Williamsburg Area Running

6th Annual Williamsburg Jaycees Run For Life 10 K

2002

JCC Jaycees Run for Life 10 K

By Rick Platt

Last year's Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix for the women came down to a close battle between Alison Holinka (who won seven CRR races for 70 points) and runnerup Gina Bohlmann (scoring 59 points in eight races). With Holinka having moved from Williamsburg in May (her husband Brian was assigned to Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base in Colorado Springs) and Bohlmann yet to run her first CRR race for 2002, this year's Grand Prix has a new look.

After Saturday's sixth annual Willamsburg Jaycees Run for Life 10K (the fifth race of eleven in this year's Grand Prix), Sherry Volk has a commanding lead with 45 points, followed by Jen Quarles (26), Carol Talley (21), Holinka (20) and Aurora Scott (20). Holinka had won the first two CRR races this year (Jamestown Swamp Run 5K, Ford's Colony 8K Run for Shelter), then 12-year-old phenom Aurora Scott of Portsmouth won the next two (Queens Lake 5K, Mental Health 5K).

Volk had one third and three seconds in those races, then came through with her first CRR win Saturday at the Jaycees 10K, held at Newport News Park. Volk, 41, of Williamsburg won in 42:37 over Quarles, 30, of Williamsburg (44:40) and Talley, 47, of Toano (45:45).

The men's race Saturday was won by over 2 1/2 minutes by Michael Mann, 33, of Hampton, whose 33:04 was a half mile ahead of Louis Padilla, 27, of Virginia Beach (35:45), Jim Bates, 46, of Hampton (35:48), Daniel Shaye, 33, of Williamsburg (36:16) and Keith Schumann, 31, of Williamsburg (37:12). Andre Smith (34 points), who did not run the Jaycees 10K, leads Mann (29) and Bates (21) in the CRR men's Grand Prix standings.

Jen Quarles has been the big surprise this year in the Grand Prix, as she did not score a point last year. She and her husband Dan Quarles (assistant commonwealth attorney for Williamsburg-James City County) had their second daughter Avery in October (following older sister Haley who will be three in July). Although Jen ran easy for the first two trimesters of her second pregnancy, she did not compete.

For 2002 her goal was a modest one, to win an award in the 30-39 age-group category of the Grand Prix (her 30th birthday was in March, three days before the Jamestown Swamp Run). After a breakthrough personal record 20:34 at April's Mental Health 5K, however, Quarles should aim much higher. It's almost certain now that she'll finish either second or third overall for the women.

Her breakthrough is surprising in that Quarles doesn't have much of a running background. During two stays in England (Bentwaters AFB in Suffolk--her father Dennis Domin was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force), Quarles ran track in eighth and ninth grades. When she returned to York County, she instead played field hockey (defense) for Tabb High (10th through 12th grades), graduating in 1990.

At Mary Baldwin College in Staunton (class of '94), she majored in marketing and communications, but still didn't run much. It was her brother Mike Domin (a varsity cross country runner for Tabb) who got her inspired. "My brother motivated me," said Quarles, "because he did racing." Her first road race was the Kiln Creek 5K five years ago.

At first she ran less than ten miles a week, but since Avery's birth, Quarles has increased her running to 25-35 miles per week. She attributes her new success to a combination of weekend long runs (with training partners Talley and Joe Ogden), and Wednesday CRR interval sessions at Barksdale Field.

Quarles has set most of her PRs this year, including the Mental Health 5K (20:34), Ford's Colony 8K (36:47), Jaycees 10K (44:40), Carter's Grove 8 Mile (59:26), and Anheuser-Busch Colonial Half Marathon (1:39:59). She ran her only marathon (Richmond) in 2000 (3:48:40), but will return this year with a goal of breaking 3:40 and qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Another obvious goal would be to crack the 20-minute barrier for the 5K.

Quarles also volunteers for the CRR, having just taken over the CRR clothing and T-shirt coordinator's job. Conveniently the Quarles live on Chandler Court, just a half block from Barksdale Field.

The Jaycees race was held on a new course this year, having moved from the traditional Bikeway 5.3 mile course, due to parking constraints. The new course was a very scenic combination of asphalt park roads (1.1 miles total) and mostly flat dirt trails (including the Swamp Bridge trail, portions of the Bikeway, and a return across the reservoir on Dam Bridge No. 1). Times were 1-2 minutes slower than for a typical road 10K.

The men's Jaycees 10K walk was won by Harry Watson, 61, of Suffolk (1:01:44) over Tom Gerhardt, 51, of Chesapeake (1:03:28) and George Fenigsohn, 54, of Poquoson (1:08:34). For the women walkers it was Karen Schenck, 47, of Woodbridge (1:21:38) over Linda Walker, 47, of Lancaster (1:22:34) and Susan Harper, 49, of Norfolk (1:26:33).

The one mile fun run was won by Natalie Ogden, 9, of Williamsburg (8:57) over her sister Marley Ogden, 11 (9:04), with Summer Miller, 7, of Toano third (9:09).