Fullove women's winner; 7th edition draws race record turnout of nearly 3,000 runners
From Matt Dockstader
SONOMA, Calif. - (July 18, 2010) - Tesfaye Sendeku of Ethiopia won the 7th Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon on Sunday morning in convincing fashion by smashing the course record with a time of 1 hour, 3 minutes, 58 seconds. Sendeku, 26, broke Fernando Cabada's course record of 1:04:57, set in 2007, and also won $1000, a Ball Watch and magnum of wine. Kenyan Paul Ngeny, now training in Auburn, Calif., ran with Sendeku for the first 10 miles before Sendeku took charge. Ngeny finished second in 1:04:59, while countryman Edward Kiptum finished third (1:07:25). Sergio Reyes, winner of the last two Wine Country Half Marathons, in Santa Ynez and Healdsburg, finished fifth (1:08:28).
In the women's race, Shaluinn Fullove, 32, of Palo Alto defeated runner-up Lindsay Gardina by 35 seconds, 1:22:39 to 1:23:14. Ashley Carroll of Menlo Park was third (1:23:44). Second and third place finishers received a magnum of wine and $300 and $200 respectively. Christine Kennedy, 55, from Los Gatos, finished fourth overall and ran a sterling 1:25:15 as top Master (40 and over).
Parmakids, a San Francisco-based running club, won the team competition.
Overcast skies helped keep temperatures cool during most the race, as nearly 3,000 runners completed the winding course through the Carneros wine region from Napa-to-Sonoma. The race finishes in Sonoma Plaza for the Wine and Music Festival where participants, family and friends gathered for the post-race party featuring wine tasting from over 20 featured wineries in the region. In addition, six hundred participants competed for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Team Challenge program, raising more than $2.2 million.
The event is produced by Destination Races of Sonoma, California. The Wine Country Half Marathon series includes the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon in May, the upcoming Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon on October 30th, and the inaugural Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, to be held in the Willamette Valley on Labor Day weekend (September 5th). For more information, visit: www.destinationraces.com
7th Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon
Sonoma, CA, Sunday, July 18, 2010
MEN
1) Tesfaye Sendeku (ETH), 1:03:58*, $1000, plus a Ball Watch and magnum of wine
2) Paul Ngeny (KEN), 1:04:59, $300, plus magnum of wine
3) Edward Kiptum (KEN), 1:07:25, $200, plus magnum of wine
*course record, (previous record, 1:04:57, Fernando Cabada (USA/CA), 2007)
WOMEN
1) Shaluinn Fullove (CA), 1:22:39, $500, plus a Ball Watch and magnum of wine
2) Lindsay Gardina (CA), 1:23:14, $300, plus magnum of wine
3) Ashley Carroll (CA), 1:23:44, $200, plus magnum of wine
Complete results and more at: Napa2Sonoma.com.
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