Racers spark the Fourth

Mike Sciacca

As the madness that is the Fourth of July in Huntington Beach began

to unfold early Monday, Mike Bone was ready to handle a record number

of participants who would take over downtown Huntington Beach for the

annual Surf City 5K race.

As race director of the event for the past six years -- the last

three with his company, Spectrum Sports Management -- Bone had

prepped a racecourse that would accommodate 3,550 entrants. Many of

those participants were locals, but 21 athletes from Arizona, 14 from

Texas, 11 from Utah, plus a smattering of runners from 15 other

states, came to Surf City to enter the event.

The race route stretched from Eighth Street and Pacific Coast

Highway, to the finish line at 17th and Main streets, serving as a

prelude to the Fourth of July parade that wound its way down Main

Street for the 101st year.

“Our management team thought it went as well as it could have,”

Bone said of the event. “We had a record number of runners and

walkers register this year, and for most of those entering, the

run/walk is all about fun and having a good time.

“Huntington Beach is a great place to spend the Fourth of July,

and we’re proud to be part of all the festivities.”

The race was composed of a residents 5K run/walk that began at 7

a.m., followed by an open 5K run/walk, a 5K stroller run, and the

Thomas Kemper Soda Kids one-mile run (ages 7 to 12) and half-mile run

(6 and under).

The Surf City 5K package included an expo and concert, which

followed at the conclusion of the race.

The Expo Village featured family fun and fitness products booths

and was held at Worthy Park, where the local band, Outer Wave,

performed. The concert was sponsored by the Huntington Beach

International Surfing Museum.

Race participants ran or walked the course, some pushed strollers,

others walked their dogs along the route. One male participant

carried a U.S. flag in each hand throughout the race.

“People really go at their own pace, and that’s what’s great about

this event,” Bone said. “Everyone finished the course well in time so

that the parade was able to start on time.”

The Cal Coast Track Club, a running club located in the

Irvine/Newport Beach area and one that has participated in past Surf

City 5K events, once again made its presence felt Monday.

Two of the club’s members, Josh Yelsey and Jenni Johnson, were the

first man and woman to cross the finish line in the open 5K run/walk.

Yelsey, a Newport Beach resident, finished the run in 15:08.

“It was a nice, flat course and it felt great out there,” said

Yelsey, 22, a recent graduate of Yale University and second-place

race finisher last year.

Johnson ran a 17:40, just ahead of club running mate Mara Caples

of Fullerton, who finished second to Johnson at 18:14. Caples’

daughter, Emily, 6, took part in the kids’ half-mile run/walk, and

wore her participation medal proudly.

“I did not see Jenni once after the beginning of the race,” Caples

said of Johnson. “She just took off right from the start and led the

entire way.”

The Cal Coast Track Club had a prime location set up for viewing

along the parade route, where some of its 125-member entourage

gathered to watch the parade.

“We’ve been bringing runners out here for the past 12 or 13 years,

and it’s just a fun run to do,” said Bill Sumner, the club’s head

track coach and race director for the Orange County Marathon.

Sumner, who won the 55 to 59 age division in 18:57, said all 125

club members ran the 5K race.

“It’s a great atmosphere out here,” he said. “Everyone seems to be

having a great time, and people approach the race in different ways.

Some are more competitive than others, but the key is to go about the

race at your own pace.”

The Surf City 5K race was a family affair for the Graves family --

husband, Norm, his wife, Shellie, and their son, Zack, 13, each ran

the Open 5K run/walk, while daughter Megan, 10, ran the kids’ race.

The Graves lived in Huntington Beach before moving to Coeur

d’Alene, Idaho, 1 1/2 years ago and have participated in the annual

Fourth of July run in years past. They have been vacationing in Surf

City for the past week.

“The timing was perfect,” said Norm Graves, who said he finished

the open 5K run/walk in 28 minutes. “We’re having a great time being

back here, visiting family and friends, and now we’ll watch the

parade.

“Zack stayed with right by me for about half the run, then took

off. He just booked.”

Zack Graves, who said the course seemed “real easy,” crossed the

finish line in 21 minutes.

The top male finisher in the residents’ 5K was 2005 Marina High

graduate Tony Guadagnini, and the fastest female finisher was

Christen King.

Guadagnini completed the course in 16:52, and King ran an 18:48.