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2005 Bluemont Fair 10K - Race Report

|| 2005 10K Race:  Overall Results | Awards & Age Groups | Race Report ||

Thanks to the efforts of race directors Raylene Scott and Tom Ashton and their crew of invaluable volunteers, the 27th running of the Bluemont Fair 10K Race, held on the morning of Saturday September 17, 2005, went off seemingly without a hitch! Seventy-five participants, eleven more than last year, gathered in Bluemont under a bright sunny sky. Temperatures in the low 70°s were a bit warmer than would've been preferred, but at least the runners weren't facing vicious winds (as in 2004) or a hurricane-damaged course (as in 2003 and 2004).

 Men's winner Mark Neff after the race
Men's winner Mark Neff
 
Although this year's top men's performances were well off the usual times seen at this race, it can't be said that the battle for the men's overall win wasn't competitive. As the field streaked down the shoulder of busy Route 7, 60-year-old Loudoun County phenom Jason Page zoomed off into the lead. But 43-year-old Mark Neff of Derwood, MD quickly broke away from the trailing pack to chase down Page. Neff, returning to the race for the first time since his sixth place overall finish in 2002, stayed close on the heels of the race's 2004 Senior Masters champion as the two sped to a wide lead over the nearest competitors.

Men's runner-up Jason Page after the race
Men's runner-up Jason Page
 		 
It would be up to the tough topography of the race's final two miles to break the deadlock. As soon as the course crossed Butchers Branch and began a sustained uphill climb on Hollow Oak Road, Page began to fade off the pace. But Neff stayed strong in the face of the ascents, and just like that, he had a clearly insurmountable lead. Neff strode across the finish line in 38:21, over a minute ahead of Page. While this was the slowest winning men's time in recent memory, Neff's victory was still well-earned, and he also managed to best his 2002 Bluemont Fair 10K performance.

Page may not have been able to keep up with Neff on the hills, but he quickly regrouped and had a strong final mile, taking second overall in 39:24. This was the second fastest

  
Men's Masters winner Mark Wolff and Senior Masters winner Carnell Bowman
Mark Wolff (left), Carnell Bowman (right)
 
Senior Masters performance over the race's last seven runnings and easily the top time for a male aged 60-64 during that time. (The author has no race data from before 1999.)

With Neff and Page taking the two overall men's awards, this left the men's Masters (40-49) and Senior Masters (50 & over) awards open for others. McLean's Mark Wolff, returning to the race after a two-year absence, wound up with a half-minute gap over fellow Masters runners Scott Walker, Myron Kremer, and Fedi Geczy to earn the Masters victory in 43:28. And 60-year-old Carnell Bowman of Leesburg, apparently a newcomer to the area running scene, came out of nowhere to take the Senior Masters award in 46:18.

Women's winner Tracy Webster
Top woman Tracy Webster
 		 
On the women's side, the race belonged to Bluemont's own Tracy Webster, 37. More frequently seen at triathlon events, Webster showed her running skills by opening up a huge lead and taking the overall women's win in 45:43. Her nearest female competitor, Stephens City's Stacey Ellis, 26, wound up
  
Women's runner-up Stacey Ellis
Women's runner-up Stacey Ellis, trailed by Steve Walters
 
over three minutes behind. Ellis, most recently seen finishing in the top 25 at the hot Leesburg 10K in August, still outran 2004 Bluemont Fair 10K champ Mary Smith to take second overall in 48:57. Smith, 23, sped across the line fifty-seven seconds later.

Round Hill's Kathy Klimek, 40, had to be pleased with her 50:40 performance. Not only did she improve upon her 2004 finish by one minute forty-seven seconds, but she also earned the race's female Masters prize in her first year of eligibility! Not far behind her was another Round Hiller, 50-year-old Debby Rosel, last seen at Bluemont earning the 2002 Masters award. Rosel wound up twenty-nine seconds behind Klimek, but she earned the Senior Masters victory in her 50 & over debut.

Oldest finisher Bob Atkins and youngest finisher Jedediah Caldwell
Bob Atkins (left), Jed Caldwell (right)
 		 
While Rosel was also the oldest female finisher, the race's Oldest Finisher award went to 80-year-old Bob Atkins for the second straight year. The winner of the Youngest Finisher prize was also a repeat winner, 15-year-old Jedediah Caldwell of Purcellville. Caldwell ran a particularly impressive race this year, improving on his 2004 finish by five minutes and finishing fourth overall!

A big thank-you is owed to those who volunteered at this year's race, including David & Carter Black, Colleen Snyder, Glenn Luttrell, Myron Kremer, Francis Ashton, Irv Snyder, Bill Poindexter, Mary Marks, and Karsten Brown. We must also thank the race's many sponsors and supporters.

Female Masters winner Kathy Klimek
Female Masters winner Kathy Klimek		   Female Senior Masters winner Debby Rosel
Female Senior Masters winner Debby Rosel		   Beth Sirk, Pete Barto, Katie Kerr-Hobert
Beth Sirk, Pete Barto, and Katie Kerr-Hobert

Results & report provided by Karsten Brown.

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