Alemayehu seeks 5th Napa-Sonoma title

Recognized as one of the top half marathons in the world by Women’s Running magazine, and chosen by Runners World magazine as “Best Half Marathon Finish,” the popular and long sold-out Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon is set for its 11th running on Sunday, July 20.

The prestigious Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon attracts some of the best names in distance running, which creates a high level of competition that puts forth a gauntlet of tough challenges for someone to face and overcome to win, which makes what Tesfaye Alemayehu has achieved even more impressive.

Alemayehu of Antioch and Ethiopia, who holds the Napa-to-Sonoma course record of 1 hour, 2 minutes, 38 seconds, enters Sunday’s race as a four-time Wine Country Half Marathon defending champion, but his attempt for a fifth title will be severely tested by a talented field of world-class runners.

First there’s Meb Keflezighi, who is an Olympic Silver Medalist and champion of both the 2014 Boston Marathon and 2009 New York City Marathon. He is sponsored by Krave Jerky of Sonoma.

The elite field is also highlighted by Ryan Hall, the American Half Marathon course record holder (59 minutes, 43 seconds), who was also a United States Olympian in the marathon in the 2008 and 2012 games, who will be running in his first Wine Country Half Marathon; Sergio Reyes, winner of the 2014 Flying Pig Marathon and 2014 Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon; and Ben Bruce and Craig Leon, who finished 13th and 27th, respectively, in the USA Half Marathon Championships earlier this year.

Highlighting the women’s elite Wine Country Half Marathon field are two-time USA 5,000-meter champion, Lauren Fleshman; running legend Mary Decker Slaney; and former Stanford standout Sara Hall, who broke the course record (1:14:33) in her first half marathon at the 2013 Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon.

The Wine Country Half Marathon will start at 7 a.m. at Cuvaison Estate Winery in Napa, with the scenic 13.1-mile, certified course winding its way into the Valley and ending in front of Sonoma City Hall on the Plaza.

Running along with the half marathon is the sold-out GunBun FunRun – presented by Parkpoint Health Club – a 5K race that starts at Gundlach Bundschu Winery and also ends in the Sonoma Plaza.

When the half-marathon race route enters the Valley, there will be traffic detours at Burndale Road, Denmark and MacArthur streets, and Broadway.

Following the running events will be the popular Wine and Music Festival in the Plaza from 9:30 a.m. until noon, with the awards ceremony being held at 10:30 a.m.

The race Expo takes place Saturday, July 19, at Hanna Boys Center, and is open to the public with informational seminars, exhibits, product sampling, packet pickup, food, wine tasting and music. For more information visit the event website at http://destinationraces.com/runn2s.

National charity partners for the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon include the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, One Team One Fight, and City of Hope.

The Hanna Boys Center will again provide the bulk of the volunteers and serves as the primary beneficiary of the event.  Sponsors for the 2014 Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon include Newton Running, Rabobank, TomTom, Amy’s Kitchen, Cliff Bar, Accelerade, Krave Jerky, Taylor Made Farms, Touring & Tasting magazine, Redfox, Calistoga Olive Oil Co., Honest Tea, Jog Tog, Elliptigo, World Centric, Riedel, Nuun, Harvest Snaps, Zico, Foley Food & Wine Society, IPS, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Napa Running Co., Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Parkpoint Health Clubs, Embassy Flags, Max-Freeze and Sahale Snacks.

The Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon is the flagship event in the series produced by Destination Races, which partners with national and local charities and nonprofit organizations. For more information on the series, visit destinationraces.com.

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