The summer heat didn’t deter me and the other hardy souls to the
pristine mountain paths for the 31st Annual Mt. Madonna Challenge
last Sunday.
The summer heat didn’t deter me and the other hardy souls to the pristine mountain paths for the 31st Annual Mt. Madonna Challenge last Sunday.
The soothing coastal fog that shrouded the higher elevations gave the 105 runners a respite from the sizzling temperatures on the valley floor. Registered athletes as far away as Merced came to test their mettle on the serpentine courses of the 12K and 6K races. This was the last race of the Triple Crown Championship series.
I picked the 6K because I wasn’t conditioned as most of the other stalwarts. Before Sunday, I kept repeating to others and myself about Mt. Madonna’s pleasantly rolling hills because I didn’t remember it being grueling when I ran it two years ago. I honestly thought the 700-foot elevation gain along the way was merely a speed bump.
Race Director Dean Raymond gave directions to the racers and talked a little about the footraces benefiting the South Valley Symphony.
I stood in the middle of the pack next to South Valley Running Club’s Kathy Scepura, 41, from Morgan Hill and Kim Moyano, 41, and her daughter Jennifer, 19, of Gilroy. I was wired and ready to take on the speed bump, which loomed beyond the starting line.
At the blast of the air horn, 41 brave runners bolted uphill, the leaf-strewn pathway crunching softly underneath our collective feet.
I inhaled the aromatic fragrance of Manzanita and Oak trees, feeling the moist air enveloping me as I ascended.
Things were going well and I maintained my pace with Scepura and Moyano. And then it happened. The so-called speed bump morphed into this monstrous 1-mile climb into the stratosphere and my wimpy calves suddenly became granite much like the mountainside. What happened to the pleasantly rolling hills? Up and up we climbed and I slowed down to a fitness crawl while commanding my legs to run like the wind. I watched most of the pack disappear around a bend above me.
At the summit I gained my momentum. I passed three walkers feeling like an athlete again and bolted on level ground.
More bumpy terrain waited for me around shady corners and I treaded it with newfound respect.
Then the path descended gracefully into more wooded area, and I was flying toward the finish because I really thought the end was near. However, pleasantly rolling hills greeted me instead – when will this thing be over? I eventually finished in 43:50.
The top award-winners of the 6K were Steven Sokol of San Jose, who shut out the rest with 26:04; Daniel Beckwith (28:12) and Greg Burke (28:29).
Sokol, 51, overall winner of the 3.6-miler ran this race with his wife Leslie, and son Alex, 7. He turned to his son and asked, “Alex, do you remember what you told me this morning at 6?”
The youngest Sokol responded shyly, “Yeah . . . the Mt. Madonna Challenge is my favorite race.” He came in third (32:19). He would have finished higher but there wasn’t a category for kids his age so he raced against older teen-age boys.
The top three ruling female champs were Lisa Franklyn, 36, who grabbed the overall prize with 30:23. Morgan Hill’s Olivia Duran, 15, finished at 31:41, and Pauline Olson followed in 31:56.
Runners survived the 12K (7.46 miles of torturous terrain). Ryan Reed of San Jose, 27, won the event at 50:07; Fremont resident Nick Fill, 24, took second in 50:17 and Morgan Hill’s Jorn Jensen, 37, nabbed third in 53:41.
“My heels were on fire jogging the downhill . . . I did this race last year, ” said Reed, who works at the Gilroy outlets and is a manager of Pearl 12 Umi Factory.
Fill gave his thoughts on the 12K: “This was the hardest race I ran with hills. I didn’t see the leader (Reed) until a mile and half into the race. I kept trying to catch up to him.”
First timers didn’t know what to expect.
“The Mt. Madonna Challenge is a good title for this,” Jensen said. “This is my first time racing Mt. Madonna, Dean Raymond told me about it and I tested the course last week.”
Danielle Zelinski of San Jose, 23, who outran the others in 65:04 was the female winner. Amy Burton also of San Jose, 32, snagged second in 65:14, and Ellen Washburn won third in 67:47.
“The first 20 minutes was bad . . . but I picked up speed.” said Zelinski, who ran this race several times before and came back to win the women’s title.
Burton added: “It went smooth, the course was well marked. I like the local field of runners; they have a good spirit.”
Burton and her husband John felt the 12K was too short. They do ultra-marathons.
The Triple Crown Championship winners are those who competed and placed in all three trail events. Patrick Buzbee of San Jose, 54, received the first place trophy; Santa Cruz residents Daniel Ruiz, 46, took second and Jose O. Echeverri, 47, took third. Only two female winners emerged – San Jose’s Jean Suyenaga, 39, won first, and Kat Powell, 55, came in second.
FINISHING TIMES
6K Male Winners:
Boys 10-18 Years:
1. Daniel Beckwith-28.12
2. Greg Wong-29:37
3. Alex Sokol-32:19
Men 19-29 Years:
1. Peter Cohen-35:27
Men 30-34 Years:
1. Marc Sander-28:39
2. Chris Moniz-55:12
Men 35-39 Years:
1. John Clayton-40:46
Men 40-44 Years:
1. David Prince-34:27
Men 45-49 Years:
1. Alfred Ramirez-28:46
2. Richard LeBleu-31:25
3. Neal Ashton-38:33
Men 50-54 Years:
1. Steven Sokol-26:04
Men 55-59 Years:
1. Greg Bunker-32:29
2. Leroy Daleen-34:12
3. Bob Gilbert-35:03
Men 60-65 Years:
1. Greg Burke-28:29
2. Chris Tenney-50:38
3. Richard Johnson-56:31
Men 70 + Years:
1. Frank Rodriguez-53:19
6K Female Winners
Girls 10-18 Years:
1. Olivia Duran-31:41
2. Pauline Olson-31:56
Women’s 19-29 Years:
1. Jessica Welker-32:46
2. Renee Hessling-41:15
3. Jennifer Moyano-41:18
Women’s 30-34 Years:
1. Raquel Freudenstein-21:12
Women’s 35-39 Years:
1. Lisa Franklyn-30:23
Women’s 40-44 Years:
1. Kathy Scepura-41:17
2. Kim Moyano-41:22
3. Karen Semiao-43:00
Women’s 45-49 Years:
1. Leslie Sokol-34:37
2. Margot Hessling-35:24
3. Billie Boles-41:08
Women’s 60-69 Years:
1. Carolyn Courtney-39:21
2. Anna Van Raaphurst-56:13
Stats for 50 and 70 age groups are not available
12K Male Winners
Boys 10-18 Years:
1. Eduardo Castillo-70:01
Men 19-29 Years:
1. Ryan Reed-50:07
2. Nick Fill-50:17
3. Carl Mease-54:48
Men 30-34 Years:
1. John Burton-60:31
2. Jeremy Foy-89:10
Men 35-39 Years:
1. Jorn Jensen-53:41
2. Chris Rose-65:09
3. Mike Williams-65:53
Men 40-44 Years:
1. Raymond Rodriguez-56:58
2. Tony Scailino-62:23
3. Lynn Astalos-69:13
Men 45-49 Years:
1. Andre Pchenitchnikov-55:58
2. Daniel Ruiz-57:23
3. Doug Meier-60:38
Men 50-54 Years:
1. Mike Erbe-55:12
2. Patrick Buzbee-57:43
3. Dan Anderson-60:23
Men 55-59 Years:
1. Brendan O’Neill-68:48
2. Paul Cannick-72:05
3. Bill Fenley-72:41
Men 60-65 Years:
1. Giuseppe Slater-65:57
2. Sylvan Addink-70:48
3. Barry Rowley-75:33
Stats for 70+ age group is not available
12K Female Finishers
Girls 10-18 Years:
1. Alexandra Torres-72:34
2. Precious Bagamaspad-89:11
Women’s 19-29 Years:
1. Danielle Zelinski-65:04
2. Clare Johnson-67:32
Women’s 30-34 Years:
1. Amy Burton-65:14
2. Ellen Washburn-67:47
3. Stella Foy-85:39
Women’s 35-39 Years:
1. Nicole Cownagen-76:18
2. Jean Suyenaga-78:13
Women’s 40-44 Years:
1. Gretchen Yoder-Schrock-75:12
2. Michael Simpson-92:23
Women’s 45-49 Years:
1. Julie Wayne-96:06
Women’s 50-54 Years:
1. Beth Myers-83:42
Women’s 55-59 Years:
1. Kat Powell-85:09
2. Karen Yinger-90:52
Stats for 60 and 70+ age groups are not available
Angie Young is an active runner and writer. She can be reached at pa*******@********ng.net.
