The fourth annual Alameda Running Festival took place Sunday, Sept. 15, at Alameda Point. The half marathon, 10K, 5K and the family fun run were all held on the same day.

Half Marathon
Cesar Lira won the half-marathon (13.1 miles) event with a chip time — time starts when runner crosses the beginning line — of 1:21.33.79. Lira was one of 415 participants in the half-marathon event. The majority of participants were from the East Bay, but several out-of-towners competed at the event with some coming from Washington D.C.; Seattle, Wash.; Salt Lake City, Utah, and more.

Lauren Cummings finished second overall and was the first woman to complete the race with a time of 1:22:08.55. Jordan Cullen (1:22:23.99), Luis Martin De Rioja (1:22:46.03) and Jose Lorenzana (1:23:16.32) rounded out the top five competitors in the race. Karen Eckberg was the first Alamedan to cross the finish line. She completed the race seventh overall with a time of 1:24:37.95. 

Julia Carvalho was the youngest person to complete the race. The 13-year-old Alamedan finished with a time of 2:25:55.21. Les Martin was the oldest participant to cross the finish line. Martin, 79, finished in 336th place with a time of 2:27:59.71. Alameda Sun co-publisher Dennis Evanosky finished third in his age group (70-79) with a time of 3:40:28.67. Rosaura Tennant finished first in the women’s 60- to 69-year-old division. She finished 69th overall with a time of 1:42:00.93.

10K
In all, 309 people competed in the 10K (6.2 miles) event. Tony Martinez won the event with a chip time of 33:52.64. Gabrion Nicolas finished second with a time of 35:40.43. Jesus Frutos rounded out the top three with a time of 35:59.09. 

David Janus was the first Alamedan to cross the finish line. Janus finished ninth overall with a time of 39:11.31. Hans Struzyna was the second Alamedan to finish at 39:56.97 for 11th overall. 

Lena Zengraf of Oakland was the first woman to finish the race. Zentgraf finished 24th overall with a time of 43:32.10. Kelsey Korycinski was the second woman to cross at 43:58.66 for 26th place. Megan Cvitanovic rounded out the top three women in the event. The Alamedan finished 27th overall with a time of 44:30.28. 

Alamedans Gabriel Jones (42:42.46) and Dylan Mochizuki (42:42.83) were the youngest participants to finish the race. Both boys are 16 years old. Honor Fetherston, 64, won the women’s 60- to 69-year-old division. She finished 39th overall with a time of 46:52.31. Her fellow Los Gatosian Shelly Sumner finished second in the division with a time of 48:41.69. Alamedan Louise Nakada finished third with a time of 1:01:40.25.

5K
In all, 356 runners participated in the 5K (3.1 miles) event. Felipe Garcia won the 5K run/walk with a chip time of 16:35.91. Matthew Niedzwiecki finished second with a time of 18:58.85. Lowen Hobbs finished third with a time of 19:03.69. Keith Duncan (19:09.59) and Alamedan Ian Connett (19:56.80) rounded out the overall top five.

Alameda native Kristin Hedstrom was the first woman to complete the 5K with a time of 20:07.39 for seventh overall. Katherine Ellis was the second woman to cross at 21:16.68 for 11th place.

The 5K had a number of toddlers and preteens participate in the event. Five-year-old D. Petrov was the youngest to compete. She finished with a time of 1:04:34.00. L. Arthur was the youngest boy to finish the 5K. The seven-year-old Alamedan completed the trek in 31:33.70 for 151st place. Vicki Jacobsen was the oldest person to complete the race. The 73-year-old finished with a time of 51:27.32 for 334th place.

Other events at the festival included a family fun run, a wheelchair 10K and a wheelchair 5K. 

Each race started and finished at Alameda Point. The race course highlighted several beautiful areas around the Island. The event benefited Alameda Meals on Wheels and the Alameda Education Foundation.