Club News
Club Takes 6th at Rockville Twilighter; Robin Oswald 5th at Cleveland Rock and Roll Triathlon; Prasad Gerard finishes 20th at Vermont 100 Miler; What’s Up Down Under
Race Results
Rockville Twilighter, July 15th
In pleasant conditions on July 15th, WRC took sixth at the Rockville Twilighter 8K. Twilighter was an extremely competitive club race, with Montgomery County Road Runners winning the entire enchilada, followed by local clubs DCRRC, Running Enclave and Fleet Feet. Final results can be found on the RacePacket Website. Below is a list of WRC performances of members who ran on our team
- Todd Martin 26:17
- Chris Hartshorne 26:17
- Bryon Powell 28:35
- Jeff Stratton 28:56
- Mark Drosky 29:20
- Ron McGraw 29:48
- Adina Siegel 36:01
- Marie Sandrock 36:32
- Katherine Turner 37:17
Below is a list of other members, who ran Rockville, though not on the WRC team.
- Jim Hage 25:32
- Eric Rodkin 28:26
- Kim Robinson 29:09
- Patty Fulton 29:09
- Matt Fisher 30:52
- Hannah Howe 33:34
Commented Captain Todd Martin about the race:
“I just kicked in the last 500m or so and passed 5 people. I think Chris picked off a few also. There were certainly more hills than I remembered. We all had fun afterwards though. It has to be one of the more fun races to go to in the area. I’ll get a list of races with team competitions. Perhaps we can get a few more teams together (self-sponsored).”
A couple of encouraging points things about the club’s performance.
- None of the runners who scored for use were members two years ago. This is a new and young group of WRC runners.
- A week before the race, four members who were scheduled to run fell prey to illness and injury. Folks who stepped in at the last minute and selflessly agreed to run, include Adina Siegel (again!) Bryon “Goat” Powell, Katherine Turner “Overdrive” and Jeff “Census Guy” Stratton. These folks with their selfless attitudes saved the club from having to scratch.
- Marie Sandrock is running once again after recovering from her injury. Hooray!
- And perhaps the most encouraging development of all is that Todd Martin’s chip did not fall off his shoe! According to Todd in a humerous aside “chips have a yearning to be free”, as demonstrated by his losing his chip at Lawyers Have Heart back in June.
Spirit of Gettysburg 5K, July 8th
Last we saw Kevin Ryan , he was in a Fenway Park pub, celebrating his Boston Marathon performance with Paul Neimeyer. After a three-month absence, Kevin is back in the saddle. At the Spirit of Gettysburg 5K on July 8th, Kevin posted a 16:59 for 28th place. Says Kevin:
“The Gettysburg race was not my greatest. It is a real fast course and I ran 15:42 there a few years back, so for me a 16:58 wasn’t all that great. BUT…I have a pretty good excuse. I slept in and left DC for Gettysburg at 6:30am for a 8:00am start. Luckily one of my college buddies picked up my number. Parked the car, got changed, SPRINTED to the start, stretched on and only one hamstring and the gun went off. The highlight of the day was actually finding out my Jetta can top 100 MPH when I am in enough of a rush.”
On another subject, it also seems that Kevin is following the lead of Jascha Fields, Robin Oswald, Janet Murray and Steve Tappan, and becoming a triathlete. Says Kevin
“My first triathlon is this Sunday up in middle-o-nowhere Maryland. Its a weird feeling because I have no idea what to expect from the race and those wacko triathletes. FYI…I am not shaving my head or legs and definitely NOT doing the Speedo thing.”
Rock and Roll Triathlon, Cleveland Ohio July 16
Rocking Robin Oswald took fifth among women at the Rock and Roll Triathlon in a time of 2:12. Robin was only five minutes out of first place, and the only woman to break 40 minutes for 10K. Looks like Robin will be ready to throw down the Hammer of Thor at Ironman Canada next month in British Columbia.
Vermont 100 Miler
And in a feat of stunning endurance, Prasad Gerard has finished his second hundred mile race in a month. At the Vermont 100 Miler on July 16th, Prasad took 20th out of 160th in a time of 19:34. This is remarkable, coming only three weeks after Western States 100. No word from Prasad about his expereince. We sure hope he is sleeping, as he has definitely earned it.
Energizer Bunny is the Prasad Gerard of Commerically Compromised Small Toys
Sydney Sun Herald City to Surf 14K
Well, it looks like some of us are having very nice summer vacations. Word from Caitlin Adams, who is bouncing around Australia like a kangaroo with has lots of frequent flyer miles. Caitlin writes us.
” I arrived at 7:30am on Sunday, July 16, and proceeded to run Sydney’s biggest road race, the Sun Herald City to Surf 14K, at 10am. It was a blast – perfect weather (55 degrees – it’s winter here), lots of hills, 50,000 runners, and the finish was on a beach. Good fun was had all around (though I did get a blister – which is unusual). I finished in 73:15 – pretty good considering I could only do a slow jog for the first 3K. I fell asleep that night at 7:30 (after a 24 hour flight and a good hearty race).”
“Happy July”
Sure Caitlin – easy for you to say “Happy July”. You are not condemned to spend July in DC with a bunch of Senatorial Yahoos who want to spend another 60 billions dollars on a missile defense system which could not hit a barn door from ten feet away.
Midsummer Night’s Mile
And last but not least, Treasurer James Scarborough, (the very model of financial rectitude, honesty and precision) posted a 6:20 at the Midsummer Night’s Mile in Rockville. This is all the more impressive as James probably ran the entire race with his beeper, cell phone, calculator, glasses, pocket protector and a brief case. If you see James, remember to congratulate in dignified fashion. Do not go hug him and yell “DUDE! I LOVE YOU A LOT!! AND I REALLY DIG THOSE FINANCIAL GRAPHCS YOU CREATE FOR OUR CLUB MEETING“. This is not James’s style at all.
News of the Club
We have sorrowful news to report. Mr. Jim Hagan, 51, a member of the club twenty years ago, died of cancer in early June. Jim was a heck of a runner in his day, posting 32 minutes for 10K and a sub 2:35 marathon.
In the last decade, Jim made a name for himself as a star salesman at Britches, the male haberdashery at the corner of 17th and K, NW. Clubmates Jon Thoren and Jack Coffey regularly purchased their suits from Jim. To quote a Washington Post obituary of June 12th
” Many Washington movers and shakers depended on Mr. Hagan for guidance on what to wear. He maintained an appointment calendar much like physicians or lawyers, his day more often filled by counseling loyal customers than by working the floor of the store.
He also made home deliveries to ensure that customers were satisfied. Many deliveries included shirts, ties, hats and sports jackets for customers who might have come in only for a suit but found they needed additional items after consulting with Mr. Hagan.
Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, who attended Mr. Hagan’s funeral June 15, recalled that one speaker, the president of Britches, made an observation that nearly everyone in attendance seconded: “Every man at the funeral had chosen the suit he thought Jim Hagan would have picked for him to wear to the event. ”
Mr. Hagan was born in Washington and grew up in Fairfax. He was a graduate of Woodson High School and Virginia Tech. He sold clothing as a young man and became hooked. After joining Britches, he quickly found his calling. He spent a couple of years in Atlanta as a Britches manager but wanted to remain in sales.”
Jim is survived by his wife Fran, and two sons Harrison and Alexander, all of Washington. We extend to each of them our condolences.