Local runners among leaders in Race the Reserve

The annual Race the Reserve included plenty of local representation among the leaders Saturday, Aug. 12.

The event, in its seventh year, is the primary fundraiser for the Coupeville High School senior parents, and the proceeds are used to provide a safe and sober graduation night celebration for the class of 2018.

Two of the events were won by hometown runners, and other Whidbey Island participants were prominent in the top-10 lists.

In all, 264 completed one of the four individual events and seven teams took part in the marathon relay.

Marathon

Coupeville’s James Steller warmed up for his three-day, 160-mile fundraising run around Whidbey Island Sept. 1-3 by winning the marathon in 3:19 Saturday. Oak Harbor’s Dr. Peter Keating placed fourth (3:40:58) out of 40 finishers.

Kara Pollock of Allston, Massachusetts, was the top female runner, taking third overall in 3:34:32. Oak Harbor’s McKenzie Schneider (4:16:35) was the fastest Whidbey runner, placing third among the women and 14th overall.

Half Marathon

In the half marathon won by Seattle’s Andrew Harnish (1:31:16), Oak Harbor’s Brandon Clapp (1:43:54) and Gerardo Sanmillan finished sixth and eighth, respectively, out of a field of 74.

Patty Hengel of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was first among the women and 13th overall (1:48:07). Coupeville’s Elizabeth Biting finished fourth among the females and 20th overall (1:55:26).

10K

The other local winner was Coupeville’s Riley Borden in the 10K (49:54.45). Bob Martin (53:54.66) and Helen Lhamen (53:37.63) followed in fifth and sixth out of 74.

Coupeville’s Henry Wynn was third out of 66 in the 5K (19:59.19), which was won by Enumclaw’s Carter Eldridge (1:54.22).

Anna Sajer of Salt Lake City was first among the women (23:41.16), taking seventh overall. Coupeville’s Clair Wilson (28:24.68) was the third female to finish and placed 13th overall.

“Overall, the race went really well,” Deb Smith, race chairperson, said. “I had an amazing support team for today, and that is what makes an event like this happen. Without the planning committee and the volunteers, it would not be possible to have a successful event.”

100 and counting…

Auburn’s Dan Whitaker runs marathons for fun. He finds them so enjoyable, he completed his 100th Saturday, placing 20th (4:33:12), one spot ahead of his running partner Suzanne Nester of Bothell. Nester has completed a mere 60.

Whitaker ran his first marathon in 1997 but didn’t run his second until 2008. Since then, he averages about one a month.

“I find it enjoyable,” he said. “I meet a lot of good people and I don’t take it too seriously. It is kind of addictive.”

Like many marathoners, Whitaker said, during the difficulty of the race he questions his sanity, but once it is over his thoughts turn to “What’s next?”

He never set 100 marathons as a goal and didn’t think much of it until about a year ago when a friend asked if he was going to do anything special to celebrate number 100.

He knew then that he needed to hit the century mark. Now that he has completed the task, he is going to slow down.

“It takes up a lot of time, traveling to the different sites, the training,” Whitaker, fittingly wearing bib number 100 Saturday, said. “We’ll see what happens from here. I just really enjoy the sport.”

=================

(Editor’s note: The results of the race provided for this story are incomplete. The hometowns of some of the racers are not listed, and some racers who ran are not listed among the finishers.)

Marathon — top five males finishers: 1, James Steller, Coupeville, 3:19; 2, Samuel Friedman, Roseburg, Oregon, 3:32:32; 4, Peter Keating, Oak Harbor, 3:40:58; 6, Adam Van Der Beke, 3:54; 7, Brent Johnston, Surrey, BC, 3:54:57.

Marathon — top five female finishers: 3, Kara Pollock, Allston, Massachusetts, 3:34:32; 5, Yvonne Naughton, La Conner, 3:48:37; 14, McKenzie Schneider, Oak Harbor, 4:16:35; 19, Sarah House, Seattle, 4:23:05; 22, Suzanne Nester, Bothell, 4:33:13.

Marathon — other local finishers: 23, Dan Verble, Coupeville, 4:38:40; 24, Diana Hunt, Oak Harbor, 4:44:23; 30, Gabe Crawford, Oak Harbor, 5:07:23.

Half marathon — top five male finishers: 1, Andrew Harnish, Seattle, 1:31:16; 2, Kael Kristof, Seattle, 1:32:12; 3, Daniel Sheffill, 1:34:59; 4, Ryan Stueber, Auburn, 1:35:17; 5, Darioush Jalali, Seattle, 1:43:42.

Half marathon — top five female finishers: 13, Patty Hengel, Glen Burrie, Maryland, 1:48:07; 18, Olivia Kristof, Mercer Island, 1:52:38; 19, Melissa Kmetz, Camano Island, 1:54:13; 20, Elizabeth Biting, Coupeville, 1:55:26; 24, Christina Jump, Coupeville, 1:58:07.

Half marathon — other local finishers: 6, Brandon Clapp, Oak Harbor, 1:43:54; 8, Gerardo Sanmillan, Oak Harbor, 1:44:35; 27, Dave Paul, Oak Harbor, 2:02:31; 43, Shellanie Martinez, Oak Harbor, 2:21:54; 46, Zane Bennett, Oak Harbor, 2:25:24; 59, Shayna Kleinman Phil, Oak Harbor, 2:42:38; 60, Francis Bagarella, Oak Harbor, 2:43:22; 65, Mike Simpson, Oak Harbor, 2:54:34.

10K — top five male finishers: 2, Zakary Goldberg, Seattle, 50:00.53; 3, Josh Hurban, Greenbank, 51:59.63; 4, Matthew Gee, Bellevue, 52:49.65; 5, Bob Martin, Coupeville, 53:54.66; 11, Tim Hewett, Edmonds, 56:39.51.

10 K — top five female finishers: 1, Riley Borden, Coupeville, 49:54.45; 6, Helen Lhamen, Coupeville, 54:37.63; 7, Anne Johnson, 55:18.82; 8, Wendy Wilson, 56:05.48; 9, Maria Hewett, Edmonds, 56:14.6.

10K — next five local male finishers: 17, Nikolai Lyngra, Oak Harbor, 1:01:28; 20, Dan Fisher, Oak Harbor, 1:05:11; 21, Rob Ballard, Oak Harbor, 1:05:31; 26, Drew Keahey, Oak Harbor, 1:06:44; 29, George Thawley, Coupeville, 1:07:43.

10K — next five local female finishers: 10, Donna Hinshaw, Oak Harbor, 56:34.74; 15, Kristy Keahey, Oak Harbor, 1:00:31; 16, Jen Kellher, Coupeville, 1:00.39; 18, Christine Marx, Coupeville, 1:02.29; 25, Perla Countryman, Oak Harbor, 1:06:26.

5K — top five male finishers: 1, Carter Eldridge, Enumclaw, 17:54.22; 2, Brandon Volkman, Anacortes, 19:36.98; 3, Henry Wynn, Coupeville, 19:59.19; 4, Dmitry Savrasov, Seattle, 20:26.55; 5, Dennis Eldridge, Enumclaw, 21:23.51.

5K — top five female finishers: 7, Anna Sajer, Salt Lake City, 23:41.16; 8, AJ Teter, Monterey, California, 23:46.04; 13, Claire Wilson, Coupeville, 28:24.68; 18, Marianne Thawley, Coupeville, 29:18.28; 19, Kathryn Heathcote, Kenmore, 30:00.47.

5K — next five local male finishers: 11, Aidan Wilson, Coupeville, 26:09.25; 12, Cael Wilson, Coupeville, 27:03.93; 15, Gabriel Shaw, Coupeville, 28:43.4; 17, Jim Shank, Coupeville, 29:06.68; 20, Caleb Meyer, Coupeville, 30:24.06.

5K — next five local female finishers: 22, Rosemond Shaw, Coupeville, 31:26.25; 33, Sandi Farris, Coupeville, 35:20.41; 47, Eileen Stone, Coupeville, 44:15.86; 48, Desirae Bradley, Oak Harbor, 45:27.57; Sarah Lyngra, Oak Harbor, 46:44.27.

Marathon relay — top five teams: 1, Scott’s Striders, 3:50:55; 2, Where’s the…, 3:59:39; 3, The Boern Agains, 4:10:59; 4, Basic Whites, Seattle, 4:12:18; 5, Bootcamp Babes, 4:19:16.