The Friends of the W&OD 10K was held on Saturday, July 28th at 6:30 p.m. It was a warm, humid day, but no t-storms threatened the race! Prior to the race an environmental fair was held at the Vienna Community Center. Here is Your Humble Blogger's race report.
PHOTO:
Race Starter State Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites,
Friends of the W&OD Chairman Roger Neighborgall,
Friends of the W&OD Board Member Gordon Wisotzki.
CORRECTION (7/30): She ran by so quickly, I did not actually see Teyba Naser, who was actually the first woman to finish in 35:54! Vanessa Hunter was the second woman to finish in 36:14.
The Environmental Fair
The environmental fair went extremely well, although many of the people for packet pick up showed up at the later end of it, missing some of the exhibitors. In my opinion, there was a good trickle of people throughout the day, but it became more of a "gush" as race time approached and it was getting to be time to move down to the old train station area. The environmental fair speakers were all engaging and presented an interesting balance. They were expertly introduced by Arlington Cooperative Foundation Chair Karla McDuffy, who started her day early arranging the room to perfection and making sure everything was exactly as it should be. Among the high points, in my opinion: Gary Baise, who switched gears from local politics to give a talk about the founding of the US EPA and his experience working with EPA Administrator Bill Ruckleshaus. Baise served as the first Chief of Staff at EPA. The keynote speaker was Dr. Lise van Susteren (yes, indeed, if you were wondering: she is Greta van Susteren's sister), who provided a slideshow journey through Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." The slideshow had fascinating and rather striking before-and-after images of the Himalayas. Former Ambassador to Malaysia, Marie Huhtala spoke and provided a more locally focused presentation on issues affecting the Hunter Mill area where the race was held (and that Amb. Huhtala is seeking to represent as a County Supervisor). She emphasized the need to protect wetlands and small streams. Ms. Nancy Murphy of the Case Foundation presented information about a fascinating program called Play Pumps. The Play Pumps are playground equipment, that entertain while helping people get clean drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa.
There were a variety of exhibitors, mostly grassroots environmental groups, although a few were environmentally oriented product companies and a couple were candidates for public office. My favorite exhibit was local activist Robin Templeton's "Save the Monarch Butterflies" and I have now volunteered our front yard English garden for experimental milkweed and butterfly flower planting. Several folks signed on expressing interest in helping with preserving milkweed and learning to create backyard habitats. The W&OD Trail in the vicinity of the Vienna Community Center down to Cedar Lane is one of the best available monarch habitats, as milkweed grows naturally there.
The Race
This was an evening race, starting at 6:30 p.m., after the environmental fair had closed down and the ceremonial tree planting had occurred. The official race starter was State Senator Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis, who ran out of her own party (an annual "pig out" barbeque) to start the race. Her opponent for State Senate this November, Chap Peterson, ran in the race with some of his friends, and put in a very good running performance on a summery night (52:03).
The race went well, too, although the finish times for many runners were quite slow. I believe the slower times were due to runners wisely conserving their energy and being mindful on a warm, humid evening. As I was running Trail Patrol and maintaining a slow marathon pace throughout, I asked several runners I came upon how they were doing and got universally positive responses. Folks were just enjoying a leisurely trail run, many of them chatting with a friend, with a good deal of the runners taking an hour or more to complete the course. Us slow pokes will just have to remain in awe that the winner, Abraha Assefa of Ethiopia, won the race in just 31 minutes, 22 seconds. (There is video of him crossing the finish line at http://www.wodfriends.org/). The first woman, Vanessa Hunter (6th overall), finished in a very fast 36:14. I saw the leaders coming back and they were certainly booking. Ms. Hunter was a picture of concentration and it clearly paid off in her efforts.
The Volunteers
The race was very well staffed, with cheerful water stop volunteers at Clarks Crossing and a Gatorade stop at Hunter Mill Road. The Gatorade was good and cold and I appreciated that. The totally off-trail course spur at Clarks Crossing (to make the race a full 10K) was pleasant and not a car was in sight when I passed by (except the two Fairfax County police officers, whom may of us were sure to thank). A family playing basketball in their driveway stopped to watch for awhile. Most of the time, we were on the trail. Although sticky, I found it to be a pleasant night for a run. The Ledo's pizza at the finish line was excellent, too, and I felt like we all earned it. There were more cheerful volunteers with nice cold Gatorade and water at the finish, which I appreciated as well.
The Arlington Cooperative Foundation put on another excellent race with excellent volunteers. (The Potomac River Run Half Marathon is my favorite local race.) Race Director Jay Wind put on a great race. Several fellow members of the Friends of the W&OD Board came out to volunteer, and we had a total of four Trail Patrollers for the race. One Trail Patroller, Friends of the W&OD Board Member David Jackino, also worked packet pickup before the race. Pat Turner, Friends of the W&OD Vice President, and Park Ranger Kevin Casalenuovo have the record for putting in the longest day doing the most diverse jobs: they put in nearly 12 hours doing everything from stuffing bags to pulling tags to planting trees and hauling recycling. Several members of the Arlington Cooperative Foundation worked a long day, although I am afraid I did not catch everyone's names. My husband also proved quite helpful throughout the day and took many, many pictures of the fair and the race start.
To me, one of the best things was when a clearly serious, training bicyclist came by while some of us were picking up after the race. He stopped just to say he appreciated how polite the runners were and how they moved to the right side of the trail and let other traffic through. I was on Trail Patrol (on foot) and hollering politely for people to move right as soon as they could, but could not tell what everyone was doing on trail. Folks get instructions in the race letter and at the pre-race announcements, but once the race starts they sometimes forget in the excitement of running. Clearly, the runners were doing the right thing, ensuring a fun and safe race for themselves and for other trail users as well.
The environmental fair went extremely well, although many of the people for packet pick up showed up at the later end of it, missing some of the exhibitors. In my opinion, there was a good trickle of people throughout the day, but it became more of a "gush" as race time approached and it was getting to be time to move down to the old train station area. The environmental fair speakers were all engaging and presented an interesting balance. They were expertly introduced by Arlington Cooperative Foundation Chair Karla McDuffy, who started her day early arranging the room to perfection and making sure everything was exactly as it should be. Among the high points, in my opinion: Gary Baise, who switched gears from local politics to give a talk about the founding of the US EPA and his experience working with EPA Administrator Bill Ruckleshaus. Baise served as the first Chief of Staff at EPA. The keynote speaker was Dr. Lise van Susteren (yes, indeed, if you were wondering: she is Greta van Susteren's sister), who provided a slideshow journey through Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." The slideshow had fascinating and rather striking before-and-after images of the Himalayas. Former Ambassador to Malaysia, Marie Huhtala spoke and provided a more locally focused presentation on issues affecting the Hunter Mill area where the race was held (and that Amb. Huhtala is seeking to represent as a County Supervisor). She emphasized the need to protect wetlands and small streams. Ms. Nancy Murphy of the Case Foundation presented information about a fascinating program called Play Pumps. The Play Pumps are playground equipment, that entertain while helping people get clean drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa.
There were a variety of exhibitors, mostly grassroots environmental groups, although a few were environmentally oriented product companies and a couple were candidates for public office. My favorite exhibit was local activist Robin Templeton's "Save the Monarch Butterflies" and I have now volunteered our front yard English garden for experimental milkweed and butterfly flower planting. Several folks signed on expressing interest in helping with preserving milkweed and learning to create backyard habitats. The W&OD Trail in the vicinity of the Vienna Community Center down to Cedar Lane is one of the best available monarch habitats, as milkweed grows naturally there.
The Race
This was an evening race, starting at 6:30 p.m., after the environmental fair had closed down and the ceremonial tree planting had occurred. The official race starter was State Senator Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis, who ran out of her own party (an annual "pig out" barbeque) to start the race. Her opponent for State Senate this November, Chap Peterson, ran in the race with some of his friends, and put in a very good running performance on a summery night (52:03).
The race went well, too, although the finish times for many runners were quite slow. I believe the slower times were due to runners wisely conserving their energy and being mindful on a warm, humid evening. As I was running Trail Patrol and maintaining a slow marathon pace throughout, I asked several runners I came upon how they were doing and got universally positive responses. Folks were just enjoying a leisurely trail run, many of them chatting with a friend, with a good deal of the runners taking an hour or more to complete the course. Us slow pokes will just have to remain in awe that the winner, Abraha Assefa of Ethiopia, won the race in just 31 minutes, 22 seconds. (There is video of him crossing the finish line at http://www.wodfriends.org/). The first woman, Vanessa Hunter (6th overall), finished in a very fast 36:14. I saw the leaders coming back and they were certainly booking. Ms. Hunter was a picture of concentration and it clearly paid off in her efforts.
The Volunteers
The race was very well staffed, with cheerful water stop volunteers at Clarks Crossing and a Gatorade stop at Hunter Mill Road. The Gatorade was good and cold and I appreciated that. The totally off-trail course spur at Clarks Crossing (to make the race a full 10K) was pleasant and not a car was in sight when I passed by (except the two Fairfax County police officers, whom may of us were sure to thank). A family playing basketball in their driveway stopped to watch for awhile. Most of the time, we were on the trail. Although sticky, I found it to be a pleasant night for a run. The Ledo's pizza at the finish line was excellent, too, and I felt like we all earned it. There were more cheerful volunteers with nice cold Gatorade and water at the finish, which I appreciated as well.
The Arlington Cooperative Foundation put on another excellent race with excellent volunteers. (The Potomac River Run Half Marathon is my favorite local race.) Race Director Jay Wind put on a great race. Several fellow members of the Friends of the W&OD Board came out to volunteer, and we had a total of four Trail Patrollers for the race. One Trail Patroller, Friends of the W&OD Board Member David Jackino, also worked packet pickup before the race. Pat Turner, Friends of the W&OD Vice President, and Park Ranger Kevin Casalenuovo have the record for putting in the longest day doing the most diverse jobs: they put in nearly 12 hours doing everything from stuffing bags to pulling tags to planting trees and hauling recycling. Several members of the Arlington Cooperative Foundation worked a long day, although I am afraid I did not catch everyone's names. My husband also proved quite helpful throughout the day and took many, many pictures of the fair and the race start.
To me, one of the best things was when a clearly serious, training bicyclist came by while some of us were picking up after the race. He stopped just to say he appreciated how polite the runners were and how they moved to the right side of the trail and let other traffic through. I was on Trail Patrol (on foot) and hollering politely for people to move right as soon as they could, but could not tell what everyone was doing on trail. Folks get instructions in the race letter and at the pre-race announcements, but once the race starts they sometimes forget in the excitement of running. Clearly, the runners were doing the right thing, ensuring a fun and safe race for themselves and for other trail users as well.
