Folsom Blues Half
By John Schumacher
Amid the sounds of Johnny Cash, Turlock’s Miguel Nuci and Auburn’s Jane Kibii earned individual honors Saturday in the inaugural Folsom Blues Breakout Half Marathon.
The race, sponsored by the Sacramento Running Association and presented by the city of Folsom, attracted 3,000 runners on a mild, pleasant fall morning.
Cash’s presence was everywhere, from the view of Folsom Prison and the recording of him talking about the grand old flag at the start on Folsom Lake Crossing Bridge to the bands playing his music along the course to the James Garner Johnny Cash cover band at the finish.
Nuci, who runs for the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, took the lead five miles into the 13.1-mile race and pulled away to win the men’s title in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 42 seconds. Auburn’s Brad Poore finished second in 1:09:59 and Rocklin’s Charlie Brenneman, another SRA Elite Team member, grabbed third in 1:10:48.
Kibii was a clear-cut winner in the women’s race, finishing in 1:23:56. Sacramento’s Jenny Hitchings placed second in 1:26:51, with Berkeley’s Stacey Pearson third in 1:27:54.
Nuci, 34, said he wasn’t thinking about winning when he stepped to the starting line.
“I didn’t even think about that,” he said. “I just wanted to gauge my fitness. I’m pretty happy with the result. It’s two minutes faster than my last half marathon.”
Nuci said he drew inspiration from listening to Cash’s music along the course, which followed Folsom-Auburn Road for two miles before making a loop around Lake Natoma and finishing in historic Folsom.
“I love it,” he said. “He’s one of my favorite artists. I can listen to this music all day. It really psyched me up.”
“I’m not used to running this kind of course,” he added. “Turlock is flat. This was killer for me, up and down.”
Kibii, a 28-year-old Kenya native, wasn’t seriously challenged in the women’s race.
“It was so fun,” she said. “I like the up and down.”
Kibii said she’s only training 3-4 days a week and was happy to run so fast after finishing a half marathon in 1:25 two weeks ago.
“It’s good,” she said. “I’m improving.”
After winning the wheelchair race in 1:08:25, Carmichael’s Chris Houde, 54, said he enjoyed the race’s Cash connection.
“It’s cool,” he said. “I like it. Anything with blues and beer.”