Big Day for Running in Clarksburg!
For as long as most of us can remember, you could count on a couple of things for about this time of year: the first of the Tule Fog and a long road race in Clarksburg.
The distances have changed a bit over the years (20 mile, 30 Km, etc.) but the Clarksburg Country Run has remained a Valley fixture.
Over those years, race distances have been added and there are now 5K, 10K, half marathon, and 20-mile races. Currently, the most competitive race is the half marathon. It is one of the Pacific Association USATF grand prix events and draws fast runners from throughout Northern California.
Winning the half marathon in a pretty speedy 1:05:40 was Daniel Tapia, 26, who is running for the SRA Elite. About 90-seconds back, also running for SRA Elite, was Kevin Pool, 29, who finished in 1:07:14. Miguel Nuci, 33, finished third in 1:07:31, making it a clean sweep for the SRA Elite men.
Alia Gray, 23, also running for SRA Elite, won the women’s title with a blistering 1:17:04. The second woman was the Impala’s Heather Tanner, 34, who quickly covered the distance in 1:20:24. Ashley Carroll, 29, also running for the Impalas, rounded out the top three with a 1:21:29.
The top masters runner was the impressive Chris Knorzer, who turned in a 1:11:59. Knorzer, who is 43, runs for the River City Rebels.
The top female master was Sacramento’s Jaymee Marty, 45, who clocked a 1:23:35. Marty runs for the Impala Racing Team.
Rounding out the top three masters men were the Asics Aggies’ Rene Sepulveda, 47, and the Strawberry Canyon Track Club’s Nick Bingham, 41, who ran 1:15:31 and 1:15:54.
The second and third masters women were Colleen Peschel, 42, running unattached, and the Talmapa Runners’ Elizabeth Shortino, 48, who ran 1:28:44 and 1:31:12.
In the 20 mile race, the winner was Ryan Neely, 23, who covered the distance in 1:53:49. Coming in second overall, was the women’s winner Kimberly O’Donnell, 22, who finished in 2:07:33.
Rounding out the top-three men were Matthew Katz, 24, with 2:08:12, and Jeff Osuna, 36, with 2:08:37.
The second and third women in the 20 mile race were Sara Rydman, 26, in 2:17:29, and Christine Mellick, 44, with 2:22:48.
The top-three men in the 10K distance were George Cross, 46, with 36:21, John Burmester, 51, with a 39:04, and Jim Mansoor, 54, with 41:08.
The top-three women in the 10K were Katie Fowler, 33, with 46:26, Laura Sharp, 28, in 47:03, and Leonie Alesci, 37, who finished in 48:04.
In the 5K, the top men were: Roberto Lopez-Contreras, 26, with a 17:47, Steve Bond, 56, in 19:49, and Carlos Lewis, 14, with a 20:06 finish.
The top female finishers in the 5K were: Emma Winkler, 14, with a 22:34, Hallie Lassiter, 13, in 22:40, and Sarah Hinton, 10, with a 23:24 finishing time.
It’s great to see so many younger kids among the top finishers!
Complete results for all the race distances are here.