Bethesda Turkey Chase 10K

Thursday, November 26, 2009 - Nearly 5,000 runners showed up for the 27th annual Bethesda Turkey Chase 10K.  It was a cold and gray Thanksgiving morning, but the rain held off until later in the day.  NORSA representation for this race included Steven L, Matt, Tom, Steven S, and Emily.  Some had picked up packets at City Sports the day before, and some picked them while the first waves were starting the race.   The black long-sleeved shirts were better than your average race shirt, but Matt preferred the purple shirt from the Luray Sprint Triathlon.

The course started by the YMCA Bethesda and went out on Cedar Lane, through the local neighborhood, followed Wisconsin Avenue past Bethesda Naval Hospital to downtown Bethesda, then back on Old Georgetown Road to the finish.  It was a hilly course with a good portion of the Wisconsin leg being uphill.  As in past years, Wisconsin Avenue was not completely closed to traffic for the race and the runners were supposed to squeeze into the far right lane of the road.  Things got a bit congested and many spilled over the cones into the next lane.  The finish was downhill and fast.  So fast that Steven S forgot to turn in his timing chip and had to mail it in.

Steven L led the pack with a fast and furious 48:37, with Steven S close behind.  The rest of the NORSA group put up equally impressive times.  Tom beat his time from the 2007 race, and Matt, Steve L, and brother John beat their times from 2008.   Full race results are available here. 

Steven S partakes in post-race shenanigans.

Due to holiday obligations there was not a NORSA post-race event.  But after this great day of running Team NORSA gives thanks for our friends, our health, and the opportunity to challenge ourselves.

Sky Meadows hiking

Sunday, November 15, 2009 -  With much nicer weather than previous NORSA outings, Matt, Steven S, and Emily decided to check out another Virginia state park at Sky Meadows. Less than an hour from the DC area, the park was recommended by a fellow hiker at Duncan Knob. The park has 12 miles of trails and also connects to the Appalachian Trail.

Starting on the North Ridge Trail, the group explored a couple miles of the AT, stopped for lunch, then returned on the Ambassador Whitehouse and Piedmont Overlook trails. From the portion of the AT that intersects the park, it is a 21 mile hike south to Shenandoah National Park and about 26 miles north to Harper's Ferry. The Sky Meadows trails go through a mix of woods and pastures, with views of the Blue Ridge in the distance. Several groups of hikers and a few runners were out enjoying the warm weather.

The ridge trails were moderately challenging and the connection to the AT offers some options for future hiking trips.  Matt, Steven, and Emily also checked out various items of historical-ness such as the Mount Bleak House and ye olde ice house by the visitor's center.  After the hike they ate at Big Buns - the usual post-hike stuff plus some Jack Johnson tracks.

Veteran's Day Expedition to Great Falls

NORSA veterans Steven S., Emily, Nora, and Matt celebrated Veteran's Day with a hike at Great Falls National Park in Virginia. Undeterred by the frigid temperatures, driving rain, and impending floodwaters, the four intrepid hikers explored several miles of the southern bank of the Potomac River. The hike started early at the main parking lot and proceeded west along the Powtowmack trail. Although the group was actually many miles away from Alcohol Island (site of many previous NORSA expeditions), Matt convinced the other three hikers to keep pressing westward in the hopes of finding the elusive island. However, as the rains increased and Nora, Steven, and Emily's faith in Matt's sense of direction decreased, the group decided to turn around and head back for the visitor's center.

Steven does a rain dance and casts his spear into a pond in the hopes of getting the rains to ease up. His efforts failed.

Nora says "Follow the rules" while Emily tries to stop Steven from climbing over a fence. Later, Steven ventured out on his own into the forest in search of elk. He did not find any.

After the hike, the four stopped at Potbelly's for a sandwich - the usual post-hike kind of stuff.

Duncan Knob Hike

Sunday, October 25, 2009 - A beautiful day with clear skies set the stage for the latest installment of the 2009 NORSA fall hiking series. Hoping to see the fall colors at their peak, Matt and Steven S headed out to Duncan Knob, site of previous NORSA excursions. On the way out they stopped for gas at BP and couldn't help but note the billboard advertisement for body massage. Then they initially missed the the left turn from 211 E onto Crisman Hollow/R 274 (if you see a parking lot on the right for another trail, you've gone too far). The rest of the trip was smooth sailing.

The Duncan Knob hike started with a steep section on the Scothorn Gap trail, then followed a ridge below Middle Mountain to the Gap Creek Trail. In the clearing after the first climb, the NORSA hikers looked for the (memorial?) wooden marker for another Steven from 1974, but could not find it. After a couple of switchbacks on the Gap Creek trail, a white blazed trail from Peach Orchard Gap lead them to Duncan Knob, situated at the southern tip of Catback Mountain. The rock scramble to the top was no problem at all for the tactical pair. They stopped for lunch and were treated to great views - layers of red and yellow to the west, Middle Mountain, Massanutten Mountain, and Strickler Knob to the south, and the Shenandoah River, Luray, and the peaks of Shenandoah National Park to the east.

Returning on the Massanutten Trail, they descended along a ridge surrounded by bright yellow leaves, which Steven's untrained eye identified as birches and tulip trees.

In all it was a great day for hiking, and the fall colors never fail to impress.

Race for World Peace 5K

An overcast, humid morning with expectations of rain greeted NORSA members Steven S and Emily, who had eaten at Matchbox in DC with friends the night before. They had enough time for breakfast before taking the metro to make the 9:00 start time of the inaugural Race for World Peace 5K.  Since Steven had picked up the race packets the day before, they already had bibs and timing chips. They warmed up and headed to the starting line with a group of Emily's friends from work who were also running.

The race started promptly at 9:00 AM near the Foggy Bottom metro station and the course headed down to Constitution via 19th St, then made a loop on Pennsylvania and returned on the same route.  The runners finished with an uphill stretch on 19th St between the 4 and 5 km mark, with the final few hundred meters on I st NW.   The fellow who won the race is from Ethiopia.  Since the times were chip-computed, the local running report noted that he established the event record at 15 minutes and 10 seconds.

After the race, a dance troupe performed on a stage set up for the accompanying festival for world peace.  Bananas, granola bars, and water were provided also - the usual post-race shenanigans that follow most road-running races.