More than 900 runners and some 300 walkers participated Sunday in the 16th annual Fair Lakes 8K Race and 2K fun run/walk. Aaron Church, 27, of South Riding won the 8K with a time of 25:48.
He runs 100-110 miles/week to keep in tip-top form, and by winning this race, he said, "I'm bringing respect to South Riding." He's a sales engineer for a Maryland telecommunications company, and this was his first time in the Fair Lakes 8K.
The first-place female finisher was Lou Hohnka, 25, of Herndon, with a time of 30:46. She teaches driver's ed, health and P.E. to sophomores at Potomac High in Prince William County.
"I'm in training for a marathon, so I run 75-85 miles per week," said Hohnka.
Geoff Hopkins, 36, of Alexandria, was the first-place wheelchair finisher, and Alex Martinez, 13, a student at Kilmer Middle School in Vienna, won the 2K event.
The main sponsor is The Peterson Cos., and proceeds benefit the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and enable people to be tested for free so they can be entered into the marrow-registry program. This year's race raised $50,000 for the NMDP, and 100 people signed up for the registry.
Local dignitaries at Sunday's event included Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully), Del. Gary Reese (R-67th) and Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-11th). Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Katherine K. "Kate" Hanley (D) welcomed the runners and thanked the volunteers. Then before the race began, a moment of silence was observed in memory of those who lost their lives last Sept. 11.