* Event website
* Facebook photo album (by event photographers)

NEW JERSEY, June 15, 2013 — Potomac Highlands Distance Club member Don Taylor, 82, of Hedgesville, W.Va., shaved nearly nine minutes off his time at the 53rd annual Run to the Clouds Mount Washington Road Race, an event “with only one hill” — one, that is, that climbs continuously over the 7.6-mile course for a net elevation gain of 4,727 feet.

Don Taylor, 82, of Hedgesville, W.Va., conquered the Mount Washington Road Race in New Jersey last weekend. He’s seen in this photo at the Catch the Spirit 5K in Capon Bridge, W.Va., in December 2012.

Taylor said the most difficult part of the weekend was getting there. He drove through five states “in torrential rain, high winds and unending spray in the dark from a few vehicles still on the road,” but “come Friday morning, as the sun broke through the clouds over the White Mountains I knew it was all worthwhile.”

Taylor, who has entered the Run for Gold Metric Marathon (pres. by HPDM) on Aug. 11, stopped the clock in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 34 seconds, an average of 18:52 per mile. He placed 903rd among 1,086 finishers and 702nd out of 758 males.

The youngest finisher was 10; the oldest, 93. George Etzweiler, of State College, Pa., who holds the 85-89 and 90-plus age division course records, finished in 3:15 and took first in his age group.

Taylor said he first entered the race in 1994 with his climbing coach. He simply enjoys logging the miles, he said. 

“My addition is to distance running and climbing on rough trail, but I’ll go for anything from a half (marathon) down to 5K on paved roads,” Taylor wrote in an email to the club. “Even ran the Loudon (Va.) Street Mile last month. Sprinting a mile at my age? What agony. Why do I do it? Masochism, my wife says.”

Interested skyrocketed in the event this year and the field was expanded to 1,300 participants. The lottery system for the 2014 race opens in February.

* 2013 results – overall – awards – photo gallery
* PHDC Facebook page
* MPMC 5-mile permanent event page (bookmark it for 2014!)
* Results and photos from: 2012 and 2011

MERCERSBURG, Pa., June 15, 2013 — Michelle Van Horn might not have known how close she was. If she had, the 31-year-old from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., might have pushed a bit harder in the final — and arguably fastest — mile.

Runners and walkers leap from the start of the 3rd annual MPMC 5-mile road race on Saturday, June 15, 2013 in Mercersburg, Pa.

Or Van Horn, being the experienced runner she is, might have settled for what was likely a simple training run en route to the overall victory on Saturday at the 3rd annual MPMC 5-mile road race and expo in Mercersburg. Van Horn led all 33 participants to the finish line with a time of 35 minutes and 5.4 seconds. The time is 0.3 seconds faster than last year’s women’s winner (and masters course record holder) Hope Grady but oh-so-close to the performance by Caroline Schemel in the event’s inaugural year. Then, the 14-year-old clocked a 35:00.8.

Kristal Hollenshead, 48, of Fort Loudon, Pa., took 12th overall (40:22.4) to head off Denise Smith, 57, of Chambersburg, Pa., for second place and the women’s masters crown. Smith finished 16th overall in 44:07.1.

In the men’s race, 45-year-old Tim Hudson, of Stephenson, Va., stayed in step with Van Horn until the final grass straightaway to the finish at Mercersburg Lions Club Community Park. Hudson stopped the clock in 35:08.2, only 27.2 seconds ahead of masters winner Craig Leisher, 52, of Chambersburg, Pa.

The event is staged by race director Danielle Fox and Montgomery, Peters, Mercersburg Connectivity (MPMC) and its members, who comprise a subcommittee of the Mercersburg Area Council for Wellness (MACWell). Together, the groups envision a network of communities in which residents of all ages and run, walk or bicycle to work, school or for recreation – safely.

* More than 600 photos from the June 11 meet
* PHDC Facebook page
* CVAC website (this is where results will be posted when available)

PHDC member Josiah Spradlin, 3 (and 1/2), starts the 200-meter dash, the second of two events in his track debut.

HAGERSTOWN, Md., June 11, 2013 — Athletes from at least three states took advantage of nice weather and affordable entry fees at the second of five meets this summer on Tuesday in the 15th annual Back-on-Track Pete Wright Memorial Summer All-Comers Track and Field Series at North Hagerstown High School.

Track events are held at Callas Stadium on Pennsylvania Avenue. Entry is free for students and only $2 per event for adults. Potomac Highlands Distance Club members who participated Tuesday night included Mike Meadows (Martinsburg), Kori Taber (Smithsburg), Josiah and MacKenzie Spradlin (Midlothian) as well as Ian and Willow Weir (State Line) and family.

Events regularly contested each of the five nights include the long jump, shot put, discus, the 100-meter dash, 200, 400, 800, mile, 2 mile, 400-meter relay and the 1600-meter relay.

The series is coordinated by the Cumberland Valley Athletic Club and officiated by club volunteers.

* Results: 5K run / awards … 5K walk … 2-mile walk
* Photo gallery (download them for free!)
* More photos by Kristie Ferriell

Nathan Coyle

ROMNEY, W.Va., June 8, 2013 — Nathan Coyle missed the deadline to take his ACT exam on Saturday.

The Hampshire High School student-athlete, who will be a senior this fall for the Trojans cross country team, made sure no one beat him to the punch in the annual Hampshire County Relay for Life 5K run hosted by the Hampshire Wellness and Fitness Center in Romney.

PHDC member Pete Hobbie on his way to a 5K personal best time of 24:44.3.

Coyle, 17, of Romney, crossed the finish line in 20 minutes and 28.1 seconds, well ahead of runner-up Leonard Galvan, 55, also of Romney. Galvan earned the men’s masters crown with a time of 22:25.9. Kevin Burkett, 48, of Romney, rounded out the top three (22:42.4).

Jodi Hott, 28, of Points, earned the women’s overall title — and placed seventh overall — with a time of 26:04.7. Young Sierra Powell, 13, of Capon Bridge, took second in 27:14 and Kristina Nichols, 35, of Romney, was third in 27:23.5. Sheila Stall, 60, of Springfield, captured the women’s masters crown by stopping the clock in 27:30.2.

Jodi Hott

* 5K results * Photo gallery
* Permanent event page (bookmark it for 2014!)
* PHDC Facebook page

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.Va., June 1, 2013 — Two of the top three finishers of the inaugural Warriors 5K Race for the Cure, a cross country event at Sam Michael’s Park, aren’t even teenagers.

Adelaide Amore, Alex Hanney and PHDC member Sam Shunney took the top three spots of the inaugural Warriors 5K Race for the Cure on Saturday, June 1, at Sam Michael’s Park in Shenandoah, W.Va.

That doesn’t mean they’re not fast. Adelaide Amore, 12, of Charles Town, earned the overall victory in 20 minutes and 30 seconds on a day that temperatures would climb into the 90s. Though race officials had marked the course thoroughly, they’d done so in white paint — which was difficult to see on the grass under the glare of the sun.

Amore finished nearly six minutes ahead of her closest female competitor. Jennifer Seaton, 37, of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., finished second in 26:19.3 and Kristy Brill, 31, of Charles Town, placed third in 27:22.4. Elaine Clark, 50, of Harpers Ferry, placed fourth in the women’s standings and earned the women’s masters (40-plus) crown.

Alex Hanney, 30, of Rockville, Md., placed second and was the top male finisher in 20:43.2. Potomac Highlands Distance Club member Sam Shunney, 11, of Kearneysville, W.Va., took third overall in 20:55.9, just ahead of men’s masters winner Tim Hudson, 45, of Stephenson, Va.

FLINTSTONE, Md., June 1, 2013 — The field for the 4th annual Fire on the Mountain 50K and 2-person relay (pres. by Sheetz) will be limited to 135 entrants. Those who do gain entry, though, will be a part of event history.

This year, the 50K has been named the Maryland 50K Championship by the Road Runners Club of America. It’s the second RRCA state championship event to be hosted by the Potomac Highlands Distance Club. In April, the PHDC staged the Red Bud 10-mile road race that served as the West Virginia Championship at that distance.

“The RRCA Championship designation brings added credibility and prestige to this growing event,” said Kevin Spradlin, race director. “It’s great that the RRCA recognizes this race as a quality competitive event in the woods.”

Spradlin noted that its the runners and volunteers, along with the trails and trees, that combine to form the “near perfect” atmosphere.

“There’s just something about everyone crossing the finish line, throwing their log on the fire, then sitting down and enjoying a meal fresh off the grill around the campfire with their friends, old and new, is almost magical,” Spradlin said. “It simply doesn’t get better than that.”

Aside from that, runners hope to have a fair amount of fun, too. And for those interested, they can enter themselves — or, rather, their feet — in the PHDC’s “Ugly Feet” contest by Oct. 31, 2013.

John Means, 68, of Hagerstown, Md., is shown here near Mile 2 of the Red Bud 10-mile road race in Hampshire County, W.Va., on April 28. On May 25, John placed third in the inaugural Sole Challenge 6-hour ultra marathon in Fayetteville, Pa.

FAYETTEVILLE, Pa., May 25, 2013 — Potomac Highlands Distance Club member John Means, of Hagerstown, Md., placed third in the inaugural Sole Challenge 6-hour run at Norlo Park in Fayetteville. Wearing bib 103, the 68-year-old covered 28.469 miles in 5 hours, 51 minutes and 15.2 seconds.

The USATF-certified course featured a paved loop of about 1.55 miles. Means completed the loop 18 times, plus tallied another 0.623 miles before the six-hour mark arrived. Other events on the weekend included the 24-hour, 12-hour and 5K options.

In an email to the club in response to a congratulatory note, Means said the loop configuration allowed for a unique experience.

“The race was one of the best experiences of my life — not just of my running life,” said John, who is married to fellow runner and club member Mary Means, 61. “The course was a 1.5-mile, figure-eight type circuit with a 100-yard passage where each of us would meet each of the others at one time or another. In this section, everyone exchanged nods, smiles, waves and words of encouragement. It was six hours of running free from the ugliness, nastiness, envy and back-stabbing of the world. Most running events offer this kind of mutual and positive sharing, but here the configuration of the course and the length of the event magnified the good feelings.”

Means averaged 12:20 per mile for nearly six hours. It’s a challenge that is alluring, he said.

“People think we are crazy and ask why we would do such a thing as an ultra,” Means said. “Well … ‘ultra’ defines the experience well. It is an ‘ultra life.’ It is life at its best and fullest. It is a pleasure, a privilege and a blessing to be able to do an ultra. It makes me thankful to be alive.”

Norlo Park in Fayetteville, Pa., located six miles east of Chambersburg.

AUGUSTA, W.Va., May 20, 2013 — Those who follow the Potomac Highlands Distance Club now have the chance to stand above their peers — albeit on rather sore feet.

The PHDC announced today a free, months-long “Ugly Feet” contest. Between now and Oct. 31, runners, walkers and hikers alike can submit photos of their toes and feet that have been bloodied, blackened or blistered (or other gross things). The “ugliness” should have occurred between April 1 and Oct. 31 of this year, during a run/walk/hike event.

A points-based evaluation system will be devised, and submissions by PHDC members will get a bonus 10 points for membership. You do NOT have to identify your ugly feet/toes during the contest, but your entry submission equates to your approval of being identified if you’re picked in the top 3.

Contest will run through Oct. 31, 2013 – which will allow Fire on the Mountain 50K sufferers (er, conquerors) to join in the festivities.

“The idea is if a runner gets home from a race and puts his or her feet up on the table, and family members quickly leave the room without asking to be excused, those feet could be a contender,” said a club official. “If looking at your significant other’s ‘runners’ feet’ is your idea of a diet, send a photo of said significant other’s feet.”

Email your submission to run@phdispatch.com. Be sure to include a bit of detail of how the ugliness occurred – where, when, etc. A limit of 3 submissions per entrant.

Prizes will be awarded, although they are likely to have little to no cash value and barely be worth the time you took to snap the photo and email it to the club.

* Complete results * photo gallery
* Permanent event page (bookmark it for 2014)
* PHDC Facebook page

FLINTSTONE, Md., May 12, 2013 — Theresa Vaubel learned a very important lesson on Sunday. By her count, though, she learned “30,000″ of them.

Tim Wagoner crosses the wooden bridge towards the midway point.

Vaubel, 38, of Delray, W.Va., laced up for her first-ever trail race at the aptly-named Trip-and-Tumble 10K at Green Ridge State Forest, situated between Flintstone and Hancock in eastern Allegany County, Maryland. Key mistakes, she said, were wearing regular road-racing shoes on such a technical trail and wearing too much clothing on a morning when temperatures reached into the mid-50s

Still, Vaubel said she had a heckuva time.

Vaubel joined six other Potomac Highlands Distance Club members and four friends of the club for the PHDC’s second trail race at Green Ridge State Forest. The other PHDC race inside the state’s largest forest is the club’s flagship event, the Fire on the Mountain 50K (pres. by Sheetz).

From the outset, it looked like another newer trail runner might win. Sam Shunney, 11, of Kearneysville, W.Va., who won the This Race is for the Birds 4-plus trail race in Shepherdstown on April 20, raced to the front, trailed by veteran trail runners and PHDC members Jason Pannone, 36, and Joe Cross, 45, both of Cumberland.

Sam Shunney, 11, leads Joe Cross and Jason Pannone in the first quarter-mile of the inaugural Trip-and-Tumble 10K trail race at Green Ridge State Forest.

PHDC member Willow Weir nears the turnaround point of the Trip-and-Tumble 10K trail race.

Shunney led for the first mile — slowed only because he had to tie his shoe — before Pannone and Cross took over. Pannone reached the midway point of the out-and-back race in 28 minutes and 28 seconds, slightly more than two minutes ahead of Cross. Cross idled at the aid station for more than a minute to wait for Shunney, who didn’t show before Cross returned to the race. Shunney arrived more than two minutes later, took a sip of water and moved on.

Pannone stopped the clock in 60 minutes and 7.6 seconds on a course that measured somewhat longer than the standard 6.2 miles that comprise a 10K, but that’s what trail running’s all about — adjusting to the roots, rocks, creek crossings and long mileage. The actual course is likely closer to 6.7 miles, but several runners added mileage — between a half mile to more than a mile — almost as if they simply couldn’t get enough of what Green Ridge State Forest had to offer.

Cross finished second — his second straight race, on two consecutive days in which he held the runner-up spot — in 66:42. Shunney took third in 74:41.4 while Tim Wagoner, 47, of Keyser, W.Va., placed fourth in 75:01.7.

PHDC member Willow Weir, 36, of State Line, Pa., paced the women’s field with a time of 1:28:25.9. Less than 20 minutes separated her and fellow club member Staci Calder, 32, of Cumberland, Md. Calder finished in 1:47:42.6, while Vaubel completed her trail debut in 2:00.18.1. Jen Rolston, 40, of Kearneysville, W.Va., earned the women’s masters title with a time of 2:20:50.2.

Thirteen-year-old Rylan Hummer, of State Line, rounded out the 11-person field with a time of 2:39:01.4. Hummer, also new to trail racing, didn’t seem fazed at all as his GPS watch indicated having completed 7.84 miles — he admittedly went off course on multiple occasions. But being the type of person a runner often is, he circled the Green Ridge State Forest Headquarters parking lot until his watch reflect an even eight miles.

To honor moms on Mother’s Day, the event allowed a special award for the top mother-son (and mother-daughter, had there been such an entry) team. Speedy Sam Shunney and Jen Rolston tag teamed to take that one, while young Shunney and dad Patrick Shunney took the father-son award.

PHDC member Jason Pannone, of Cumberland, took the lead early and never let it go. Here, he’s crossing under I-68 in the second mile.

Despite the intimate turnout, the event was history in the making. It marked the first time in PHDC history (since October 2008) in which a majority of finishers in a club race happened to be dues-paying members.

While the 14-mile distance had been canceled due to an apparent lack of interest, the feedback among finishers Sunday morning seemed to ensure the Trip-and-Tumble’s return on Mother’s Day 2014.

* 2013 – overall results … age division results … photo gallery
* PHDC Facebook page – join the discussion
* Mineral County Aging & Family Services Facebook page
* Permanent event page (bookmark it for 2014)
* Join the PHDC

ELK GARDEN, W.Va., May 11, 2013 — From the start, it was clear the Conquer the Dam 5K title this year would come down to Joe Cross or Wes Boddy. They quickly separated themselves from the 69 other starters.

Cross, 45, of Cumberland, Md., ran for the Potomac Highlands Distance Club and had two successful half marathons under his belt in the last five weeks, including an outright victory in Hagerstown in early April. He was a clear pre-race favorite. Boddy, 42, of New Creek, W.Va., followed Cross for the entire first half of the race at Jennings Randolph Lake — which featured a net elevation loss of about 230 feet in the first mile. The duo crossed the dam and neared the turn around point at the ranger station. Cross still led, and return to the near side of the dam in front. Then the hill back towards the finish began.

That’s when Boddy took over.

PHDC member Joe Cross leads eventual winner Wes Boddy in the first half of the Conquer the Dam 5K.

“The hill was pulling me “back,” Boddy said. “But I heard it pulling him more.”

Boddy raced to a course record time of 19 minutes, 36.3 seconds for the win. Cross was second in 20:23.8 while Tim Wagoner, 47, of Keyser, W.Va., placed third in 22:06.3. PHDC member Kevin Cuozzo, 38, of McHenry, Md., took fourth in 22:23 (six days after completing the Pittsburgh Marathon) and 16-year-old Jesse Wilson, of Keyser, rounded out the top five in 23:03.9.

In the women’s race, Naomi Boddy defended her crown with a sixth-place finish overall (23:12.8). The gap between her finish and second place, however, was smaller this time around. Ashley Kitzmiller, 31, of Oakland, Md., took second (and 11th overall) with a time of 25:20.1 while 15-year-old Addison Mallery, of Mount Savage, Md., earned third place in 26:56.4.

Becky Brosh, 53, of Petersburg, W.Va., lowered the women’s masters record on the course by nearly a full minute to 27:53.9. The previous best was recorded in 2012 by Dara McGettigan (28:51.1).

Proceeds benefitted the Aging & Family Services of Mineral County.

Naomi Boddy successfully defended her Conquer the Dam 5K crown.