2009 Report

Report

The 2009 version of the Potomac Heritage 50k has been completed through spectacular fall colors, pleasant fall temperatures, and excess moisture. Thanks to the volunteers who came out to assist and encourage the runners and enable this event to occur once again!

As has become the custom, bonus points were awarded for the performance of various tasks at the aid stations. These points have been incorporated in the results. Taking into consideration the reports of the aid station captains, various symbols have been appended to the results. The * indicates that although the runner likely completed at least 50K distance (and usually more), it is probable that the runner completed this distance on terrain other than the actual course. Along these lines, Gwen Parker and David Ferris, representing the Prince George’s county contingent, were voted by the aid station captains to be the “most lost”, as designated by the ** adjacent their names. We congratulate Gwen and David on their journey that covered so much of the local area.

Some other notables include Eugene Bruckert, who was clearly the most persistent participant, as he started the course 3 hours early and pushed on to the finish in just under 12 hours. Also notable, is the fact that Joe Clapper managed to accumulate 22 bonus points. Carolyn Gernand topped this total on the women’s side by accumulating 25 bonus points. It is unclear from the record whether these 22-25 bonus points took more than 22-25 minutes to accumulate. Also, covering the least distance, was Keith Moore, who signed himself in as “present”. We’ll give him a pass this time as he is recovering from surgery.

Running fast and finishing first was VHTRC member and Georgetown student Joseph Kessler. Joseph had emailed me earlier to make sure that the event wouldn’t be canceled in the event of rain. I told him that we would run regardless of tsunamai, tornado, earthquake, blizzard, or hurricane. Unfortunately, we got only rain. The rain didn’t slow Joseph, as he completed the distance in a time of 4:44. Close behind, representing WUS and the VHTRC was Neal Gorman in 4:45. Perhaps Neal will re-visit his bonus point strategy for next year. Sophie Speidel schooled the kids and grabbed the overall women’s crown without the need for bonus points. Her winning strategy appeared to include some bonus distance through Battery Kemble Park.

In the ever popular 30K version of the run, Ragan Petrie blazed through the distance in 3:31 to take the overall win. The first men including Corris, Broderick, and Hayward finished in the crowd that followed her by about 30 minutes. If the food was gone by the time you finished, you can blame Corris, Broderick, and Hayward for shortcutting.

Hope to see you all again next year!

Results