Wine country footrace benefits local charities

Joseph Lemas
Race winner Sergio Reyes crosses the finish line. Reyes’ finished the race in just over an hour.

Over 2,300 runners and wine enthusiasts from all over the world participated in the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon, which began at Cuvaison Carneros Estate Vineyards, traveled up Denmark Street and wound up  with Wine and Music Festival in the Sonoma Plaza on the afternoon of Sunday, July 20.
Hanna Boys Center, Adele Harrison Middle School and Vineyard Worker Services provided 150 volunteers to help stage the event.  Proceeds from entry fees help fund athletic programs and services for these Sonoma Valley organizations.
Jane Kibii of Kenya, who now lives and trains in Davis, won her first Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon, setting a women’s course record of 1:18:10 for the 13.1-mile course.
Sergio Reyes cruised to victory in the fifth running of the race, while the Impalas, a predominantly women’s running club from the North Bay Area, won the team competition.
Each winner was awarded with a magnum of wine from Cuvaison Carneros Estate Vineyards, a Ball watch and a $500 check from Sonoma Valley Bank.  Second and third-place finishers received magnums of Gundlach Bundschu Cabernet Sauvignon and cash awards. Local runners Jeffery Jackson of Santa Rosa finished fourth overall and John Litzenberg of Glen Ellen finished fifth.
. For complete results of the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon visit www.runcarneros.com