Sacramento Running News

Jane Kibii breaking the tape in here debut win in 2015. Sunday was her third consecutive win at SACTOWM (File Photo courtesy of SRA)

This past Sunday, American Aaron Braun, 29, and returning champion Jane Kibii, 32, bested a strong elite field to win the SACTOWN 10-mile race and claim the $2,000 first prizes.

The SACTOWN event, organized by the Sacramento Running Association and sponsored by credit unions from California and Nevada, raised more than $250,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which includes UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

The race, which emulates the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run held in Washington, D.C. on the same day, has raised more than $1.1 million in the last five years.

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By Ellen Moore, SRA

For the elite American runners in this year’s California International Marathon field, there is an added incentive to run fast – a $5,000 incentive to be exact.

The Sacramento Running Association, organizers of the California International Marathon, added an American Performance List bonus to its $50,000 prize purse for the 34th annual CIM on Dec. 4 and the result has been early commitments from many top U.S. runners.

Standout Stephanie Rothstein Bruce and 2012 CIM winner Daniel Tapia were among the first elite athletes to enter the race and headline the deep American fields.

“I chose CIM because the course, the weather in Sacramento in December and the passion of the city can’t be beat,” said Bruce. “The bonus structure that CIM implemented is a great step forward in encouraging Americans to elevate their performance in the marathon and strive for fast times.”

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Gary Blanco (left) and Chris Knorzer, racing in the Rebels’ special holiday singlets, battle it out for ROUS points at Thursday’s Run to Feed the Hungry 5K. (Photo courtesy of Randy Wehner Photography)

Nicholas Spector, 24, of Sonoma, and Lindsay Tollefson, 31, of Mammoth Lakes, were the big winners in the Run to Feed the Hungry 10K, on Thursday.

The annual race, benefiting the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, has grown to be one of the largest road-races in the country and typically features some of the region’s fastest running times of the year.

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Charlie Brenneman (left) and the author show off their Urban Cow trophies. (SRN photo)

If races have seasons, then we’re definitely in the middle of road half marathon season. October has already seen the Urban Cow, Humboldt Redwoods (part of the PAUSATF Road Grand Prix), and Folsom Blues Breakout.

Next weekend, you have a choice between the Clarksburg Country Run, or the new Run the Parkway Half, hosted by the Sacramento Running Association.

It’s hard to imagine that SRA isn’t directly targeting the Clarksburg events since they are offering similar 20 mile and 5 km distances alongside a more competitive half marathon.

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Matt Porter, in white, sits in 3rd at 16 miles. (SRN photo)

Matt Porter, of Fresno, overcame the early leaders to win the innagural Pony Express Marathon in a time of 3:06:43.

Sophia Chen, of Pacifica, was the women’s winner, with a finish time of 3:18:12.

In the half marathon, Carmichael’s Angela Escay was the overall winner in 1:24:36. The second woman, Erynne Jones  was also second overall, in 1:26:43.

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Second place woman Sara Hall and Charlie Brenneman are nearly to the finish of the Sactown 10. (SRN photo)

By Ellen Moore

After setting event records for money raised and runners registered for Sunday’s Credit Union SACTOWN Run, past champions Jordan Chipangama and Jane Kibii kept the momentum going by besting strong elite fields to win 10-mile individual titles and claim the $2,000 first prizes.

As an added bonus, Kibii, a 31-year old Kenya native who has lived in Auburn, set the women’s course record by nearly a minute to take home an additional $500 course record reward.

The SACTOWN event, organized by the Sacramento Running Association and sponsored by credit unions from California and Nevada, raised more than $200,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which includes UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

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To the winners go the non-alcoholic beers. L-R Dereje Abera Ali, Julius Keter, Elisha Barno (Photo credit Alex Chiu)

By Ellen Moore

Kenya’s Elisha Barno made his move after the 20-mile mark, surging ahead of the lead pack at “The Wall” to win the 33rd annual California International Marathon in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 51 seconds on Sunday.

Serkalem Abrha of Ethiopia used a similar strategy, pushing ahead of the lead group and running alone for the last six miles to win the women’s race in 2:31:29.

Much of the drama happened behind the leaders, however, as the chase for the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying mark played out in the women’s race.

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Chris Knorzer is the Masters Men’s Champion (SRN photo)

On a lonely stretch of the Avenue of the Giants, in Humboldt County, hundreds of Northern California’s fastest runners met up for the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon, a PAUSATF grand prix event and the PAUSATF Half Marathon Championship.

For a half marathon run through the scenic but empty redwood forest, the times are typically remarkably fast, and this year was no exception.

Largely running alone, San Luis Obispo’s Sean Davidson, 23, outran the field with a 1:05:21 performance.

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Saori Imamura races for the win, while Mario Sanchez cheers. (SRN photo)

A big crowd of speedy women (and a few men) lined up in River Park this morning for the Buffalo Chips’ Susan B Anthony 5K.

The race, founded in 1976, is the region’s oldest women’s race.

Over the years, the times have waxed and waned, but this year the top times were pretty brisk.

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Don’t worry about age (or youth) slowing you down when you run Sacramento’s original age-graded 5 Km race.

The No Excuses 5K, threading through the tree-lined Land Park course, lets you relive your youthful glory on a fast, flat course.

Davis’s Joannie Siegler, 58, ran a 20:20 to beat all comers with an age-graded 14:35. Coming in next, in age-graded times, was last year’s champion Mo Bartley, 60, of Auburn, whose 20:58 age -graded to 14:41.

Finishing third in the age graded race was  Sacramento’s Gary Blanco, 47, whose 16:26(!) age-graded to 14:48.

If we look at the non-age-graded times, which we cannot help doing, we see that Garrett Seawell, 23 of Roseville, was the first finisher in a legitimately speedy time of 15:13.

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