High numbers, low race times at Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival

More than 170 runners participated in the 5k and 10k footraces winding through the Sonoma Developmental Center for the 3rd Annual Sonoma Valley Footrace and Festival on June 20. The tough 10k course, added in 2008, proved popular – the field was double the number of entrants from last year.
“It’s the most challenging 10k in the country,” said repeat 10k champ John Litzenberg of Glen Ellen. His time of 36:01 was 90 seconds faster than his winning time last year, a feat he credits to great weather and a better knowledge of the course.
While the majority of the day’s runners were from Sonoma County and the greater Bay Area, participants did come from as far away as New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Colorado.
Top male runners in the 5k race were first place finisher and Sonoma Valley High School runner Nick Spector of Glen Ellen, with a time of 16:43; Miles Rosen of Palo Alto in second place, running 18:16; and third place finisher Jesus Molina of Sonoma with a time of 21:42. The top three females in the 5k were Cynthia Long of Piedmont with a 22:20, Lynn Malkowski of Tampa, Fla. at 23:42, and Marie Muchow of Santa Rosa, taking third place with 23:50.
In the 10k race, after Litzenberger came Alex Wolf-Root of Santa Rosa with a 36:52, and Hayden Pecha of Sonoma with a time of 43:48. In the women’s division, first place went to Karen Smidt of Brighton, Colo. with a 46:13, followed by Maya Anne Bacon of Santa Rosa in 47:19 and Joni Castro of South San Francisco in 49:39.
The runs and post-race festival raised more than $7,200, according to Karen Litzenberg of the SDC. The money will directly support the center’s Performing Arts Company annual production, with performances in September and October 2009.