This year’s race took place on March 20th at 7AM just outside of the D.C. Armory and RFK Stadium, located adjacent to the starting areas of the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield National Half Marathon and National Team Relay. The fastest looped course in the country celebrates its 5th year as the only marathon to take place entirely within the District of Columbia and is expected to be the best event to date! Challenge yourself over 13.1 awe inspiring miles of our nation’s capital; run through the city’s most exciting neighborhoods, pass by the stunning monuments and write some of your own history in one of the country’s fastest growing endurance events. Experience Washington. Run Through History.
Nearly 12,000 runners were registered, and nine thousand two hundred and eighty-six runners crossed the starting line at the fifth annual SunTrust National Marathon and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield National Half Marathon and Team Relay on a sunny, 70 degree day in Washington D.C. The marathon is the only one to be run entirely within the District of Columbia and has the fastest looped course in the country. Runners from 49 states and 27 countries ran the race.
In the men’s marathon, Michael Wardian, age 35, of Arlington, Va., took first place with a time of 2:21:58; Patrick Moulton, age 28, of Providence, RI, took second place with a time 2:26:03; and Paul Howarth, of Albuquerque, NM, took third place with a time of 2:27:19.
After the race, Michael Wardian said that he “had the lead from the gun and attacked every mile and stayed focused on the goal and ran one of my fastest time times ever.”
In the women’s marathon, Krista Vrombaut, age 27, of Rock Island, Ill., took first place with a time of 2:51:17; Michaela Driscoll, of Coventry, RI, took second place with a time of 2:55:50; Mary Beth Chosak, age 31 of Arlington, Va., took third place with a time of 2:57:32.
In the men’s half marathon, Mark Fruin, age 24 of Bloomington, Ind., took first place with a time of 1:05:03; Stephen Haas, age 26 of Bloomington, Ind., took second place with a time of 1:05:14; Jeff Jonaitis of Tinley Park, Ill., took third place with a time of 1:05:58.
In the women’s half marathon Laura Farley, age 25, of Bloomington, Ind., took first place with a time of 1:18:38; Phebe Ko, age 27 of Bethesda, MD, took second place with a time of 1:19:03; Dani Prince of Bloomington, Ind., took third place with a time of 1:19:38.
In the masters division, Kris Warszawski, age 50, of Northville, Mich., won the men’s marathon with a time of 2:44:00, and Tracy Wollschlager, of Novi, Mich., age 41, won the masters division of the women’s marathon with a time of 3:03:50.
Chris McDonald, age 50, of South Riding, Va., won the wheelchair division with a time of 3:01:35.
Two thousand three hundred and twenty-two people completed the marathon, 6,249 people completed the half marathon, and 174 people finished the team relay race.
Next year’s race will be on Saturday, March 26, 2011. The 2011 SunTrust National Marathon and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield National Half Marathon online registration will launch on our Nation’s Birthday – July 4th, 2010.
Please visit web site for other videos. Click here for Race Results. Few pictures of the event/place:
The Kannada and Telugu people celebrate the festival with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are “”de rigueur””. The day, however, begins with ritual showers (oil bath) followed by prayers, and then the eating of a specific mixture of six tastes, called Yugadi Pachhadi in Telugu and Bevu-Bella in Kannada, symbolizes the fact that life is a mixture of different experiences (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise) , which should be accepted together and with equanimity.
