Two different running races were held on Oct. 25 on the Jamestown end of Williamsburg. Both started at the same time with runners going in opposite directions on the Greensprings Trail portion for about 1 ¼ miles of the route, but with no significant problems.
The third annual Jamestown Half Marathon and Virginia Company 5K both started at the Amblers House at Jamestown Beach Event Park, next to the Jamestown Ferry. The 5K went off first, at 8 a.m., with the half marathon 15 minutes later. Both started with a tour of Jamestown Settlement, after crossing Jamestown Road, and going past the Indian and Colonial villages.
The 5K was then an out-and-back of the Virginia Capital Trail, while the half marathon did a full tour of the Jamestown Island loop, before returning to the Virginia Capital Trail, then the Powhatan Creek Trail to the Greensprings Trail and back via the VCT, and entering the back entrance of the Jamestown Beach Event Park, off of Greensprings Road.
The second annual Greensprings 24 Hour Run also started at 8 a.m. Saturday, from the tennis courts end of the Jamestown High parking lot. It was a soft surface loop of the Greensprings Trail (going clockwise, as opposed to the half marathoners going counterclockwise), to a brief section of the VCT, and crossing the Swamp Bridge, back to the Greensprings Trail, and going up a modest hill back to the field where each loop started and finished. Both the half marathon and the 24-hour run loop were USATF certified, therefore eligible for state records and rankings.
The featured event was the Jamestown Half Marathon, a Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix event (the 16th of 2025), and also a Hampton Roads Super Grand Prix event. There were 446 entrants in all three races (there was also a Discovery Mile fun run, as well as some virtual entries), with 258 finishers in the half marathon, and 117 finishers in the 5K.
Breakthrough and personal record times were turned in by men’s winner Sean Bush and women’s winner Emily Honeycutt. Bush, 35, of Williamsburg won the half marathon in 1:10:12, close to the course record 1:09:36 set by Roger Hopper, 33, of Chesapeake at last year’s race. Nine-time CRR Grand Prix champion Hopper was entered this year, but did not run because he’s been injured since the summer. Second was Scott Ickes, 43, of Williamsburg (1:14:03), and third was a newcomer to the Williamsburg running scene, VIMS graduate student Gabriel Benson, 27, of Williamsburg (1:18:27). Bush (men 35-39), Ickes (men 40-44) and Benson (men 25-29) all broke race age group records.
For the women, not only did Honeycutt, 34, of Newport News, set a PR of 1:24:33, she tied the race record set by the 2024 champion, Bethany Spector, 35, of Yorktown. Runner-up was Sarah Jeon, 27, of Yorktown (1:26:44), with Ramsey Wagner, 27, of Panama City, Fla. third in 1:35:18. Fourth and fifth overall were the top two in the women’s Masters (40-and-older) division, Aimee Gianoukos, 49, of Williamsburg (1:36:01) and Tricia Murphy, 44, of Williamsburg (1:36:45). Third Masters was Sarah O’Brien, 42, of Williamsburg (1:41:13). Honeycutt (women 30-34), Jeon (women 25-29), Gianoukos (women 45-49) and Murphy (women 40-44) all broke race age group records.
For the men’s Masters, the top three were Chris Geraghty,40, of Yorktown (1:23:01), Mike Kiselycznyk, 44, of Falls Church (1:24:05) and Jonathan Scheerer, 47, of Williamsburg (1:27:38).
The race also offered awards for Grandmasters (50-and-older). For the men, that was Brian Rhee, 61, of Williamsburg (1:36:45), Tim Collins, 64, of Williamsburg (1:39:43) and Trevor Teeselink,53, of Williamsburg (1:40:01). For the women, the top three were Michelle Mackie, 54, of Lexington (1:54:53), Lisa O’Carroll, 58, of Williamsburg (2:03:09) and Janelle Fricke, 67, of Hayes (2:04:45).
Two other race age group records were broken, by John Dean, 14, of Williamsburg (men 14-and-younger, 1:47:25), and by Alexa Stout, 24, of Williamsburg (women 20-24, 1:44:00).
From those top runners, the highest age grades were by Bush (82.63%), Ickes (82.58%), Honeycutt (75.22%), Rhee (74.3%), Collins (74.2%), Gianoukos (73.9%), Kiselycznyk (73.4%), Benson (73.32%), Jeon (72.48%), Scheerer (72.2%), and Geraghty (71.9%). Also above the regional-class level of 70% were Jim Duffy, 73, of Poquoson (1:52:12, 72.8%), Ross Gore, 44, of Arlington (1:27:47, 70.2%), and Peter Tegroen, 71, of Henrico (1:53:25, 70.2%).
Pictured from left are Annie VanSkiver, Katie Kipers, Tricia Murphy, Dave Berger and Dave Anderson at the Jamestown Half Marathon and Virginia Company 5K. Courtesy of Tricia Murphy
The 24-hour run was directed by Darrin Denny, and Ellen Alexander of Happy Cat Events. Alexander emailed, “This was the most inspiring group of runners I have ever had in a Happy Cat Events race. Not only stellar performances, but also top-notch volunteer support with tough love sprinkled in when needed.”
Eight runners completed 100 miles or more, including Victoria Haynes, 32, of Front Royal (112.9 miles), Amber Lewis, 41, of Williamsburg (106.3 miles), Brian Whalen, 43, of Chesapeake (104.1 miles), Ben Hine, 52, of Falls Church (104.1 miles), Dana Reesman, 37, of Virginia Beach (101.9 miles), Sergio Diaz, 35, of Reston (101.9 miles) and with exactly 100 miles, both Brandon Parker, 38, of Williamsburg and Lindsay Weingart, 23, of Rockville, Md. Bill Hart, 76, of Virginia Beach (84.1 miles) broke a state record for men 75-79. There were 110 finishers, 97 of whom completed 50K (officially an ultramarathon) and 68 of whom bettered 50 miles.
Denny emailed, “It was great to have so many runners participating this year. Whether they competed as top finishers or simply achieved something individually challenging, we celebrate them equally. There were many inspiring efforts and dozens of fascinating storylines during the 24 -hour duration of this event. It was also rewarding to give back to one of the great organizations in our community, The Arc of Greater Williamsburg.”
Bush, who this year has become the fastest male runner in the CRR, emailed, “This was the first race I’ve won, so I’m thrilled. Jim and Geri [Elder], and all the volunteers put on an excellent event! The weather was perfect and I personally enjoyed the solitude on the Jamestown Island loop. Since I was alone from the gun, I found it helpful mentally to lock into a groove without any distractions for what ended up being a solo time trial. I started running recreationally in 2020 when gyms were shut down. My wife and I had just bought our first home and adopted a puppy who needed to burn off energy, so I’d run her around the neighborhood. Jason Miller (neighbor) convinced me to sign up for my first race at the CDR 5K in August of 2021.” Bush’s PRs now are 15:33 (5K), 33:09 (10K), 1:10:12 (half) and 2:36:39 (marathon). His next goal will be a 2:30 marathon at Richmond on Nov. 15. To prepare, his mileage is up to 80 miles per week, with long runs Sunday up to 20 miles.
Honeycutt emailed, “The course was nice and flat. The weather was nice and cool which was great for running. My current PRs are also 18:34 for 5K (Weighted Angels), 30:24 for 8K (Hare and Tortoise), and 38:38 for 10K (ERR 2023 and Grove Trotter 2025).”
Gianoukos emailed, “Love the Jamestown 1/2! 2 weeks after the Chicago [Marathon] I felt great but wasn’t sure the smartest to race again but I felt great the whole time. The weather was perfect. I passed Tricia by mile 2.5, but saw no one until mile 9. I loved hanging out afterward with so many friends from my neighborhood and CRR friends, and the icing on cake was having it 2+ min faster than last year.”
Murphy emailed, “The temperature couldn’t have been more perfect. I hadn’t run this course before, but knew the island was going to be lonely and secluded. I thought it would make a solid training run for Richmond. I went into the race not trying to PR, just hoping for a sub-1:40 race. I ended up starting in the front like I always do. I love going out fast for the shorter runs, but knew for this I needed to make sure I wasn’t too aggressive. The Lafayette cross country team was marshaling the first half of the course so it was great to see Kieran [son] and his teammates out there cheering.” Murphy’s half marathon PR is 1:34:13 from Shamrock this past March. “Such a wonderful race with so many of my friends racing and pushing their bodies to do all of the hard things. I am so fortunate I get to do this with others that enjoy it as well.”
Rick Platt is president of Colonial Road Runners.
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/10/31/crr-standout-ties-half-marathon-race-record/
