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Silicon Valley Marathon
October 31, 1999
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
My wife Lenore and I took in another new marathon in California
as we
made an annual trip there to visit friends and family. On
October 31,
1999, I had the pleasure of running the 3rd Annual Silicon Valley
Marathon at San Jose. The marathon adventure began the day
before as
our friends (and cheering section) from Sunnyvale, CA, Jim and
Joan
Smith, Lenore and I went to the Packet Picket Expo at the San Jose
State University Event Center Arena. There I picked up my running
number, timing shoe chip, race program, and goody bag. The Expo
was
well organized and had a lot to offer the visiting runners and
families.
Being an alumnus of SJSU (class of 1958), it was great to be back
to
see how the university and city have changed. The only
acquaintances
that we saw were Richard Benyo, editor of one of my favorite
journals "Marathon and Beyond," and his wife Rhonda. We had met them at
the
recent Royal Victoria Marathon Expo.
The next day as we awaited the start of the marathon, the Smiths
and
Dolphins became acquainted with Trevor Lovoi, 15, of Saratoga,
CA, a
first-time marathoner who was somewhat apprehensive. We gave him
some
tips and told him to enjoy his once-in-a-lifetime first marathon.
At 7:30 a.m. 1,664 runners left downtown San Jose and ran through
a
residential area to rural fields and technological industry
buildings.
The course was flat with four minor overpass hills---mostly
out-and-back
with a few small loops in the turn-around areas. The weather was
pleasant at the start---clear and calm with the temperature in
the 50's.
However, it rose to the low 70's by late morning. This was
problematical
when there wasn't tree shade or a breeze. Water and other aid
were
available every mile, and this helped us to forge ahead to the
finish
line at the same place where we had started.
The race was highly contested. Simon Sawe, 25, from Albuquerque,
NM,
ran a 2:20:25 to beat Grzegorz Olszowik, 33, of Clarendon
Heights, IL,
by only three seconds. Veronica Kanga, 26, of Kenya won the
women's
race in a time of 2:46:05. Carolyn Collman, 32, of Tucson, AZ,
and
Palo Alto, CA, came in second with a respectable 2:48:47, a time
that
qualifies her to run in the US Olympic Trials next year.
Washington runners on hand were as follows:
3:00:48 - Lucien Brush, 42, Mercer Island
3:02:02 - Jaquel Davenport, 36, Spokane, 5th Female overall
3:13:56 - Chris Klemczyk, 32, Renton
3:30:13 - Torben Syberg, 30, Seattle
3:45:37 - Teresa Kennedy, 38, Yakima
3:46:13 - Richard Schneider, 59, Port Ludlow
3:50:14 - Gail Fast, 45, Yakima
After the race we talked with 15 year old Trevor Lovoi in the
recovery
and refreshment area. He was elated with his finish time of
4:25:56
and was planning his next marathon with the hope of improving his
finishing time.
My run went reasonably well. I walked the aid stations and drank
a lot
of water. I started out at an 8:30 pace and slowed to 10 minutes
in the
final miles. I finished in 4:04:55 (9:21), 738 of 1,610
finishers, 602
of 1,133 males, and first of four in the 70+M category with a
course
record for the age division.
In keeping with the Silicon Valley theme the plaques at the awards
ceremony were 8 1/2 x11 simulated printed circuit boards (pcb's) with
a
small engraved gold plate at the top and a clear plastic holder
for a
5x7 picture in the middle. Those receiving awards had their
pictures
taken, and within ten minutes a print was available for mounting
in
the plaque. A novel idea!! Age class winners also received
watches
that had similar pcb dials.
It was a great marathon, and I am tempted to return to run it
again
next year instead of going elsewhere within California.
Congratulations to our running friend Khalid Khannouchi, formerly
of
Morocco and his wife and coach, Sandra, for Khalid's outstanding
performance at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 24, 1999.
Khalid
won with a world record time of 2:05:42, averaging a 4:48 per
mile pace
and improving the record time by 23 seconds!!! Moses Tanui of
Kenya
came in second in 2:06:16., the third fastest time in marathon
history.
Both marathoners had outstanding performances.
Written by Bob Dolphin
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