the New Balance Boston Twilight series meet #2, which is far from her PR, but also a new club record.

Closer to home, at the We've Got Your Back Race for Spinal Health 5k in Reston, Shauneen didn't back down in turning in a performance of 17:58, a win by well over a minute. She'll look to back up that solid race in a few weeks at the Father's Day 8k (register here!). Sean O'Leary also didn't hold back with a fifth place run of 16:37.

Although races over the next few weeks will be more sparsely attended than usual, the GRC will look to take every opportunity to heat things up and run some fast times. Stay tuned on the blog, because you won't want to miss a thing!

Dickson relishes heat before escaping to Scandanavia

Dix refused to wilt in the heat this morning during the Herndon Festival 10k, taking the lead from Charlie around four miles in and cruising to a 34:40 first place finish on a hilly but enjoyable looping course.

Wednesday workout, May 27

RACES

Cabell and Stewart kept the PR train rolling at the Loudon Street Mile, with Cabell placing second in 4:11.8, and Stewart fourth in 4:14.7. Cabell and Stewart ran negative splits, and passed several athletes in the last 800 in what was a successful and lucrative day for them both. Cabell is now officially a GRC Club Record holder in the newly minted Road Mile category, and Stewart is third on the all-time list (behind some guy named Witters, who ran 4:12.4 last year). Cabell is going to have a shot at setting a club record in a more well-established event when he runs the 1500 at the Garden State Track Club meet on Saturday. The way he's going, I wouldn't bet against him.

WORKOUT

We're at BCC on Wednesday for our normal 7:15 start, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

Jerry

FLASH: TWO YUTES UNDER 4:15 IN WINCHESTER

Running on what S. Mark Courtney called a "picture perfect morning" in Winchester, Cabell Willis and Discotheque Stewart Reich ran 4:11.8 and 4:14.7 to finish second and fourth at the Loudoun Street Mile. They were bookended by Pacers runners with a Georgetown undergrad in between. The course has a net downhill, so the times will not put Cabell and Stew at number one and four, respectively, on our all-time performance list, but it's a harbinger of things to come when they hit the track again.

FLASH: Wednesday night 800m fun

Who says you need a fully-attended track meet to run a PR? At the inaugural GRC Twilight 800m Invitational, Stewart and Cabell ran 1:55 and 1:56 respectively. See video below for proof:

Wednesday workout, May 20

RACES

We had a some strong performances on the roads this weekend. On Saturday, Kevin continued his winning ways with a comfortable victory at the Germantown 5 Miler in 25:55. Unlike his recent races that were battles to the tape, Kevin was in control of this one from the gun. Charlie was second in a solid 26:25 two weeks after his huge half marathon PR. On Sunday, Shauneen won the Capital Hill Classic 10k in 37:18. Despite the relatively slow time, Shauneen ran quite well considering the temperature, and the fact that she had been feeling under the weather for a couple of days before the race. On the men's side, Wertz was third in 33:48. In the Wild Half Marathon in Wildwood, NJ, Teal and Kristin continued their buildup for Grandmas, with Teal winning in 1:21:21, and Kristin finishing second in 1:22:13. Teal and Kristin were not pleased with the times, but there's no doubt that the heat and humidity and lack of competition slowed them down considerably, and I'm confident that they're both on track for big PRs in Duluth.

WORKOUT

We're at BCC on Wednesday for our normal 7:15 start, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

Jerry

Winners aplenty in mid-May

GRC runner won no fewer than four races over the weekend, highlighted, distance-wise, by Teal and Kristin's 1-2-finish at the Wild Half Marathon in New Jersey. Teal (1:21:21) spent time trailing only the male leader before finishing a close third overall with Kristin (1:22:13) finishing sixth overall. Another eight minutes and four seconds passed before the third woman finished, and their times both easily eclipsed the 1:25:20 record set in the inaugural race last year.

They might have run even fast if they had entered their plans on the team racing schedule.

Closer to home, Shauneen won the Capitol Hill Classic in 37:18 and Dave Wertz finished third in 33:48. Though a Saturday evening shower washed a lot of pollen out of the air, the resulting ambient humidity kept runners from having too much fun out there.

Saturday morning, Johnny Running and Charlie went 1-2 at the Germantown 5 Miler, running 25:55 and 26:25, respectively, on a hot morning.

Photo by Alex Reichmann

Chili Balmer climbed his way to victory in the Fountainhead Off-Road 10k in Fairfax County's Fountainhead Park.

FLASH: Cabell PRs again!

Cabell Willis has moved into third place on the GRC all-time list for the 1500 meters with a great showing at the Swarthmore Final Qualifier meet this evening. His time of 3:53.91, almost two seconds faster than his previous best, was good for 27th place in the high caliber field. This marks his fourth PR in four races, likely establishing a new GRC record for longest PR streak. Our interns will look into it.

Paul Balmer joins the PR parade with a run of 15:05.18 in the 5000 meters, an 8 second personal best.


FULL RESULTS - Swarthmore Final Qualifier

1500 meters

27. Cabell Willis 3:53.91 (PR!)


5000 meters

12. Paul Balmer 15:05.18 (PR!)
21. Stewart Reich 15:13.97
32. Dickson Mercer 15:22.91

Weekday preview: Taking one last chance at Swarthmore

After a very quiet weekend, the GRC takes to the track tomorrow evening for the Swarthmore Last Chance meet. This meet has always been a successful one for the team, and with the endless fun sure to transpire on the GRC van ride up to Philadelphia, it's truly a win-win all around.

Cabell Willis will shoot for a third consecutive PR in as many races when he toes the line in the 1500.

The 5000 will feature many of GRC's best and brightest talents, including Stewart Reich, Sean O'Leary, Dave Wertz, Dickson Mercer, and Paul Balmer. Many will look to close their spring seasons with a fast time, so look out for PRs to fall on Monday night.

Finally, everyone here at at the GRC would like to wish all of the mothers out there a very happy Mother's Day! It is no easy task to sit patiently through all-day track meets for a few minutes of action, to run over hill and dale just to get a few extra cheers in during cross country races, and to comfort a tired kid on a long ride home after a bad race. We wouldn't be where we are today without the support of our moms along the way.

We of course also want to take a minute to celebrate GRC's resident mommas, Laura O'Hara and Shauneen Werlinger. Greta, Benjamin, and all of the GRC are lucky to have you around!

FLASH: Phil wins Maine Coast Marathon in 26.2 debut

Phil Royer ran 2:30:44 for the win, in his first marathon, ever, in his life. He commented that it was just "for fun" and "with a friend," but we all know that no one at the GRC ever backs down from a challenge.

After rounding out the day with some lobstah, Phil has no comment yet about whether he will continue his undefeated marathon streak with another attempt someday. Time will tell!

Wednesday workout, May 6

There were so many great performances this weekend that I'm going to run out of superlatives to describe them. In fact, I could exhaust my supply of SAT words just talking about Frances's race at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford, where she made an outstanding track 10,000 debut in 33:17 which, it goes without saying, is a new club record. Indeed, Frances came through 5,000 in approximately 16:17, which is 10 seconds faster than her week-old club record at that distance. Frances was knocking heads with a world-class field, and it was beyond inspiring to see her fighting hard for the full distance. Frances's race is all the more impressive because due to a series of setbacks over the winter, she's only been training hard for about four weeks. Frances is very much on the upswing, and she's going to try to qualify for nationals in the 5,000 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more great results from that plucky kid!

We also had some excellent results on the track at the Maryland Kehoe Twilight Invitational, where Cabell kept the PR train rolling by running 3:55.8 for 1500, which is 5th on the all-time GRC list. Until this spring, Cabell hadn't run a PR since 2012, and he's now making up for lost time with his third PR in his last 3 meets. Also in the 1500, Phil ran a strong 3:56.1, followed by Stewart in 3:59.9, and Balmer in 4:12.2. Stewart's overly aggressive early tactics cost him a shot at a PR, but he learned a valuable lesson about competing on this level, and we're sure to see a big PR from him at 1500 later this spring. In the women's 1500, Susan looked very good in winning her heat in 4:43.2, and she will run much faster later this season in a more competitive race. Tina's 4:53 is not indicative of her fitness, and she too will run much faster later this spring. Last but not least, Otto ran a very nice PR in the 5,000 of 15:23.7, aided by Phil's sterling pacemaking for 3800 meters. Otto has decided to matriculate at Galludet, and his time on Friday was well under the school record, so we're going to see him rewrite the record books in the next 4 years.

The action on the roads was highlighted by our women's crew at the Broad Street 10 Miler, where we had excellent performances across the board. Lindsay led the way in 59:21, followed by Teal in a huge PR of 59:24, Kristin in 60:16, and Maura in a big PR of 60:56. Because Lindsay has been dealing with a variety of injuries all year, she entered the race with the (modest for her) goal of breaking 60, and she was pleasantly surprised to be able to handle an aggressive early pace and finish strong. Teal probably would have broken 60 at Cherry Blossom had the course been accurate, and she left no doubt in Philly, running a 55 second PR, which places her 4th on the all-time GRC list. Teal's dramatic improvement at the shorter distances bodes extremely well for another PR in the marathon at Grandmas. Kristin's performance was a big step forward in her preparation for Grandmas, where she will be looking for a Teal-style breakthrough. Maura ran a 33 second PR as she continues to make a strong transition to the longer road distances. On the men's side, Jake ran a very solid 52:25, and while the time was not what he was hoping for, Jake competed extremely well, and he was pleased with the effort.

We had thee impressive performances at the half marathon distance. Sean Barrett ran 1:07:50 at the Orange County half, and he would have threatened his PR if not for the fact that he was obstructed repeatedly by slower runners in the full marathon, which started 40 minutes before the half. Sean continues his return to full fitness despite his grueling schedule, and he's going to take a shot at PRs in the full and half later this spring. In what was probably the best race of his life, Charlie ran a 45 second PR of 1:10:10 at the Pittsburgh half, much to the delight of his rabid hometown fans. Kieran ran a hard tempo of 1:10:24 at the Frederick half as he continues his preparation for a major breakthrough in the full at Grandmas.

In the shorter road distances, Kevin continued his domination of the local scene by winning the George Washington Birthday 10k in 31:15. Unlike last week when his 10 mile debut came down to the bitter end, Kevin was able to take the measure of his high-level competition early, and cruised the last 2 miles for a comfortable win. And speaking of domination, Shauneen crushed the field at the Run for the Children 8k, winning in 29:42, crossing the line more than 40 seconds ahead of the top man. Well done to all!

WORKOUT

We're set for our normal 7:15 start at BCC, so meet for the warmup at 6:30.

Jerry

Weekend Results: multiple PRs and one club record

Breuters Wire Services-

Results are trickeling in on this big week of racing. It turns out that horses are not the only creatures sending 'em this weekend.

Kehoe Twilight Meet

Women's 1500:
Susan Hendrick 4:43.28
Tina Morrison 4:53.79

Men's 1500:
Cabell Willis 3:55.82 (PR!)
Phil Royer 3:56.18
Stewart Reich 3:59.93
Paul Balmer 4:12.29

Men's 5000:
Otto Kingsted 15:23.70 (PR!)

Stanford Invitational

Frances Koons- 33:17. Club record for the 10k!

Broad Street 10m

LDO 59:21

Teal Burrell 59:24 PR!

Kristen Johnson 60:16

Maura Carroll 60:56 PR! (An impressive feat after an intense week of blogging).

Klim 52:25

Zak 57:19

Frederick half

Kieran 1:10:24. Send 'em!

Pittsburgh Half
Ban 1:10:10 PR! Quote: "Today's success is owing to the hard training," Ban may have said.


Orange County Half Marathon
Sean Barrett 1:07:50 5th OA!


GW Birthday 10K
Kevin McNabb 31:15 1st OA! (the latest in a string of victories in George Washington races)


Run for the Children 8K
Shaunnen 29:42 1st OA!
  

Weekend preview: Philadelphia in one corner, College Park in the other

Another busy racing weekend is yet again upon us. Weekdays sure do fly by when we have so many races to look forward to! Let’s get down to business, shall we?

This week’s theme is a tale of two cities. There will be two large events dominating the GRC racing scene this weekend, with our track group swiping their SmarTrips for the green line metro train to nearby College Park for the Jim Kehoe Twilight Meet on Friday night, and the distance group making sure to pack their EZ-Passes to appease the numerous I-95 tollbooths all the way up to Philadelphia for the 10 mile Broad Street Run. The GRC will be hoping for the best of times when the respective guns go off.

At Maryland, all six of our runners are attempting the 1500 meters. Talk about team unity!

GRC's women will be represented by Susan Hendrick and Tina Morrison. Learning from an incident a few weeks ago when she overlooked her life experience of racing on tracks for over a decade and chose to sport flats at the Hopkins-Loyola Invitational 5k, Susan has opted to pack her spikes for Friday's race. She was even able to remember to bring them to the track on Wednesday and acquaint them with her feet via some striding. Get ready for her to unleash the speed! Tina, on the other hand, has run a 1500 (in spikes!) already this season, so the pair will look to work together and end up with some fast times.

We are all hopeful for a reenactment of this shot on Friday evening.

On the men’s side, GRC’s racers include Phil Royer, Cabell Willis, Stewart Reich, and Paul Balmer. Phil and Cabell will both be bouncing back from their performances on the track at Penn just last week. If fitness is determined by the boldness of one’s clothing, Cabell’s fashion-forward white and red striped split shorts at the Wednesday workout this week indicate he is extremely fit. His recent string of PRs seem to indicate it as well! Paul and Stewart have already raced at Maryland this season, so the group may look to them for guidance and wisdom, as well as for their advice on where to find the mysteriously-placed starting line of their 1500 meter race.

This GRC battle will give the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight a run for its money as the most anticipated contest of the weekend, so hop on the metro and support the team!

Frances Koons will face a loaded 10k field at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford on Saturday night. This will be perhaps the most competitive 10k in the country this spring, and she is looking to use the undoubtedly fast pace and ample competition to take a shot at the USATF Championship Meet qualifying time of 32:58.00. While Frances’ spring season is young, she is hoping for a great showing with the aid of some of the nation’s best distance runners around her along with GRC-ers far and wide cheering her on at home.

On the other end of the spectrum, some distance runners who have not seen the likes of a track meet in quite a while will take to the street(s) of Philly for a fast and full 10 miles on Sunday morning at the Broad Street Run. Jake Klim and Zak Miller will represent GRC’s men, and Teal Burrell, Lindsay O’Brien, Kristin Johnson, and Maura Carroll will make up the women’s cohort. Teal, Lindsay, and Kristin are all in the thick of preparations for Grandma’s Marathon in late June (But they will be sure to not miss the Father’s Day 8K that same weekend! We are multitaskers here at the GRC.) so will primarily be using this race as another tuneup. Teal, the GRC’s token Olympic Trials qualifier, has shaved a lot of time off of her 10 mile PR in the last few seasons, but has not yet been able to crack the looming 60 minute threshold. She was on track to do so at Cherry Blossom until 0.61 miles were removed from the course, so she will do all she can to ensure that a sub-60 time is printed in ink following Broad Street. That she is so fit at this early stage of her very long season bodes extremely well for success at 26.2 miles in a couple of months. She also is trying to run faster than her brother, but we will consider that a secondary goal. Read more here on her excellent blog!

Zak is also nervous to run into the guy who wrote this Broad Street article found by Charlie, so let’s cross our fingers that they don’t meet.

Rounding out the GRC's weekend of action is Kevin McNab, who will be running the George Washington Birthday Classic 10k on Sunday morning. He will look to extend his undefeated streak to 2-0, and apparently also continues to prefer races incorporating the name of our first president. Honestly though, who doesn't?

And oh yeah, Sean Barrett will continue to singularly hold up our west coast chapter by running a half marathon in San Diego.

This will be another weekend for the record books, so hopefully everyone can keep up.

Send ‘em!