The 17th annual Virginia Run Turkey Trot is now history, and this Thanksgiving classic was another big success.
All proceeds benefit Life with Cancer, Inova Health System's nonprofit program for cancer patients and their families. And this year's race — dedicated to Virginia Run resident Lynda Gubin, who died of cancer in March — raised between $50,000 and $55,000 for the organization.
First-place finisher in the 5K race was Philippe Rolly, 33, of Fairfax, with a time of 15:50. Centreville's Eric Post, 26, took second in 16:02, and Brad Clark, 18, of Burke came in third with 16:41.
Fastest female was Alisa Harvey, 40, of Manassas, with a time of 17:44. She was followed by Clifton's Erin Swain, 23, in 18:21, and Clifton's Kelly Swain, 20, in 19:03.
In the Virginia Run division, the top male runner was Mark Shaffer, 37, in a time of 17:12. Capturing second place was Joseph Fix, 20, in 20:24, with Robert Fix Jr., 22, taking third in 20:34. Swiftest female was Lauren Krizay, 15, chalking up a time of 22:40. Following her were Iris Butler, 25, in 23:34, and Danielle Sevel, 16, in 24:19.
Approximately 2,000 runners and 900 walkers participated. Although this was less than last year, event chairman Dominic DeVincenzo blamed it on the inclement weather, after Wednesday night's snowflakes froze on the roads.
"The State Police told me that, because of the icy conditions, there were over 100 accidents in Fairfax County between 12 midnight and 6 a.m. [Thanksgiving day]," he said. "So a lot of people had trouble getting here."
<tgl> — Bonnie Hobbs