What do 1,086 athletic feet, the San Andreas Fault, a historical
Spanish institution, sweaty bodies, pain, joy, excitement, hard
work, Federal Reserve notes, winter, long-sleeve T-shirts,
technology, tradition, health and pristine lush California
landscape have in common? Why, the 28th annual Mission 10, of
course.
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA
What do 1,086 athletic feet, the San Andreas Fault, a historical Spanish institution, sweaty bodies, pain, joy, excitement, hard work, Federal Reserve notes, winter, long-sleeve T-shirts, technology, tradition, health and pristine lush California landscape have in common? Why, the 28th annual Mission 10, of course.
More than 500 entries from Turlock, Salinas, San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister, Monterey, San Juan Bautista, Aromas, Santa Cruz and beyond covered the pockmarked streets of the mission town to run in three distances — the 10-miler, 5K and 1-mile for children.
Saturday’s foggy weather provided the perfect climate for runners and walkers until midmorning, when most of it burned off with the sun toasting the countryside. Olympic-marathon hopefuls to the weekend warrior ran side-by-side down the paved roads into farmlands as far as the eye can see. That’s what beckoned me along with them to hit the ground running in this fun race. What makes Mission 10 a real treat is the absence of uptight people, typical of larger races, where the world watches through a magnifying glass. The Hollister Rotary Club and South Valley Endurance Timing put on a good show.
Many talented athletes run the 10-mile or 5K every winter because the mostly flat courses for both distances are eye candy for participants, and postrace raffle prizes for preregistered runners are dandy. Plus, the fabulous long-sleeve cotton tees keep athletes coming back. I confess, I do Mission 10 for the T-shirt.
Jose Morales of Turlock, however, had a much better goal in mind for Mission 10. The 26-year-old Cal State Stanislaus senior blitzed 10 miles in an impressive 53 minutes, 51 seconds, winning the race overall. He runs 70 to 80 miles per week to keep sane from his studies and would also like to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games.
“I went for it. It showed me what kind of runner I am,” he said. “I want to run faster in the future. … I ran the (California International Marathon) in December; I did it in 2:28. I thought it was pretty good for my first marathon. I want to do the Rock ‘N Roll San Diego Marathon. My goal is to hit the Olympic qualifying times.”
To qualify, he would have to run 26.2 miles in 2:18.
Hartnell College coach Monica Nicholson, 29, of Aromas, crossed the finish line after running 10 miles in 1:06:29 and nabbed the first-place trophy for the women’s division. This was her first 10-miler.
“My goal was to run under 1:10, and I went out a little hard, but I felt good and decided to keep it up. It was fun,” Nicholson said, pleased about her sub-seven pace.
Salinas resident Sean Curry, 43, who ran the Dirty Legs 24 Hour ultra-marathon two weeks ago couldn’t stay away from racing and toed the line despite an injury. He ran 41 miles in the ultra, but the next day, Curry ran another 26 miles because he was too hyper to rest. That’s when he broke his toe. It didn’t slow him down at Mission 10, though.
“It went better than I thought. I like to get under an hour in this race. That’s what I’ll shoot for next year,” he said, referring to his 1:03:35 finish and third-place victory in his age group.
The 5K winners were as follows: Hollister teen Omar Vasquez vanquished the competition in 17:10, and Michelle Lucero, 39, shut out the rest of the pack in 21:30. Shannon McRoberts, 18, of Morgan Hill, happily completed 3.1 miles in 28:26 and got second place in her age division.
“The 5K is my favorite distance,” she said. “The hill at the end was tough, but it was good because it helped me push myself.”
San Jose residents Shawn Baraona (27:37) and his older brother, 22-year-old James (28:27), ran the 5K with their mother Kathie (33:35). The eldest boy ran in a polo shirt and slacks. That’s what he prefers.
“It’s kinda cold, actually, to run in shorts because your legs don’t sweat,” Baraona said. “I got into running because of the movie, ‘Run, Fatboy, Run.'”
To view entire Mission Race 10 results visit: www.svetiming.com
