News

SCA Cross Country Open
November 1, 2009
Kenneth Hahn Park
Results

LONG BEACH, CA—The 2009 Southern California Road Running Grand Prix recharged on Sunday, October 11, with the Run Forrest Run 5K, part of the massive running spectacle that was the 25th annual International City Bank Long Beach Marathon. The festive atmosphere on Shoreline Drive energized Southern California Association members, and with a nearly flat course, many runners set new personal records at the 5K race.

For the first time ever, both the full and half marathon events sold out, with the Run Forrest Run 5K also bringing in one of its largest fields of runners. The starting line for the 5K resembled a class reunion for many USATF runners who participated in earlier Grand Prix events. It had been several months since the last Grand Prix race, the Semana Nautica 15K on July 4th, and SCA runners showed the results of their summer training.

Crossing the finish line first was USATF member Luis Guevara, with a time of 15:09. Luis ran as a member of the International City Racing Track Club. This recently formed group, coached by Jason Bruton, has proven itself to be a dominant force, and Sunday was no exception. Luis’s ICR teammate Eli Rodriguez won the marathon event on Sunday. In May, Rodriguez also won the OC Marathon, taking the title of the 2009 Southern California Association Marathon Champion. And fellow ICR runner Jimmy Grabow won the half marathon, making a perfect sweep for International City Racing in all three events. In addition to his victory Sunday, Grabow was also the first SCA runner to cross the finish line in the elite Coaster 5K race this March!

In the women’s division, Cambria D’Amico handily won with a time of 17:20. D’Amico runs as a member of the Janes Elite Racing Team, a USATF elite development club. While the 5K was D’Amico’s first Grand Prix event, the Janes turned in an outstanding team performance in the 2009 Grand Prix, posting the highest single score by a team at the Brentwood 10K in June. D’Amico has been strong all year, also winning the Conquer the Bridge 5 mile Road Race held in San Pedro on Labor Day.

In the team competition, Track Club LA edged out Elite Health Track Club. This was a rematch for the two teams, who also traveled to Goleta in July to run in the Semana Nautica 15K. While Track Club LA is a large group of Westside Los Angeles runners, Elite Health Track Club is a smaller, close-knit group of determined runners coached by Wayne Douglas. Douglas has really encouraged his runners to participate in the Road Running Grand Prix, and as a result Elite Health Track Club is the only group to claim one hundred percent participation, with every one of Wayne’s runners showing up in at least one Grand Prix race!

With the age-graded scores calculated and posted online at www.scagrandprix.org, one thing is very clear: the race for the first place overall finisher in the women’s division is going to be very close. Rosalva Bonilla has consistently placed high in every race this year, scoring in the 800s except when fighting a cold at the Semana Nautica 15K. But close behind Bonilla has been Lydia Salinas. After her 798 score at the Semana Nautica 15K, Salinas was determined to break 800, and she easily did at the Run Forrest Run 5K, posting a score of 877! For the first time ever, Salinas has taken the lead in Grand Prix scoring by the narrow margin of 22 points, 3269 (Salinas) to 3247 (Bonilla). Bonilla did not post a time for the Run Forrest Run 5K, since she was on the marathon course, running the Long Beach Marathon in 3:06:56, and finishing first in her age group!

A Snail’s Pace Running Club also had a strong showing at the Run Forrest Run 5K, with Dale Campbell (M-56) turning in a spectacular 16:29 time, for an age-graded score of 941. Dale’s score is the highest of the 113 runners participating in the 2009 Grand Prix. Sue Zihlmann (F-45) ran 18:35, only one week after her 2:53:22 finish at the St. George Marathon. Club liaison Bob Morris indicated there would be more participation by ASPRC at 2010 USATF events, so Southern California runners are officially on notice to watch out for great performances by this motivated running club!

With the 5K race behind them, runners relaxed and enjoyed the best finishing line feast ever, with lunch provided by Bubba Gump Shrimp, the title sponsor of the Run Forrest Run 5K. Runners were offered a selection of box lunches, including smoked salmon and shrimp! While the half and full marathon runners dined on traditional bagels and orange slices, every 5K runner felt like an elite athlete on Sunday morning, with the first class treatment offered by race organizers International City Racing. And in celebration of the silver anniversary of the International City Bank Long Beach Marathon, more than 25,000 cupcakes were distributed on Sunday!

The next race on the schedule is the Santa Barbara Half Marathon, on November 7. This race is also the 2009 Southern California Association Half Marathon Championship event, and turnout should be strong. The Grand Prix Series concludes with the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K, the 2009 Southern California USATF 10K Road Championship race, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26.

For more information, please visit:
Road Championship Series: www.scaroadchampionship.org

For current Grand Prix Point Standings, please visit:
www.scagrandprix.org

CONTACT:
Wayne Joness
Chair, Open Athletics Long Distance Running Committee
Southern California Association/ USA Track & Field
Cell (310) 600-5332 Email: [email protected]

The 2009 Southern California USATF Half Marathon Championships will be held on Saturday, November 7, in conjunction with 33rd annual Santa Barbara News-Press Half-Marathon.

The Santa Barbara News-Press Half-Marathon offers a course that is both scenic and challenging to members of the Southern California Association. Much of the race is on Shoreline Drive, first running west up the coast past Shoreline Park, then turning around for a long stretch that heads back down the beach past the start/finish line. The course continues past Stearns Wharf, Cabrillo Pavilion, the Bird Refuge, with a bike path out-and-back turnaround, heading back to the finish line. Conditions should be perfect for a beautiful Saturday morning run. The Half-Marathon starts at 8:00 am, with average early morning Santa Barbara temperatures in the mid-fifties. Runners World magazine readers will recognize the Santa Barbara News-Press Half-Marathon as one of their prestigious “Half Marathon of the Month” selections.

As the Southern California USATF Half Marathon Championships race, the overall men’s and women’s winners receive a handsome USATF Championship plaque. Gold, silver, and bronze USATF championship medals will also be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in 26 men’s and women’s 5-year age groups.

For runners in the 2009 Southern California USATF Road Running Grand Prix the Half-Marathon is the sixth race in the seven race series. Runners must complete four of the seven races to be eligible for end-of-year prize money and awards. Many runners will be competing in the Half-Marathon to complete the four race minimum requirement, or to better their overall score in the inaugural year of this series. Age-graded scores from the half-marathon will be posted at www.scagrandprix.org The Grand Prix scoring also has a team component, with a minimum of five runners required for team scoring.

Online registration closes midnight, November 1! USATF discount only available with online registration!

The current registration fee for the Half-Marathon is $55. There is a $5 discount for Southern California USATF members who register online by midnight, November 1. Runners simply need to indicate they are USATF members, and enter their 2009 membership number when registering online. A $5 discount is automatically applied. Online registration closes after November 1, and the price increases to $65. After November 1, runners must register in person, either at the Santa Barbara Running Store, 110 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101, on November 5 and 6, or on race day, November 7, between 6:30 am and 7:45 am. There is no USATF discount available after November 1!

TO REGISTER ON-LINE:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1725965

USATF Southern California Road Racing Grand Prix Information
For more information on the 2009 Southern California Association USATF Road Running Grand Prix Series and to see the current Grand Prix rankings, please visit: www.scagrandprix.org

To receive regularly updated news about the 2009 Road Running Grand Prix series, we invite you to send an email to: [email protected]

USATF Contact:
Wayne Joness
Chair, Open Athletics Road Running Committee
Southern California Association/ USA Track & Field
Cell (310) 600-5332 Email: [email protected]

Sunday – October 11, 2009
Run Forrest Run 5K
Register



LONG BEACH, CA—With summer behind us, Long Beach is the next stop on the 2009 Southern California USATF Road Running Grand Prix Series for the Run Forrest Run 5K on Sunday, October 11.

Held in conjunction with the silver anniversary of the popular International City Bank Long Beach Marathon, the 5K will start at 8:30 am—an hour and a half after the 7:00 am start of the Marathon and Half-Marathon races. This means that 5K runners can avoid the heavy traffic arriving for Marathon/H-M starts and complete the 5K in time to see the top finishers of the longer races cross the finish line.

The exciting Run Forrest Run 5K starts at the Marathon starting line and threads along beautiful Shoreline Drive and Aquarium Way accompanied by live music along the course! In keeping with the “Forrest Gump” theme, there will be a Bubba Gump Party & fixens waiting for runners at the finish line. This scenic, ocean side course is flat and fast and uses the “D” chip timing system to insure split second accuracy for runners aiming for personal bests and high scores to add to their Grand Prix totals.

The Run Forrest Run 5K is the fifth event of the 7-race 2009 Southern California USATF Road Running Grand Prix Series. A minimum of four (4) races is required to be eligible for the year-end prize money and awards. The eighty some runners who have completed only one race in the Grand Prix Series will need to participate in the Run Forrest Run 5K, as well as the November 7 Santa Barbara Half -Marathon and November 26 Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K, to meet the four race minimum.

The Grand Prix provides a total of $800 in cash awards and championship medals to the top-10 overall men’s and women’s individual scorers. Gold, silver, and bronze USATF medals will also be awarded to the top-3 scorers in 26 men’s and women’s 5-year age-groups. Championship plaques will be awarded to the top-10 scoring clubs. As with individual runners, clubs must also field teams for a minimum of four races.

The link below will take you to the Active.com website for the 25th annual Long Beach International City Bank Marathon. When you start registration, select the “5K Run/Walk” for the Run Forrest Run 5K.

http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1643362

USATF Contact:
Wayne Joness
Chair, Open Athletics Road Running Committee
Southern California Association/ USA Track & Field
Cell (310) 600-5332
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.scagrandprix.org

Southern California Association USATF member Rosemarie Jeanpierre will be making an appearance on the popular NBC “Today” show, on Monday, September 14, 2009. Rosemarie has been an inspiration to runners everywhere with her story of dramatic weight loss, and her passion for running.

After being diagnosed with prediabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol several years ago, Rosemarie made a commitment to turn her life and her health around. She changed her diet, started exercising, and found a new passion for running. Since she started running, Rosemarie has a lot of new personal records, including cutting her body weight in half from 220 pounds to 110!

In 2009 Rosemarie ran nearly a race every weekend, and she has no less than 165 races times recorded on the athlinks website, including a personal best 5K time of 21:59. Rosemarie is now actively pursuing the dream of so many runners: qualifying for the historic Boston Marathon. While she ran the 2005 LA Marathon in 6:31:24, she improved that time by more than two hours this year, finishing the 2009 LA Marathon in 4:26:30. Incredibly enough, she followed this remarkable accomplishment one week later by running a personal best of 4:18:53 at the 2009 San Diego Marathon.

Rosemarie’s goal is to live her life as an example for other runners who want to challenge themselves to reach goals once thought impossible. Rosemarie and her niece Anna Rose Bejasa have become cheerful, familiar faces at Southern California USATF races this year, and we congratulate her on her upcoming national television appearance. We are proud to have Rosemarie as a member of the Southern California Association USATF.

NBC Today Show

SCA Open & Masters Cross Country Championships
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Kenneth Hahn Park

• Information & Entry
• SCA Open Cross Country Schedule
• SCA Masters Cross Country Schedule

SCA Youth JO Cross Country Championships
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Mt San Antonio College

• Information & Entry
• SCA Youth Cross Country Schedule

Sunday – August 9, 2009
Carson Community Center

Our long time Southern California Association office manager Mary Bakjian retired this past March after 26 years of dedicated service to and support of the SCA Board and Committees, Officials, Coaches, Event Directors and thousands of athletes.

On Sunday afternoon August 9, sixteen members of Mary’s family and over 60 others, including representatives from the national office, gathered at the Carson Community Center to honor Mary and thank her for all she has contributed to the Association. During the festivities it was announced that the SCA Executive Committee was establishing the “Mary Bakjian Outstanding Service Award.” The recipient of this award will be selected by the Executive Board and presented annually to sport or administrative committee chairs, committee members, or SCA Athlete Representatives who make outstanding contributions to the SCA.

Donations funded an Alaskan cruise and a digital television. The cruise left port on August 14. We all wish Mary a long and happy retirement and thank her for all she has done for and meant to this association.

SCA Summer Track & Field Grand Prix
July 25, 2009
Santa Monica College

SCA Summer GP Results & Scoring – Meet #3

Deun White Completes a 3-Meet Men’s 100-200m Sweep
Felix Sanchez runs 45.72 in the Men’s 400 Meters

SANTA MONICA, CA—At the 3rd and final meet of the 2009 Southern California Summer Grand Prix Track & Field Series, 2008 Arizona State grad Deun White completed a 3-meet sweep of the men’s 100 and 200 meters races. Representing the Phoenix-based AAG Elite Track Club, Deun won in 10.42 and 20.89 respectively, compared to his 2009 season bests of 10.33 and 20.61.

Other men’s event highlights included 2004 Olympic 400m Hurdle gold medalist Felix Sanchez winning the flat 400m race in a season best 45.72. Felix was a 2-time California State JUCO Champion in the 400m hurdles and the 1999 PAC-10 Champion at USC where he graduated with a degree in psychology. Between 2001 and 2004 he won 43 consecutive 400m hurdle races. Although Felix was born in the United States, his parents were born in the Dominican Republic and he has competed for that country since 1999.

Even without Felix Sanchez in the field, the Men’s 400m Hurdles was one of the best races of the meet with Ben Clark holding off Jonathan Williams, 50.60 to 50.80.

On the women’s side, Natasha Mayers, a graduate of Inglewood H.S. and USC who competes for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, won the 100m in 11.89 into a -1.6mps headwind.

Argentina’s Solange Witteveen, a 2-time Olympian, completed a 3-meet sweep of the high jump at 5’ 10”/1.78m, with her best mark in the Series being 6’ ¾”/1.85m on July 25.

And Vanderbilt University freshman and Palisades High School grad Kristabell Doebel-Hickok won the 5000m in 17:13.60.

Contact for Additional Info: Eric Barron 310-434-4009 [email protected]

SCA Summer Track & Field Grand Prix
July 25, 2009
Santa Monica College

• SCA Summer GP Results & Scoring – Meet #2
  

Kosinza Balumbo & Toni Smith Set Triple Jump Stadium Records in Meet-II of Summer Grand Prix Series

Deun White and Ebony Collins Double Sprint Winners

SANTA MONICA, CA—Men’s and women’s triple jump stadium records of 53’ 1” and 44’ 1¼” were field event highlights at the 2nd edition of the 3-meet 2009 Summer Track & Field Grand Prix Series at Santa Monica College. The men’s mark fell to Kosinza Balumbo, who attended James Logan H.S. in Northern California before graduating from the University of Arkansas as the 2008 NCAA Triple Jump Champion and a 5-time All-America performer. Kosinza has a wind-legal PR of 54’ 4”/ and placed 4th at the 2009 USA Championships with a wind-aided 54’ 10 ¼”. Toni Smith broke the 2-week old women’s record 44’ ¾” set by Yvette Lewis on July 11. Toni graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2008 where she was an All-America long jumper and triple jumper. She was the 3rd place finisher in the triple jump at the 2009 USA Championships and was hoping to achieve the 45’ 11 ¼” qualifying mark to punch her ticket to the World Championships in Berlin, Germany next month.

On the track, 2008 Arizona State grad Deun White matched his July 11 double win with a windy 10.31 100 meter win and a wind-legal 20.81 200 meter victory. Duen was a semi-finalist in the 200 at the 2009 USA Championships. In the women’s sprints, the 4th place finisher in the 400m hurdles at the 2009 USA Championships, Ebony Collins, was a double winner running a PR 52.58 in taking the 400 meters and 23.60 in winning the 200—just 0.18 off her lifetime best.

After a U.S. leading 1:44.47 800 meters mark by Khadevis Robinson on July 11, former USC star Duane Solomon ran nearly identical 24.2, 50.2, 1:17.2 intermediate 200m splits. Finally healthy after an injury-plagued season, Duane slowed over the final 200 to cross the finish line a in a no less stellar 1:46.82. Running close behind start to finish was 2008 Jamaican Olympian Aldwyn Sappleton, who finished in 1:47.98—just off his 1:47.11 PR.

Other notable performances included Craig Everhart running 46.60 to win the 400m, Ben Clark winning the men’s 400m hurdles in 50.01, James Jenkins’ 2nd place mark of 50’ 8¼” in the triple jump, Nick Garcia throwing 57’ 2” to win the shot put, and USC junior Manjula Wijesekara clearing 7’ 2 ½” to win the high jump.

On the women’s side, Toea Wisil from Papua New Guinea repeated her July 11 100 meter victory in 11.50, Argentina’s Solange Witteveeen recorded a season best in winning the high jump in 6’ ¾” with Romary Rifka from the Cal Coast Track Club 2nd at 5’ 10 ¾”, and Rhonda Watkins won the women’s long jump in 20’ 3 ¾”.

The third and final stop on the 3-meet Southern California Summer Grand Prix Series returns to Santa Monica College on Saturday, August 8, starting at 4:00pm.

Contact for Additional Info: Eric Barron 310-434-4009 [email protected]

USATF Region 15 JO Multi-Event Championships
July 11 – 12, 2009
West Covina High School

USATF Region 15 JO Track & Field Championships
June 26 – 28, 2009
Cerritos College

2009 USATF Region 15 JO Combined Results