Monday, May 30, 2011

Alexandria 5k led by Potomac River Running team


The first annual Alexandria Running Festival featured a Half Marathon and 5k, with the National Road Racing League utilizing the fast out and back 5k course.  The men's team competition was won by Potomac River Running, as they placed runners in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th, finishing with 22 points. Rory Duffield was the first =PRR= runner across the line, out-sprinting another runner at the finish to take the final podium spot in the overall field and 2nd place within NRRL competition.

DC Running Coach came in 2nd place with 42 points, led by 3 runners in the top-10 of the NRRL field, including winner Mike Hamberger, who was also 2nd in the overall 5k field.  The VIDA Fitness squad placed 2 runners in the top-10 of the NRRL race, led by Memo Saenz, as the team finished with 56 points.

In the Individual Points race, Brian Cunningham now sits atop the rankings, with 3 =PRR= teammates close behind.

In the women's race, Kinetic Fitness has a strong showing with 6 runners entered in the race.  Team captain Becca Lipscomb led her team and finished 2nd in the NRRL, behind Johanna Mansilla (leading the pack below) of DC Running Coach, whose victory keeps her just ahead of Lipscomb in the overall Individual Points race.  Four other Kinetic runners are in the chase thus far.

The next race for the National Road Racing League schedule is the inaugural Chris Carter Memorial 5k, a twilight race in Arlington on Saturday, June 4th.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Wet, but no rain at the Run For The Animals 5k


The 2nd race in the inaugural National Road Racing League season is complete.  The rain stopped early in the morning in time for the Run For The Animals 5k, which is a fundraiser for the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary.  There were plenty of runners on hand for the 8th annual event that takes place on a very challenging course at Wheaton Regional Park.

Kinetic Fitness and Potomac River Running ran very well and took the 1st place spots in the NRRL team results, as other team took their bye week.  Kinetic and PRR each had some top overall finishers, with PRR placing 4 of its runners in the top-20 of the overall field.  Brian Cunningham led the way with a sub-20 minute performance on the hilly course.  Teammates Chris Marshall and Josh Posilkin rounded out the NRRL podium spots and came in the top-10 of the overall field.

On the women's side, Carolee Williamson of DC Running Coach made it 2-for-2 as she was the first NRRL runner across the line, finishing 5th overall.  Mandie Samuels and Nikki Souris took 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the NRRL competition, with Samuels finishing 7th in the overall field.  Several runners confirmed this course as being one of the toughest 5k courses in the DC area!

The NRRL team and individual rankings are updated on the website.

Mouli and Carolee of DCRC
The next stop on the schedule is the Alexandria Running Festival on Sunday, May 29th, where the NRRL runners will tackle the 5k course at 8:00am.  The Marathon Charity Cooperation has graciously given NRRL runners a discount on registration!