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HEALDSBURG, Calif. - (October 25, 2008) - Christian Hesch of Morro Bay, Calif. and Tamara Karrh of Marietta, Ga. won the inaugural Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon on Saturday morning. Hesch took an early lead and then cruised to victory in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 36 seconds, besting runner-up Kenneth Burgess by almost two minutes. Over 1,100 runners competed in the first edition with 1,022 finishers.
Karrh also ran her first Wine Country Half Marathon in 1:20:52, defeating Susan Loken, 45, a 2-time Wine Country Half Marathon winner (Santa Barbara) and 3-time USA Masters marathon champion, who ran a 1:23:42, but was not discouraged.
"I was not in my best shape going into the race but wanted to come anyway," said Loken. "It was absolutely the most gorgeous course I have ever run and I really enjoy spending time in the wine country."
The winners each took home $400 in cash, a double magnum of Rosso & Bianco wine and a $2500 Ball Watch. Top three finishers in each age category won a bottle of wine.
Race Director Matt Dockstader was impressed with the efforts of Hesch and Karrh and said, "Christian ran a very conservative pace, but he also stopped at one aid station to sample wine and on many occasions would pick up a fallen course cone and place it in the right spot, while Tamara flew out here on her own and did not even register as an elite."
Runners raved about the 13.1 mile course that started at Francis Ford Coppola's Rosso & Bianco Winery and finished at the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area in the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, California. The course ran through autumn-colored vineyards and 22 wineries, one of which poured wine on the course at mile six. The post-race Wine & Music Festival was held at the recreation area and featured an awards ceremony, exhibitor booths, live band and wine tasting from fourteen local wineries.
The event benefited Girls on the Run of Sonoma County, American Cancer Society and local high school athletic programs. Destination Races also produces the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon and the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon.
Inaugural Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon Healdsburg, CA, Saturday, October 25, 2008
MEN 1) Christian Hesch (CA), 1:14:36, $400 plus wine double magnum & a watch 2) Kenneth Burgess (CA), 1:16:32 3) Craig Zelent (CA), 1:19:57
WOMEN 1) Tamara Karrh (GA), 1:20:52, $400 plus wine double magnum & a watch 2) Susan Loken, 45, AZ, 1:23:42 3) Flora Lee (CA), 1:25:41
Results and more at: DestinationRaces.com
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