Always interested in helping local schools, students and athletes, Doug and Melissa Landau joined hundreds of local distance runners in the “LoCo Challenge.” The Landau races at One Loudoun in the 8km event on Saturday morning, with Doug returning Sunday after the Half Marathon was concluded to participate in the Reston Bike Club ride around Loudoun County. Melissa Landau has a great race, her first of the season, finishing 5th out of 20 in her category. Doug managed another podium at a pedestrian pace of 7:20/mile. He was the 11th male finisher and 14th overall out of 280 who completed the course. The fifth running of the Loudoun Half Marathon was a success, thanks to the hard work of the Ashburn Area Running Club announcer Leslie Green and

the professional timing team from Potomac River Running (PRR).

At many PRR events, awards winners get a store gift certificate in addition to a trophy or medal. These prizes are good for use at all PRR DC, Fairfax and Loudoun County locations. The Landaus appreciate the certificates, which they use to replace worn out or lost running equipment. The LoCo Challenge running events, which circle the One Loudoun development, gave runners a good sense of the close-knit running community and well thought out growth between Dulles International Airport and Leesburg. Runners have lots of trails and the Ashburn Area Running Club takes advantage of all that the area has to offer. They have a run calendar with lots of fun offerings.

The LoCo Challenge raises money for Loudoun County Schools Track & Field and Cross Country programs. Running is one of the more popular sports in and around Leesburg. However, many of the high schools in Loudoun County, Virginia do not have adequate funding for their track & field and cross country programs. This financial shortfall hinders student athletes’ abilities to more fully explore the sport. The Loudoun Half Marathon and 8K raises money to supplement the schools’ budgets so that the County’s public schools may enhance these and other athletic programs. The beneficiaries of the 2019 LoCo Challenge include:

• Broad Run HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• Freedom HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• Heritage HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• John Champe HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• Loudoun County HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• Riverside HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• Stone Bridge HS Track & Field and Cross Country
• Tuscarora HS Track & Field and Cross Country

Lawyer Landau has raced at several of these schools and trained on the tracks and fields of others. He hopes that the LoCo Challenge races continue to race needed funds for these worthy teams.