Today, DC has enough trail races and group runs to saturate a calendar. But it wasn’t that long ago that it was awfully lonely to be a trail runner in the District. Beyond a handful of events in Virginia run by Happy Trails, DC was a big black hole for organized trail running during the mid-2000s.
Enter Fairy Godmother. (Clarification: a younger, more athletic ultra-running godmother…). About a decade ago, Kerry opened the doors of her 1920s historic rowhouse to ultra runners. Located in one of DC’s poshest and most centrally located neighborhoods, steps from the Woodley Park – Adams Morgan metro station and all its restaurants and shops. As well as a ten-minute trot in either direction to the two major arteries of DC’s woodland trail networks: Rock Creek Park and Glover Archibald. You could pretend to be adulting as an urban professional, but really just go Peter Pan it as a dirt-bag trail runner with a collection of stinky running shoes in the hallway and a complete inability to empty a dishwasher.
No, there weren’t very strict criteria for getting a room in what would affectionately become known as the Woodley Ultra Society (WUS) house. After all, Sean and Keith were early tenants. So apparently you didn’t need to know how to dump trash on Wednesday Trash Night. Or even report that your toilet had been broken for three weeks.
No, all you had to do was be a full-throated ultramarathon trail runner. And by that measure, Sean and Keith were highly qualified. Keith once ran three 100-mile races in the span of three weeks. Sean was ultra stud enough to get his face smiling back at you from New Balance tags.
I myself never lived in the WUS house. Part of me was tempted. What could be more fun than partying with runners every day? Always having someone around to go on a woodland adventure with?
But I was wary of gorging on the ultra trail running scene. Running 100 miles is intensely physically demanding. And while many can do it in a healthy, self-limiting way, the rate of injury and burnout is high. Is there are part of me that regrets that I didn’t live out my young, free, single days going all-in on trail running? Sure. But it was a highly conscious decision. And living two blocks away from the WUS house, it was still an awful lot of fun to dip my toe in from time to time.
Photo Gallery
I. Fast
II. Fun
III. Furious
Martha,
Thank you for putting this together. Thanks for giving the entire picture- I am so many babies behind.
I remember showing up for a Tuesday run and Aaron, Neal, Sean, and Keith. Then I saw you, and said to myself, “thank god!, I should be able to keep up with that nice woman”. Then you led the pack down the street and into the woods with the guys all trailing. I ran 6 miles all by myself and formally met you at the pizza place. Thank you for the good times and desroying my male bias.
Miss you and all the WUS Peeps.
Joe
Oh, so many hilarious memories!! Thanks for putting it all on the internet.