The 30th edition of the Mission 10 mile race in San Juan Bautista wasn’t much different from the race three decades ago, but on Saturday as the sun shined down on more than 500 runners, it didn’t need to be.
Once again, the annual race established and organized by the Hollister Rotary Club was a hit in the small San Benito County town.
Runners came from all ages and from all over the area, as north as San Francisco all they way down to Fresno. After worrying about participation earlier in the week, organizer Bill Tiffany was pleased with the results, he said.
“Well it worked out with the weather,” he said. “The weather was ideal for running. Because of that I think our participation level was about the same as last year.”
Tiffany even had time to run himself, taking first in the male 60 to 69 age range during the 5k with a time of 25:05.29.
Most impressed with the course and race, though, was 18-year-old winner Michel Ramirez, who along with his Hartnell running teammates made the trip to San Juan Bautista.
“We like to run together,” he said. “We decided to come here and run for a cause. It was a perfect course. I’m not usually a road type of person. The hills – that’s my advantage. This is a good course. It’s tough.”
The 10-mile course began and ended at the footsteps of the mission. The race extended out near Anzar High School before eventually returning to downtown. The race including a mixture of concrete, asphalt and dirt track.
With the mix, and the extreme participation, the race, overall, is good for the community, Ramirez said.
“These kind of races, bring the community together,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of older seniors. And having them run and cheer for you, it’s very motivational.”
One of those seniors included Fresno’s Christopher Denny, who at age 80 ran the 5k. Denny is a regular at the race, making the drive in each of the last 15 years, he said.
“I came here for this local race because our club members have been coming out,” he said. “Besides, this is a very nicely run race. It’s got some distance. There aren’t too many 10-miles races around. That’s a good enough reason. This is doing pretty well.”
And like Ramirez, he sees the local benefit, he said.
“Seems like everyone is having a good time,” Denny said. “That’s a good enough reason. The benefit is that it makes people cognizant of the fact that there are runners around and it’s open to runners that maybe won’t be interested in it. It’s a community thing. This is basically the same race, the same organizers and the same nice people since the beginning.”
10 mile
Top 5
1. Michel Ramirez – 56:24.64
2. Said Hernandez – 56:39.16
3. Guilermo Cuevas – 56:45.93
4. James Palnuik – 57:22.60
5. Robert Valencia – 57:33.29
Top female finisher
1. Nikia Brautorich – 1:03. 39
5k
Male 1-12
1. Daniel Chambless – 24:03.26
Female 1-12
1. Adrianna Vaccarezza – 33:08.227
Male 13-18
1. Diego Leon – 17:09.66
Female 13-18
1. Yvette Felix – 22:45.99
Male 19-29
1. Oscar Juarez – 20:38.24
Female 19-29
1. Elizabeth Medina – 22:07.51
Male 30-39
1. Salvador Lopez – 23:33.57
Female 30-39
1. Idalia Villanueva – 23:11.49
Male 40-49
1. Ralphie Chavez – 18:02.13
Female 40-49
1. Dalila Rodriguez – 24:08.26
Male 50-59
1. Kirk Flatow – 20:23.13
Female 50-59
1. Karen Park – 28:24.55
Male 60-69
1. Bill Tiffany – 26:05.29
Female 60-69
1. Marice Smith – 26:35.67
Male 70-99
1. Rod Mackinlay – 24:42.33
