Costa Mesa runners win half-marathon

Rick Devereux

The wet conditions for the inaugural OC Marathon did not slow local

runners as Costa Mesa residents Humberto Rojas and Laura Knight won

the men’s and women’s half-marathon, respectively, Sunday.

Kenyan Andrew Masuva, 40, and Aliso Viejo resident Cheryl Smith,

24, were the respective men’s and women’s marathon champions.

Knight, 35, completed the 13.1-mile half-marathon course that

began and ended in Newport Beach in one hour, 23 minutes and five

seconds.

“I really wouldn’t change anything about the race,” she said. “I

don’t mind the rain. It was the wind that I could do without.”

Rojas, an Orange Coast College sophomore who, this fall, became

the first repeat men’s champion in the 33-year history of the State

Community College cross country championships, finished in 1:10:45.

Rojas, 20, was also a star in cross country and track and field at

Estancia High.

Costa Mesa resident Kensuke Yamamoto finished 12th overall in the

marathon with a time of 2:52.47, while Newport Beach’s Leon Laub

(16th in 2:55:17) and Costa Mesa’s Mauro Dos Santos (17th in 2:57:02) also cracked the top 20.

Masuva’s winning time was 2:23.23, while Smith crossed the finish

line in 2:50:39, besting all but nine men’s competitors.

Being a first-time event -- though there were previous

incarnations of an Orange County Marathon -- there were a few hiccups

Sunday. But, most seemed to agree, those relatively minor setbacks

were outnumbered by positives.

Due to traffic and parking problems, the race started a little

later than the 7:30 a.m. target, but that didn’t bother the runners.

“I ran the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon [in San Diego in

1997], and it was at least 40 minutes late,” said Costa Mesa resident

and half-marathon runner Linda Stennes. “This one was only five or 10

minutes late getting started, which wasn’t bad at all.”

A throng of approximately 10,000 runners packed the starting line

on San Miguel Drive near Avocado Drive.

“I was overwhelmed,” co-chairman Scott Baugh said. “It was a sea

of people that came through.”

The race started a bit late, but it started dry. It wasn’t until

around 9 a.m. that it began to rain.

“The weather didn’t dampen our spirits,” said co-chairman James

Frey. “The enthusiasm has been great.”

The number of entries made the finish area near The Newport Dunes

Waterfront Resort hectic with volunteers handing out medals and water

bottles.

The finish line became so crowded, first- and second-place

marathon finishers Masuva and fellow Kenyan Kandie Solomon (2:24:14),

crossed the finish line through the half-marathon chute, adjacent to

the marathon finishing area.

Masuva, Solomon, Simon Sielei (2:28:32) and David Kloz (2:30:01)

stayed together for most of the race, but Masuva and Solomon broke

away with about five miles to go.

Masuva continued to put together bursts to take an increasingly

larger lead and hold off his countryman.

“It was a nice course,” said Masuva, who now lives in Albuquerque,

N.M. “I like to do different races and it feels good to be the winner

of the first [OC Marathon].”

Solomon, who also lives in Albuquerque, was not discouraged by the

weather.

“It is part of running,” he said. “This course was great. It was a

very fast course.”

The 26.2-mile marathon course weaved from Fashion Island toward UC

Irvine, around the Irvine Spectrum and down Back Bay Drive.

“It was a great run,” Newport Beach resident Darin Anderson said.

“It was very pretty with beautiful scenery. Runners could enjoy the

environment.”

Anderson has run the Los Angeles marathon twice, the Rock ‘n’ Roll

event in San Diego twice and the famed Boston Marathon once. He was

pleased with the community support Sunday, despite the wet weather.

“There were a lot of people cheering us on,” he said. “I was

impressed with how people showed up in the rain.”

Race Director Bill Sumner estimated between 10,000 to 15,000 spectators lined the course. Sumner, who coaches boys and girls cross

country and track and field at Corona del Mar High, is already

thinking of ways to improve the race next year.

“We should make the finish line fatter because there were too many

people crossing at the same time, which created a bit of a backup,”

he said. “I haven’t heard any complaints about the course except some

people said they wanted to run around the Ferris wheel [at the Irvine

Spectrum]. And, of course, we would like to have sunshine.”

The rain forced the cancellation of performances by 13 bands,

which had planned to play music at various points on the course and

during a festival near the finish line.

But Sumner and Baugh agreed that the marathon reached the

projected goal.

“We wanted to put on an event that benefited the community,” Baugh

said. “The proceeds go to children’s charities in Orange County. The

marathon is really owned by the community. It is a unifying event for

all of Orange County.”

Close to $400,000 was raised for Run for Orange County Kids, which

benefits 10 children’s charities.

“Someone came to me and said he could run all day because he knew

it was for a good cause,” Sumner said. “We accomplished what we set

out to do, and that was raise money for charities.”