Registration is underway for the 36th Annual Fourth of July Will Rogers 5/10K races and the Kids’ Fun Run.
The 5/10K races start at 8:15 a.m. at the entrance to the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center on Alma Real and in 2012 attracted close to 3,000 recreational and world-class runners. Runner’s World magazine dubs it “a race not to be missed.”
Last year for the first time, entrants were asked to line up next to their average mile time, and walkers, people with dogs and strollers were asked to move to the rear of the pack in order to facilitate a smoother start.
Kara Barnard (38.24) and Ankur Tarneja (33.47) set the record on the newly certified 10K course. Barnard, a 1996 Palisades High School graduate, who lives in Durango, Colorado, but returns to the Palisades on the Fourth, has won the Will Rogers 5K five times and the 10K six times.
This race was Tarneja’s Will Rogers debut. He averaged a 5:27 pace over the 6.2 miles. The only Palisadian to place in the top ten in either the male or female category was Harvard-Westlake track standout Cami Chapus (18) 42:41, who now attends Stanford.
Winning the 5K was Yu Essay (16:23), a senior at Cornell, who was visiting relatives in the Palisades. Dr. Sara Jurek of the Santa Monica Orthopedic Group also made her race debut, winning in 19:33.
Other Palisadians in the top ten in the 5K in the men’s division were Rick Benfield (47) 17:07 and Andrew Mead (17) 17:08, and in the women’s division Cosette Smith (31) 20:34, Eleanor Keare (43) 20:07, Katilyn Parcell (14) 21:07 and JJ Wittbrodt (13) 21:31.
The 5K run is a loop around the Huntington Palisades before turning onto Sunset Boulevard and then back to the finish at the entrance to the park. The 10K course, which is USATF certified, starts on the 5K course, but then continues from Sunset up through scenic Will Rogers State Historic Park and back to the park.
Online or mail-in pre-registration entry fees are $50 for the 5K or 10K (mail-in deadline is June 25. Online deadline is midnight June 29). Day-of-race and online late registration fees are $60. Credit cards will be accepted on race day for the 5K/10K race.
The half-mile Kids’ Fun Run, for kids 10 and under, starts at 9:15 a.m. at the park entrance on Ocampo and loops via Drummond to Toyopa and the back to the finish line. A clown character will be on hand to entertain the kids at the start line.
Pre-registered kids need to check in at the Fun Run tent, located on the grass near the park entrance. All participants will receive a T-shirt at check-in. Race day registration ends at 9:05 a.m. and parents must sign their child’s registration form, with waiver.
After the race, each Fun Run runner will receive a participant ribbon and an American flag. The clown character will be at the park making balloon animals and doing face painting until 10:30 a.m.
Online and mail-in pre-registration entry fees are $25 for the Fun Run. Day of race and online late registration fees are $30. On race day, the Fun Run tent accepts only cash and checks.
Pre-registration packets can be picked up at Bentons The Sport Shop on Swarthmore, July 2 and 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (310) 459-8451.
Proceeds from all events go to the Pacific Palisades Optimist Club, which distributes the money through grants to various local youth groups and charities.
Bob Klein of St. John’s Health Center, Bill Simon of William E. Simon & Sons and City Councilman Mike Bonin will participate in this year’s race ceremonies.
Palisades Honorary Mayor Jake Steinfield is the official race starter for the 5/10K. Bob Klein is the race starter for the Kids’ Fun Run.
Visit: Palisades10k.com
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