Runners Look to Break Records

2005 PALISADES WILL-ROGERS RACE PREVIEW

The countdown is underway for the 28th annual Palisades-Will Rogers 5K/10K Run, which will once again serve as the opening act of Sunday’s Fourth of July festivities in Pacific Palisades. Followed by the parade in the afternoon and fireworks in the evening, the event is a proud local tradition and one of the most popular races in California, attracting between 2,500 and 3,000 runners every year. The list of celebrities and athletes who have participated in or assisted with the race since it began in 1978 is long and distinguished, including late actor Walter Matthau, singers Toni Tennille and John Raitt, ex-Los Angeles Kings goalie Rogie Vachon, ex-Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes, ex-NBA star Steve Kerr, Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Spitz, Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Congressman Mel Levine. Three of the four winners last year hailed from the Palisades: men’s 5K winner Peter Gilmore, men’s 10K winner Brad Becken and women’s 10K winner Kara Barnara. Gilmore, a former Palisades High and UC Berkeley standout, has won seven out of the last eight men’s 5K races and set the course record of 14:10 two years ago. Although he is known around these parts as the 5K king, Gilmore has been making headlines on the national stage lately’especially after finishing 10th overall in this year’s Boston Marathon. Becken, a Huntington Palisades resident, was so inspired by winning the Will Rogers 10K for the first time last year that he decided to enter the Los Angeles Marathon in March. All he did there was finish 70th overall in a field of over 25,000 runners. Meanwhile, Kara Barnard won her third 10K last year, blazing the Will Rogers State Historic Park switchbacks to finish in a personal-best 35.24, the fourth fastest time in race history. A former PaliHi and UCLA track/cross country runner, Barnard has also won the 5K five times, including four in a row from 1997-2000. Another race is building a proud traditon in the Palisades. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Kids’ Fun Run, a half-mile race for children 12-and-under. The course begins on Alma Real and continues onto Ocampo, then south and east on Drummond, then north on Toyopa, back to the Rec Center. Those still wishing to participate in one of the community’s proudest traditions can still register on Monday at the Rec Center entrance from 6:30 to 8 a.m. at a cost of $35. Cost for the Kids’ Fun Run is $15. Race Central will post times on its Web site after the race. For complete results, log onto the official Will Rogers Race site (www.pwr10k.com) one week after race day.