McLean HS Grad Finishes First In 2025 Army Ten-Miler In DC

MCLEAN, VA — A graduate of McLean High School was the Overall Female finisher at the 41st Army Ten-Miler, which took place Sunday in Washington, D.C.

Michelle Vaccaro, a McLean High School alumna and competitive runner with the Battle Road Track Club in Boston, was the first woman to cross the finish line, posting a time of 56:44. Sunday was the first time Vaccaro had ever competed in the annual race.

U.S. Army Capt. Sam Chelanga was the Overall Male finisher, with a time of 48:43. Stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he won the 2024 Army Ten-Miller and is a seven-time USA Track and Field Champion and 2023 Pan Am Games 10,000 meters Silver Medalist.

The third largest 10-mile road race in the world, the Army Ten-Miler starts and finishes at the Pentagon with runners traveling through Washington, D.C. The annual event benefits the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs.

Vaccaro is currently a doctoral candidate at MIT, having previously earned a bachelor's in computer science from Harvard College. She agreed to answer a few questions about what role running plays in her life and what it was like to win the Army Ten-Miler her first time out.

How long have you been running?

I actually started running as conditioning for lacrosse and field hockey, which were my primary sports my freshman and sophomore years of high school. But then I realized the running was my favorite part, so I switched to track and cross country my junior and senior years and developed a real love for the sport. Megan Ney was the head track and cross country coach at McLean at the time, and she was (and still is) a huge source of inspiration for me.

How long did you train for the Ten-Miler?

I started doing some gentle tempos over the summer, and then I started more structured training with my team (the Battle Road Track Club) in early September. I credit all of my best workouts and races to my training partners.

What was the Ten-Miler experience like and what did it feel like finishing first?

This year was my first time running the race, and there was some uncertainty beforehand about whether or not the race would even happen with the government shutdown, so I was just so happy to be able to run it. I really liked the course — since I grew up in the area it was nice and familiar — and the race itself felt really good. I actually didn’t know I was in first until they brought out the finish line tape. My mom came out to support and cheer for me, and I also had some good friends who ran great races themselves, so just getting to enjoy the fun of the race and day together was so special.

You're a competitive runner with Battle Road Track Club and earned a bachelor's in computer science from Harvard College. Plus, you're a doctoral candidate at MIT. Where does running figure into your academic pursuits?

I feel like running has always been intertwined with my academic pursuits and that they complement each other surprisingly well. The people I’ve met through running are huge sources of inspiration for me — their ambition, grit, and joy are contagious, so just being around them helps me bring the same spirit to my own research and life. Even solo runs, though, have helped me work through some particularly hard research problems.