USATF Southern California

News

SCA Half Marathon Championships Results

by

Long Beach International City Bank Half Marathon
Sunday: October 12, 2008

LONG BEACH, CA – Runners from the Southern California Association of USA Track & Field dominated the Long Beach International City Bank Half Marathon, held in Long Beach, California, on Sunday, October 12, 2008. Selected as the 2008 Southern California USATF Half-Marathon Championship, the results once again supported the reputation of the Long Beach Half-Marathon as one of the most popular and fastest half-marathon races in the West. At the front of 4,439 finishers, the top-10 male finishers all ran under 1:13:00.

Christian Hesch (Photo by Wayne Joness)

In a thrilling finish to the men’s race, Los Angeles residents Christian Hesch and Brian Livingston battled for the 13.1 miles with Christian prevailing at the finish for a :02 second win with a course record time of 1:06:2. Last April, Christian also won the Southern California USATF 5K Road Championship at the Coaster Run 5K in Buena Park.


Mary Akor (Photo by Wayne Joness)

In contrast, the winner of the women’s race, Hawthorne’s Mary Akor, broke away from the field very early and crossed the finish line in 1:17:54—more than five minutes ahead of the next female finisher. Amazingly, just 7-days earlier Mary had run the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis, MN—where she placed 4th with a time of 2:40:00! Last April, Mary also competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston.

The first Masters female finisher (over age-40) was Carlsbad’s Stacy Schafer. After the race, the ebullient Schafer could not stop smiling after running almost three minutes faster than her previous half marathon PR of 1:28:13. The first Masters male finisher was Brea’s Kevin Broady who finished 10th overall in 1:12:32.

In total, 24 Southern California runners won received gold, silver, or bronze USATF Association Championship medals for finishing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in their age-groups—including runners as young as 23 and as old as 73!

Next Southern California USATF Road Championship

For those runners who missed the excitement of the Long Beach International City Bank Half Marathon, the final race of the 2008 Southern California USATF Road Championship Series will be the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K. The largest Thanksgiving Day race in America, more than 10,000 runners participated in the race in 2007! Once again, Southern California USATF members will be able to compete for USATF championship medals in 13 men’s and women’s 5-year age groups.

In addition to being a fast course, the scenic 10K course takes runners on a tour the beautiful beaches, majestic cliffs and coves of Dana Point. Participants will feel the pounding surf and cool ocean breezes as they wind through the Dana Point Marina and Doheny State Park. The 10K also features chip timing and the following prize money:

1st Place Male & Female $1,000
2nd Place Male & Female $ 500
3rd Place Male & Female $ 250

PLEASE NOTE !!I
After November 1, the 10K registration fee increases from $30.00 to $35.00.

For registration information visit http://www.turkeytrot.com/

SCA Cross Country Championships

by

SCA Cross Country Open
Saturday, November 1st
Kenneth Hahn Park

  • 9:00am – Open Men’s 8K Race
  • 9:45am – Open Women’s 6K Race
  • 10:30am – Masters 6K Race (Men & Women combined)
  • 11:15am – Open 4K Short Course Race (M&W combined/No team scoring)

SCA Masters & Open Cross Country Championships
Saturday, November 15th
Kenneth Hahn Park

  • 9:00am – Open Men’s 8K Race
  • 9:45am – Open Women’s 6K Race
  • 10:30am – Masters 6K Race (Men & Women combined)
  • 11:15am – Open 4K Short Course Race (M&W combined/No team scoring

SCA Masters & Open Cross Country Championships

Mahurin Named New SCA Open XC Chair

by

LOS ANGELES, CA-The Southern California Association of USA Track & Field has announced the appointment of Mike Mahurin as the new chairman of its Open Athletics Cross Country Committee.

A native of Seattle, Washington, Mike Mahurin’s running career began after he had become a practicing attorney, not when he was in high school or college.

After becoming active in the Southern California road running scene, he took a brief break from running-only to compete in triathlons, including the 2003 Hawaii Ironman World Championship. In 2005, Mike joined Track Club L.A. and returned to competing in long distance races throughout Southern California.

His primary focus has been on the marathon, where his best time to date has been 2:38:00 at the Tucson Marathon in December of 2006. It was while training for that race that Mike had his first real exposure to cross-country, competing in several races that fall as part of his marathon training.

Mike is 38 years old and a Los Angeles-based real estate attorney. He received B.A. degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Washington in 1992 and a J.D. degree from Pepperdine University Law School in 1995. Mike hopes to use his newfound excitement for cross-country running to help revitalize the Southern California cross-country scene in a way that will attract more of the great distance runners in our area to the sport.

SCA Open

Mike Mahurin
Chair, Open Athletics Cross Country Committee
Southern California Association/ USA Track & Field

Cellphone (310) 709-6756
Email: [email protected]

SCA Job Opening

by

Association Office Manager

ABOUT USA TRACK & FIELD
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body of the sport. The Southern California Association (SCA/USATF) is the local organization recognized by USATF to administer these sports in the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo, and Orange—an area encompassing some 34,000 square miles with a population of 16.5 million. Within this geographic area, the Southern California Association acts as a service organization in creating, conducting and overseeing programs to provide opportunities for athletes of all ages and ability levels to participate in the five disciplines of our sport: track & field, cross country, road running, mountain/ultra-distance/trail running, and race walking. Our 4,700+ members include male and female athletes, the coaches and local clubs that support and develop them, hundreds of highly trained, certified officials, and many local colleges, universities, and other organizations interested in supporting track & field. At both the local and national level, USA Track & Field is a volunteer-based organization and a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Association officers and board members received no financial compensation.

Current Office Location:
13039 Florence Avenue, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Office Hours: 10:00-4:00pm, Monday-Friday
Primary Supervisor: Association President (not on site)
Starting Date: TBD. Applications will be accepted through October 1, 2008. Candidate will work under the guidance of the current office manager for the first 30 days.

Compensation & Benefits: Negotiable based on experience and qualifications.
Performance Evaluation: Candidate will be under a probationary period for the first 90-days of employment. A performance evaluation will be performed by the Executive Board after six-months, and annually thereafter. Salary increases or bonuses will be considered annually.

More Information and Job Description (PDF)

INTERESTED CANDIDATES ARE INVITED TO CONTACT:

Dave Snyder
President, Southern California USATF
Ph/Fax 909-824-2336
E-mail: [email protected]

Berntsen-Heber Named SCA Masters Road Running Committee Chair

by

LOS ANGELES, CA-The Southern California Association of USA Track & Field has announced the appointment Sissel Berntsen-Heber as its SCA Masters Road Running Committee Chair.

Originally from Norway, Sissel was a member of Big West Conference championship cross country and track teams at Fresno State. As a post-collegian, Sissel was the 1999 Pacific Association “Runner of the Year” and 3-times was the fastest female in the famous San Francisco Dipsea Race. As a masters athlete, she was the 2006 USATF West Region Cross Country Champion.

After working for many years as a project manager designing freeways and light rail systems, Sissel moved to Santa Monica in the spring of 2007 and became a member of the See Jane Run racing team. She recently became a stay-at-home mom and contacted SCA Open Road Running Committee Chair Wayne Joness about getting involved with Southern California USATF.

Sissel is 44 years old and has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the Telemark College of Engineering in Norway, and a B.S. in Business Administration and an MBA from Fresno State. She has road PRs of 17:20 (5K), 35:56 (10K), and 1:18:58 (Half Marathon).

“Sissel participated in the widely successful Pacific Association Road Running Grand Prix and has some great ideas about initiating a similar program in Southern California, says Masters Athletics Vice President Mark Cleary. We believe she will be a great asset, both to our Road Running Committee and Southern USA Track & Field as a whole.”

SCA Masters

Sissel Berntsen-Heber
Chair, Masters Road Running Committee
[email protected]

Mark Cleary
Vice President, Southern California Association/
USA Track & Field
Chairman, SCA Masters Athletics Committee
E-mail: [email protected]