By: Roger Hopper
Male Overall
To kick things off, former CNU runner and 14:21 track 5K man Jeff Dover clearly outclassed the field with his two efforts of the fall, nearly equally impressive wins of 15:26 (84.13% age-graded) at the challenging Strider XC Classic 5K and 31:59 (83.53% AG) on a perfect morning for fast times at the Heart of Ghent 10K. I had a special morning in perfect conditions to win the Yorktown Battlefield 10 Miler in 54:00 (81.48% AG) for 2nd, and my 1:12:50 Crawlin' Crab Half wasn't half bad either. William and Mary and Team Blitz man Patrick Wachter takes 3rd with his swift Bee and Goody 5K in 15:30 on a short course thought by experienced runners to be about 100 meters off, and his course record 33:25 at the hilly and tough Run for the Hills 10K more than validates this selection. David Kidd took advantage of yet another perfect morning for racing when he threw down his 15:49 to win the Norfolk Harbor 5K. William Thompson crushed the Richmond Half on a windy day in 1:13:26 for 5th, the same morning 6th place Emmanuel Gomez backed up his impressive 1:15:40 Crawlin' Crab Half with a 2:39:15 Richmond Marathon. Top master Victor Flemming cracked the top 10 with a pair of impressive 5Ks (16:44 = 81.92% AG) which slightly outclassed his 1:17:34 for 3rd at the Norfolk Harbor Half Marathon. Second place master Mark Tompkins had the second-highest age grade of ranked runners in the overall category with his 82.50% 17:06 at the Governor's Land 5K. There was a handful of very talented performers who only ran one race, but alas, like Moreland's rankings, two races are required to qualify.
Male Masters
It is no surprise seeing Victor Flemming atop this list, as the new master turned in a handful of consistent and impressive performances all fall. The still young and fast Mark Tompkins continues to impress, as did Chuck Inman's Philadelphia Marathon in 2:45:48 in particular. Again, fantastic conditions at most of the big races, including the Heart of Ghent 10K, Wicked 10K, Governor's Land 5K, Yorktown Battlefield 10 Miler, and Norfolk Harbor Half Marathon and 5K, contributed to great times all around. Rob Hunter picks up an overall win at the Neptune Festival 8K to go with his 18:15 on a challenging Strider XC Classic 5K course for 6th on this list. After taking the top master spot at last year's Outer Banks Half Marathon, Jason Miller was 2nd master this year in a swift 1:24:39. Greg Lynn, Tommy Neeson, and Thomas Hicks round out the top 11 in a near dead heat, with Lynn edging ahead on the strength of his Yorktown Battlefield 10 Mile 1:04:25. Top grand master here is John Piggott, and ageless wonder Pete Gibson is one of just two senior grand masters to crack the top 25 here with his strong weekend double at the Norfolk Harbor Half and 5K, including a male-rankings-leading 86.62% AG for his 18:54 5K. Not to be forgotten, Robert Whitaker had the second highest ranked age grade here with 82.81% at Governor's Land.
Female Overall
Like the men, our female overall #1 stands head and shoulders above the rest, as 2018 SEC Track Indoor 5K and Outdoor 10K champion Megan Cunningham destroyed the field with her 34:48 Great Cow Harbor 10K (overall-rankings-best 87.16% AG) and 2:41:13 (84.00%) at the Chicago Marathon. Maury High School star senior Maeve Stiles showed she's just as good on the roads as she is at XC and track when she stole 2nd away from Saki Wilson during the last weekend of the season with her 18:24 (81.56% AG) win at the Norfolk Harbor 5K. Wilson beat Stiles en route to winning the Heart of Ghent 10K, and punctuated a fall full of top 3 finishes at major races with her best time of the season, a 1:26:38 good for 2nd at the Norfolk Harbor Half and 3rd on this list. Stephanie Rice was next behind Wilson by less than a minute at the Harbor Half in 1:27:32, backing up her 1:29:20 Crawlin' Crab Half win and 3:08:33 Richmond Marathon effort to nab 4th. 5th place Christin Hoffstadt didn't fare quite as well as the others at the Harbor Half, but she did throw down a great 39:56 for 4th at the Heart of Ghent 10K, one spot ahead of Stiles at that race. 6th place Jennifer Moran makes one of two master runners to crack the overall top 10 with her 4th place finish at the Harbor Half in 1:28:32, one spot ahead, in that race and on this list, of Leia Lautzenheiser's 1:29:10. Olympic Marathon Trials veteran Renee (High) Merchant showed she still has plenty in the tank with her 40:18 second place showing at the Wicked 10K, and Mollie Sweet turned in the second-best ranked women's marathon of the fall with her 3:06:30 at Richmond, where she beat Rice. Fabiana Perlingeiro rounds out the top 10 with a pair of 5K wins in 19:34 and 19:35 at a couple of smaller races.
Female Masters
Jennifer Moran turned in a great pair of 4th place finishes at major races to trump Fabiana Perlingeiro's two small 5K wins and take the top female masters spot. Jodi Yarnell took 3rd the short way with a pair of 5Ks highlighted by her 21:10 win at the Angel Run 5K, while Denise Littman took 4th the long way with her 1:30:04 9th at the Crawlin' Crab Half and 3:38:07 at the Richmond Marathon. Andrea Hornbuckle led three grand masters in the top 10 with her 22:12 for 3rd at the Bra Ha Ha 5K, with Kelly Borkman's 46:25 at Wicked right on Hornbuckle's heels. Julie Hicks bettered her husband's masters finish by 4 spots to take 7th here thanks to her 1:43:08 at the Norfolk Harbor Half. Another ageless wonder, this time on the women's side, Carolyn Harrison rounds out the top 10 with her superb 1:18:54 at the Yorktown Battlefield 10 Miler, which was good for an outstanding female-masters-leading 84.20% age grade.
Races
In order to be considered for these rankings, a race must have open entry to all, have full results listed on a website, and preferably list age, gender, and city of residence of all runners. Road and cross country races will be considered. Races will fall into the following seasons based on the following boundaries: spring is the first full weekend of March up to but not including Memorial Day weekend, summer includes Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, fall is from after Labor Day to before Thanksgiving, and winter includes Thanksgiving races up to but not including the first full weekend of March.
