Official 2017 Half Marathon Results Book
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OFFICIAL RESULTS BOOK November 10-12, 2017 2017 Official Race Results 3 Thanks For Your Participation 4 Elite Review 6 Runner Survey 7 Event Demographics 8 Half Marathon Finisher & Divisional Winners - Male 9 Half Marathon Overall Results - Male 18 Half Marathon Finisher & Divisional Winners - Female 19 Half Marathon Overall Results - Female 36 By-the-Bay 3K & Pacific Grove Lighthouse 5K 37 5K Divisional Results - Male & Female 38 5K Overall Results - Male 41 5K Overall Results - Female 45 3K Results (alphabetical) 47 Half Marathon Memories 48 Our Volunteers 49 Our Sponsors & Supporters 50 Our Family of Events 51 2018 Waves to Wine Challenge MONTEREYBAYHALFMARATHON.ORG P.O. Box 222620 Carmel, CA 93922-2620 831.625.6226 [email protected] A Big Sur Marathon Foundation Event Steve Zalan Cover photo by Don Wilcoxson Thanks For Your Participation What a day! We hope you had a great experience at last Novem- Salinas Valley Half Marathon in early August, and the ber’s Monterey Bay Half Marathon, Pacific Grove year-round, award-winning JUST RUN youth fitness Lighthouse 5K, or By-the-Bay 3K. The clear, sunny, program. The event weekend you participated in was and calm conditions were conducive to great perfor- managed by our 85+ member-strong event commit- mances along the rocky shores of Monterey Bay and tee who coordinates the efforts of more than 1,500 Pacific Grove. The new Ocean View Challenge, reward- volunteers throughout race weekend. These groups ing those who raced both Saturday’s 5K and Sunday’s and organizations are listed on page ____. This race half, helped the shorter race attract a record field of also would not be possible without the support of almost 1,500 entrants to Pacific Grove. many dedicated sponsors, the cities of Monterey and Pacific Grove, and our friends at California State Parks. We know there are more races than ever from which to choose around your home town and we thank you We hope you will mark November 11, 2018, on your for choosing our event. We had entrants from 48 of calendar and join us for our 16th presentation. And, our 50 states—missing Delaware and Mississippi--and please, bring a friend! Registration will open on April entrants from two dozen countries. 2, 2018. Be sure and follow us on Facebook (look for us under “Monterey Bay Half Marathon”) and follow Thanks to the more than 1,700 entrants who com- us on Twitter and Instagram (@BSIMEvents). We’ll pleted the post-race survey, giving us valuable feed- keep you informed of developments for all of our back. We are proud to present an event that many of events, remind you when registration opens, feature you rate very highly; at the same time, we pledge to fun contests, share beautiful pictures, and entertain continue to improve your experience each year. with conversations from fellow runners around the world. Also, download our mobile app at the App Our Half Marathon weekend of events is produced Store or Google Play; search under “BSIM Events.” by the newly-branded Big Sur Marathon Founda- tion (BSMF), the same non-profit organization that We wish you great health and training in the coming produces the iconic Big Sur International Marathon year and we look forward to seeing you at one of our weekend of events the last Sunday in April; the Run in 2018 events. the Name of Love 5K in Carmel on Father’s Day, the Doug Thurston Tom Rolander Alice Crawford Executive Director/Race Director Chair, BSMF Board of Directors Chair, BSMF Events Committee Monterey Bay Half Marathon • Page 3 • Official 2017 Results Book Sharon Garber Elite Review Monterey County Native Wins the Monterey Bay Half Marathon A large, enthusiastic crowd lining the finish line erupt- ed as Daniel Tapia broke the tape at the Monterey Heathr McWhirter Bay Half Marathon, becoming the first-ever Monterey County native to win the 15-year-old event. Tapia, who grew up in nearby Prunedale, covered the 13.1-mile ocean course in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 35 sec- onds–a personal record–finishing 26 seconds ahead of runner-up Futsum Zienasellassie, 24, a six-time All- American at Northern Arizona University, who ran his first-ever half-marathon in 1:04.01. Sid Vaughn Jr., 23, of Boulder, Colo., was third in 1:04.02. Aaron Braun In addition to the $4,000 winner’s purse, Tapia col- lected an additional $3,000 as winner of the “Equal- izer Challenge,” a battle-of-the-sexes bonus awarded to the first runner to cross the finish line, male or female. Female elites started the race 9 minutes, 5 seconds ahead of the starting gun for the men. “At about the 12th mile, I started making a move, and at that point I saw a guy (Tapia) behind me,” said Kenya native Monicah Ngige, 24. “I was wanting to win that $3,000, but it didn’t happen, because he was much stronger than I was.” Ngige, 24, won the women’s division (and its $4,000 top prize), in 1:12.53. Geoffrey Knott Geoffrey “This was my first half-marathon, and I feel very proud to be the women’s winner.” Natasha Wodak, a 35-year-old from North Vancou- ver, B.C., chased Ngige across the line in 1:13.17, and defending champion Sarah Pagano, 26, of Brighton, Mass., was third in 1:13.27. The 31-year-old Tapia–a record-setting athlete at North Monterey County High School in nearby Prunedale and Hartnell College in Salinas–was run- ner-up at the 2016 Monterey Bay Half Marathon. He showed up this year determined not to be denied. “I came to win today. I’ve been training for the U.S. National Marathon Championships, which are three weeks away in Sacramento, and I knew I was ready,” he said. “I also knew it would be a mental game, and it was just going to be up to me.” (Tapia finished 16th in Sacramento in 2:16:44.) continued on next page Monterey Bay Half Marathon • Page 4 • Official 2017 Results Book (continued) Elite Review Tapia, now living in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., said he another $5,000 in bonus money that was split corrected a strategic error from the previous year among the top three runners, male or female, in the and pushed the pace at the starting gun. “Equalizer Challenge.” “I felt like I went out too slow last year, so I took it out a little faster today for the first couple of miles,” he said. “I’m not the kind of runner who is going to throw down a super-fast last mile, but I can hold a very good pace for a long time.” Tapia said he settled into the pack at the two-mile point, drafting behind other runners for an easier run. At Mile 8, in neighboring Pacific Grove, where the course abruptly turns toward the finish line, he broke away. “We made that turn and started going downhill, and that’s when I made my move,” Tapia said. “I felt confident to either make or break my race right there, so I went for it and it worked.” Tapia pulled away from a group of about seven other runners, none of whom could match the 4:46-per-mile pace he ran for the next three miles. His overall per-mile pace for the race was 4:51. “It’s always fun to have someone with local roots win the local race,” said race director Doug Thur- ston. “He’s brought a lot of pride to Monterey County, and for him to win this prestigious race in his own county was great. And Danny’s mom and dad were at the race, which was really cool.” In the women’s race, Ngige averaged 5:33 -- two seconds per mile faster than runner-up Wodak. “The course is a little bit rolling, especially the first half, but coming back was better,” said Ngige, a 10,000-meter specialist who placed second in this year’s Wharf To Wharf event in Santa Cruz. “I love the coast, and (Monterey) is very beautiful. I look forward to running in this race again next year, if I’m given the opportunity.” The top eight runners in the men’s and women’s divisions competed for a total purse of $25,000 (including $4,000 for first place in each division, Steve Zalan and $2,500 each for second and third place), plus Monterey Bay Half Marathon • Page 5 • Official 2017 Results Book We’re Listening... 2017 Runner Survey Results EXIT POLL OVERALL APPROVAL RATINGS Runner Survey Comments and Suggestions Course 98% More than 1,700 entrants completed the post-race survey. We Volunteers 98% read through the thousands of individual comments, picking out the actionable items for future improvements. Here were the Overall Event Organization 97% most common compliments and criticisms: Online Registration Process 96% Aid Stations 95% What You Liked: Start Area 95% • The scenic course with the crashing waves along the coast • Energetic and helpful volunteers Packet Pick-up 94% • The PR Bell, finish village, and tasty food, soup and beer Timing & Results 93% • The on-course entertainment particularly the tunnel light show, Race Weekend Participanat Guide 93% bagpiper, and the drummers • Overall high-quality event experience and organization Finish Area 93% Website 92% What You Said Needs Improvement (with race director comments): Finish Medallion 91% • Shirt colors (we hear you loud and clear and will try to pick more appealing colors for 2018). Course Entertainment 91% • Having two colors for finish medallions (an idea that, for many, Social Media 89% clearly didn’t work!) Gear Check Handling 88% • Confusing late-registration process (we are working on a completely new process next year) Beer Garden 88% • Long lines for the post-race beer garden (the finish village is always Post-Event Refreshments 85% tight but we will try a different layout) Event Shirt Design 85% • Runners not lining up in their correct start corral (better monitoring needed) Expo 81% • Gear check (we will increase the number of volunteers and revise Race Merchandise for Sale 81% the location and layout) • Larger expo (the remodeled Monterey Conference Center will finally be open in 2018 allowing us the space to provide an improved expo experience) Thanks again to everyone for your kudos as well as your helpful suggestions.