Half-marathon runners get full treatment

The 15th annual running of the Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon ended at the Sonoma Plaza Sunday, with awards for locals John Litzenberg and Janet Cain.|

It wasn’t a normal Sunday morning, even for Sonoma. Over 4,000 runners blew into town beginning at around 8:30 a.m. at the finish line of the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon – the fifteenth running of the annual event – and its shorter sister race the GunBun 5K.

The race was a bit late getting off from its Cuvaison Estate Winery starting line outside of Napa, so the first runners didn’t reach the Plaza until almost 8:30 a.m.

First across the finish line was Sean Gildea, 26, of Dana Point, in his first attempt at the Napa-to-Sonoma race. He came to celebrate his wife’s birthday, and praised the beautiful course and well-organized event, calling it “a great race.” His time of 1:10.03 was at a brisk 5.20 per mile pace.

Second and third place went to Kevin Pool of Napa – racing on his home turf – and John Williams of Berkeley.

Liza Reichert, 30, of Los Altos Hills topped the female leaderboard, with a time of 1:21.43, a 6.14 per mile pace. She led wire to wire, a remarkable feat given that she had a baby just six months before.

“This is my first time racing since the baby,” she said. “I just wanted to come back and see how this distance felt.”

Amy Crain of Oakland finished second and won the women’s Master’s Division (40 and over) with a time of 1:24:03. Katherine Telfeyan, 30, of Santa Fe came in third.

The men’s Master’s Division was won by Glen Ellen’s John Litzenberg, 48, with a 1:18.33 time, just a whisker under 6 minutes per mile.

Litzenberg was one of two local athletes awarded with a seat at the Hall of Fame, created by Destination Races to recognize those with prolific and storied running careers who have been great supporters of the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. The other awardee was Janet Cain, 60, also of Sonoma, who was unable to participate this year. Their awards were presented in a separate ceremony at the post-race Wine and Music Festival, held at the Sonoma Plaza.

Litzenberg, who coaches the high school track and cross-country teams, has been running long distance since the age of nine and has competed in hundreds of races, often in the Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon. “I am extremely honored and excited to be among the first members inducted into the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon Hall of Fame,” he said. “It’s pretty special that Destination Races wants to acknowledge runners who live in the Sonoma area.”

Cain began her marathon career in 1980 when women’s running was still in its infancy. In 1984, Cain was sponsored by Avon, which was instrumental in getting the women’s marathon event in the Olympics.

In 1985, Cain won the Rome Marathon in 2:58:11. Since then, she has run more than 65 marathons, including 16 at the Boston Marathon. Janet has also competed in 13 of the 15 Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathons.

“This race is special to me,” said Cain. “I’m completely honored and would have never expected this when the journey began in 2003. I hope to be running for another 15 years.”

Race director Matt Dockstader said, “Both John and Janet were selected because they are among a select group that has run almost every race since its inception.”

Litzenberg and Cain were awarded engraved decanters, embroidered jackets and a special-edition bottle of Napa-to-Sonoma branded wine.

Team Challenge, the endurance training and fundraising program for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, brought 235 runners from around the country to the event.

“Today we raised 1.2 million dollars,” said Craig Comins from Team Challenge. They have raised nearly $25 million since its partnership began in 2008.

The Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon also benefits a number of locally based schools, charities and other non-profit organizations, including Hanna Boys Center, Finnish-American Housing Association, Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, Rebuild North Bay, Sonoma Volunteer Fire Department, Sonoma Unified School District and others.

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