Clear Skies and Chilly Temperatures Greet Thousands at the Annual Race on the Base

Thousands walked, ran, swam, wheeled, cycled and skated their way to the finish line at the 30th annual Race on the Base in Los Alamitos Saturday.

The forecasted rain never showed. Instead, athletes and their fans enjoyed sunny skies yet cold temperatures and gusty winds that at times aided or thwarted the competitors. About 3,000 people entered the race, which raises funds for the Cancer Support Foundation and the USA Water Polo National Aquatic Center at the Joint Forces Training Base.

The race at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base included events such as the reverse triathlon, the triathlon, 5K and 10K runs, 10K in-line skate/wheelchair, and the 5K walk.

It was his first race, but Eric Ledesma, an 11-year-old student at Oak Middle School, went into it confident he would win a medal.

And he did. Ledesma pushed his wheelchair into third place earning him a set of bronze dog tags.

The youngest in the race, Ledesma struggled with the wind.

“It was pushing me all over the place,” he said. “It was hard.”

The wind turned out to be the challenge for most of the athletes Saturday.

“It was fun and brutal at the same time because of the wind,” said Huntington Beach resident Jennifer Orszag, an inline skater with American Flyers Inline Speed Team. “But I like the course. It is nice and smooth.”

Orszag finished fourth in her division, while her husband and 4-year-old son cheered her on.

“My son wants a trophy, so I think I am going to encourage him to skate,” said Orszag. “Inline skating is a really good sport, especially for people with knee or back problems because there is no impact. Plus you can rest while you are rolling and still keep going.”

Steven Abenoza competed in the inline skating race for the third year in a row.
”It was great but a little difficult heading into the wind,” Abenoza said. “I had fun. I’m 72, and that makes me the oldest one out there.”

But the 10K course wasn’t much of a challenge for Abenoza, a Santa Ana resident, who skates 30 miles three times a week.

The day began early, starting with the children’s reverse triathlon in the morning and ending with the reverse triathlon, a swimming, cycling running course with a two-hour time limit. While the athletes battled the wind, fans braved the cold, cheering and clapping from the sidelines with numb hands.

“It’s cold,” said Carlos Aterrado, who brought his wife and son to cheer on his father in his first ever triathlon. “But we are here for my father.”

“He’s been training for eight months,” Aterrado said. “His goal is just to finish the race.”

The winners and times for all athletes will be posted on the race website by the end of the weekend.