california track & running news

Official Publication of theCalifornia/Northern Nevada

Associations of USATF

Includes the Runner’s Schedule Calendar!

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SCA RACEWALK NEWS

CROSS COUNTRYWRAP-UP

CaliforniaTrack&RunningNews

Jan—March 2010

VOLUME 36NUMBER 1$3.95

CHRISTINE BAYLISS (Roseville PAL Express)of the Pacific Association won the Midget

Girls race at the 2009 USATF Junior OlympicCross Country Championships in Reno.

Her time was 10:55.

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The Basics4 From the Publisher5 Regional USATF Association News9 The Runner’s Schedule Calendar

2010 LA Marathon Special Edition

Departments25 Youth/Prep News27 Long Distance Running30 Mountain-Ultra-Trail31 Race Walking

Cal Track & Running NewsJan—March 2010

California Track & Running News is a magazine for members of theCalifornia and N. Nevada associations of USA Track & Field. Contactyour region regarding changes of address & missing issues.

Central California Association: 661.758.5719Pacific Association: 916.983.4715 or [email protected] Diego/Imperial Association: 619.275.6542 or sdi_trackand

[email protected] California: 562.859.4574 or [email protected]

ja n ua ry — m a r c h 2 0 1 0 • c t & r n 3

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4 c t & r n • ja n ua ry — m a r c h 2 0 1 0

From the Publisher

Publisher recommends, as with all fitness andhealth issues, you consult with your physicianbefore instituting any changes in your fitnessprogram.

Let Us Hear From You!California Track & Running News welcomes your sug-gestions, comments, and questions. Direct them to:

Christine Johnson, Group EditorShooting Star Media, Inc./[email protected]

Address Changes/Missing IssuesThird class mail is not forwarded! Please inform yourlocal USATF association about address changes,duplicate mailings, or missing issues. See page 3 forhow to contact your association for help.

Member of:

CaliforniaTrack&RunningNewsPublisher’s InformationCalifornia Track & Running News (ISDN #1098-6472), incor-porating Pacific Athlete, is the official publication for theUSA Track & Field associations in California and NorthernNevada. It is produced, published, and owned by ShootingStar Media, Inc., P.O. Box 67, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.Christine Johnson, President; Larry Eder, Vice President.

All ad materials and insertion orders should be sent toShooting Star Media, Inc., at the above address.

Publisher assumes no liability for matter printed.Publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for contentof paid advertising and reserves the right to reject paidadvertising. Publisher expects that all claims by advertiserscan be substantiated and that all guarantees will be hon-ored. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authorsand not necessarily those of the Publisher.

Copyright © 2010 by Shooting Star Media, Inc. AllRights Reserved. No part of this publication may be repro-duced in any form without prior written permission of thePublisher. California Track & Running News is solely ownedby Shooting Star Media, Inc.

CaliforniaTrack&RunningNews

Volume 36, Number 1January—March 2010

Group PublisherLarry Eder

Group & Coordinating EditorChristine Johnson, [email protected]

Contributing EditorsCregg Weinmann Apparel, Footwear Reviews

Dave Shrock Community CollegesMark Winitz Northern CaliforniaKees & Sandy Tuinzing Calendar

PhotographersPhotoRun.NET, actionsportsimages.com, Kurt

Abrahamson, brightroom.com,David Kloz, Grace Moreman, Vicky Boyd,

Larry Rosa Photography, Dave Waco

Association ConsultantsJohn Mansoor PacificDon Chapin CentralSkip Stolley Southern

Mike Rouse San Diego/Imperial

ProofreaderRed Ink Editorial Services, Madison, WI

Pre-Press/PrinterW. D. Hoard & Sons Co., Fort Atkinson, WI

WebsiteChuck Bartlett

ADVERTISINGPublisher

Larry Eder, Shooting Star Media, Inc.phone: 608.239.3785; fax: 920.563.7298

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CounselPhilip J. BradburyMelli Law, S.C.Madison, WI

w w w. c a l t r a c k . c o m

Welcome to 2010! I am writing this in the frozen tundra of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin afterspending two weeks in nearly tropical Las Vegas. Two feet of snow and a temperature of 2ºdo a lot to wake one up during a long walk! As we head into this new year, I’d like to bring

a few things to your attention.As in 2009, Cal Track is now five times a year: Jan–March, April–June, July–Aug, Sept–Oct,

Nov–Dec. Our website, www.caltrack.com, is updated regularly, and you can also follow us onFacebook or at www.twitter.com/caltrack. To get the global perspective on our sport, sign up forwww.runblogrun.com updates and RSS feeds—it’s free! Know that your editor, Christine Johnson, andyour design team, Kristen Cerer and Alex Larsen, work hard to make Cal Track work for you! You canemail your ideas and suggestions to Christine at [email protected].

We’ve received some nice accolades for Mark Winitz’ piece on Jack Leydig that was in ourNovember/December issue and is now on caltrack.com. Simply put, there would be no Cal Trackwithout Jack and the Northern California running scene would also be much poorer. I first met himin 1975 at the Christmas Relays, when I was jogging too far out on the road. Over the bullhorn, hereminded me to be careful running, racing, or cooling down.

I also want to alert you to the 2010 LA Marathon Special Edition of The Runner’s ScheduleCalendar in this issue, sponsored by Honda and K-Swiss. With the LA Marathon reinvented in theSouthland and the new Oakland Running Festival in the North Bay, California continues to showthat evolution in our sport is key for our success and survival. Our hats are off to both events and allthe people who work so hard to make them successful!

Over Thanksgiving, I was able to meet with some of our key mentors: TerryWard, athletic direc-tor at Bellarmine College Prep, and Gary, Gail, and Steve Goettlemann of Goettleman’s Ryan’s Sports.Terry has finished coaching track & field after 40 years. Both Terry and Gary have played huge rolesin what Cal Track is, and for that we thank them. The journey continues.

Please feel free to contact us. You may text me at 608.239.3785, or email me [email protected]. Cal Track is only as good as you allow us to make it! Best wishes as we beginyear 36 of California Track & Running News.

Regards,

Larry Eder


USATF Regional News

2010 is a year of challenges for many of ourmembers. The qualifying window for the nextOlympic Trials is now officially open for themarathon. PA athletes Chris Lundy, BrookWells, Anne Bersagel, Mary Coordt, andLisbet Sunshine qualified by meeting the Bstandard (2:46 or better) at the one-day win-dow at the Twin Cities Marathon on Oct. 4,2009. The Boston Marathon, which hosted theOlympic Trials qualifier in 2008 the day beforePatriot’s Day, has expressed interest for 2012.The men’s window opened on Nov. 1, 2009 atthe New York City Marathon, where Pacificathlete Peter Gilmore qualified.Congratulations! Our communications chair,Cynci Calvin, will be posting a list as more PAathletes qualify.

Our LDR season starts off on March 6with the NorCal 10-miler. Remember torenew your 2010 membership before you com-pete. It’s a shame to travel the distance and real-ize that you forgot to renew your membership.and your team won’t be able to score yourefforts. In this PDA-, iPhone-, Droid-era, wehave members signing up via the internet on-site. Be creative, but there’s no guarantee.

Clinics, clinics, and clinics. Please checkthe “hot” website for officials and coachingclinics. Most are given during the months ofJanuary and February. The LDR clubs mayhave a new requirement for 2011. Every clubmay be mandated to have a least one certifiedofficial on its team within the year. This is toensure that our Grand Prix series and XC serieshave the adequate number of certified officials

with knowledge of the rules and safety. MarkWinitz, our LDR officials coordinator and thePacific Association need more officials at ourLDR events and this is the way to meet thisneed. Give back to the sport.

Track & field enthusiast? Be on the trackor at the sector line to truly enjoy the sport. Wehave lots of opportunites to learn—intro toofficiating, “on the track” umpiring clinics,etc.—to help you get certified. Certificationprovides insurance coverage for sanctionedUSATF events and non-sanctioned volunteer-ing at officiating boys and girls organizations,organized school and fund-raising events,schools from K-12, and colleges.

Youth, youth, and youth. I know it’s hardto make your mind up, but if you can only tryout a club or two and then make a decision, itwill save our membership department a lot ofheadaches and last-minute changes. We’ve seensome new clubs emerge, which is a good sign.And clubs like Junior ASICS Aggies and theBuffalo Chips have a strong youth to adult clubsystem. This follows our mission of grassrootsfrom the youth to the mature. I’d like to givekudos to Don Mason of Alturas (population2,500) for starting up a new youth club. Don,a school teacher, realized that the youth havetalent and formed a USATF club. ModocCounty (population 10,000) is 180 miles fromReno, where the JO Region 16 qualifier washeld on Nov. 29, 2009. This is a true exampleof meeting the needs of the community andmaking it better by forming a club to providean opportunity for young athletes to competewith other clubs in the Pacific Association. Ifmore of you follow Don’s example, the YouthCommittee would soon need some orientationsessions for new coaches and clubs! DaveShrock, our vice president and coaches educa-tion chair is ready and willing to assist.Remember, the JO Track & FieldChampionships is the last week of July inSacramento. Give the youth an experience theywon’t forget by qualifying or as a spectator intheir sport. And reserve a hotel room early.

Do you want to become a coach, butdon’t know where to start? Please pass thismessage to someone who isn’t a member, but isinterested. USATF coaching schools and clinicsare posted online for Level 1 Schools,Developmental Coach Clinics, andSuperClinic. This starts now. Be of value to yourcommunity growing the youth or LDR athleteswith proper technique and learning appropriatedevelopmental training effectiveness.

LDR cross-over to track & field? Tryqualifying for the National Club OpenChampionships July 9–10 in the San FranciscoBay Area. We have posted the qualifying stan-dards for all events for this national event. ThePacific Association is hosting this in the coolerclimate of the Bay Area as opposed to the hottemperatures of Sacramento for the open ath-letes. Yes, July is the month when we haveevents and venues for every age group. Lastyear, this event was hosted on Randall Island,Icahn Stadium. Over 64 clubs participated andmore than 500 athletes traveled to this venue.We predict that we can increase the participa-tion by several hundred with the inclusion ofthe Pacific Association. I know that we shouldhave many teams participating. Please checkthe USATF website under “National ClubT&F Championships 2009.” Look at lastyear’s results to check out the competition.We’ll have dorm rates, huge discount hotelrates, shuttle buses, and a post-race party.

Master LDR cross-over to track & field:The National Masters Track & Field meet inSacramento doesn’t require standards for entry.Pacific Association LDR athletes should beworking on their 5000 and 10,000 meters onthe track. Come and compete against othermaster athletes from other states. Check out thewebsite and let’s make a big PA presence.

Well, I hope to see many of you at theabove events and venues. We have a busy 2010calendar. Stay in the area and get all the action.

See you on the track and roads. �

President’sMessage

FROM IRENE HERMAN

Pacific Association

Thank You, Pacific AssociationFROM PHILLIP REID2009 PA LDR TRAVEL AWARD RECIPIENT

CVS Pharmacy 5K National ChampionshipProvidence, RI; Sept. 20, 2009

This race was another good time all around.Providence is a vibrant city full of some interest-ing characters. The night before the race was theelite athlete dinner where I dined with the likesof Matt Tegenkamp and Amy Yoder-Begley.

The race itself went out quite a bit slowerthan it did last year. I was in the back of thefront pack at the first mile in 4:32. As the raceprogressed, I slowly moved up into the top 12and with about 1,000 meters to go, I startedpicking up the pace. At 400 meters from the fin-ish there’s a steep hill and I could see my pal BenBruce sneaking up behind me, so I threw into

high gear and started sprinting as fast as I could.I ended holding him off, but I found it ironicthat the two of us flew 3,000 miles across thecountry and still finished right next to eachother. Funny how things work out.

As always, it’s an honor and a privilege torepresent the ASICS Aggies and the PacificAssociation in all my running endeavors. Thankyou!

Note: 23-year-old Reid (San Luis Obispo)finished 10th in 14:09.6, 4:34 mile pace.

Association News continues on page 6.

PA LDR Notes

FROM CYNCI CALVIN

Association News continued from page 5


2009 LDR Grand Prix FinalesBy the time you read this, all the 2009 LDRGrand Prix standings, along with that all-impor-tant Road Racing 2010 comp entry list, will bepublished at pausatf.org. While you’re on thesite, if you haven’t done so already, RENEWYOUR MEMBERSHIP! Don’t let your clubdown by failing to register before the early 2010LDR Grand Prix events.

The Short Section Road Racing GrandPrix was completed following the AppliedMaterial Silicon Valley 5K held in San Jose onNov. 26. ASICS Aggie Phillip Reid and ImpalaMagdalena Visser are our 2009 short divisionopen champions.

The Long Section Road Racing finale wasthe 27th Annual California InternationalMarathon presented by Kaiser Permanente.With the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trialsqualifying window not yet fully open, this year’s“CIM” was on the PA/USATF Grand Prix cir-cuit for teams, masters, and open men. ASICSAggie Carlos Siqueros was the PA men’s cham-pion, finishing 20th overall in 2:28:35. WestValley TC member Shannon Cody was the PAmasters women’s champion and third in thewomen’s masters division with a 2:49:08 finish.In the masters men’s division, Buffalo ChipEdward Randolph was fifth overall men’s40–44, and top PA masters male with a person-al best time of 2:42:39.

The PA’s 2009 Ultra Running Grand Prixfinale was the Quad Dipsea staged on Nov. 28,2009. Tamalpa’s Victor Ballesteros was first PA(4:15:37), second to non-PA member ChrisHauth (4:01:59). For the women, this honorwent to another Tamalpan, Florencia Gascon-Amyx, who finished fifth woman in 5:23:29.

The PA’s 2009 XC Grand Prix is complet-ed and scored, following the PA Cross CountryChampionships held Nov. 22 in Golden GatePark. Congratulations to open championsAustin Ramos (men, adidas Transports) andLinda Somers Smith (women, ASICS Aggies). Aspecial thank you goes to Tamalpa’s LynnWalker, who provided superb coverage of theentire 2009 PA XC season—in-depth racereports and photos—at www.examiner.com. Ifyou want to re-live the season, be sure to visitthat site.

Cross Country Wrap-Up

FROM MARK WINITZ

A cool, drizzly morning, damp trails and grass,plus a few puddles provided a European-likeharrier setting for the PA/USATF CrossCountry Championships (San Francisco,Golden Gate Park, Nov. 22). With the ’09USATF Club Cross Country Championshipsscheduled 3 weeks later in Lexington, KY, sev-

eral Pacific Association and SoCal clubs wereout to check their form prior to the big meet.

Arroyo Grande–based attorney LindaSomers Smith culminated an extraordinarycross country season with a dominant women’svictory. Former Cal-Poly SLO standout PhillipReid, also on a tear in ’09, landed the men’stitle. Both runners led their ASICS AggiesRunning Club to open team titles.

After the first circuit of the two-loopwomen’s 4-mile course, Somers Smith led by150 meters over 2008 PA Cross Country cham-pion Kara June. The front runners remainedspread to the finish with Somers Smith (1st,22:47), June (2nd, 23:02, Aggies), and DanielleDomenichelli (3rd, 23:14). Domenichelli is aUC-Santa Barbara All-American (senior) with16:01 5K track credentials.

Somers Smith, 48, also picked up thePA/USATF masters victory to set beside heropen division crown. In fact, she competed infive of nine 2009 PA/USATF Cross CountryGrand Prix events and won every one. The sea-son-end Grand Prix title was hers. How does awoman who is two years short of 50 do it?

“This fall I trained specifically for crosscountry, no marathon,” said Somers Smith whoowns a 2:30:06 lifetime best at the 26.2-miledistance. “No high mileage, about 50 to 60 [perweek], no long runs. I did speed work on thegrass and dirt.”

“Linda’s performance was absolutely phe-nomenal; I don’t think she’s really human,” saidJune, a U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechaser whotrains with Somers Smith.

Thomas Kloos (Transports adidas) built a100m lead over the men’s 3-loop, 6.09-milecourse, intending to duplicate his 2008PA/USATF winning effort and improve on hisoverall second place to Bolota Asmerom (aEugene, OR resident at the time). On the lastloop, however, Phillip Reid (ASICS Aggies)caught Kloos, waited until a mile remained,then surged to victory in 30:23. Kloos (2nd,30:31) followed, holding off Crosby Freeman(3rd, 30:36, Aggies). UC-Berkeley juniorMichael Coe, the school’s recordholder in themile (3:56.18), was fourth in 30:49.

“I’d planned with my coach [Joe Rubio] togo on the third loop,” Reid said. “But Tom[Kloos] is a tough guy. I run against him almostevery week. I was inspired by my Aggie team-mates, Linda [Somers Smith] and Kara [June]today.”

Austin Ramos (15th, 31:55, Transportsadidas) earned the PA/USATF open men’s over-all Cross Country Grand Prix title.

In the masters men’s race, Jim Sorensen(33:44, Sports Basement) pulled away from afour-man lead pack on the second 2-mile lapand extended his lead to a convincing victory.Chris Schille (2nd, 34:19, ASICS Aggies) andMichael Livingston (3rd, 34:40, Aggies) fol-lowed.

“I tried not to go really hard and save somefor Thursday’s [Silicon Valley] Turkey Trot,”said Sorensen, who holds the U.S. M40–44 agegroup records at 1500m (3:44.06) and 1 mile(4:04.98).

The USATF National Club CrossCountry Championships (Lexington, KY;Dec. 12) featured more than 1,000 athletes rep-resenting America’s top post-collegiate clubteams. California clubs from all over the statewere prominent. Athletes competed for a totalprize purse of $30,000, and team and individ-ual titles at 10K for men and 6K for women.

2009 UC-Davis grad Kim Conley (WestSacramento) scored big in her first post-colle-giate race. The school recordholder for 5000m(16:17) at Davis placed second among openwomen. As an assistant cross country coach forthe Aggies, Conley postponed the start of herown season. Conley and Linda Somers Smith(6th) led their ASICS Aggies open women’steam to a third-place finish. Rachel Booth(Mountain View/Peninsula Distance Club) fin-ished seventh.

“I’m very happy how the race went,”Conley said. “It was great to put on some spikesand feel the buzz of competition again. I’mplanning to run [USA] winter cross countrychampionships in February and then have a fulloutdoor season on the track, so this was a greatway to open.”

In the open men’s race, Jimmy Grabow

left Jim Sorenson led the men’s masters field;right Linda Somers Smith led the women’s field Da

vidW

aco

ja n ua ry — M a r c h 2 0 1 0 • c t & r n 7

SCA USATF Open& Masters CrossCountryChampionships

FROM MIKE MAHURIN

The 2009 SCA Open and Masters CrossCountry Championships took place Nov. 15 atKenneth Hahn Park in Los Angeles. The men’sand women’s Open races were dominated byInternational City Racing (ICR). In the men’sopen 8K, the individual title went to CharlieSerrano of ICR, followed by his teammates,Jimmy Grabow and Mike Chavez in secondand third place, respectively. ICR was domi-nant in capturing the team competition overthe second-place team, Compex Racing. Thewomen’s open 6K individual title went to CarlyHarris of ICR, with her teammate, KaitlinO’Sullivan, in second and Tania Fischer ofJanes Elite Racing Team in third. The ICRwomen took the team title over the Janes EliteRacing Team, who finished in second place.

The masters races featured two very closeteam competitions. In the men’s masters 6K,

the individual title went Mike Wixted of SoCal Track Club, followed by Michael Branchand David Kent of Track Club LA in secondand third places, respectively. Track Club LAtook its first men’s masters team title with aclose victory over runner-up So Cal TrackClub.

In the women’s masters 6K, the individualtitle went to Lisa Valle of So Cal Track Club,who unseated three-time defending championRosalva Bonilla, who finished second. TrackClub LA won its third straight team title by thenarrowest of margins over So Cal Track Club.Track Club LA was led by the third-place indi-vidual finisher Lydia Salinas.

The Southern California Cross Countrywas held on Nov. 1, also contested at KennethHahn Park. The men’s open 8K title went toJesse Morrill, while Meredith Coulibaly ofTrack Club LA captured the women’s open 6Ktitle. The men’s masters 6K title was taken byMike Wixted, with Debbie Lee of So Cal TrackClub taking the women’s masters 6K title.

See page 22 for the 2010 SCA RoadRacing Grand Prix Schedule.

Southern California

REPORTS BY MORGAN SJOGREN

Cuyamaca 6KLindo Lake, Lakeside; Oct. 31

Participants in the Dirt Dog Cross Countryseries came prepared to scare the competitionon a crisp Halloween morning. The flat and fastCuyamaca 6K at Lindo Lake in Lakeside servedas the final regular season competition before allparticipants face off on Nov. 14 at Morley Fieldto crown the Dirt Dog Champions.

The men’s race was won by a new face,Marco Venacio (adidas Movin’ Shoes). His timeof 19:01 allowed him to narrowly escape thefierce harriers who stalked him. Okwaro Raura(Running Center/BSK) finished in second in19:05, and Hector Hernandez (adidas Movin’Shoes) took third in 19:08. The close finish ofthis race proves that the men of the Dirt Dogseries are ready to duke it out for the overall titleat the final in two weeks.

Hot off a second-place finish at theXTERRA Triathlon World Championships,Lesley Paterson (K-Swiss Misses) took a com-

manding lead early inthe race to win in atime 20:47. JoeyBonfiglio (RunningCenter/BSK) finishedsecond and ran astrong time of 21:29.Diana Chivakos (adi-das Movin’ Shoes)placed third in 21:57.The consistent qualityperformances of thesewomen will positionthem nicely for a highfinish in the overallstandings at the DirtDog final.

Masters standoutJim Walsh (JH Cohn)tasted victory onceagain in the 40+ racewith a fine time of20:14. TeammateAdam Weiner ran20:58 to win the 50+category. DennisKasischke (San DiegoTrack Club) won themen’s 60+ division in 26:11. JH Cohn also con-tinued its dominance in the women’s mastersraces with Terry Martin Duvel capturing the

San Diego–Imperial Association

Association News continues on page 8

(Running Springs) and Charlie Serrano placed4–5 and were top Californians, pacing theirLong Beach–based International City RacingTC team to third place. The ASICS Aggies andOakland-based Transports adidas finishedfourth and fifth behind a very tough (and victo-rious) Zap Fitness (North Carolina) team. SanFrancisco’s Thomas Kloos (10th, Transports adi-das) made it three Californians in the top 10.

Among masters, Peter Magill (4th, SouthPasadena) anchored his newly-formed CompexRacing team to a second place in the men’s40–49 competition. Magill and his teammate,Danny Martinez (Alhambra), went 1–2 among45–49-year-old men.

The San Francisco-based Impala RacingTeam took home a fourth straight national teamtitle in the women’s 50–59 division and a teamvictory in the women’s 60–69 division. Impala’sW50–59 team, led by W50–54 individualthird-placer Sarah Tabbutt, tied with ClubNorthwest at 16 points each. A rarely usedUSATF rule, however, was used to break the tie.According to the rule, the tie is resolved bydetermining which team’s last scoring memberfinished nearest to first place.

Complete results on the Web at www.usatf.org.

David

Kloz

Hector Hernandez leading the Cuyamaca 6K.


Association News continued from page 7

40+ category in 25:31. JoAnn Scott won the50+ in 26:24, andTeri Fitzgibbons solidified theJH Cohn machine by winning 60+ in 26:05.

In the team standings, RunningCenter/BSK swept both the men’s andwomen’s open races to earn some last-minutepoints before the championship event. TheJamul Toads said that they were ready to shakeup the final standings by winning the men’s40+ race, and Running Center/BSK showedbalance in their lineup by winning the men’s50+ division. In the women’s 40+ and 50+ cat-egories, JH Cohn once again proved theirdominance by winning both divisions.

Participants will face off in the Dirt DogChampionships Nov. 14 to crown the individ-ual and team series champions

Dirt Dog ChampionshipsMorley Field; Nov. 14After an exciting cross country season that fea-tured some of the most competitive Dirt Dograces in recent history, the series final did notdisappoint, bringing all of the top dogs out tothe race course. Both the men’s and women’sraces took place on a challenging 4-mile coursefilled with wood chips, mud, sharp turns, androcks to test their off-road abilities.

The men’s race got the action started witha pack of adidas Movin’ Shoes runners in yel-low at the front. The lime green jerseys ofRunning Center BSK hunted the front group,but ultimately Okwaro Raura (RunningCenter/BSK) would be the only non-adidasMovin’ Shoes runner to crack the top five fin-ishers. Nazario Romero (adidas Movin’ Shoes)won the race in 20:35 to also capture the over-

all title. Sean Zanderson(adidas Movin’ Shoes) fin-ished second in 20:51, andthird place was filled byPaul Wellman (adidasMovin’ Shoes) in 20:58.With seven runners in thetop 10, adidas Movin’Shoes dominated the indi-vidual race, as well as thecoveted Dirt Dog TeamChampionship.

For the 40+ men, thefinal served as a close battleto crown the individualand team winners. JimWalsh (JH Cohn) narrow-ly edged Michael Hansen(Running Center/BSK) by

running 22:26 to Hansen’s time of 22:32. TheJamul Toads won the 40+ men’s team compe-tition. The 50+ men’s race was won by seriesleader Adam Weiner (JH Cohn) in 24:05.Ronald Wells (San Diego Track Club) won the60+ division in 27:03.

Lesley Paterson once again got out strongin the women’s race, a strategy that has workedwell for her throughout the Dirt Dog series.Despite the valiant efforts of Joey Bonfiglio(Running Center/BSK) to battle for the over-all women’s crown, Paterson once again provedto be extremely strong, winning in 23:53 on asloppy course. Bonfiglio finished second in24:45, and Kathryn Kasischke (JH Cohn) fin-ished third in 25:17. The strong finishes of theRunning Center/BSK women earned theirteam the overall series crown.

Laura Stuart (JH Cohn) had the mostimpressive masters finish of the day. Not onlydid she convincingly win the 40+ division, hertime of 25:50 would have placed her seventhin the open women’s race. Kimberlee Rouse ofK-Swiss Misses won the 50+ division in 28:38and the 60+ champion was Teri Fitzgibbonswith a time of 29:16. Both the women’s 40+and 50+ team titles were won by the women ofJH Cohn, who consistently remained atop thepodium all season long.

The Dirt Dog Cross Country series onceagain brought out the finest runners and teamsin the San Diego area. Surely the great per-formances of the 2009 season will inspire par-ticipants to train to reach new heights for nextyear’s Dirt Dog Series and inspire the finestathletes in San Diego to participate. �

Full results at www.sdusatf.org/ldr.html

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916.783.4558 Sacramento

916.442.3338 San Anselmo

415.258.8190 San Francisco 415.921.7188

Santa Rosa 707.569.1494

Stockton 209.952.1446

Vacaville 707.449.9266

FORWARD MOTIONWalnut Creek 925.820.9966

Danville 925.820.9966

METRO SPORTSLos Altos

650.948.6453 Palo Alto

650.321.6453 San Francisco 415.923.6453

Folsom 916.984.4333

NAPA RUNNINGNapa

707.255.6688RUNNERS FACTORY

Los Gatos 408.395.4311

RUNNERS FEETTurlock

209.669.1212RUNNERS HIGH

Menlo Park 650.325.9432

RUNNING REVOLUTION

Campbell 408.374.9307

RUNNING WAREHOUSE San Luis Obispo 805.781.6646

RYAN’S SPORT SHOP

Santa Clara 408.985.6886

SEE JANE RUN SPORTSOakland

510.428.2681 San Francisco 415.401.8338

SIERRA RUNNINGFresno

559.433.6750THE RUNNING ZONE

Elk Grove 916.478.9663

THE TREADMILL Carmel

831.624.4112TRANSPORT

Berkeley 510.528.8405

Oakland 510.655.4809

AUBURN RUNNINGAuburn

530.823.2002

At the final race of the DirtDog Series, Laura Stuart(#164) had the most impres-sive masters finish of theday, winning the 40+ titleand leading her JH Cohnteammates to the 40+ teamtitle.

David

Kloz

CaliforniaTrack&RunningNews presents the January—March 2010

Runner’s Schedule CalendarYOUR COMPLETEGUIDE TO RUNNING,WALKING, TRAIL &MULTI-SPORTS IN CALIFORNIAcontaining events through December 2010!

25,000 Copies Distributed!

Free!Co

urtes

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LA

Mar

athon

You can also find this calendar at www.caltrack.com.

Check inside for informationon these upcoming races:• LA Marathon (Application Included)

• El Paso Marathon

• John Frank Memorial NorCal 10-Miler

SPECIAL EDITIONOFFICIAL FOOTWEAR & APPARELPARTNER OF THE LA MARATHON


February 28, SUNOakland: Couples Relay 5K Run, 31st Annual, 9 a.m., $16 percouple (LMJS Club members), $22 per couple, (non-clubmembers), $28 race day w/prizes, goody bag, awards. YouthTeam $12, (combined age under 34). A pair of running sockswith LMJS logo to each member of the first 100 teams toregister. Sailboat House, Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave,Oakland. For entry send SASE: LMJS, 1910 Arrowhead Dr.,Oakland 94611; www.LMJS.ORG Hotline: 510-644-4224

March 14, SUN Los Gatos: Go Green Saint Patrick's Day 5K/10K Run,8:00AM Vasona Park, Los Gatos, CA (333 Blossom Hill Road,Los Gatos, CA 95032) Scenic course around the lake and alongthe creek bed Website: www.moshanproductions.com

March 20, SAT Oakland: Join us for a 5K Walk/Run and 10K Run aroundpristine Lake Merritt in Oakland for our 16th Annual AHSGreek Independence Day Walk/Run. Enjoy the refreshments,music and raffle prizes. Awards for all categories and crowninglaurel wreaths for overall winners. Discounted reg fees for 19and under. www.run.pahh.com; Online Theschedule.com

Fort Bragg: Whale Run 5K/10K, 5KCW & 5K, FW (26th),8:30am. $25, $30 after 3/11. Ocean & whale spouts along 10Mile Haul Rd. Sponsored by Soroptimist International of FortBragg. All proceeds benefit local worthy causes. [email protected] soroptimistfortbraggca.org; 800/726-2780 or 707/961-6300;Online TheSchedule.com

March 21, SUN San Francisco: Emerald Across the Bay 12K, ‘A Celebration ofRunning XXVII,’ Sausalito to San Francisco - across the GoldenGate Bridge, 5,000 runners + dozens of *Edgewood Kidsrunning, Benefits: *Edgewood Center for Children & Families

Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, No Fourth SundayRuns this month, Hotline: (510) 644-4224; www.lmjs.org

April 11, SUN Pescadero: Artichoke Half Marathon, 10K Run/Stride, 9am$25, $30 race day w/t-s and awards to all. Pescadero Exit offHwy One (14M S of Half Moon Bay) Pescadero Road East toStage Road, turn right to Native Son’ s Hall; very scenicout/back level paved road and 3M of trails. Race numbers arenot mailed; you will pick them up on race day. Sky High, 4967Santa Rita Rd, El Sobrante 94803; Onlinewww.TheSchedule.com; 510/223-5778.

DISCLAIMEREvery effort is made to insure the accuracy of theinformation provided in the Calendar. However, thepublisher is not responsible for errors, omissions orchanges made after publication. You can save yourselftime, money and frustration by pre-registering for events(especially before making any travel arrangements). Youmay wish to confirm by telephone with organizers thedate, time and location just prior to the event.

LISTING YOUR EVENTFor $75, your listing will be in print and online through theevent date. Changes may be made at any time at noadditional charge. Call 415-472-7223 for information.

ONLINE CALENDARAn up-to-date version of the Calendar can be found online atwww.TheSchedule.com.© 2008, The Runner’s Schedule. Reproduction in any form isprohibited without consent of the publisher.

January 1, SUN Berkeley: Splash and Dash 5M Run, Stride or Walk, 10am$20, $25 race day w/t-s and numerous awards. Sea BreezeDeli-foot of University Ave. (from I-80 take University Avenueoff-ramp. West toward the Bay; course around the beautifulBerkeley Marina and Park. Race numbers not mailed; you willpick them up on race day. Sky High, 4967 Santa Rita Rd, ElSobrante 94803; Online www.TheSchedule.com; 510/223-5778 (7-10 am & pm).

January 10, SUN

Stockton:

California 10 9am. S/F San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp, 5 milessout of Stockton, (Mathews Road exit off 1-5). 10 Mile (cert #CA93028CW) and 10K out/back courses; flat, fast, paved. 10mile finishers: sub 50/55/60 long sleeved T’s for thosefinishing in less than 50/55/60 min; sub-70 long sleeved T’sfor women, all male runners 50+ finishing in under 70 min.Short sleeved T’s for all others. $25 postmarked by 1/5, $30race day. Post-race brunch included. Benefits TeamFox forParkinson;s Research. Active.com. Info: Larry Frank, 3808Falmouth Ct, Stockston 95219-3203; 209/478-2802; [email protected]; www.sundancerunners.org

January 24, SUN Lahaina: Maui Oceanfront Marathon, 6am Start of eventshops at Wailea; pt to point flat and fast course with beautifulocean and mountain vistas. Run north through Kihei andalong some of the prettiest beaches in the world. Designermedals and t-shirt to all finishers. January is a great month torun in Hawaii! www.mauioceanfrontmarathon.com;[email protected].

Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, Fourth SundayRuns 5K,10K, 15K, 9 a.m., $3 members, $5 non-members.Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224 www.lmjs.org

February 7, SUN Huntington Beach: Surf City USA Marathon, Surf City USA®Marathon – California’s Classic Oceanfront Festival includes abeach side beer garden in the California sun. Marathon. Thisexclusive oceanfront course is a California Dream! Run onPacific Coast Highway past the famous Huntington Beach pier

and wind through the legendary surfing beaches of SouthernCalifornia. Retro surf bands entertain along the way and theFinish Line Finishers receive bodacious surfboard [email protected]; www.runsurfcity.com

Novato: Tamalpa Runner’s Couples’ Relay 2M (30th), 9am$25/$30 per couple after 2/7 w/t-s. Vintage Oaks ShoppingCenter (Rowland Exit off 101); flat and fun . Women/partnerrun two laps on a one-mile loop. Lots of awards (two-fivedeep in the divisions based on the combined age of thecouple. Brownies, raffle. No partner, no worries. Show upbefore 8am & we’ll do our best to match you up w/ partner.Tamalpa Runners, PO Box 4132, San Rafael 94913;www.tamalparunners.com; Active.com; 415/388-7917

San Francisco: Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half-Marathon & 5K, 10,000 runners, 27th Annual, Benefits:Family House, Support For Families With Disabilities, andothers,

February 14, SUNMonterey: Together With Love 10KRun, 5K Run/Walk, 1KKid’s Fun Run (25th), 9am $26, $30 after 1/30 w/LS T-s,refreshments, prize drawing; 8:15am 1K 10 & under $13/$15w/medal & goody bag. Lovers Pt Park; flat, certified,paved,scenic out-back course along wter of Monterey Bay. BenefitsMonterey Rape Crisis Center’s services for sexual assult.Active.com; for more info call 831-373-3955

February 15, MON San Mateo: President’s Day 5K, 10K Run/Jog/Walk/ Stride,10am $20, $25 race day w/t-s, awards and Olympic stylemedals to all finishers(9 & under & 70 & over Free!) CoyotePt. County Park (Hwy 101 in San Mateo take the Coyote Pointoff ramp and follow signs to park); flat out/back scenic runalong Bay. Event numbers not mailed; you will pick up onevent day. Sky High, 4967 Santa Rita Rd, El Sobrante 94803;Online www.TheSchedule.com; 510/223-5778 (7-10 am &pm).

February 20, SUNPalo Alto: Juana Run (14th), A fun family and competitiveroad race with events for all ages. A complimentary pancakebreakfast courtesy of the Pancake House for all 8Kparticipants immediately follows the race. The 8K race is on arelatively flat, fast, and accurate course. Juana Briones Elem.School (4100 Orme St) www.juanarun.org

Calendar

Special 2010 LA Marathon Edition


April 25, SUN San Rafael: Register soon for the Marin County Marathon,Two Person Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 10k, 5k andKids Run. Sunday, April 25, 2010 at McNears Beach Park inSan Rafael. Produced entirely in a sustainable manner - 100%of the proceeds are donated to charities: Athletes for a Cure,Karno Kids and Parents Place. Where the musicians come toplay, join US Olympians and celebrities for an amazing day atthe beach. To learn more and to register, visitwww.marinmarathon.com

April 25, SUN Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, Fourth SundayRuns 5K, 10K, 9am $3 members, $5 non-members. LakeMerritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224www.lmjs.org

El Sobrante: Lakeridge Mini Man Super Sprint (250ydS-11mB-2mR), 8am $40,45 race day w/t-s, lunch w/drink,water, one-day membership to Lakeridge (discount for LACmembers & students w/valid ID). Lakeridge AC; S-pool, B-scenic on San Pablo Dam Rd., R-rolling hills. Medals for all.Lakeridge Athletic Club, 6350 San Pablo Dam Rd., 94803;[email protected]; Onlinewww.TheSchedule.com

May 2, SUN Danville: Workday Devil Mountain Run 5K & 10K – 33rdAnnual, 3,500 Runners/Walkers + Kids Fun Run, Benefits:Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland

May 16, SUN Berkeley: Tilden Tough Ten Miler, 10 Miles (22nd), 8 a.m.,$20 pre-reg (LMJS members), $25 pre-reg (non-members),$30 race day, w/t-s, awards, raffle and refreshments. Field islimited to 300 runners. Hilly 10M out/back along Nimitz Way.Sub-60, 70 and 80 minute t-shirts. For entry send SASE to:LMJS, 1910 Arrowhead Dr., Oakland 94611, www.LMJS.ORGHotline: 510-644-4224

May 23, SUN Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, Fourth SundayRun 5K ONLY, 9am $3 members, $5 non-members. LakeMerritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224www.lmjs.org

May 24, SATAntioch: Deer Valley Super Sprint Triathlon, 9am Superkidz7yrs-under (50ydS-1mB-.25mR), Superkidz 7-10 yrs (100ydS-2mB-.5mR); Sprint Course (250ydS-8mB-2mR) Super course(500ydS-18mB-3.8mR), 8am Superkidz $15, Sprint course$35/$40, Team $45/$50 race day; Super course $40/$45,Team $45/$50. Medals for all, plus SuperKidzs. Kids 14 andunder will win an award! Prewitt Water Park, 4701 Lone TreeWy. Swim-pool, bike-slightly rolling loop, Run-paved path.Race numbers are not mailed; you will pick them up on raceday. Sky High 510/223-5778; Online www.TheSchedule.com

June 4-5, FRI-SAT Reno: Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Relay Run Adventure 178M(6th), 7am. One of Reno-Tahoe’s newest & most excitingSpecial events; a team relay run on a 178M course throughthe Reno-Lake Tahoe [email protected];www.renotahoeodyssey.com

June 12, SUNLake Tahoe: DeCelle Memorial Lake Tahoe Relay (46th),7am. 72 mile, 7 person relay around beautiful Lake Tahoe. Hillycourse with altitude. Oldest distance relay in [email protected]; www.Laketahoerelay.com

June 27, SUNOakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, Fourth SundayRuns 5K, 10K, 9am $3 members, $5 non-members. LakeMerritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224www.lmjs.org

July 11, SUN Castro Valley: Eden Medical Center’s Run to the Lake 5K &10K, 2,000 Runners/Walkers+ Kids Fun Run, Benefits: EdenMedical Center Trauma Center

July 18, SUN Lost Gatos: Los Gatos Half Marathon, 10K Jungle Run, 7am$40, $45 after 10/25, $50 after 1/10; 7:15am 10K$25/$30/$35. Los Gatos Creek Trail. First Wave Events, PO Box321263, Los Gatos 95032; [email protected];www.firstwave-events.com

July 25, SAT Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, Fourth Sunday

Runs 5K, 10K, 15K, 9 a.m., $3 members, $5 non-members.Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224 www.lmjs.org

July 26, SUN San Francisco: San Francisco Marathon, For more info go to :www.runsf.com

July 31, SUN Australia: Australian Outback Marathon, Contact LeRoy forInformation. [email protected];www.letstravelvacations.com; 800-383-9648

August 8, SUN Pinecrest: Pinecrest Run 5M and 1M Fun Run, The PinecrestRun is held annually the second Sunday in August. All ageswelcome! Starts and ends at the beach on Pinecrest Lake inPinecrest, California. Race course runs through hilly streets andsteeper terrain near the lake. This is Tuolumne County’s oldestrunning foot race! Scenic 5 mile run and "1 mile" Fun Run.Registration begins at 7:30 AM Sunday August 8, 2010. FunRun kicks off at 8:30 AM and 5-Mile Run at 9:00 AM. There is a$15 registration fee and T-shirts sold separately also for $15each. Proceeds benefit the Pinecrest School physical educationprogram.

August 22, SUN Oakland: Time Is On Your Side 5K, 10K Runs, 9 a.m., $6 pre-reg(LMJS members),, $8 pre-reg (non-members), $8 race day(members), $10 (non-members). Sailboat House, Lake Merritt,568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland , Prizes and awards. Guess yourtime and the closest wins.For entry send SASE to LMJS, 1910Arrowhead Dr., Oakland, CA 94611. www.LMJS.ORG Hotline:510-644-4224

September 26, SUNOakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, Fourth SundayRuns 5K, 10K, 15K, 9 a.m., $3 members, $5 non-members.Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224, www.lmjs.org

October 3 , SUNSan Francisco: Glide Floss Bridge to Bridge with KFOG,KNBR & The BONE Radio Stations, 6,000 Runners/Walkers,34th Annual, Benefits: Northern California Special Olympics

October 24, SUNOakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders Fourth SundayRuns 5K, 10K, 9am $3 members, $5 non-members. LakeMerritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224www.lmjs.org

November 28, SUNOakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders Fourth FourthSunday Runs 5K, 10K, 15K, 9 a.m., $3 members, $5 non-members. Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline:(510) 644-4224 www.lmjs.org

San Francisco: RUN WILD For A Child 5K & 10K, SanFrancisco Golden Gate Park, 6000 Runners/Walkers, 26thAnnual, Benefits: SF Firefighters Toy Program

December 26, SUNOakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders Fourth SundayRuns 5K, 10K, 9am $3 members, $5 non-members. LakeMerritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224www.lmjs.org



Why should someone who has never run LA beforerun the 2010 LA Marathon?Because it’s the first chance in history to run our new Stadium toSea LA Marathon course. It starts at Dodger Stadium, travels downHollywood Boulevard, Sunset Strip, and Rodeo Drive beforeending at the Santa Monica Pier. For marathoners, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Moreover, 2010 marks the 25thanniversary of the LA Marathon. So this year has got many specialqualities that marathoners shouldn’t miss.

You’ve redesigned the course. Tell us about it.Our mission is to inspire athletes and connect communities. Thiscourse lives up to that. We call this course “A Landmark Every Mile”and it really is—from the Stadium to Olvera Street to Echo Park,Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood & Vine, Historic Route 66,the Veterans’ Administration, and Santa Monica—it just doesn’t getany better. While there are some hills in the first 8 miles, the courseis net downhill, and we expect some very fast times. It also runswestward, toward the beach, so it will get progressively cooler asyou get closer to the finish.

What’s your favorite part of the course?I’m partial to the finish along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Ibelieve this will go down as one of the greatest marathon finishingstretches in the world. You have over a mile of gradual downhilllined with palm trees and a spectacular view of the ocean. Talkabout camera-ready!

Tell us about the start.We’ll have a concentration of marathon energy at DodgerStadium. Our Expo will be there, and the start chute is right next tothe Expo space. On race morning, the runners will arrive at the

Stadium by bus, having earlier parked near the finish and gottenon shuttles. The course departs from a tree-lined stretch of roadoutside of center field. We’ll do a lap and a half of the Stadiumbefore heading out to Sunset Boulevard. This means we have acriterium start, and all of the runners will see the elites go by ontheir first lap. The Stadium lot is not flat, and I advise everyone tocarefully study the course profile so they’re not caught off-guard bythe bumpy first mile.

And what about the finish?In addition to the spectacular finishing stretch, we’re hostinga massive finish line festival down in the lot next to the SantaMonica Pier. We’ll have a band playing, great food, apparelsales, and a beautiful beach to rest on. I believe that all greatrunning events need a user-friendly, enjoyable finish area.The LA Marathon has never had that—until now. I think of theNew York City Marathon finishing in Central Park or Bay toBreakers finishing in Golden Gate Park near the beach. Youcan imagine how pleasant it’s going to be for runners to crossthe line and look out over the waves. Furthermore, I’ll bet abunch of runners jog straight into the ocean for a swim aftercompleting the race. How cool is that?

What festivities have been planned around theevent?•• Fr iday and Saturday, March 19th and 20th—Our Expo

will be at Dodger Stadium—outside. It will be unique in theworld of running events. There’ll be lots of fun, experientialactivities that we can only do outdoors. A runner can come pickup his or her number and also bring their family along. Thisevent will be a hub for the California lifestyle and attract bothrunners and the general public.


Q&A with Peter AbrahamCreative Director of the LA Marathonby Larry Eder, President of Running Network LLC

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•• Saturday morning, March 20th—The NPN LA 5K atDodger Stadium. Our 5K had previously taken place on thesame day as the Marathon. We’re now holding it on Saturdayso virtually anyone running the Marathon could use the 5K asa tune-up the day before the race. It features a beautiful coursein Elysian Park surrounding the Stadium. Come run this eventand pick up your marathon number while you’re here.

• Saturday evening, March 20th—Win Forever InspirationDinner with USC football coach Pete Carroll. Pete is mentoringsome of our training program leaders this year, and he’ll givehis pre-game pep talk to runners on Saturday evening. Thisevent is open to all runners for $35 and includes dinner. Havingspent time with Pete, I can tell you that this is a do-not-missopportunity.

• Sunday, March 21st—City block parties all along the route.We’re giving the greater LA community places to come andparticipate in LA Marathon festivities on race day. These concertfestivals will feature local vendors, food, and a front row seatfor the event. They’ll take place on Hollywood Boulevard,Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and of course, atthe finish in Santa Monica.

• Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One is doing a limited-edition, signed 25th anniversary poster. This will be a highlycollectible screenprint commemorating this year’s race.

You have a major footwear and apparel sponsor inK-Swiss. Tell us about that relationship.K-Swiss has chosen the LA Marathon as their point of entry into theperformance running world. They’ve already made a big splash intriathlons and we’re excited to help them expand their base ofsupport in running. This is a true partnership and we’re workinghand-in-hand to build a great runner experience around the LAMarathon. Already, K-Swiss has been involved in a weekly basiswith the 1,600 participants in our Roadrunners training program.

The K-Swiss Performance Running store on Main Street in SantaMonica will be like an LA Marathon clubhouse as we get closer tothe event. We’re very excited about some of the other things wehave planned with them.

You have a killer app on your website that shows the marathon course. We’ve linked to it onrunblogrun.com. Can you give us the link so people can check it out?We spent time creating fun video elements that communicate theenergy and tone of this year’s event. Here are two of those pieces:www.lamarathon.com/event/course-video/ andwww.youtube.com/user/LosAngelesMarathon#p/u

You’ve moved the date to March, you’ve changed thecourse, and you’re at events every weekend (I followyou on Twitter). Are you tired?I am, but I’ll tell you, it’s so much fun to be out at running eventstalking to runners about the LA Marathon. There’s a huge buzz inthe running community about this year’s race and the new course.I find that many people have already heard about what’s going on,and they want to know more. So for me, it’s exciting to be outswimming in that energy. I can sleep in late March once our eventis done!

What does your team like about the marathoncommunity? As you know, marathons are a passion point. Within thecommunity of runners, marathoners are arguably the mostenthusiastic practitioners. To me, that’s exciting, because we canengage with them on so many levels—interactive, social media, in-person at the race, during our training program, etc. In reality,we’re in the relationship business with our customers, and we’retrying to create a year-round dialog surrounding the LA Marathonand running. Only the runners can tell us if we’re accomplishingthat or not.


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16 c t & r n • ja n ua ry — m a r c h 2 0 1 0 Special 2010 LA Marathon Edition

Long RunsLong runs should be the basis of all thetraining you do. My rule has always been“Double your daily average once a week.”The long, slower runs should be as much as2 minutes and 30 seconds slower than yourestimated marathon pace for at least the first12–14 weeks of preparation based on a 28-week program. This is called the aerobic(with oxygen) phase. (Most of the world’selite runners will run slower per mile in

training than their race pace (average would be 50–80 secondsslower during this phase). This phase is more about time spentrunning than distance. Keep the pace at a comfortable level whereyou feel you could run on and on. If you are running with a friend,you should be able to carry on a comfortable conversation withoutfeeling out of breath.

Hill TrainingThis is a very important phase, and doesn't require lots of strenuousand heart-breaking mountains. Incorporate hills in your trainingafter about 12 weeks, just as you are finishing the aerobic phase oftraining. Don’t get your heart rate up too high—just enough tobring you to what we call the lactate threshold stage. Your pace(heart rate) should be a little more than marathon pace, but not asdemanding as 10K pace (kind of in the middle). Don’t attack eachhill. Prepare yourself by dividing the hill into sections and aim to runthrough each section at the same pace, driving with your arms,shortening your stride, and leaning into the hill almost using gravityto do its work also. Imagine you’re pulling on a rope: Don’t lookup at the top; focus and work well on each section. This phase canbe about 4–6 weeks with your regular training.

Easy DaysA lot of runners have easy days since it’s important to allow thebody to recover from the running training. In fact, it’s said that “Weimprove not while we are training, but while we are resting.” Goodnutrition is essential, as is understanding the importance ofrecovery foods. For most runners, two days away from running isthe norm each week, but some will take off three days every 4thweek. Consistency is the key to improvement. Set your training sothat it’s consistent and has a regular pattern.

Strength Training for RunnersThis is a wide and varied subject. Anything that helps you to bemore efficent as a runner has to be good. For the runner, I alwayssuggest light weights and high repetitions. Runners just don’t needto lift or push massive weights. Learn to be efficient with your ownbody weight. A few of the runners’ strength training exercises that Ido are push-ups, chin-ups, dips, hyperextensions, step-ups, hipraises, clamshells, and single leg squats to bench. If you need tohave a trainer or you want to go to the local gym or fitness center,make sure you explain to the trainer that you’re a runner in training.They’ll know how to set your workouts if you want to bring strengthtraining into your running.

Rod Dixon is the director of training and coaching for the LAMarathon Roadrunners program. He’s a 4-time Olympian andOlympic medalist and the 1983 New York City Marathonchampion. ©2010 by Rod Dixon.

TRAINING TIPSfrom Rod Dixon, LA Marathon Director of Training

We INSPIRE ATHLETES and

CONNECT COMMUNITIES.

With thousands of volunteers,

tens of thousands of participants,

and hundreds of thousands of

spectators along the route, the

LOS ANGELES MARATHON is

one of the largest organized

road races in the country.

For more information, visit

www.lamarathon.com.

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ja n ua ry — m a r c h 2 0 1 0 • c t & r n 17Special 2010 LA Marathon Edition


Mark, how did you get started in the business?I finished my professional running career in 1988 and was approached by Nike tobecome an Ekin [technical rep] in the state of Florida. I went to Asia on their behalf in1990 and worked on the production and product development side for the next sevenyears. We had a great team during these years and making great running shoes justbecame our passion. We were a bunch of geek runners just making shoes we would liketo run in and the formula worked very well.

Last year, K-Swiss introduced its running line to the community. What doyou have to show runners for 2010?I really like our approach into the marketplace. We are finding our way and creatingrelevant products that, first and foremost, we are really proud of ourselves. We want tocreate shoes with a K-Swiss point of difference each time and we took our time to perfectour formula (and it’s still a work in progress). In 2009, we launched our award-winningRun One-miSOUL Tech shoe with an interchangeable insert system that allowscustomization for the runner. In 2010, we’re introducing two new inserts: Stability 1.0 andOrthotic 1.0 that’s designed to work with a runner’s existing orthotic insert. It was criticalin my mind to deliver a full range of product for every type of runner we see and candefine. We blend together five key features for each model and adapt them to the targetrunner we feel will have the best appreciation for these features and benefits.

1. GUIDEGLIDE™: We have two midsoles for our training models that are interlocking.The core piece can be tuned to a different hardness for each style based on what wedetermine is most preferred. Our goal is to put our technology as close to the foot aswe can get it. We won’t bury things in the midsole. We want the consumer to seeexactly what we are talking about on each and every shoe.

2. FLOW COOL SYSTEM: A patented technology where we perforate our syntheticmaterial in both the forefoot and heel, allowing maximum air flow through the upper.This is a key to providing moisture management. Moving air is the best way that weknow of to evaporate excess moisture inside a shoe, so we wanted to create this pointof difference in our shoes vs. the competition.

3. SUPERFOAM®: This proprietary material is a derivative of the yoga mat business; ithas great resiliency and no memory. We use this as our Strobel material to add aunique characteristic to a critical part of every shoe. We continue to discover new waysto use this material, and for 2010 we’ve added a layer of Superfoam® in the forefootof all our sockliners to protect the metatarsals. We also use Superfoam® as a crash padcushioning system, making it visible for the first time in 2010.

4. Si•18 Tech: This is our proprietary silicone-based cushioning system that weintroduced to the tennis marketplace years ago. We have reformulated this material toprovide more resiliency and shock dispersion to better react to the heelstrike motion oftoday’s runners.

5. STAY-TIED LACES: Once again, this came from our very successful tennis businessand has been adopted into our running shoes. Undulating large and small oval shapesin the last seven inches of our laces don’t slip past each other, so we see much less re-tying happening with our shoes vs. the competition.

From these five key features that we blend together for each model and adapt to the targetrunner we feel will have the best appreciation for the features and benefits.

Q&A with Mark SheehanDirector of Performance Footwear, K-Swissby Larry Eder, President of Running Network LLC

MOTION CONTROLI am most proud of our new motion controlrunning shoe called the Konesic, which isdesigned for severe overpronators. Lots ofdetails and engineering are required to makea successful shoe like this, and I believe we’vesucceeded. This is by no means the largestsegment of the running population, but Ibelieve they’re the most loyal to a product thatreally works. I love our other shoes for sure,but this one proved to me that we have whatit takes to do right by any runner. We’ve addeda 3-D post to the medial side to offer the moststability and guidance of any of our shoes.

NEUTRAL CUSHIONINGKeahou II is our neutral cushioning shoe.Here we soften the core piece of ourGuideGlide™ system and add Superfoam®

as our crash pad to ease the foot into a softer,more cushioned ride than the firmer rideoffered by the Konejo.

STABILITYKonejo II is our stability offering. We add ahigher dual-density posting to this shoe, andwe increase the hardness of the core internalGuideGlide™ piece along with our Si•18Tech crash pad to slow the rate of pronationdown for this athlete. We have added the K-Age Midfoot support piece on the medial sideof our upper for even more assurance.

ja n ua ry — m a r c h 2 0 1 0 • c t & r n 19Special 2010 LA Marathon Edition

In 2010, K-Swiss is sponsoring the LA Marathon. How does one brandsuccessfully with such an iconic event?Our best connection points will be out on the race course itself. I can’t think of anotherinternational marathon event that has so many places people want to go and see on theirvacation than LA. We need to be respectful of the history and adapt ourselves to thevarying differences from community to community, but that’s what will make this race somuch fun. Let’s not forget how rare it is that competing athletes are running to adestination that will actually be cooler and a net downhill from the start. K-Swiss willcertainly be noticed, but this race is in our backyard, so the real winner will be the city ofLos Angeles and all of the local companies coming together to really put this race on themap. Now, if only we have a tailwind, that could make for a really fast day!

Tell us about the clothing you are working on.Our full apparel range is designed to bring high-end quality fabrications and key featuresand benefits that will start to define who we will become long term. Some key features are:• Our K-Wick Dry blend of polyester and Spandex, which has been very well received • Mesh inserts with four-way stretch in the critical moisture management areas for

enhanced comfort and breathability• Chafe-free flat seams throughout our garments• UV protection that shields against ultraviolet rays from SPF 15–50

Our favorite item is our Ironman Spell out tee with a 70% combed cotton mixed with apolyester microfiber jersey. This is supercomfortable and once you experience the hand ofthis garment, you’ll wish all of your T-shirts felt this nice.

You use the LA Roadrunners Club as weartesters. Tell us about that.We want to create a unique environment through our store where not only are there itemsof interest to purchase, but also a way to connect to the pulse of the LA runningcommunity itself. That has to happen naturally. I need independent thinkers willing to tellme what they like and, more importantly, what they don’t like, to really make outstandingshoes for the long-term. We’re building an advisory panel of men and women that canbe a part of our future success. California affords us unlimited access to the outdoors andrarely is there a wasted day of running. And I run a minimum of 50 miles in every shoewe make here at K-Swiss; it’s the only way we believe a shoe can accurately be evaluated.

What are you trying to achieve with the new K-Swiss line?Very simple: acceptance. I have been in many K-Swiss booths during this past year andmany of the consumers walking by give us that puzzled look of “K-Swiss makes runningshoes?” I am here to tell your readers that we most certainly do.

Our forte has been tennis, so running is just a natural progression for our 44-year-oldperformance footwear company to spread our wings. We have been a great tenniscompany for many years. We had so many ideas for product enhancements that we felta move to running would allow us our chance to showcase these enhancements in a new,expanded way. We know how to make shoes.

We have done our homework and feel we have something truly unique and special to themarketplace. The world can never have enough great running shoes. We have patience.Every season we’ll get better; we’ll find our customer. Every season when a heavyweightchanges an old model for a new one, we have a chance to steal one away. We know wemust do our part through marketing and grassroots efforts to drive the runners to the storeseeking us out. For the next three years, I want to make K-Swiss the most sought-afterrunning shoes in the market. We have been at it less than two years and we’ve alreadywon awards, stood on podiums, set course records. And we’re just getting started. We’vejust announced footwear and apparel partnerships with the newly re-invented LAMarathon race for the next three years, and new running stores in Santa Monica, Taiwan,Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, etc., are happening.

LIGHTWEIGHT STABILTYThe K-Ona 1.5 will get a new upper thisseason. This shoe continues to get ravereviews as our lightweight stability trainer. It’swinning races all over the world at thismoment.

Starting in the third quarter of 2010,we’ll start to deliver on new innovationsthat begin to define what K-Swiss is reallygoing to be about and how seriously weare committed to the sport. Be on thelookout for Blade Light technologycoming to a store near you in the fall.

RACINGK-Ruuz (Cruise): We also introduced ournew 6.5-ounce racing shoe that has alreadyfinished third in the Hawaiian Ironman eventin Kona, worn by Andreas Ralert. This newrange, however, proves to ourselves that wecan make comparable product vs. thecompetition. The K-Ruuz employs the fullbenefits of Superfoam® as our Strobelmaterial. Usually, a runner must give up anytype of cushioning and resiliency to get thislightweight of a shoe, but for the first racingshoe we have ever done, I’m really proud ofit; we’ve received great comments from ourathletes.


How do you use the experiences of your toptriathletes, who put the shoes through their paces, tohelp the everyday runner?Some might see us as a triathlon brand today, but I promise this isjust phase 1 of our overall goal. We picked the triathlon world,especially the Ironman athlete, as our initial proving groundbecause no one is more exhausted beginning a marathon than arethese athletes. Lots of things happen to the human body when youare moving for 8–12+ consecutive hours and not many of thesechanges are good—especially to your feet.

We felt this was the perfect challenge for us. Our goal is toenhance every athlete’s ability to perform. We knew if we could bea small part of getting any of our athletes to the finish line, thenour credibility will be won at the athlete level, not at a marketinglevel. No brand can fake finishes.

Our K-Ona running shoe is built literally with all of the elements ofracing in 95º and 90% humidity designed into it. Anyone can havea shoe that weighs 9.5 oz. out of the box, but what does it weighat the end of the race? That is the bigger challenge. If my shoe isgetting heavier as the race goes on, then I’m not helping you getto the finish line. Our drainage system in this shoe is built to shedthe moisture build-up that accompanies every athlete in this type ofevent. Flow Cool System on the upper assists in the moisturemanagement inside the product, as well.

The K-Ona is really our first focused shoe. We’ll find ways toenhance every element of training and racing in our range forevery runner. My goal is to offer something of value to each runnerthat maybe they’re not getting from the other brands. We’re newto this sport and we’re still inventing ourselves, but our formula willremain pretty consistent from shoe to shoe. We want to have a fullrange of preferred running products and create the versatility witheach model that entices the specialty retailer to see us as a truespecialty brand. We know how to service these accounts and theseathletes.

Is there a perfect shoe for every runner?I hope not. I have too much fun in the discovery of the next newthing. We love the quest of finding just the right combination ofthings to make a shoe come to life but I don’t see creativity everstopping. God may have given us the perfect shoe already; I havegreat respect for the barefoot running movement that’s takingshape. I loved running on the golf course or beach barefoot duringmy college days at the University of Florida, but, as long as peopleare running on hard, unforgiving surfaces, we need to keep puttingproducts that work between them and the road.

Tell us about your new K-Swiss running store in Santa Monica.It has been a great adventure so far. This is the first retail store inthe USA for K-Swiss. The fact that it focuses on running and ourentry into this category should tell you how serious we really are.We are two blocks from the beach and have hundreds of athletesworking out every day just steps away from our location. We’vealready been contacted by a few training groups wanting relocatetheir weekly group runs from our location. Most importantly, we getto tell our unique story one on one to every consumer who walksin with that puzzled look on their face. Typically, they walk out prettyhappy with their selection and will pass the word along to theirtraining partners.

For those who are unfamiliar with K-Swiss how wouldyou sum up the brand?Great question. First of all, I need to look back. We were the firstbrand to introduce full leather tennis shoes, so we are innovators.Second, we are a California sports company. This brings with it aheightened sense of optimism and creativity; the California spirit of“why not?” I mean, we have Hollywood here! Third, we’recomfortable with who we are and what we want to be, on ourterms. Many people told us we were crazy to launch a new runningcompany in these troubled economic times, but we felt it was theperfect time to try something new. So, to sum us up: playful,creative, and progressive. Just what you would imagine apassionate Southern California running company should be.

BEST NEW SHOESPRING 2009

2010 SCA/USATF Road Racing2010 SCA/USATFROAD RUNNINGGRAND PRIX SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

FROM WAYNE JONESS , SCA/USATF LDR CHAIR

The Southern California Association USATFhas announced the 2010 Road Running GrandPrix and Road Championships series for 2010.The 2010 series builds on the success of the in-augural 2009 series by adding more races, in-cluding a new USATF Road Mile. The 2010series includes some of the most popular racesSouthern California, with around 45,000 run-ners in total participating in the races.

REDONDO BEACH 10KFeb. 7, Redondo BeachThe series kicks off with the 32nd annual Re-dondo Beach Super Bowl 10K. This race seemsto sum up everything people love about roadrunning in Southern California: a beautifulbeachfront course, ocean breezes, and plenty ofcompetition! The Super Bowl 10K is the 2010Southern California Association 10K Champi-onship race, with awards for both open and mas-ters runners. After the run, it’s a big party, withfree beer offered at the Asahi Beer Garden, whilesupplies last. In addition to race day awards,championship awards and medals for the 2009Grand Prix will be presented at the USATF area,with a raffle and additional goodies for runners.

BREA 8KFeb. 28, BreaThere are plenty of reasons to participate in the19th annual running of the Brea 8K. The 8Kdistance offers respite from the typical 5K and10K races that dominate road running, and thecourse has some moderate hills to keep yourtraining honest. But the best part is what comesafter you cross the finish line: Orange County’sFinest Finish Line, with food provided by Brea’sbest restaurants. Far beyond bagels and orangeslices, there is freshly prepared food, and plentyof it! As a Grand Prix Scoring Only race, theBrea 8K also offers a $5 discount to USATF run-ners who register early online. Get out there andrun your heart out because 3 weeks later willcome the most talked-about race in Los Angeleshistory, the new Los Angeles Marathon!

LOS ANGELES MARATHONMarch 21, Los AngelesThe 25th annual running of the Los AngelesMarathon promises to be the running event that

forever changes marathon racing in SouthernCalifornia. The “Stadium to the Sea” coursestarts at historic Dodger Stadium and finishes bythe Pacific Ocean. The course winds through theicons of Los Angeles, heading toward the freshair and cool ocean breezes of Santa Monica. Infact, there is a slight downhill grade to the overallcourse. As the 2010 Southern California Asso-ciation Marathon Championship race, the LAMarathon is reinvigorating long distance run-ning among the elite members of the SCA.

SANTA MONICA CLASSIC 5KMay 16, Santa MonicaAfter running the marathon of a lifetime, SCAmembers get a six-week break before picking upthe speed again at the Santa Monica Classic.This fast 5K benefits Heal the Bay and is a greatchange for runners with legs tired from longtraining runs. In addition, the 5K has a specialyouth emphasis, with additional medals awardedto the younger runners. And top runners willagain be eligible for awards as the Classic is the2010 Southern California Association 5KChampionship race.

SEMANA NAUTICA 15KJuly 4, GoletaThe road running Grand Prix again returns tothe Santa Barbara area with this wonderful 15Krace. This is one of two races repeated from the2009 schedule. Why? It’s just about impossibleto beat the scenic course, run riverside and alongthe tree-canopied streets of Goleta. The 15K dis-tance also challenges runners’ pacing, finding aperfect spot that’s slower than a 10K pace, butfaster than the half marathon. And as a GrandPrix Scoring Only race, the Semana Nautica15K also offers a $5 discount to USATF runnerswho register early online. The race offers a “noT-shirt” option, taking an additional $5 off,making this one of the best deals in running!

SCA USATF ROAD MILEAugust If the new LA Marathon is generating the mostbuzz in the greater running community, the newUSATF Road Mile certainly has members of theSCA talking. There has long been a need for acompetitive, fast road mile event in the South-land, and the 2010 Southern California Associ-ation Road Mile Championship will answer theneeds of runners wanting to challenge them-selves to run their best mile. In addition to beinga Championship race, SCA USATF memberswill be eligible for a $10 discount at registration.The details of the Road Mile are being finalized,so expect updates in future issues of CaliforniaTrack and Running News.

SANTA MONICA 5000Oct. 10, Santa MonicaIf speed is what you need, run this 5K! The SantaMonica 5000 lays claim to being the fastest 5Kin Santa Monica, and they have the courserecord to prove it: Phillip Reid (M-22), 13:59.5,and Belainesh Gebre (F-20) 15:47.1, from 2008.In 2009, six men finished under 15:00 and fourwomen finished under 17:00. As with otherGrand Prix Scoring Only races, USATF runnersget a $5 discount when registering online.

SANTA CLARITA HALF MARATHONNov. 7, Santa ClaritaAfter some revisions, Santa Clarita offers a newlyUSATF-certified course. While Santa Clarita hasalways been regarded as a scenic course, the fullmarathon and half marathon now take advan-tage of newly open trails along the San Francis-quito Creek. We are proud to have the USATF–certified and –sanctioned half marathon event asour 2010 Southern California Association RoadHalf Marathon Championship.

DANA POINT TURKEY TROT 10KNov. 25, Dana PointFor the third year in a row, the race calendarcloses with the super-popular Dana Point TurkeyTrot 10K. With a field limited to 4,000 runners,this race sold out in 2008 and 2009. USATFmembers can save $5 off registration with thisGrand Prix Scoring Only race, but be sure toregister early! This will be the final opportunityfor runners to add to their 2010 Grand Prixscores.

More information on the 2010 Road RunningGrand Prix, visit www.scagrandprix.org.

Southern California Association/USATFROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONS

2009

OPEN DIVISION5K Kristen Ustariz, 20:19; Nicholas Lopez, 16:3510K Mary Akor, 34:33; Charlie Serrano, 29:34 Half Marathon Andrea McLarty, 1:22:12; AaronSharp, 1:09:16 Marathon Cheryl Smith, 3:07:04; Eulogio Rodriguez, 2:26:30

MASTERS DIVISION5K Lydia Salinas, 20:42; Oliver Gallego, 17:2710K Sue Zihlmann, 39:11; Dave Parcel, 34:51 Half Marathon Rosalva Bonilla, 1:28:22; ScottDeardorff, 1:20:33 Marathon Rosalva Bonilla, 3:10:37; Paul Johnson, 3:27:0.



Youth/Prep NewsPA Youth Athletes Shine at the 2009USATF Junior Olympic XC Champs

FROM MAURA KENTPA/USATF YOUTH CHAIR

The night before the big races—the 2009USATF Junior Olympic Cross CountryNational Championships—the skies dropped4"–6" of snow on the course. This was on topof 6"–10" that had fallen several days earlier.Throughout the day of the competitions, itcontinued to snow but that didn’t slow the tal-ented youth athletes of the Pacific Association(PA). To ensure athletes could compete in theirevents, all races were delayed by one hour toallow everyone time to gain access to the park.This was due to the challenges cars had maneu-vering through the snow-filled roads intoRancho San Rafael Park, Reno. For the thirdyear in a row, the PA rented a tent for our ath-letes to stage in before and after their events,which helped in dealing with the wet and coldenvironment.

To earn All-American status, an athlete hadto finish among the top 25 individuals or theirteam had to finish as one of the top three teams.How exciting to be able to recognize All-American Pacific Association athletes in eachcontested age-group. To cap it off, two PA ath-letes won their divisions: Christine Bayliss ofRoseville PAL Express won the midget girls raceand Sam Blake of Los Gatos won the midgetboys race. This was his second year in a row win-ning a national title!

One amazing story came from the third-place finisher in the youth girls race. At approx-imately 800 meters, her right shoe came offwhen the girl behind her stepped on the back ofher shoe. She still managed the run the last 2miles without her shoe. Along the way, someonehanded her the shoe so she could carry it acrossthe finish line since it held her timing chip. Wayto go, Clare Carroll of Roseville PAL Express.

The trip to Reno was worth the effort.Check out how successful our athletes were inthe results below.

Bantam Girls 2. Julia Bounds (Pleasanton Heat) 12:05; 10.Rylee Woen (Santa Rosa Express) 12:32; 20. Blanca Sosa (SilverState Striders) 12:47. Teams: 6. Pleasanton Heat; 13. RosevillePAL Express. Bantam Boys 2. Reed Richard (Unattached)11:24; 7. Timothy Falls (Pleasanton Heat) 11:30; 12. KentSlaney (Palo Alto Lightning) 11:37; 14. Gavin Hill (Castro Valley)11:39; 16. Alexander Sokol (Pleasanton Heat) 11:43; 23.Sampson Reynolds (Pleasanton Heat) 11:50. Teams: 4.Pleasanton Heat; 14. Roseville PAL Express; 16. Silver StateStriders. Midget Girls 1. Christine Bayliss (Roseville PALExpress) 10:55; 6. Chloe Pigg (Roseville PAL Express) 11:33;23. Eleanor Velez (Unattached) 11:54. Teams: 12. Roseville PALExpress; 14. Pleasanton Heat; 18. Modoc Braves. Midget Boys1. Samuel Blake (Los Gatos AA) 10:12; 3. Steven Sum (Los

Gatos AA) 10:32; 16. Peter Schlachte (Pleasanton Heat) 10:54;19. Mason LaBodie (Silver State Striders) 11:01; 25. AndrewDobrowski (Silver State Striders) 11:07. Teams: 2. Los Gatos; 3.Pleasanton Heat A; 18. Pleasanton Heat B. Youth Girls 3. ClareCarroll (Roseville PAL Express) 15:28; 13. Sophie Hartley (DiabloValley) 15:43; 24. Kristina Martinez (Unattached) 16:11. Teams:8. Buffalo Chips B; 10. Roseville PAL Express; 15. Diablo ValleyTrack. Youth Boys 3. Kevin Poteracke (Santa Rosa Express)13:52; 11. Connor McCarthy (Pleasanton Heat) 14:09; 13.Spencer Cudworth (Unattached) 14:15; 17. Caton Avilla(Pleasanton Heat) 14:18; 21. Aidan Goltra (Pleasanton Heat)14:21. Teams: 1. Pleasanton Heat A; 12. Pleasanton Heat B; 13.Roseville PAL Express. Intermediate Girls 4. Jessie Petersen(RF United) 19:17; 8. Emma Freeman (Buffalo Chips B) 19:28;9. Shelby McIntyre (Buffalo Chips B) 19:30; 11. Brooke Holt(Buffalo Chips) 19:39; 18. Savannah Camacho (San LuisDistance Club) 19:51; 19. Natalie Dimits (Pleasanton Heat)19:53; 23. Shayna Powless (Buffalo Chips D) 20:05; 24. HaleyKroll (Pacific United) 20:06. Teams 2. Buffalo Chips B; 4. BuffaloChips D; 5. Pacific United. Intermediate Boys 15. Parker Duel(Pleasanton Heat) 16:47; 20. Mathew Ruppenthal (ASICS AggieB) 16:52; 23. Nathanael Williams (Unattached) 16:57; 25.Christopher Bolt (ASICS Aggie) 17:03. Teams: 5. PleasantonHeat; 7. ASICS Aggie Running; 10. RF United. Young Women 4.Kelsey Smith (Buffalo Chips) 19:27; 5. Breanna Lewis (BuffaloChips) 19:28; 6. Hayley Scott (Buffalo Chips) 19:30; 10. MichelleMowry (Buffalo Chips) 19:43; 13. Katherine Mcfarren (BuffaloChips) 20:05; 14. Christine Zavesky (Buffalo Chips) 20:09; 15.Maureen May (Buffalo Chips B) 20:10; 16. Kristine Lozoya(Buffalo Chips) 20:10; 20. Demery Kirsch (Unattached) 20:23;22. Sarah Brandt (Pacific United) 20:30; 23. Sara Howard (ASICSAggies) 20:32). Teams: 1. Buffalo Chips; 4. Buffalo Chips B; 6.ASICS Aggie Running. Young Men 4. Geoffrey Hull (Unattached)16:22; 13. Benjamin Heck (RF United) 16:34; 14. AmjeAkoukhadijeh (Unattached) 16:36. Teams: 6. RF United

San Diego Imperial AssociationJunior Olympic Cross CountryChampionshipsNov. 15; Kit Carson Park, Escondido

FROM MICHAEL ADKINSSDI/USATF YOUTH CHAIR

Kit Carson Park was the site of the San DiegoImperial Association Cross CountryChampionships held on Nov. 15, 2009. Thecourse at Kit Carson Park, situated in thesouthern portion of the City of Escondido,challenged the association’s athletes with run-ning surfaces that varied and had its share ofinclines and downhill running. Athletes startedthe course on grass, which at points switchedto dirt, all under the watchful eye of marshalssituated throughout the course. Spectatorslined portions of the course that took runnerspast a large pond, walking bridges, picnic andrecreation areas, and beautiful homes situatedon the outer edge of the park.

Nearly 90 runners reported to the startline and were called to take their marks byElizabeth Tate, a master official and the starterfor the races. Tate worked in tandem with SanDiego Imperial official Sharon Powell to mon-itor the start of the 3K, 4K, and 5K runs and

they were present at the finish line. As thecompetitors, who competed in five age groupdivisions, neared the finish line, they weregreeted by cheering crowds of parents andencouraging coaches. Many displayed a finalburst of speed as they completed their trekaround the expansive Kit Carson Park.

The Chula Vista/San Diego Flyers,Imperial Valley Suns, and USA Rockets com-peted alongside the San Diego SoCalRoadRunners, regarded by some as the flagshipteam of the San Diego Imperial Association dueto its long-established winning tradition at theassociation, regional, and national XC JuniorOlympic Championships. A significant num-ber of current and past members of the SanDiego SoCal RoadRunners have earned indi-vidual and team championships and achievedAll-American honors status at the NationalJunior Olympic Cross Country Meets.

The association championships was thequalifying meet to the regional XC meet,which was held one week later, also at KitCarson Park. San Diego Imperial athletes whofinished in the top 25 places in their divisionadvanced to the regional meet on Nov. 22,2009. The RoadRunners were the only team tofield full teams. The RoadRunners competedin the Bantam (girls and boys) division, midget(girls and boys) division and youth (girls andboys) division and advanced all of their eightteams. The Imperial Valley Suns qualified ateam in the Youth Boys Division.

Bantam Girls 1. Groff, Hazel; 2. Garritson, Catherine; 3. Fahy,Kristin; 4. Hodges, Francesca; 5. LaSpada, Katarina; 6. Whitley,Diamon; 7. Ores, Arianna. Bantam Boys 1. Depetro,Christopher; 2. LeDesma, Evan; 3. Rader, Nelson; 4. KobeBrown; 5. Roth, Thomas; 6. Abrahamson, Steven; 7. CJ Ellis; 8.Aries, Jacob; 9. Prince, Donovan; 10. Wilson, Ricky; 11. Morales,Alex; 12. Morales, Dominic; 13. Paman, Kieko; 14. Graham Jr.,Brian; 15. Boamah, Joshua; 16. Gadalla, Cameron; 17. Guerrero,Valentin; 18. Cheatwood, Daniel. Midget Girls 1. Charles, Anne;2. Lopez, Helen; 3. Morales, Katherine; 4. Hill, Sierra; 5.Abrahamson, Sarah; 6. Burnett, Keiana; 7. Swafford, Claire; 8.Toth, Delaney; 9. Burns, Gabrielle; 10. Toth, Kylie. Midget Boys1. Dodds, Spencer; 2. Turekci, Burak; 3. Lara, Gerardo; 4. Lau,Liam; 5. Irani, Arman; 6. Hodges, Sam; 7. Rider, Ian; 8. DeJong,Frank; 9. Gadalla, Justin; 10. Jewell, Marco; 11. LeDesma,Derrick; 12. Lawson, David. Youth Girls 1. Abrahamson, Emma;Garritson, Shelby; 3. Bosler, Rebekah; 4. Bosler, Rachel; 5. Kuck,Alyssa; 6. Simeroth, Jodi; 7. Jarvis, Magan; 8. Hettinger,Quincey; 9. LaSpada, Natalia; 10. Ponce, Karen; 11. Garnica,Xochitl; 12. Puentes, Mayra. Youth Boys 1. Cota, Eric; 2. Gee,Brendan; 3. Lara, Joel; 4. Johnson, Austin; 5. Lopez, Joe 6.Martin, Shay; 7. Johnson, Conner; 8. Rangel, Alberto; 9. Lucero,David; 10. Pizano, Jorge; 11. Bieraugel, Carson; Daum, Troy;13. Villegus, Pablo; 14. Pacheco, Esteban; 15. Stowe, John; 16.Marsh, Ramiro; 17. Lopez, Marko; 18. Caudill, Daulton; 19.Gonzalez, Ruben. Intermediate Girls 1. Garritson, Meagan.Intermediate Boys 1. Garritson, Buchannon. Young Men 1.deRoulet, Sam

Visit www.sdusatf.org for complete Association results,including individual times, points scored, and team standings.


Youth/Prep News continued from page 8

Region 15 Junior OlympicCross Country ChampionshipsNov. 22; Kit Carson Park, Escondido

FROM MICHAEL ADKINSSDI/USATF YOUTH CHAIR

The San Diego SoCal RoadRunners continuedtheir dominance at the Region 15 JuniorOlympic Cross Country Championships heldNov. 22, 2009 at Kit Carson Park in Escondido.

Athletes from the Southern California andNevada associations joined athletes from the SanDiego-Imperial Association who hosted theregional, which served as the qualifying meet tothe National Junior Olympic Cross CountryChampionships. The National XCChampionships held on Dec. 12, 2009 in Renohad a strong contingent of San Diego-Imperialathletes vying for individual and team champi-onships and All-American honors.

The San Diego SoCal RoadRunners hasbeen the prominent youth XC team in the SanDiego-Imperial (SDI) Association over the pastseveral years. The 2009 campaign would see fiveRoadRunner teams advance to the nationalcompetition. The RoadRunners’ past successesat the regional and national XC competitionshave inspired other local clubs to take up thesport. The RoadRunners were joined by theImperial Valley Suns, Chula Vista/San DiegoFlyers, USA Rockets and unattached athletes atthe regional meet in what has been growingparticipation in the fall sport of XC for SDI.

The top three teams and 20 athletes ineach of the five age group divisions advanced tonationals. SDI athletes turned in some impres-sive individual and team performances. Whenthe final race had been run and the completeresults published, SDI athletes were among theleaders who would lead the association andRegion 15 to Reno.

The Bantam Girls Division 3K Run sawthe San Diego SoCal RoadRunners finish sec-ond behind the Equalizers “A” Team from theSouthern California Association. The top run-ners moving on to the national meet were Hazel

Groff, Kristin Fahy, Catherine Garritson,Francesca Hodges, and Katarina LaSpada.

The San Diego SoCal RoadRunners’ field-ed two teams in the Bantam Boys Division. The“A” Team consisted of Nelson Rader,Christopher Depetro, Evan Ledesma, KobeBrow. Darius Boamah, Donovan Prince, StevenAbrahamson, and CJ Ellis Kirwan advanced toNational XC meet by placing second in a closecompetition with the Equalizers “A” Team of theSouthern California Association. TheRoadRunners just barely missed the team titlerunning an overall time of 58.10.10 for 40points to the Equalizers’ time of 58.08.20 and42 points. The RoadRunners’ “B” Team ofThomas Roth, Jacob Aries, RickyWilson, KiekoPaman, Peter Caeg, and Cameron Gadalla fin-ished in the fifth team position in a time of1:05:52.80.

The Midget Division, which also competedat the 3K distance, saw both girls and boys teamsfrom the San Diego SoCal RoadRunnersadvance to the nationals. The Midget Girls wonthe team title in impressive fashion over theEqualizers “A” Team. Competing for theRoadRunners, who finished almost a full minuteahead of the Equalizers runners, were AnneCharles, Helen Lopez, Sierra Hill, KathyMorales, Sarah Abrahamson, Cailin Caeg,Delaney Toth and Gaby Burns. The MidgetBoys advancing to Reno and representing theRoadRunners were: Spencer Dodds, BurakTufekci, Frank De Jong, Ian Rider, Sam Hodges,Marco Jewell, Nicholas Lawford, and JustinGadalla.

The Youth Divison competed at the 4Kdistance and the RoadRunners ran two girlsteams in their quest for the opportunity tocompete at the National XC Junior OlympicChampionships. The San Diego SoCalRoadRunners’ “A” Team advanced to thenational meet with a third place finish in a totaltime of 1:20:03.34. Representing theRoadRunners in Reno were Shelby Garritson,Emma Abrahamson, Rebekah Bolser, CatieLedesma, Alyssa Kuck, Quincey Hettinger, JodiSimeroth, and Andie LeDesma.

Regional Results for San Diego Imperial AthletesBantam Girls: 7. Hazel Goff, SD SoCal RR; 11. Kristin Fahy, SDSoCal RR; 13. Catherine Garritson, SD SoCal RR; 18. DiamondWhitley, USA Rockets; 23. Katarina LaSpada, SD SoCal RR; 24.Francesca Hodges, SD SoCal RR; 40. Arianna Oreb, SD SoCalRR. Bantam Boys: 5. Radar Nelson, SD SoCal RR; 6.Christopher Depetro, SD SoCal RR; 9. Evan LeDesma, SD SoCalRR; 11. Kobe, Brown, SD SoCal RR; 16. Darius Boamah, SDSoCal RR; 18. Donovan Prince, SD SoCal RR; 23. StevenAbrahmson, SD SoCal RR; 24. CJ Ellis Kirwan, SD SoCal RR; 30.Thomas Roth, SD SoCal RR; 33. Jacob Aries, SD SoCal RR; 36.Alex Morles, USA Rockets; 37. Ricky Wilson; 39. Kieko Paman,SD SoCal RR; 45. Peter Caeg, SD SoCal RR; 46. Brian GrahamJr., Imperial Valley Suns; 47. Joshua Boamah, SD SoCal RR; 48.Dominic Morales, USA Rockets; 49. Cameron Gadalla, SD SoCalRR; 50. Daniel Cheatwood, Imperial Valley Suns; 51. ValentineGuerrero, Imperial Valley Suns. Midget Girls: 1. Anne Charles,SD SoCal RR; 2. Helen Lopez, SD SoCal RoadRunners; 8. SierraHill, SD SoCal RR; 14. Katherine Morales, SD SoCal RR; 16.Sarah Abrahamson, SD SoCal RR; 32. Delaney Toth, SD SoCalRR; 33. Keiana Burnett, USA Rockets; 37. Calillin Caeg, SDSoCal RR; 38. Gabrielle Burns, SD SoCal RR; 44. Kylie Toth,Imperial Valley Suns. Midget Boys: 12. Spencer Dodds, SDSoCal RR; 21. Burak Tufekci, SD SoCal RR; 28. Frank DeJong,SD SoCal RR; 29. Ian Rider, SD SoCal RR; 33. Sam Hodges, SDSoCal RR; 38. Liam Lau, SD SoCal RR; 39. Jonathan Jimenez,SD SoCal RR; 40. Marco Jewell, SD SoCal RR; 42. NicholasLawford, SD SoCal RR; 43. JP Edge, SD SoCal RR; 45. JustinGadalla, SD SoCal RR; 46. Gerardo Lara, Imperial Valley Suns;47. Derrick LeDesma, SD SoCal RR.Youth Girls: 2. Shebly Garritson, SD SoCal RR; 3. EmmaAbrahamson, SD SoCal RR; 18. Rebekah Bosler, SD SoCal RR;21. Catie LeDesma, SD SoCal RR; 22. Alysssa Kuck, SD SoCalRR; 26. Quincey Hettinger, SD SoCal RR; 28. Jodi Simeroth, SDSoCal RR; 30. Andie LeDesma, SD SoCal RR; 32. Rachel Bosler,SD SoCal RR; 33. Magan Jarvis, SD SoCal RR; 38. BailieLeDesma, SD SoCal RR; 39. Natalia LaSpada, SD SoCal RR.Youth Boys: 22. Eric Cota, Chula Vista/San Diego Flyers; 23.Brendan Gee, SD SoCal RR; 29. Joel Lara, SD SoCal RR; 34.Edward Charles, SD SoCal RR; 36. Shay Martin, SD SoCal RR;39. Joe Lopez, SD SoCal RR; 42. Austin Johnson, ChulaVista/San Diego Flyers; 44. Connor Johnson, Chula Vista/SanDiego Flyers; 45. Pablo Villegus, SD SoCal RR; 46. CarsonBieraugel, SD SoCal RR; 47. David Lucero, Imperial Valley Suns;48. Troy Daum, SD SoCal RR; 49. Daulton Caudill, SD SoCal RR;50. Esteban Pacheco, Imperial Valley Suns; 51. Ramiro Marsh,Imperial Valley Suns; 52. Marko Lopez, Imperial Valley Suns.Intermediate Girls: 1. Meagan Garritson, SD SoCal RRIntermediate Boys: 5. Darren Fahy, Unattached; 42. JosueLara, Unattached; 47. Buchannon Garritson, SD SoCal RRYoung Men: 33. Sam deRoulet, SD SoCal RR.

Visit www.sdusatf.org for the complete 2009 Region 15Cross Country Championships results.

left Bantam Boys 3K Run; right Youth GirlsJassmine Macon (#6319, So Cal Comets), LauraDiaz-Barbosa (#6249, So Cal Roadrunners),Cathie LeDesma (#6235, SD SoCal RoadRunners)

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Long Distance RunningPA/USATF Road News

BY MARK WINITZ

Humboldt Redwoods Half MarathonOct. 18, 2009; WeottThe Six Rivers Running Club has hostedPA/USATF’s Humboldt Redwoods HalfMarathon Championship almost as long as theancient redwoods have stood on the sceniccourse over which it runs. Thomas Kloos (SanFrancisco) improved a place from last year’srunnerup performance by winning the men’srace in a time of 1:09:11. Lindsay Nelson(Roseville), a young newcomer to the circuit,took overall women’s honors in 1:21:55.

Kloos made the race at the front short-lived. A lead pack of five or six men went outconservatively over the fast, out-and-backcourse through Humboldt Redwoods StatePark. At 3 miles, Kloos dropped his last chal-lenger and proceeded to win the PA/USATFOpen Men’s Championship crown.

“I felt really good at 5:10 pace throughabout 9 miles. At 10, my legs turned into sand-bags, and I downshifted into survival mode,just trying to keep the running respectable,”said Kloos, who placed sixth in the steeplechaseat the 2009 USATF Championships and servesas an assistant cross country and track coach atthe University of San Francisco.

Sam Robinson (2nd, 1:10:29) and AlanJackson (3rd, 1:10:45) followed Kloos to thefinish line.

In the women’s race, Nelson secured aPA/USATF championship crown in only herthird race at the distance. After graduating fromChico State in 2008 with all-conference honorsin track and cross country, Nelson rapidlymoved up in distance, aiming her sights on the2009 California International Marathon. Shewon both the 2008 Lake Natoma Four BridgesHalf Marathon in Folsom (1:27:02) and theBidwell Classic Half Marathon in Chico lastMarch (1:24:41).

At Humboldt, Nelson started conservative-ly since she didn’t know any of the women on thePA circuit. After picking up her pace at 5 miles,she passed eventual second-placer Yiou Wang(1:24:37) at 8 miles and never looked back.

“I consider myself lucky,” Nelson admit-ted. “Normally there are really fast times atHumboldt. I wanted to be in the top three butdidn’t think I’d do it.”

The women’s course record is 1:14:56(Laura Mykytok, ’95). The men’s is 1:05:03(Mike Stone, ’93).

For multiple U.S. age-group recordholderBarbara Miller, the Humboldt Half Marathon

will always hold a special place in her heart. TheModesto resident turned 70 two months beforethis year’s race and proceeded to obliterate theU.S. W70–74 U.S. age group record with asparkling 1:47:12, bettering the old mark byover 3 minutes. Miller also set the U.S.W60–64 and W65–69 records on this course.

But Miller will forever remember her2009 Humboldt race for a different reason.

It was the last race that Miller and her hus-band, Doug Braasch, ran together. Two and ahalf weeks later, Braasch had a heart attack andpassed away, only two days before his 70thbirthday. The affable Braasch often accompa-nied Miller to PA/USATF events. Like Miller,he was a member of the Buffalo Chips RunningClub (and also the Shadow Chase RunningClub). Doug will be missed by his many run-ning friends.

Clarksburg Country Run 30KNov. 8, 2009; ClarksburgPacific Association circuit stalwarts SergioReyes and Lisbet Sunshine pinned down overallvictories at the Paul Reese MemorialClarksburg Country Run. Sunshine, age 45(San Francisco), successfully defended her 2008PA/USATF 30K Championship title as Reyes(28, Los Osos) ascended the victor’s platformafter placing second last year.

Sunshine completed the 30K (18.6 miles)course that traverses levee roads in the tranquiland picturesque Sacramento River delta regionin 1:57.32. She bettered her 2008 winning timeby almost 2 minutes. Another master, ShannonCody (age 40) placed second in 1:58:46.Lindsay Nelson captured third in 2:00:33.

Reyes claimed his Clarksburg victory a

month after competing at the Bank of AmericaChicago Marathon where he finished eighth(and first American) in a fine 2:15:30.

“It took a little longer for the after-effectsof Chicago to wear off than other marathons,”Reyes said, “but I figured I had an advantagecoming off a longer race like the marathon.”

Running conservatively, the U.S. AirForce civilian flight test engineer was content tostick with an early lead pack of about a half-dozen men. With about 5 miles remaining,Reyes slightly picked up the pace and cruisedaway to victory. His Aggies teammates, CarlosSiqueiros (2nd, 1:40:45) and Chris Mocko(3rd, 1:40:46), worked together for the remain-der and agreed to finish 2–3. The threesomecomprised the ASICS Aggies winningPA/USATF open men’s team. The Aggies alsowon the open women’s team competition.

Cliff Lentz, 44, topped masters men in1:48:59, followed by 51-year-old TimO’Rourke in 1:49:40. O’Rourke just missedtopping his pending U.S. M50–54 age grouprecord (1:49:37) which he set here last year.

Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey TrotElite 5KNov. 26, 2009; San JoseThe Applied Materials Silicon Valley TurkeyTrot Elite 5K is growing a reputation as one ofthe fastest 5K road races in the world. That rep-utation was bolstered at the 5th annual event, asPA/USATF open division runners went head-to-head with elite runners that hailed from fivecountries, and included five Olympians. A prizepurse totaling $25,000 was on the line.

Over 10,000 participants competed inmass 5K and 10K races before elite andPA/USATF men and women took their turnsin separate races over a flat-and-fast, four-lap

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At the Applied Materials Silicon Valley TurkeyTrot, Linda Somers Smith ran 16:14 and

obliterated the official and pending W45–49age group records.

Doug Braasch and Barbara Miller in Austin, TXfor the 2008 National 10K Champs

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5K course. For the first time here, compellingwomen’s performances outdid the men’s.

Kenya’s Sally Kipyego topped the women’srace in 15:41, bettering the previous women’scourse record (Rose Kosgei, 15:53, 2007). Theformer Texas Tech star, who owns a record nineNCAA Division I individual titles, broke opena small lead pack with about a mile remainingand held off fellow Kenyans Genoveva Kigen(2nd, 15:49) and Irene Kimaiyo (3rd, 15:56).

“I just came out to see where my fitnessis,” said Kipyego. “I was basically listening tomy body to see how I felt, and I felt prettygood. It’s a great race. The cheering crowds areamazing.”

Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes) was the topU.S. finisher (5th, 16:00) as her husband,Ryan, looked on following his fourth-place2:10:36 performance at the New York CityMarathon several weeks earlier.

But 48-year-old Linda Somers Smithturned in the strongest performance in thewomen’s elite race where 13 women broke 17minutes. Somers Smith’s time of 16:14 for sixthplace overall obliterated both the official U.S.W45–49 age group record (16:50, CarmenAyola-Troncoso, 2006) and the pending recordof 16:39 set by Colleen De Reuck, age 45, atthe Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K last May.

Somers Smith (Arroyo Grande) set therecord only four days after winning thePA/USATF Cross Country Championships.Her 16:14 gun time converts to an incrediblyfast 101.7% age-graded score (which is equiva-lent to a 14:33 time for a woman in her 20s).Somers Smith was also crowned the PA/USATFOpen 5K Champion.

“I didn’t wear a watch, but I heard [splitsof ] 5:10 [mile 1] and 10:24 [mile 2],” saidSomers Smith, a standout marathon runnerwho represented the U.S. in that event at the1996 Olympic Games. “I got a little nervousbecause 5:10 is as fast as I’ve gone in a workout.I kind of panicked, but I never felt bad.”

41-year-old Magdalena Visser (15th,18:03) secured the PA/USATF Open Women’sseason-end Short Road Grand Prix title.

The men’s elite and PA race had seven men

break 14 minutes, down from a dozen last yearwhen Californian Scott Bauhs set a 13:37 men’scourse record. A largely tactical race at the frontconcluded with Kenyans Julius Kogo (1st,13:39) and Robert Letting (2nd, 13:42) in asprint finish followed by Great Britain’sChristopher Thompson (3rd, 13:46). Ireland’sAlistair Cragg, a two-time 5000m Olympianwho trains in Mammoth Lakes, was fifth(13:51).

Like Somers Smith, Philip Reid (San LuisObispo) came off a win at the PA/USATF CrossCountry Champs and recorded an excellent per-

formance. Reid finished sixth in 13:55, match-ing his 5000 PR on the track, and took homethe season-end PA/USATF Short Road GrandPrix Open Men’s title.

Yosef Ghebray, a UC-Berkeley collegian(senior) and an All-American, finished seventhin 13:59.

Jim Sorensen, 41, pinned down the mas-ters men’s victory in 15:21 (a “world class” age-graded score of 90.3%). �

Full Grand Prix results are on the web atPAUSATF.org.

LDR continued from page 27

Southern CaliforniaAssociation LDR Report

FROM WAYNE JONESSLDR CHAIR

2009 Road Running Grand Prix& Road Championship Races

Long Beach Marathon/Run Forrest Run 5KOct. 11, 2009; Long BeachThe 2009 Southern California Road RunningGrand Prix recharged with the Run Forrest Run

5K, part of the massive running spectacle thatwas the 25th annual International City BankLong Beach Marathon. The festive atmosphereon Shoreline Drive energized SouthernCalifornia Association members, and with anearly flat course, many runners set new per-sonal records at the 5K race.

For the first time ever, both the full andhalf marathon events sold out, with the RunForrest Run 5K also bringing in one of itslargest fields of runners. The starting line forthe 5K resembled a class reunion for manyUSATF runners who participated in earlierGrand Prix events. It had been several months

since the last Grand Prix race, the SemanaNautica 15K on July 4th, and SCA runnersshowed the results of their summer training.

Crossing the 5K finish line first wasUSATF member Luis Guevara, with a time of15:09. Luis ran as a member of theInternational City Racing Track Club. Thisrecently formed group, coached by JasonBruton, has proven itself to be a dominantforce, and Sunday was no exception. That dayLuis’ ICR teammate Eli Rodriguez won theInternational City Bank Long Beach Marathonin 2:25:57. In May, Rodriguez also won theOC Marathon, taking the title of the 2009

Turkey Trot Winners left Sara Hall, Phillip Reid

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Southern California Association MarathonChampion. And fellow ICR runner JimmyGrabow won the International City Bank HalfMarathon, making a perfect sweep forInternational City Racing in all three events. Inaddition to his victory Sunday, Grabow was thefirst SCA runner to cross the finish line in theelite Coaster 5K race this March! Joining Eli incelebrating a victory in the marathon event wasCheryl Smith, winner of the OCMarathon andalso 2009 Southern California AssociationMarathon Champion. Smith took 17 minutesoff her OC Marathon time, running 2:50:18!And USATF member Bethany Nickless wonthe Half Marathon, as well.

In the women’s division of the Run ForrestRun 5K, Cambria D’Amico handily won witha time of 17:20. D’Amico runs as a member ofthe Janes Elite Racing Team, a USATF elitedevelopment club. While the 5K wasD’Amico’s first Grand Prix event, the Janesturned in an outstanding team performance atthe Brentwood 10K in June. D’Amico has beenstrong all year, also winning the Conquer theBridge 5-mile Road Race held in San Pedro onLabor Day.

In the team competition, Track Club LAedged out Elite Health Track Club. This was arematch for the two teams, who also traveled to

Goleta in July to run in the Semana Nautica15K. While Track Club LA is a large group ofWestside Los Angeles runners, Elite HealthTrack Club is a smaller, close-knit group ofdetermined runners coached by WayneDouglas. Douglas has really encouraged hisrunners to participate in the Road RunningGrand Prix, and as a result, Elite Health TrackClub is the only group to claim 100% partici-pation, with every one of Wayne’s runnersshowing up in at least one Grand Prix race!

A Snail’s Pace Running Club also had astrong showing at the Run Forrest Run 5K,with Dale Campbell (M-56) turning in a spec-tacular 16:29 time, for an age-graded score of941. Dale’s score is the highest of the runnersparticipating in the 2009 Grand Prix. SueZihlmann (F-45) ran 18:35, only one weekafter her PR 2:53:22 finish at the St. GeorgeMarathon. Club liaison Bob Morris indicatedthere would be more participation by ASPRCat 2010 USATF events, so Southern Californiarunners are officially on notice to watch out forgreat performances by this motivated runningclub!

With the 5K race behind them, runnersrelaxed and enjoyed the best finishing line feastever, with lunch provided by Bubba GumpShrimp, the title sponsor of the Run ForrestRun 5K. Runners were offered a selection ofbox lunches, including smoked salmon andshrimp! While the half and full marathon run-ners dined on traditional bagels and orangeslices, every 5K runner felt like an elite athleteon Sunday morning, with the first class treat-

ment offered by race organizers InternationalCity Racing. And in celebration of the silveranniversary of the International City BankLong Beach Marathon, more than 25,000 cup-cakes were distributed on Sunday!

Santa Barbara News-Press Half MarathonNov. 7, 2009; Santa BarbaraIt was another spectacularly beautiful day forracing, as the Southern California AssociationRoad Running Grand Prix and RoadChampionships returned to Santa Barbara onSaturday, Nov. 7, in conjunction with the 33rdannual Santa Barbara News-Press HalfMarathon. Taking first place in the men’s divi-sion was Aaron Sharp, with a time of 1:09:16,and in the women’s division Andrea McLartywins her championship title with a time of1:22:12.

At a previous USATF event, one runnerdescribed racing in Santa Barbara, as “AaronSharp, and then everyone else way behindhim.” 2009 looked like a field to challengeSharp’s domination. Joining Sharp at the startline was Bobby Olivera of Ventura, winner inOctober of the Ojai Half Marathon with a timeof 1:10:32, and Eli Rodriguez, of Whittier, the2009 Southern California Association USATFMarathon Champion.

A little more than an hour later, as the toprunners neared the finish line, the race appearedto be “Aaron Sharp, and then everyone else waybehind him.” Sharp, who is preparing for the2009 California International Marathon in


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Run Forrest Run Winnersleft to right Cambria D’Amico (Janes Elite

Racing Team), Luis Guevara (International CityRacing Track Club), and Sue Zihlmann

(A Snail’s Pace)


December, won a decisive victory, finishing 3minutes ahead of Olivera’s 1:12:48, and 6 min-utes faster than Eli Rodriguez’s 1:15:27. Thiswas also Sharp’s third time running the SantaBarbara Half Marathon, and his best finish, aswell.

While Sharp held a decisive lead through-out the entire race, Andrea “Drea” McLarty,had more of a challenge to keep her distancefrom competitors Sara Dillman and Chrystee

Bradley. McLarty reported that while she feltstrong for most of the race, the last 5K was atremendous struggle. Despite having the worst“bonk” she could remember in a major race,McLarty held her focus and won convincinglyin 1:22:12, followed by Dillman, 1:23:52, andChrystee Bradley, 1:25:04.

After becoming a mother to two children,McLarty is returning to running with a real pas-sion. This was not McLarty’s first Santa Barbara

Half Marathon; she ran the course in 2007, fin-ishing in 1:31:51. Two years older and 2 yearswiser, she cut nearly 10 minutes off her previ-ous time! Like Sharp, McLarty is preparing fora marathon, in her case the inaugural 2009Santa Barbara International Marathon.

In the team competition, a newly filled-out Santa Barbara Athletic Associationtrounced Track Club LA, 4001 to 3666. TheSanta Barbara Athletic Association had nofewer than four runners scoring above 800, themark for “nationally ranked” runners. Leadingthe SBAA in age-graded scoring were MaggieMason and Scott Deardorff. Both these run-ners are consistently strong, and Mason andDeardorff also took top honors at the SemanaNautica 15K race in July.

See page 22 in this issue for the2010 SCA USATF Road Race Grand Prix Schedule.

PA/USATF Ultra Grand PrixConcludes at Quad Dipsea

BY HOLLIS LENDERKING

The 18th annual Pacific Association UltraGrand Prix concluded on a slightly disorientingnote at Thanksgiving weekend’s annual ultra-festivity, the 27th annual 28.4-mile QuadrupleDipsea Run. Under the direction of foundingimpresario John Medinger, the Quad typicallyattracts a stellar field of national-caliber ultra-runners from hither and yon, particularly thePacific Northwest, a region that has emergedover the past decade as a highly competitiverival to Northern California. Not this year,though, when ultrarunners were fortunate theevent was staged at all, given the state parks sys-tem’s fiscal disarray. Registration opened verylate for the race, frustrating distant holiday trav-el plans, and so NorCal regional runners hadthe event pretty much to themselves.

The Grand Prix’ top point scorer, 2009

senior open (30–39) champion VictorBallesteros muscled Mount Tam into submis-sion with his swift 4:15:37 clocking for secondplace overall behind triathlete and ex-Olympicswimmer Chris Hauth (4:01:59). Ballesteros’finish padded his healthy points margin over hisclosest age-group pursuer, Jason Reed, last sea-son’s open (20–29) Grand Prix champ. AmongPA division rivals, Jed Tukman was runnerup in4:49:23, followed by Reed in 5:03:25. Masterschamp (both defending and recurring) and for-mer PA Ultrarunner of the Year Jean Pommiercemented his grip on the division standings withhis 4:25:32 for sixth place overall.

The most heated men’s competition of theyear—and the only one to hang in the balanceat the Quad—was in the senior (50–59) divi-sion, where division-leader John Catts kept hiseye on Keith Blom, who started the day in thirdplace only 28 points in arrears. Blom (5:31:48)nudged Catts by one second at the finish, butgained only nine points on him in the process,sufficient to move into second place in the finalstandings, but not enough to overtake Catts forthe Grand Prix crown.

Likewise on the women’s side, only one

Grand Prix title was at stake in the season’s finalrace, and in this case the results re-ordered thestandings. The masters division leader—andthree-time defending PA Ultrarunner of theYear—Bev Abbs didn’t enter the race, and thushanded Jean Suyenaga a ripe opportunity thatshe exploited with her 6:45:42 finish, vaultingher to the crown.

From the fall schedule, three performanc-es by PA athletes stand above the rest. At thepenultimate Grand Prix event, the Helen Klein50-Mile on Oct. 31, open Grand Prix champi-on Chikara Omine recorded a smashing5:45:41 time along the American River bikepath, winning the race by an hour in theprocess. At the Dick Collins Firetrails 50-Mileearlier that month, recent PA arrival DaveMackey—a long-time Colorado-based ultrasuperstar—ran the second-fastest time(6:30:34) in that event’s history. And at thenon-Grand Prix San Francisco One Day onOct. 24, perennial super senior (60–69) stand-out and former division champion EldrithGosney, 68, registered 94.4 miles to establish anew pending American (65–69) road record.�

MUT News

LDR continued from page 29

Santa Barbara News-Press Half MarathonWinners left to right Aaron Sharp (1:09:16),and Andrea McLarty (1:22:12).

Race WalkingSCA/USATF Roundup

FROM PEDRO SANTONISCA RW CHAIR

For SCA racewalkers, the highlights of the fallschedule are the three one-hour postals wherecompetitors try to walk as many laps as possiblewithin the time limit; this year, walkers whowanted to try a shorter distance could also racein a 30-minute postal. Competitors can thenmeasure themselves against their peers else-where in the United States by submitting theirbest performance to Minnesota’s Bruce Leasure,of Twin Cities Racewalkers’ fame, who hastaken over the task of compiling postal resultsfrom New Jersey’s Elliott Denman. Bruce is acomputer wizard, and thanks to his expertise,racewalkers can check the latest results atwalkonmn.org/postal/results.htm.

The Cal Tech University track in Pasadenaserves as the venue for these events, whichbegan bright and early (the gun went off at 6:45a.m.). Several walkers among the nearly twentywho raced in the Oct. 18 and Nov. 15 postalsbenefited from cool temperatures. SouthernCalifornia Walkers’ John Magnussen, who likea fine wine continues to get better despite hisgrowing “maturity,” has so far turned in one ofthe postal’s most impressive performances.Competing in the 55–59 age group, John’s bestresult in 2008 was 9,212 meters, but this yearhe walked 9,765 meters in the first postal and10,023 in the second. John is also one of SCA’shardcore marathoners. In 2009 he won theracewalk division of the Los Angeles Marathonin 4:48:42, and took first place among male

racewalkers in the Portland Marathon with atime of 4:57:57. He attributes his improvementto several changes he introduced into his work-out plan. Not only did he up his overall aerobicmileage (up to 60 miles per week), but he alsostarted to use a heart rate monitor to hold himback on aerobic walks and to push himself intempo and anaerobic workouts. In addition,John periodized his yearly schedule; he devotedseveral months to mostly aerobic base training,and followed these with periods of more tempoworkouts in the weeks that led up to the afore-mentioned marathons.

The yearly SCA picnic followed theNovember postal at a park adjacent to the track,where I distributed the Grand Prix Awards forthe 2009 season. To qualify for a plaque, walk-ers had to compete in three or more of theGrand Prix races. The top three women wereSoula Thomas (80–84), Yoko Eichel (60–64),

and Shirley Capps (70–74), while the first threemen were Bill Moremen (80–84), Carl Acosta(75–79), and Rick Campbell (60–64).Everyone but Rick broke the coveted 80% per-centile barrier, and he came ever-so-close with a78.36%. Next year for sure, Rick!

On this page is the 2010 SCA Grand Prixracewalk schedule as it currently stands. Wewelcome out-of-area athletes, so if you’re in theneighborhood, come race with us! Additionalinformation about these events will soon beposted on the SCA website (scausatf.org), but ifyou prefer a more personal touch, don’t hesitateto contact me at 909.838.1078. �

2010 SCA USATF Racewalk Grand Prix Schedule

Date Event Detail1/17 WCLA Rose Bowl 10-Mile, Richard Oliver 5K Pasadena2/28 Indoor/Outdoor meet at Mater Dei HS Santa Ana 10K & 5K3/14 Easy Striders Saint Patrick’s Day 20K & 5K Huntington Beach 20K & 5K

(National Masters Championship pending bid approval)4/11 Mt. San Antonio College Relays Mt. SAC, Walnut 10K, 5K track5/16 National Masters/West Region 15K Championship Riverside 5K

OTHER JUDGED RACEWALKS6/5 California State Senior Olympics CTU Pasadena 1500m, 5K track6/6 Jim Bush/SCA Open Track & Field Championships Mt. SAC, Walnut

Jim Hanley & Elaine Ward Cups6/19–20 SCA Masters Track & Field Championships 5K trackJune TBD California State Senior Games Rose Bowl 5K, 10K road7/10–11 USATF West Region Masters T&F Champs 5K track7/22–25 USATF National Masters Championships Sacramento

leftRacewalkers atthe SCA GrandPrix AwardsPicnic

right JohnMagnussen at

the SeniorOlympics 5K at

Cal TechUniversity,Pasadena


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