Sports

Folsom Man and San Francisco Woman Tops in Napa Valley Marathon

Joan Benoit Samuelson, legendary women's runner, makes guest appearance.

Correction: 10:40 a.m. Monday, March 4, 2013.

Spelling on the last name of Napa Valley Marathon organizer Marita Dorenbecher has been corrected.

Original story: 5:40 p.m. Sunday, March 3, 2013.

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Two Northern California runners took top honors in the men's and women's divisions Sunday of the 35th Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon.

Kevin Pool, 30, of Folsom, was first overall and first in the men's division with a time of 2:21:58, and Michelle Meyer, 25, of San Francisco, was first in the women's division with a time of 2:43:09.

Find out what's happening in Napa Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The two won their races on a picture-perfect day in a sold-out field of 2,600 runners, said organizer Marita Dorenbecher.

"It was beautiful, a gorgeous event," Dorenbecher said. "The weather was perfect, it never rained -- it was a huge success."

Dorenbecher said she spent much of the day escorting running legends who were special guests at the event. Those include Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the marathon.

"It was very intense," Dorenbecher said of the day.

"Benoit had just returned from China and running the Boston Marathon, so she ran the 5k and the last three miles of the marathon with her daughter Abby," Dorenbecher said in a Facebook post.

"Abby finished the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon today with a personal record time of 3:14!," Dorenbecher added. "Congratulations, Abby!"

To see all the race results, click here.

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