Tesfaye Alemayehu of Antioch and Malindi Elmore Kelowna, British Columbia, were victorious in the 10th anniversary running of the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon, presented by Subaru.
John Litzenberg and Heather Gilardi were the top finishers from Napa or Sonoma County.
The popular sold-out race on Sunday attracted 3,400 runners from 50 states and 11 foreign countries who enjoyed ideal weather conditions and a festive atmosphere along the rolling, serpentine course. The scenic 13.1-mile race started at Cuvaison Carneros Winery and finished at historic Sonoma Plaza in front of City Hall.
An estimated 10,000 people attended the race and post-race festivities in downtown Sonoma.
Produced by Destination Races of Sonoma, Napa-to-Sonoma is the flagship event in the Wine Country Half Marathon Series, (http://destinationraces.com/runn2s). The next race presented by Destination Races is the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon on Sunday, September 1 in the Willamette Valley.
Alemayuhu successfully defended his title, winning the race for the 4th consecutive year with a time of 1:04:10.
He ran a steady pace of under 5 minutes per mile, easily outdistancing 2nd place finisher Armen Vartanian of San Mateo, 1:07:24 and 3rd place Ivan Medina of Hayward, 1:11:18.
Malindi Elmore won her first Wine Country Half Marathon in a time of 1:18:50. Elmore was an Olympian for Canada in 2004 in the 1,500 meters. “I was really impressed with all aspects of the race, it truly was a different experience from other events I have run.
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Destination Races really looks after the athletes well,” added Elmore, who was running her first half marathon.
“It was a good, solid, tough run especially at the 8 mile mark, but I kept on pushing.”
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She defeated Michelle Meyer of San Francisco 1:21:41, who celebrated her birthday Sunday.
, “It’s such a beautiful course to run with great support from the volunteers," Meyer said. " I can’t think of a better way to kick off a birthday.“
Jaymee Marty of San Francisco 1:25:29 is a teammate of Meyer’s and is also celebrating her birthday. Elmore also works for Destination Races, as a local coordinator for its upcoming Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon on Sept. 7.
The post-race Wine & Music Festival, presented by United HealthCare, featured wine tasting, food, beer, bands, and the awards ceremony in Sonoma Plaza. Twenty-five wineries and Lagunitas Brewing Company poured at the festival, while exhibitors offered product samples and demonstrations. Each finisher received a performance running shirt, unique finisher’s medal, and a Riedel wine glass good for the wine festival. The top three finishers in each age category received a bottle of wine.
Team Challenge, the endurance training and fundraising program for Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, brought 650 runners and raised $2.4 million at the event. Hanna Boys Center of Sonoma, Save-our-Sports-Sonoma, Native Sons of the Golden West and Community Action of Napa Valley (CAN-V) provided volunteers for the race and served as beneficiaries.
Top overall masters winners were John Litzenberg of Glen Ellen and Renee Lewis-Mance of Moorestown, NJ.
Forward Motion Race Club won the team competition and Truchard Vineyards won the Winery Team Challenge.
The GunBunFunRun 5K was won by Brian Seo with a time of 21:42 and Cara Prehn in a time of 23:39.
Sponsors for the 2013 Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon include Subaru, Rabobank, Cliff Bar, ACCELERADE, SPIbelt, FRS, Riedel, UnitedHealthcare, Touring & Tasting, Gundlach Bundschu, Parkpoint Health Clubs, and Sonoma Valley Hospital.
2013 Official Results:
MEN
1. Tesfaye Alemayehu 29 Antioch, CA 1:04:10
2. Armen Vartanian 33 San Mateo, CA 1:07:24
3. Ivan Medina 27 Hayward, CA 1:11:18
WOMEN
1. Malindi Elmore 33 Kelowna, BC Canada 1:18:50
2. Michelle Meyer 26 San Francisco, CA 1:21:41
3. Jaymee Marty 46 San Francisco, CA 1:25:29
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