Sports
Record Turnout at Seal Beach Race
More than 5,500 adults, kids and canines run, walk and roll through Old Town during annual event.
Bobby Filacchione, 15, hasn't gotten any offers to run track in college. But that didn’t stop the Buena Park resident from posting the fastest 5K time in the this morning.
Shortly before the event kicked off, the intersection at First and Marina Drive was buzzing with an announced horde of more than 5,500 participants. Latecomers maneuvered through the throng of onlookers and into position at the starting gate.
Finally, Mayor Mike Levitt took his spot on the podium, blew an air horn and they were off.
Runners poured out of the starting gate like sand through an hourglass. As spectators stood shoulder to shoulder and cheered from the sidewalks, the swarm moved down First Street. By the time runners made their first left onto Ocean, Filacchione and a few others began separating themselves from the pack.
On Electric, Filacchione noticed the runner behind him gaining ground. So he switched into higher gear and put almost a minute’s distance between himself and his pursuer.
The Sunny Hills High School student ended up with the best 5K time of the day, and the unofficial fastest average mile time of 5:19.
“I’ve been sick, but I still tried my hardest," he said. "It’s the fastest race I’ve ever run. The guy behind me scared the crap out of me so I ran faster. I have to thank my coaches for keeping me running in high school and I hope to keep running into college, which is my dream.”
As Filacchione caught his breath, Nabor Gomez, 58, of Lakewood, crossed the finish line with the ninth-fastest 5K time. Gomez was the oldest of the race's top 10 finishers. "My desire to stay healthy and run past men who are 20 and 30 years old keeps me going,” he said.
As the morning wore on, the humidity began climbing and it was impossible to avoid being dripped on by sweat.
But emcee Seth Eaker didn't seem to mind as he shook the wet palms of each age group's top three finishers as they received their medals.
Megan Monroy, 27, of Los Alamitos, placed first among women 5K runners with an average mile time of 6:18. In a scary moment, shortly after she crossed the finish line, another female runner collapsed to the ground.
Officer Gray of the Seal Beach Police Department responded quickly, administering care while Eaker called out over the speaker system for paramedics. Paramedics arrived and took the victim by ambulance to a hospital.
As runners finished, many gathered on the grass near the pier, listening to music supplied by Jack FM, drinking bottled water and eating bananas. They also began clamoring to find out their race times. Caren Ware from Resultsbyprimetime.com was responsible for letting them know how they finished. Surrounded by hundreds of amped-up athletes, she patiently repeated the mantra, “Your times have been posted at the blue tent.”
Mayor Levitt said he was proud of the event. “We never had this number of people. The entire event was put together by volunteers [and] everybody works so well together. It took a lot of time and a lot of meetings to choreograph this event. It went very smooth, no bumps in the road.”
As the event wound down, bars and restaurants along Main Street filled with runners seeking breakfast and post-race drinks. Alexis Grow, who entered Hennessey's Tavern with friends after finishing the run, said with an exhausted smile, “We did it last year and this was our reward. A $3 bloody Mary is my reward."
The complete official times for the race will be posted on http://www.resultsbyprimetime.com.
Winners in the 10k men’s category, by age:
1-10, Marco Alcaino; 11-13, Connor Rowley; 14–18 Cory Trujillo; 19–24, Donald Tran; 25–29, Trevor Youngren; 30–34, Juan Morales; 35–39, Alan Grant; 40–44, Brian Conbox; 45–49, Lorenzo Tyner; 50–54, Dan Empfield; 55–59, Gary Gardner; 60–64, Ron Sandvick; 65–69, Robert Sullivan.
Winners in the 10k women’s category:
11–13, Samantha Pangelinan; 14–18, Haley Fessenden; 19–25, Gisele Schaaf; 25–29, Nicole Blalock; 30–34, Lyndsey Golden; 35–39, Christie Torti; 40–44, Tammy Darke; 45–49, Stephanie Scott; 50–54, Kathleen Phair; 55-59, Laura Bailiff.
