Tri State
Falls Road Running dominates RRCA Club Challenge
10-miler nothin’ but a thang for Berdan, Emond; Falls Road sweeps team titles
Results Photos Video
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
COLUMBIA, Md., Feb. 28 – The Westminster Road Runners Club surprised everyone – including its own members – in 2009 when its representatives won the RRCA Club Challenge 10-mile women’s team title.
10-miler nothin’ but a thang for Berdan, Emond; Falls Road sweeps team titles
Results Photos Video
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
COLUMBIA, Md., Feb. 28 – The Westminster Road Runners Club surprised everyone – including its own members – in 2009 when its representatives won the RRCA Club Challenge 10-mile women’s team title.
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Jim Adams and Falls Road Running made sure history wasn’t going to repeat itself.
At a post-race meeting of RRCA member presidents, Adams said he recruited young. The strategy paid dividends for Falls Road Running, which swept the men’s, women’s and co-ed titles on Sunday at Howard Community College.
Falls Road Running won the co-ed title in 2009 but finished second in the other two categories.
Shortly after Sunday’s whistle, however, it was clear the race was Falls Road Running’s to lose – at least on an individual basis. Susie Emond, 26, of Baltimore, pushed to an early lead and never had a reason to worry about the competition.
Emond was the first female to cross the line, stopping the clock in 59 minutes, 27.14 seconds – nearly four full minutes of the No. 2 finisher. Teammate Melissa Majumdar, 25, of Baltimore, was second in 63:24 while Laura O’Hara, 29, of Alexandria, Va., took third in 63:34.35. O’Hara won last year’s individual title with a mark of 61:15.3 and led the Westminster Road Runners Club to its first-ever team championship after entering the event considered by many as a perennial doormat.
Emond placed 29th overall in a field of 543 finishers who crossed the line under the allotted two hours. A baker’s dozen needed up to 25 additional minutes to complete the course, accurately measured and newly certified to USATF standards.
On the men’s side, the competition was closer – but only by a little. David Berdan, 28, of Baltimore, won easily in 51:43.83 and bettered last year’s winning time by more than 1 minute and 41 seconds.
Howard County Striders runners Graham Bazell, 19, and Izzy Mehmedovic, 25, both of Columbia, took second and third, respectively. Bazell finished in 53:23.38 while Mehmedovic clocked a 53:49.39.
Scoring rules mandated at least 12 men and four women for a team. Co-ed teams required at least 15 scorers and a minimum of four men and four women. Falls Road Running won the co-ed team title with 382 points, followed by Howard County Striders 9725), RASAC (1131) and Montgomery County Road Runners (1498).
Falls Road also won the men’s team title with 165 points, finishing ahead of Howard County Striders (270), RASAC (528) and Baltimore RRC (773) among nine scoring teams.
The Westminster RRC women were second to Falls Road Running with 68 points to Falls Road’s 35 points. Howard County Striders were third with 102 points and RASAC was fourth with 187 points among nine scoring teams.
For more information on the annual event, which serves as the first of 10 Grand Prix Series races, visit www.striders.net or wwwmdrrca.org.
Email Kevin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
At a post-race meeting of RRCA member presidents, Adams said he recruited young. The strategy paid dividends for Falls Road Running, which swept the men’s, women’s and co-ed titles on Sunday at Howard Community College.
Falls Road Running won the co-ed title in 2009 but finished second in the other two categories.
Shortly after Sunday’s whistle, however, it was clear the race was Falls Road Running’s to lose – at least on an individual basis. Susie Emond, 26, of Baltimore, pushed to an early lead and never had a reason to worry about the competition.
Emond was the first female to cross the line, stopping the clock in 59 minutes, 27.14 seconds – nearly four full minutes of the No. 2 finisher. Teammate Melissa Majumdar, 25, of Baltimore, was second in 63:24 while Laura O’Hara, 29, of Alexandria, Va., took third in 63:34.35. O’Hara won last year’s individual title with a mark of 61:15.3 and led the Westminster Road Runners Club to its first-ever team championship after entering the event considered by many as a perennial doormat.
Emond placed 29th overall in a field of 543 finishers who crossed the line under the allotted two hours. A baker’s dozen needed up to 25 additional minutes to complete the course, accurately measured and newly certified to USATF standards.
On the men’s side, the competition was closer – but only by a little. David Berdan, 28, of Baltimore, won easily in 51:43.83 and bettered last year’s winning time by more than 1 minute and 41 seconds.
Howard County Striders runners Graham Bazell, 19, and Izzy Mehmedovic, 25, both of Columbia, took second and third, respectively. Bazell finished in 53:23.38 while Mehmedovic clocked a 53:49.39.
Scoring rules mandated at least 12 men and four women for a team. Co-ed teams required at least 15 scorers and a minimum of four men and four women. Falls Road Running won the co-ed team title with 382 points, followed by Howard County Striders 9725), RASAC (1131) and Montgomery County Road Runners (1498).
Falls Road also won the men’s team title with 165 points, finishing ahead of Howard County Striders (270), RASAC (528) and Baltimore RRC (773) among nine scoring teams.
The Westminster RRC women were second to Falls Road Running with 68 points to Falls Road’s 35 points. Howard County Striders were third with 102 points and RASAC was fourth with 187 points among nine scoring teams.
For more information on the annual event, which serves as the first of 10 Grand Prix Series races, visit www.striders.net or wwwmdrrca.org.
Email Kevin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
Falls Road Running dominates RRCA Club Challenge
10-miler nothin’ but a thang for Berdan, Emond; Falls Road sweeps team titles
10-miler nothin’ but a thang for Berdan, Emond; Falls Road sweeps team titles
Overall winner David Berdan, of Falls Road Running, finishes with a time of 51:43.83.
Susie Emond, of Falls Road Running, finished 29th overall and first among all women in 59:27.14.
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