A plethora of winter races await the athlete. What better way to shed unwanted holiday pounds than to run? One of my favorite mid-chilly season athletic competitions is the Rotary Mission 10 held during the last week of January in San Juan Bautista.
The popular 10-miler, 5K and Kid’s run is a staple of most runners from all over the Bay Area. Among the 526 registered Saturday from elite competitor to the weekend warrior, each toed the line anticipating a fun time under the sun.
The long-sleeve shirt, spectacular scenery and the peaceful town of San Juan Bautista attracted all levels of runners.
Omar Vasques, a senior at Hollister’s San Benito High triumphed overall in the 3.1-miler in 17:24. Steven Velarde came in second at 17:43, and Mauricio Maia grabbed third in 18:39.
“I felt pretty good in the first mile but felt a blister at the bottom of my foot. It was hurting but I kept on going,” Vasques said.
Annie Bergholz took first in the women’s division with 21:09. Both Michelle Watkins and Kaitlin Alt fought for second place in 21:11, but Watkins nudged forward and won silver.
Prunedale’s Daniel Tapia has won Mission 10 three times. This time he did it in 51:10. He nailed a blistering 5-minute mile pace, shutting out the rest of the competition. I wondered how much pain he endured to travel at supersonic speed for 10 miles.
Tapia said, “The first couple of miles were fun with a lot of people lined up along the course … then it became lonely and you wait for the long mile and half going uphill. You have to stay mentally strong for that. At the turnaround point you have to crank it up again.”
Tapia ran in the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston two weeks ago and took 24th.
Cristian Soratos flew to the finish in 54:14, securing second place. That’s super fast and incomprehensible to me. Adam Roach sprinted for third in an impressive 54:57.
Stephanie Kato won Mission 10 for the ladies in 1:05:39. Monica Nicholson nabbed second in 1:05:47, and Samantha Forde took third with 1:07:21.
Nicholson said, “My goal was to improve my time from last year and again try to win. I improved my time by a minute but I didn’t have enough spring at the end to get the win.”
Runner’s World Magazine founder Bob Anderson was among the athletes competing Saturday. He took home gold for the 60-something age division in 1:10:09. Anderson’s Ujena Fit Club’s film crew interviewed folks at the race for a documentary.
Sean Curry from Salinas ran 10 miles in 1:06:45, which was slower than last year’s race. The flu ravaged his body but he ran anyway.
“It was a blast. I had a good time,” he said. “I did pretty well but not quite as good as last year. I felt a little warm because of the flu, but I drank plenty of water.”
San Jose State professor Bob Miller came with his friends from South Valley Running Club. He finished in 1:22:44.
“I think mentally the hardest part is when you come down you’re going fast. Then there’s a little hill where you climb up over the San Andreas Fault,” he said. “As a geologist it’s fun there.”
Gilroy’s Maria Bruhns, also of SVRC, tackled 10 miles in 1:55:37.
“I started the day running the fun run with my 3-year-old daughter, Sada. During the 10 mile, I was amazed at how many other runners I see here year after year.” Bruhns said. “The long-sleeve shirts are a big plus!”
Veteran Mission 10-miler Stephanie Bouquet of Salinas won first place in the 40-49 category in 1:18:05. Bouquet said, “The mile hill upward was very challenging, and coming back in the last three miles your legs are dead from doing the hill.”
Bouquet’s husband, Matthew, celebrated his 46th birthday by running 10 miles in 1:50:59. The couple loved the race. A like everyone else who ran on Saturday, the Bouquets will make it their mission to do the 10 again in 2013.
For race results please go to www.svetiming.com.
Angela Young is a free lance journalist for South Valley Newspapers and is passionate about the running world. She’s been a runner for over a decade and loves to write stories on seasoned athletes, weekend warriors, newbies, races of all distances on paved roads and off the beaten path. She likes to include the wild and crazy and as well as the most serene in her stories. Send her an e-mail at [email protected].
