Sacramento Running News

It must be spring! Not only am I sneezing every 30-seconds, it seems as though we were overwhelmed with races and tasty results to report on.

In track and field, Stanford was host to the 2011 Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, where the Hornets’ Lea Wallace turned out the 2nd fastest Division I 1500 of the year. Wallace, in her first 1500 of the season, ran 4:11.31. The only collegiate athlete ahead of her is Jordan Hasay (Oregon), who ran 4:10.28 in the same race this weekend. Letsrun.com has an excellent write-up about the event.

Up in Oregon on Sunday, Sacramento’s Jenny Hitchings ran a PR 2:46:10 in the Eugene Marathon–just 11 seconds shy of the Women’s Olympic Trials Marathon qualifying time. Hitchings was 5th woman overall, and 2nd masters behind Bend’s Kami “The Machine” Semick.

Speaking of close calls, at the Quicksilver 50K in San Jose, Jen Pfeifer, of El Dorado (former of Folsom), was reportedly in the lead until the final mile of the race where she went off course and picked up several extra minutes. While lost, Pfeifer was passed by a more attentive Adona Ramos, of San Jose. Ramos took the win with only about 15-seconds to spare.

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After years of solid performances in shorter, regional races, local speedster Iain Mickle knocked out a really fast marathon at Rock and Roll Arizona last weekend.

Mickle’s 2:38:54 was good enough for 19th overall, first in his age group, and a life-time personal best. He just turned 50. The Bee’s Bob Shalit gives him a shout-out in the business section.

For weeks now, my copy of California Track & Running News has been languishing in the bottom of the old Gatorade bucket where all the bills go after the postman shoves them through the mail slot of the Sacramento Running News world headquarters. When I finally dug through the layer of Final Notices to retrieve it, I was delighted to see Joey Bonfiglio’s photo gracing the front cover and again on page 16.

Bonfiglio is not so local now that she is living and tearing up the roads around San Diego, but for a while there she was abusing the Sacramento running scene and even kicking me down in the last 400 meters of the 2008 Buffalo Stampede. (Not that I’m bitter or anything.)

Apparently, she is running the XC circuit for Team BSK/Running Center–whatever that is–and won the City College 10K, took 3rd at the Bonita Stampede 8K, and won the Cougar Challenge 5K.  Nice!

Each fall, I make an enjoyable visit to the Humboldt Redwoods for another go at one of my all time favorite half marathons.

This past Sunday’s aptly named Humboldt Redwoods Marathon and Half Marathon is the nearly identical twin (the stereoisomer really) of the Avenue of the Giants Marathon (AKA “The Ave”) with one major difference. The Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon is part of the PAUSATF Grand Prix and therefore draws a very fast crowd. (Also, The Ave is run in April.)

This is how a small race that starts in a little turn-off of Highway 101 has 33 finishers under 1:20 and a woman running 1:18:19 comes in 2^nd.

The weather was perfect. The race was well organized. And this year, they replaced the usual terrible cotton shirts with pretty nice technical ones.

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