Mario Macias
HEALDSBURG, Calif. – (October 29, 2011) – It turned out to be a picture perfect, and fast, day at the fourth running of the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon on Saturday morning. Defending champion and Mexican citizen Mario Macias from Alamosa, Colo. and Julia Mallon of Santa Rosa both set course records and took home $1000 in cash, a 3 liter bottle of Coppola wine and a Ball Watch.
Mallon, 32, a previous winner of the Napa-to-Sonoma and Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathons, captured her third series title, thus earning the Vertical Flight Award for winning all three California races. The Stanford grad finished in a course record time of 1 hour, 17 minutes, 34 seconds, defeating women’s runner-up Madeline Kramer of Berkeley (1:19:24).
For Macias, it was a battle from start-to-finish with 2009 race champion Sergio Reyes of Palmdale, Calif. The pair ran together for the entire 13.1 miles, often exchanging the lead but ultimately running side-by-side. In the final yards, Macias, 26, edged Reyes at the tape, with a course record time of 1:04:34 vs. 1:04:35 for Reyes. By nearly a minute, both were under Macias’ course record time of 1:05:30 set in 2010.
“We both felt very good and could not seem get any distance between us,” Macias recounted. “At mile eleven we knew it was going to come down to the final sprint and we both had some kick left so I did not even know who won until we saw the results. What an amazing race on a beautiful day!”
More than 1,800 runners from 40 different states completed the Halloween and wine harvest themed race that starts at Francis Ford Coppola Winery and finishes at the base of Lake Sonoma. Many runners came dressed in costume and enjoyed the various offerings on course, including the Sauvignon Blanc and peanut butter pretzels served at mile seven.
The post-race Wine and Music Festival featured top wines from the region and two bands on a perfectly warm, sunny day. The top three finishers in each age division won bottles of wine at the awards ceremony and prizes were also given to the two top teams and top three costumes. The monkey Curious George and her handler took top honors for best costume.
The Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon is produced by Destination Races of Sonoma, California. The Wine Country Half Marathon series consists of five races including Santa Barbara wine country, Northern Virginia, Napa-to-Sonoma, Oregon (Willamette Valley) and Healdsburg.
4th Healdsburg Wine Country Half-Marathon
Healdsburg, CA, Saturday, October 29, 2011
MEN
1) Mario Macias (MEX / CO), 1:04:34*, $1000 cash, 3 liter bottle of wine, Ball Watch
2) Sergio Reyes (CA), 1:04:35, $300 cash & magnum of wine
3) Alex Wolf-Root (CA), 1:10:43, $200 cash & magnum of wine
*course record (previous record, 1:05:30, Mario Macias (MEX / CO), 2010)
WOMEN
1) Julia Mallon (CA), 1:17:34*, $1000 cash, 3 liter of wine, Ball Watch
2) Madeline Kramer (CA), 1:19:24, $300 cash & magnum of wine
3) Ashley Carrikk (CA), 1:22:55, $200 cash & magnum of wine
*course record (previous record, 1:19:10, Catherine Mullen (CA), 2010)
