Dan Yi sealing his 79th overall, first American and silver medalist finish at the 2013 Comrades Marathon.
Our own Dan Yi ventured to South Africa to run the Comrades Marathon on June 2nd. We know he is fit, we know he is awesome, we know he has a great attitude but did we know that ANYONE could report having kicked it in after 54 miles? Could we have imagined he would say this was “the best running experience of my life”? Continue reading
Running has become as much a part of July 4th as fireworks and parades.
The Washington Running Club used to run a 5K in Potomac, Md., then head to Tris Kruger’s place, but that wholesome tradition has passed.
In my hometown of Atlanta, they’ve raced the Peachtree Road Race 10K every year since 1970. It’s now the largest road race in the world with 60,000 runners.
This year as a club we’re throwing our support behind the Potomac Valley Track Club‘s Go Fourth 8K at Centennial Park in Vienna, Va. Get directions.
This will also be the July race for WRC’s inaugural Grand Prix. Previously, the race was “to be determined.”
Race Registration is inexpensive by today’s standards at $8 for non-members. The course is described as “park trail, entirely flat.”
The winning time last year—albeit a different course—was just under 30 minutes for men and just under 33 minutes for women, so I know several members can beat that.
What’s not to be liked?
Off to a good looking earlier start for the summer!
The good Doctor Tris, not pictured, wires in his absence slip:
I’ll be at a lake accessible by float plane, on a remote lake, in Alaska. I’ll be trail running, as there are no roads. We’ll start at the old time.
Vb,t.
Esquire Daniel Yi, also not pictured, was caught finishing in Pietermaritzburg, RSA, as the top American at the Comrades Marathon. According to Gerry Ives, Dan ran 6:48:18, 79th overall, 76th male, 51st in his age group. That story is developing.
Rachel Clattenburg, likely recovering from her win at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K on Saturday, is not among those pictured above. Rachel’s time of 5:05:05 gave her the win under incredibly hot conditions; Laura Jennings braved the heat as well to finish as the 68th female. More details to follow. Continue reading
The summer heat and humidity is planning to arrive later this week, so in an effort to beat the heat, we will start our Sunday Distance Run an hour earlier, effective Sunday, June 2, 2013. The 7 a.m. start time will be in effect through September 1st, as reflected on WRC’s calendar.
Michaela is departing for her summer internship in the Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro (BRA). And Dan is destined for Durban (RSA), Pietermaritzburg, and all points in-between for the Comrades Marathon (54 miles). Good luck to them both!
With all the new members and visitors finding us, let’s mark the occasion with a club photo before kicking off the next Sunday run. We’ll have it posted and captioned online lickety-split.
Ben Stutts accepting the 2nd place Washington Metro Elite Men’s Team plaque and medal
Some of our favorite Sunday running routes, dressed up in blue.
A question that people new to WRC often ask, even after reading the FAQs, is “Where do you do these 8 to 20 mile runs together, anyway? What does it all mean‽”
And the answer is always “… it kind of depends,” because we have a lot of different paces on offer, and a lot of different favorite running routes in store! And like hurricanes, Winter Storms, Magicicada broods, or fancy mixed drinks, these quality routes have names! Allow me to introduce you to two of them, and a map of all of them. Continue reading
The Washington Running Club garnered recognition over the weekend as several members ran in Sunday’s Capitol Hill Classic 10K under the club’s team.
WRC finished in a respectable 7th place out of 44 teams (results). Finishers had their club name—Washington Running Club in our case—called out over the public address system as they finished.
Rachel Clattenburg (42:08), Julia Taylor (43:44), and Jerry Paulson (48:19) comprised the WRC team scorers. Julia finished second in her age group, getting nipped by a mere 11 seconds. Christine Hackman finished in fourth in the same age group while netting a 46:35.
Dan Yi—running for the Civil Rights Racers—ran an impressive 37:07 the day after running 30 miles in preparation for the upcoming Comrades Marathon on June 2nd.
The 10K’s team competition counted the top 3 finishers on the team with at least one being of the opposite sex.
This weekend’s race also marked the sixth race in WRC’s inaugural Grand Prix. Up-to-date standings show President Kirk Masterson leading the men’s division with an average age-graded score of 79.32% through three races.
Christine Hackman has the highest age-graded score on the women’s side with a 73.22%. Julia Taylor is just behind her with a 72.53%.
The age-graded scoring system is meant to account for age in performances and give runners of all ages an equal chance to compete on the same scale.
Runners must compete in 5 races to qualify for the Grand Prix—at least 4 from the selected races in the series, with the option of one performance from outside. The standings above don’t yet reflect the one elective race.
The next race in the WRC Grand Prix is the Lawyers Have Heart 10K on June 8.