SCA 10K Championships Results

DANA POINT, CA–The inaugural 2008 Southern California Road Championship Series concluded on November 27 with the 31st running of the Dana Point 10K Turkey Trot—America’s largest Thanksgiving Day road race. With rain threatening during the early morning hours, it was not until just after the 7:00am 10K start that that the skies unleashed a torrential downpour that turned the technically challenging course into a series of intertwining rivers. Within minutes, the driving rain had more than 3,200 runners in ankle-deep in water, barely able to see, as they negotiated the twists and turns that make the Dana Point course so unique.

Incredibly, front runners Mohamed Trafeh, (29:22), Ben Bruce, (29:23) and Brandon Bethke (29:27) came within seconds of setting a new course record despite the conditions. Trafeh had just returned from training in Morocco, but showed no signs of jet lag en route to winning the So Cal USATF 10K Road Crown.

Unlike the close finish in the men’s division, in the women’s division the winning time of 35:49 by Tove Berg was well over a minute faster than 2nd and 3rd place finishers Adrienne Schumm (37:06) and Emily Mitchell (37:17).

In the Masters age-groups, the most competitive men’s division was M50-54, lead by local runner John Loftus who won in 35:55. The field in the women’s master division was also deep, with Rosalva Bonilla winning in 40:21. 12-days earlier, Bonilla had won the Southern California USATF Masters Women’s 6K Cross Country title at Kenneth Hahn Park in West Los Angeles.

Overall, there was an enthusiastic turnout by USATF runners in all age-groups despite the forecast for rain, as more than forty Southern California Association members won USATF Championship Medals in age-groups ranging from 15-19 to 55-59. As predicted, the 10K race sold out this year and, in total, a record-breaking 10,000+ runners participated in the Dana Point 5K, 10K and kiddie run Turkey Trots.

For 2008, participation in the Southern California USATF Road Championship Series increased with every race, beginning with the 5K Road Championship at the Coaster Run in Buena Park. 2009 promises to be even more popular with the addition of the first SCA Marathon Championship at the Orange County Marathon on May 3, 2009.

The 2009 Road Championship Series kicks-off on March 15 with the Southern California 5K Championship at the flat-and-fast Coaster 5K in Buena Park, CA.

Videos

Interview – Mohamed Trafeh – Winner Male Overall
(Video: Wayne Joness)

Interview – Tove Berg – Winner Female Overall
(Video: Wayne Joness)