CARLSBAD 5000 NOTES: Simonatis breaks men's age-group record

By RICK HOFF and MATT NULL - Staff Writers | Sunday, April 6, 2008 11:21 PM PDT ∞

In hot pursuit of a U.S. age-group record, Dennis Simonaitis and Peter Magill put on a good show Sunday to start a day of road racing at the Carlsbad 5000.

"I love this race, and I love the runners' enthusiasm here," said Simonaitis, who repeated as the men's masters race champion when he out-kicked Magill in the final 100 meters. "We were together all the way until the last turn, and soon as we started coming down the hill, we started battling."

Simonaitis, 45, finished in 14 minutes, 47 seconds, three seconds ahead of Magill.

"I'm known in masters races for my kick," said Magill, 46, "but I had to use my kick at miles 1, 2 and 3 every time he surged. I knew what he was doing, but I was powerless."

Both runners eclipsed the men's 45-49 age-group record for a 5K road race of 15:04 previously held by Magill, a South Pasadena resident.

"This is the biggest race of the year for me," said Simonaitis, who shaved eight seconds off his winning time from last year and won $1,000 for his efforts.

Simonaitis and wife Michelle doubled up as the masters winners last year, and both made the trip to Carlsbad again from Draper, Utah, but Michelle was unable to defend her women's masters crown.

"My wife is injured, so she couldn't run it this year," Simonaitis said. "She's pretty bummed."

The top North County finisher was Carlsbad's John Jakobsen, whose time of 16:56 was good for 27th place out of 1,255 finishers.

Fuhr back in style

After a 15-year absence, Encinitas resident Heather Fuhr returned to the Carlsbad 5000 in fine fashion.

A newly minted masters runner after turning 40 three months ago, the Triathlete Hall of Famer used a 5-minute, 32-second mile pace to win the women's masters race in 17:11. Carmen Ayala-Troncos finished second, 24 seconds behind.

Asked if she was ready to go swimming or jump on a bike, Fuhr said she liked the fact that she was done for the day.

"This feels quite nice, actually," Fuhr said.

Wheelchair winner rolls

After missing first place by one second last year, Ray Stewart was not to be denied in the Carlsbad 5000 wheelchair invitational.

"I guess I can still do it," said the 54-year-old Stewart, who has been racing chairs since being paralyzed by a 1979 auto accident. "It's awesome to have our own individual race. It's something unique, and it's the best 5K race in the world, thanks to (CEO) Tim Murphy and Elite Racing."

Stewart, from Downey, was timed in 13:04, 21 seconds ahead of runner-up Chad Johnson of Charlestown, Ind.

"He came up on me right after the first turnaround, and I didn't realize he was attacking," said Johnson, 32, who made his Carlsbad 5000 debut. "He got enough of a gap on me, and it was a hard time gaining on him.

"Maybe I'm too nice of a racer, but now that I know the course, I'll know what to do next time."

Monty Zumuda, 46, of Oceanside placed third in 13:57.

The only woman in the wheelchair field, Sandra Rush, 46, of Oceanside, was timed in 29:06.

New decade for Livingston

By his own admission, Brian Livingston wasn't a standout runner during his college days at USC.

"But I started getting better after college," said the Los Angeles resident, who won the men's 30-39 race.

Running in his first major race after turning 30, Livingston made a strong final sprint to finish in 15:06 and hold off Okwaro Raura of Encinitas.

"It's my first time in the 30-39 division, so this was a baptism under fire into middle age," Livingston said. "This is a very coveted race, and I fed off the crowd's energy. I am ultimately training for the Olympic trials, and Carlsbad is the next best thing as a pinnacle race."

Raura, 33, was the runner-up in 15:17, Nazario Romero of Escondido was third in 15:25.

"When we came around the last turnaround, I pulled back to see if he might be a rabbit and fall off the pace," Raura said. "But he's a good runner. I felt good about my time, considering this is my first race of the year and I'm about at 80 percent right now after the cross country season."

From the pool to the road

While training for the 2000 Olympics in women's water polo, UC San Diego graduate Julie Swail Ertel ran about three miles a week.

Back then, running wasn't as important as winning the silver medal in Sydney, but now it is Swail Ertel's top priority.

The 35-year-old Irvine resident won the women's 30-39 race in 17:05, some 24 seconds ahead of Paula Morrison.

Rachel Challis of Carlsbad was the top local finisher with a time of 18:14, good for fifth place.

Other races

Jarrod Shoemaker of Maynard, Mass., won the men's 29-and-under race in 14:32. Aliso Viejo native Cheryl Smith won the women's 29-and-under race in 16:43, while 17-year-old Heather Zytkewicz of Oceanside was the top local finisher (10th in 18:13).

A total of 8,248 runners and walkers finished the age-group races and walks.

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