Litzenberg keeps stellar pace on run circuit

There’s no slowing down Glen Ellen resident and standout long-distance runner and coach John Litzenberg, who continues to perform at a high level, adding personal achievements and accolades along the course of his stellar racing career.

While Litzenberg, 45, a Sonoma Valley High School (1988) and Columbia University (1992) graduate and long-distance running star, keeps in prime running shape and stays busy competing on the Northern California racing circuit.

Along with his running passion, Litzenberg is also dedicated to teaching and honing the talents of his Dragon runners as the SVHS head cross-country coach in the fall, and Sonoma’s long-distance track events coach in the spring.

Currently, Litzenberg is having another busy, but satisfying year of competitive running with numerous first-place finishes over the past 10 months, as well as coaching individuals and teams – he guided the cross-country Lady Dragons to the Sonoma County League 2014 title in the fall.

Litzenberg’s 2014 and 2015 running accomplishments, before his recent third-place finish in the annual Hit the Road Jack 10K on the Sonoma Plaza, saw him cover a wide range of courses and settings from Sonoma County to racing over Mount Tamalpais, and through the streets of San Francisco to Big Sur and Carmel by the Sea.

Starting back in November, Litzenberg won Kathy’s Race – held in honor of his friend and co-runner, the late Kathy (Dalton) Van Riper, who was a legendary runner at the prep level for Sonoma and later in college and beyond – in Santa Rosa, finishing the 3.05-mile Spring Lake course in 17 minutes, 20 seconds.

Litzenberg then followed the personal win with his array of running successes over the next nine months, including a master’s division win and sixth-place overall finish with a time of 17:22 in the Run Wild 5K on the Marina Green in San Francisco, where he was the masters winner and was fourth overall in the Hot Chocolate 15K in Golden Gate Park at 53:42.

Returning to Santa Rosa, Litzenberg earned a first-place overall finish in the Ilsanjo 10 miler, running from Santa Rosa’s Howarth Park to Lake Ilsanjo above Spring Lake in 57:40; won the SVHS Green and White and alumni Track Meet’s 1,600 meters in 4:53; and followed with retaining his repeat champion form by winning the Human Race 10K at 34:23.

Litzenberg then kept his top 100-places finish streak alive in the famous Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco with 80th place in 42:31; and three weeks later he ran the famous, challenging and imposing Dipsea over Mt. Tamalpais and was 19th overall in 55:45, which was 10 seconds faster than 2014, earning 17th black shirt (top 35).

In late April Litzenberg ran the 30th annual Big Sur Marathon – the course going from Big Sur Station to Carmel on Highway 1 – and was sixth overall and first in his 45-to-49-year-old age group with a time of 2:45:31. 

Next up for Litzenberg is tomorrow’s, Saturday, July 4, annual Kenwood Footrace and two weeks later, on Sunday, July 19, he will run the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon.