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200-Plus Toe The Line For Fete Runs
RUN 1
Leaving the starting line, more than 200 runners took part in the two-mile and 10k events on Saturday as part of the 2015 Park Fete festivities. TERESA HAMMOND/THE TIMES

 

Some familiar local faces and names from past years were among the top performers at the Saturday Park Fete Run in Escalon, while a local gym also had multiple runners showing strong results.

The Modesto-based ShadowChase Running Club recorded the times for both the two-mile and the 10k runs.

In the two-mile, Chris Harp of Escalon was second overall finisher and first in his age group (30 to 39) with a time of 13:19. Recent EHS graduate Leone Rivers also ran the two-mile and she took eighth overall, also the second overall female finisher in that race, running the course in 15:28 and taking second in the 13- to 19 age group.

Top five male finishers in the two-mile were Joshua Van Allen, (age 16) first, 12:09; Harp, second; Allen Doty (56), third, 13:34; Dan O’Brien (61), fourth, 13:52.4 and Mathew Van Allen (13), fifth, 13:52.8.

Top five female finishers for the two-mile run were Kendra Branch, 13, running the course in 14:51 and taking sixth overall. She was followed by Rivers (17), second; Sheila Rose (52) third, 16:17; Sidney Lima (15), fourth, 16:29 and Morgan Dominguez (14), fifth, 17:11. Rose was 11th overall in the two-mile among all finishers, Lima was 12th and Dominguez was 15th.

As they did last year, members of the Escalon Cheer Squad, with Katie San Julian at the helm, entered as a group and had some solid performances, including a second place age group finish for San Julian in the two-mile 20- to 29 division.

Also this year, several members at The Weight Room suited up in specially designed T-shirts and entered, bringing home some top honors themselves.

“We didn’t necessarily have a team, but there were 11 of us from the gym that ran, everybody placed in the top three of their age group, with the exception of three people,” said Aimee Foster, who runs the Main Street fitness business with her husband Mark.

In the 10k, it was Aimee herself taking first place honors in the 40- to 49 age group, running the course in 56:02.2; followed closely by Vonda Van Vliet, on her heels and taking second at 56:02.9.

“I have never won anything and I did track and field in high school,” Aimee said, excited about nabbing a medal. “I think it’s really cool.”

Runners in the two-mile out of The Weight Room included Johnny Silva, first in the male 20- to 29 age group at 19:15 and Christine Rettinhouse, first in the female 20- to 29 group in 17:52.

Also medaling were female runners Megan Silva, third, 30- to 39 age group, 19:15; and Maria Reno, third, 40- to 49, 18:40. Sandra Zerr earned a fifth place finish in the 60- to 69 age group with a time of 33:39.

For the men, Darren Reno medaled in the 40- to 49 age group, taking second in 19:23, while Kilian Zerr earned a medal in the 70- to 79 division, second in 33:31. Mark Foster crafted a fifth place finish in the 50- to 59 group with a time of 19:23.

Also running with the group was Faith Foster, running the two-mile course in 28:59 to round out the Weight Room participants. She ran in the 13- to 19 age group.

“For some it was the first race they had ever run,” Aimee Foster said, noting it was a good experience for all.

In the 10k overall, top finisher was Jonathon Alcantara, 18, who clocked a time of 36:11. He was followed by Gavin Hartley, 39, with a time of 38:36; Benjamin Cornell (43), third, 39:05; Michael Singleton (45), 41:30 and Ben Miller (15) taking fifth in 41:39.

Top five overall female runners in the 10k were Erika Navarro (23), first female, 13th overall, 46:33; Lauren Heard (27), 18th overall, 49:13; Christina Young (38), 19th, 49:23; Debbie Kleinfelder (50), 26th, 52:25; and Aimee Foster (45), 36th overall, fifth overall female, 56:02.

The 10k race had 89 participants, the youngest being 10-year-old Elijah Guajardo, 44th overall in 58:05 and the oldest 69-year-old Bob Tennent, 81st overall in 1:17.02.

There were 117 runners in the two-mile. Youngest participant in that race was Kylie Catala, 5, who was 57th overall in 21:41 and the oldest was a pair of 74-year-olds. Bud Fischer was 105th overall in 31:55 and Kilian Zerr was 108th overall in 33:31.

Runners followed a course that started and ended at El Portal Middle School on First Street, having to deal with some ongoing construction work to find parking close to the race location.