Home › Race Coverage › Team GRC Makes A Sweep At Lawyers Have Heart – Whetstone Sets Record and Barham Is First Female

Team GRC Makes A Sweep At Lawyers Have Heart – Whetstone Sets Record and Barham Is First Female

By mitchpa on June 2, 2024 • ( 0 )

By George Banker

May 18, 2024, West Potomac Park, Washington, DC—“I ran this race last year, so I knew competitively I would not be with the leaders, but would have a decent shot of being in the top 3 for my age group. While winning a race is cool, with the level and number of runners in this region, there is no reason some mid-40’s person should win a race around here. The competition in this race fit that and drew out some great open and masters level times,” said Matt Barnes of Potomac River Running (PRR), placing in 36:55. Barnes was making comments about the 34th Lawyers Have Heart 10K and the 19th 5K (May 18, 2024) in West Potomac Park (Washington, DC).

Richard Frank, Founder and Senior Principal of Olsson Frank Weeda and Alan Raul, Partner at Sidley Austin, LLP, co-founded Lawyers Have Heart (LHH) in 1991. Richard and Alan wanted to unite the Washington legal community annually in the spirit of Pro Bono Publico (for the public good) to change the heart health of the Greater Washington Region.

Lawyers Have Heart brings together runners and walkers — of all ages and levels of experience to raise funds for the American Heart Association (AHA) for research, prevention and awareness of heart disease and stroke. This year’s race is also in commemoration of the AHA’s centennial celebration. Since its founding in 1924, the AHA has devoted itself to creating a world of healthier lives for all and has played a significant role in transforming the nation’s health by reducing heart disease and stroke death rates.

Lawyers Have Heart raised a record-breaking $1.42 million in 2023. The event began in 1991 as a running and walking event for the legal community, and a way to highlight the link between physical activity and stress reduction, especially in high stress professions like the law.

In the inaugural year 1991, the 10K male winner was Darrell General of Mitchellville, MD, with a time of 30:45 and the top female was Linda Portazick of Arlington, VA, with a time of 36:47. Athletes broke records as the race became more competitive throughout the years.

The winning time in the first 5K in 1995 was 15:38 by Edmund Burke and the female time was 17:30 by Paula Renzi.

The event records for the 5K for the male is Ryan Witters with a time of 15:06 (2023) and for the female is Kim Saddic with a time of 17:02 (1997 the oldest record). Saddic is the only female who holds a first-place win in the 5K and 10K (1995–36:30).

The master male record is 15:48 (2022) by David Wertz and the female time is 18:25 (2023) by Adrienne Glasheen.

This was the second time for the return to West Potomac Park, along with a changed course from 2023. The course remained flat compared to the Georgetown location. The added challenge was a steady rain, which was a welcomed change from the high humidity of prior years.

2024 5K Description

The organizers started the 5K 15 minutes before the 10K to avoid course congestion since some parts of the course were shared by both events. There is always the question – will there be a record? No one can answer the question until the first person crosses the finish line. Each of the events had runners with the capabilities, and it takes other runners to bring the best out in another runner.

As the race unfolded, Jack Whetstone of Team GRC was leading the men. The trailing runners were Campbell Ross of Washington and Charles Scharf of Elizabethtown, PA. Whetstone made a decisive move to set a new event record with a time of 14:52.

Scharf was runner-up in 15:07. In third place was Ross with a time of 15:57.

The top master was Matthew Williams of Washington, in 18:22. The runner-up was Andrew Golden of McLean, VA, at a time of 19:00. Christopher Carney of Falls Church, VA was third with a time of 19:00.

Whetstone comments, “My strategy, same as usual. I stayed in the night before, ate pasta, and got up and had a few cups of coffee with a bagel before. Decided before the race that I would run hard from the beginning to see how fast I could go on the flat course. More competition would have definitely been nice – I ran the first half of the race with someone who finished 2nd, but was pretty much alone after the first half.”

Whetstone led wire-to-wire and ran a personal best. “This was my first time running LHH. It was a blast!”

The winning woman was Elena Barham of Washington in 18:08 (8th fastest winning time). The runner-up was Chloe Connor of Washington in 18:20, and Annmarie Dressler of Vienna, VA, was third with a time of 19:40.

Elizabeth Clor of Chantilly, VA, was the first master with a time of 20:37 (6th fastest winning time). In 2017, Clor placed 4th with a time of 20:26 and in 2022 she placed 9th with a time of 21:10.

Kerriane Rouse of Stafford, VA (PRR), finishing with a time of 25:45 (8th master) said: “This was my first Lawyers Have Heart. Packet pick up was really easy. Communication was excellent, lots of porta potty options at the starting line. Once parked, it was easy to get to the start. At the start line I started up towards the front; I could hold my position. I found the race competitive, the surrounding people appropriately placed themselves at the start, and there was not a lot of weaving, you know, that sometimes happens at the start of a race. I appreciate the opportunity to run. The 5K course was flat and fast, which was great with my goal to get out of the rain as soon as possible.”

Full Results (5K and 10K)

Top Women 5K (All gun times throughout)

18:08 Elena Barham, 30, Washington, DC
18:20 Chloe Connor, 24, Washington, DC
19:40 Annmarie Dressler, 32, Vienna, VA
20:37 Elizabeth Clor, 45, Chantilly, VA (1st master)
20:58 Grace Ferraro, 34, Washington, DC
21:14 Joy Harrington, 54, (2nd master)
21:17 Meghan Federman, 32, Washington, DC
21:36 Dana Kinel, 27, Washington, DC
21:41 Serena Seaman, 28, Washington, DC
21:54 Maddie Cross-Kaplan, 24, Arlington, VA

Top Men 5K

14:52 Jack Whetstone, 24, Washington, DC
15:07 Charles Scharf, 23, Elizabethtown, PA
15:57 Campbell Ross, 31, Washington, DC
17:20 Rodrigo Vellon, 34, Falls Church, VA
17:44 Alex Rant, 27, Washington, DC
17:45 Sean Napier, 32, Rockville, MD
18:22 Matthew Williams, 49, Washington, DC (1st master)
18:27 Alexander Laurent, 22, Washington, DC
18:39 Chris Mendez, 34, Washington, DC
18:59 Jason Coates, 39, Washington, DC

2024 10K Description

The leaders of the 10K included the defending champion (2023–29:52) Cameron Miller of Washington. The additional lead-pack runners included Terry Tossman and Jon Russell of Washington. In the mix was Greg Marino of the Capital Area Runners (CAR) Running team.

The trailing runners could not cover the pace established by Miller. Miller took first place with a winning time of 29:58. Tossman was the runner-up in 31:21. Russell captured third place in 31:26, followed by Mariano in fourth with a time of 31:35.

“My strategy going in was to keep the lead pack in sight, not go out too fast, but then try to catch at least some of them later. The level of competition was perfect for me. I spent most of the first half of the race in 6th/7th place, running near one other guy and trying to maintain contact with him. After mile 3 I was feeling good, so I pulled away from him and tried to reel in the lead chase pack. I caught at least one other runner, maybe 2, during the last 1-2 miles, and finished in 4th place,” said Greg Mariano.

Mariano has placed in several prior years: 2014 (4^th–31:54), 2017 (3^rd–33:17), and 2018 (14^th–32:16).

Team members of Potomac River Running (PRR) were the leading masters. Chris Sloane was first with a time of 31:44. Matt Barnes was second in 36:35. Wilson Komen of Washington was third with a time of 37:00. Komen was the overall winner in 2005 (30:27–9^th fastest winning time).

‘My strategy going into the race was to attack as strong as I could early and stick with anyone with which I could run. I was tired of going into the race from a quick 5000m. I ran on Monday evening up at Widener University, which was a track meet for mostly college but also for club runners. I used that to run a fast time (15:10). Coming off that, doing the 10K I knew would help me prepare for a half marathon I am doing next month to simulate fatigue,” said Chris Sloane.

Sloane adds, “The competition at Lawyers was good – I had a couple GRC guys to run with keeping us all in the top 5. We were trying to chase down 2nd place, which was not far in front of us. Our pack broke up around mile 4 and I found myself in 4th. I struggled the last mile a bit and got caught by 2 guys to finish 6th.”

“I was disappointed I got caught, but I also knew I was not completely recovered from the 5000m I ran 5 days earlier. My all-time PR for the 10K is 30:43, so to be 1 minute off that as a master I cannot complain too much. I have run LHH before. The last time I did it was 2017 (2^nd place–32:06),” stated Sloane.

“I started off the race looking to go out mid to low 5:40s. The effort felt a little faster than that, so I was a little disappointed to see 5:43 on the watch for the first split. The big dogs pulled away quickly, but a nice group of 7-8 of us formed up and worked off each other through Haines Point. The turning point in the loop was a little muddy within the gravel. I ended up losing contact with the group at that point. Legs did not feel too springy, and the super shoes had some slipping with the wet surface but was able to hold steady, keeping just above 6-minute pace the rest of the way and picked off a few of the stragglers of the group as the race went on,” stated Matt Barnes.

Barnes adds, “The end of the race got a little choppy having to weave through the 5k walkers, but in the end, was able to keep under 37, finishing in 36:34. Good for 2^nd AG/Masters (I have a little bit to catch Chris, lol.) As far as I can see records online, that is my best 10k on the roads all-time. I may have been faster on the track in the couple I ran, possibly once in XC. Some of that is due to not racing many 10k’s while in my best shape, but I will count it towards a PR at this point. That being said, I believe we were turned a little early in Haines Point.”

“I was hoping to break 40 minutes going in. I thought the race size and competition were perfect for me. I slowed a bit in the second half, but I do that in most races. I realized at the mile 3 marker that the course was probably going to be a little short, so I did not push it too much. I have had some hamstring and knee issues the last couple of years and just ran a half marathon two weeks ago. So I was not near my PR of 37:14, but I was pleased with the result, and I was the top 50-year-old. I probably passed a couple of people and got passed by five in the second half of the race, but held my place. I have done the Lawyers Have Heart quite a few times but always in Georgetown and I think it has been 5 or 6 years since I last did it (2014–38:40, 5^th 40-44). And there was beer at the end,” stated Bill McNeary of PRR finishing with a time of 40:45 (1^st 50-54 age group).

Sarah Jonathan of Georgetown Running Club (GRC) was the winning female with a time of 35:10. The runner-up was Nicole Hackett of Bel Air, MD, in 37:06. Mollie Zapata of Capital Area Runners finished in third place with a time of 37:37.

“Going into the race I was not feeling particularly well, but I still figured I would give it what I could. I planned to go out conservatively at a pace that I knew I could maintain, but that would also keep me in an excellent position to compete. Then, if I felt capable in the second half, I hoped to cut down the pace for a negative split,” stated Jonathan, making her LHH debut.

Jonathan comments on the competition, “I ran most of the race alone with maybe one runner in sight ahead of me. There were certainly men in front of me, so I still had some ability to track down people throughout the race, but most of what I could do was just try to shorten the gap. I would have loved to see more women up towards the front.”

“I have not run many 10Ks, and am coming off of marathon training, so I was not sure how to approach it. My plan was to start out at my usual tempo pace and see how that felt, ideally picking it up as the race went on. I usually divide races (mentally) into three sections: the first third should be comfortable, the second third should be hard but steady, and the last third should be hard,” stated Mollie Zapata, making her LHH debut.

Zapata adds, “There were some fast people there, though I would have wanted a few more women to run/compete with. I got stuck kind of in the middle between groups, so I ended up running the entire race on my own. I maintained! I could see a group a way ahead of me, but they were too far ahead to catch. I think one man passed me around mile 4, but that is all.”

The winning master was Elena Orlando of Potomac, MD, with a time of 42:04. The runner-up was Sophie Pinkard of Washington at a time of 42:36. Anna Endrizzi of Reston, VA, was third with a time of 47:45.

Note: Due to flooding at the tip of Hains Point (East Potomac Park) the 10K course was short by 250 meters. There were no changes to the 5K (All times are valid). Although the course was short, it does not discount the effort that all the athletes made. The organizers will have measures in place to prevent this in the future.

Top Women 10K (All gun times throughout)