Ed Moran, part 2

Photo by TriDuo.com

With a time of 14:13 four-time William and Mary All-American Ed Moran broke the Virginia state 5K record by five seconds April 17th at the inaugural Run the D.O.G. [Duke of Gloucester] Street 5K in Williamsburg. Moran here is rounding the curve in front of the Governor's Palace of Colonial Williamsburg. The course then went past the Capitol Building for an historic final half mile up Duke of Gloucester Street to the finish line near Merchants Square. There were 345 finishers in the 5K event, benefiting Avalon of Williamsburg, the women's shelter.

Moran Runs 14:13 for Virginia State Record at the Run the D.O.G. Street 5K

By Rick Platt

Last Saturday was an historic day for Williamsburg runners for multiple reasons. The inaugural Run the D.O.G. [Duke of Gloucester] Street 5K featured the first competitive event ever allowed through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg, with runners passing in front of the Governor’s Palace and the Capitol Building before a final half-mile finish up Duke of Gloucester Street. The 5K was also the first Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix race to utilize a computerized chip timing system, thanks to a recent purchase of the “Jaguar” timing system by the race organizers and race director Jim Elder of Colonial Sports.

And it was historic because race favorite Ed Moran met his goals of breaking the all-time Colonial Road Runners 5K record and the all-time Virginia state 5K record.

Moran, a four-time All-American while at William and Mary (graduating in 2003), is an assistant coach with the W&M men’s cross country and track programs, and a current MBA student at the W&M Mason School of Business. He competes for Nike, and is coached by W&M men’s head track and cross country coach Alex Gibby. He won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters at the 2007 Pan-American Games, and was fourth in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008 in the 10,000 meters. On the track he has run 13:20.35 for 5,000 meters and 27:43.13 for 10,000 meters.

The race started on Prince George Street adjacent to the W&M Barnes and Noble bookstore. The focused Moran was totally clear of the large field (there were 345 official finishers in the 5K) within a block, before a left on Armistead Avenue brought the runners to James Blair Drive and a loop around the W&M University Center and football stadium. By the time Moran exited the campus, at Scotland Street and Richmond Road, he was on record pace with an opening 4:30 mile. He kept that blistering pace down Scotland Street and into Colonial Williamsburg for the second half. Sprinting up what Franklin D. Roosevelt called the “most historic avenue in all America,” Moran crossed the finish line near the Bruton Parish Church in 14:13, bettering the previous mark by five seconds. That record was 14:18 by Mark Donahue at the 1996 Busch Gardens Drachen Fire 5K Run. Virginia state records must be set on courses certified to exacting USATF measurement standards, and the Run the D.O.G. Street course is certified (VA-10013-RT). Those records have been kept for over 30 years.

Moran also broke the previous all-time CRR record for open men by 23 seconds, the previous record 14:37 by Matt Lane at the 2001 Vineyards of Williamsburg 5K Run. Lane also was a former W&M track and cross country star, having earned 11 All-American honors while at W&M. And lastly Moran broke the all-time CRR mark for the men’s 25-29 age group by almost a full minute, the previous record 15:10 by Patrick Phillips of Greensboro, NC at the 1997 Queens Lake 5K Run.

Moran was almost 1 ¾ minutes ahead of second place Matt Chandler, 22, of Williamsburg (15:55), a W&M senior. Third place went to Bruton High track coach Mark Tompkins, 34, of Williamsburg (16:00), with W&M law student Alex Grout, two seconds further back (16:02).

Another of the remarkable performances of the day came from Lafayette High freshman Kurtis Steck, age 15, who was fifth overall in 16:13. Last November, Steck broke the Virginia state record for the men’s 10-14 age group with a time of 16:42. Now age 15, he continues to improve.

In the women’s race Sarrah Hadiji, 21, of Williamsburg, a W&M junior, ran 18:44 to finish ahead of Lafayette High sophomore Heidi Peterson (19:01) and five-time CRR women’s Grand Prix champion Jennifer Quarles, 38, of Williamsburg (19:44). The top three men and women received prize money in the amounts of $100-50-25, although high school (Peterson) and NCAA-eligible runners are not allowed to accept any cash awards.

Hadiji had run with the W&M cross country and track teams as a freshman and sophomore, but is now running on her own. She competed in high school at W.T. Woodson in Fairfax, where she was the Virginia state champion two straight years at the 3,200-meter distance. She also finished sixth in the Nike Outdoor Nationals, earning high-school All-American honors in 2007. The Run the D.O.G. 5K was her first race in almost a year. Medical school at Sheffield University in the United Kingdom is planned after her 2011 W&M graduation.

The Run the D.O.G. race was a “Healthy Heart, Healthy Minds, for a Healthy Community” event, and was part of a two-day-long festival to support Avalon, the women’s shelter in Williamsburg. Friday evening had a Dave Matthews Tribute Band Concert at W&M Hall. Saturday morning started at 7:30 a.m. with a children and family one mile fun run out-and-back on Duke of Gloucester Street, with 45 finishers. The weekly Farmer’s Market was in the next block after the finish line, followed by Avalon entertainment in Merchants Square with three bands through the day, numerous vendor booths, and a “Walk-A-Mile in Her Shoes” competition for men at 12 noon.