The Elements of Style advises writers to avoid adjectives and especially superlatives. Yet it is hard to describe RR’s Womens Distance Festival without resorting to words like: Over-the-top wonderful; exciting; and the BEST! The event is so rich in details - so many elements of style - that one needs to bend rules just to characterize it accurately.  The Race Committee, Ann B, Jill T, Helen H, Karen L, Darlene M, Bridget M, Maria N, Carol S, and RD DR (aka Donna R) keeps finding new ways to make this race better than ever. And it shows:  Attendance set new records, with over 500 runners - actually, I lost count when they ran out of bib numbers on race day - and an even larger number of supporters and cheerleaders.

The WDF also marks the culmination of this year’s fabulous Womens Training Program, led by Anne D. Once again, several hundred graduates of this nationally-recognized program showed up at the start and, for many, completed their first 5K.  Wonderful and Excellent!

It is important to note that the WDF is not entirely about women:  Men were all over the place performing menial and important tasks to support their beloved runners.  This is as it should be. Without being too specific, I think it can be said that some of our men look surprisingly good in grass skirts and coconut bras.  And it is hard to imagine a better Official Hugger than Jerry L.

The race itself was an event to behold. The course is tortuous and difficult, and watching the lead runner, Theresa Milenski Lowry, pass the 2-mile marker at a 5:30 pace was awesome and inspiring.  Wow! The event marked a homecoming for Theresa, who used to run with us regularly but abandoned us for sunny San Diego and, apparently, intensive speed work. The second and third-place finishers were Jessica Erickson and Meredith Samson.

Age-group winners included familiar faces as well as some newcomers to our community: Kate Brunotts, Kyene Peroutky, Rihana Knotts, Theresa Stewart, Trish Stone, Mij Phelps, Kellie Redmond, Sushila Nanda, Deedee Loughran, Joy Saar, Jeanine Matte, Dee Nelson, Ecris Williams, and Hiroko Hunt. Complete race results are available  here  .

One cannot neglect WDF bling: The race premiums - at least for those who signed up early (put it on your calendars for next year!) - included socks, hats, bags, and adorably cute bath robes with colorful feminine lettering - which is kind of funny given the cutthroat competitors that I observed on the course.

So Congratulations to all! It was a great day, beautiful weather, good food, and a super-energized crowd.  For an immense collection of race-day photos, try  here  . Facebook is also replete with WDF images.