Lundstrom, Coordt Win Napa Valley Marathon
By By Mark Winitz, Running USA wire
Posted Wednesday, 9 March, 2005
NAPA, Calif. - (March 6, 2005) - A collegiate cross country coach and a nutritionist headed the men's and women's races in a field of approximately 2,200 runners Sunday at the 27th Napa Valley Marathon. Chris Lundstrom, 28, of San Francisco won the men's race in a time of 2 hours, 23 minutes and 43 seconds, duly impressing the distance runners he coaches at San Francisco State University. Mary Coordt, 35, of Elk Grove, Calif. topped the women's contingent in 2:51:50. Coordt's community college students, to whom she teaches nutrition courses, will take a lesson in eating for high performance.
The wins also earned Lundstrom and Coordt RRCA National Marathon Championships and their own weight in fine Napa Valley wine donated by the Napa Valley's Silverado Trail Wineries Association.
In spite of an uncharacteristically gray and rainy winter, California unveiled a morning punctuated by periodic patchy fog, blue skies and a temperatures of 41 degrees at the 7:00am start. Participants had near ideal conditions to negotiate the Calistoga-to-Napa course resplendent with panoramic views of the valley and dormant vineyards carpeted with golden mustard fields.
Lundstrom, a first time entrant in this race, was determined neither to let the undulating, slightly downhill early miles draw him out too fast or allow the scenery to lure him into complacency. The former track and cross country competitor at Stanford University who owns a 2:18 marathon personal best was practicing pacing for next month's Boston Marathon.
"That was kind of my plan," said Lundstrom, "to run a steady long run for about 18 miles or so, and then run a few hard miles at the end."
After negotiating 10 miles in 55 minutes behind Pieter Vermeesch (Stanford), Lundstrom, as planned, pulled into the lead at 18 miles as he lowered his pace to 5:30 per mile. Despite a quick portable toilet stop a mile later that briefly cost him the lead, Lundstrom was in control again by 21 miles and pushed home to victory.
Byrne Decker, 37, of Yarmouth, Maine overtook Vermeesch to capture second place in 2:26:32. Vermeesch, who placed second last year, hung on for third in 2:30:05.
Lundstrom, a Minnesota native who moved to California to attend Stanford, joins another native Minnesotan as a Napa Valley Marathon men's champion: Dick Beardsley (Detroit Lakes) who won the 1987 race in 2:16:20, a men's course record that still stands.
In today's race, Beardsley, 48, successfully defended his masters (runners age 40 and over) men's title in 2:43:41.
Said Lundstrom about Beardsley, one of the fastest American males ever at the marathon distance: "Dick was certainly an inspiration to me growing up in Minnesota. I've always followed [Minnesota's] Grandma's Marathon, where he also holds the course record [of 2:09:37 set in 1981]. I talked to Dick at the starting line, which gave me a big boost."
In the women's race, Coordt used her familiarity with Napa's course to forge a dominating win. Coordt also won here in 1997 and has run the race four times. She decided to run the 2005 race only the night before after speaking about runners' nutrition at the Napa Valley Marathon's "Marathon College" on Saturday.
"It was just too beautiful weather to pass up," said Coordt, a two-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. "I haven't been doing much speed work, so I thought I'd just start out at 6:50 pace and just have fun. But soon I was feeling so good that I just couldn't slow myself down anymore."
Coordt took the lead at about seven and a half miles and never looked back. Sarah Hallas, 25, of Two Rock, Calif. finished second in 2:57:42, almost six minutes behind the winner. Jasmine Green, 24, of Morgan Hill, Calif. was third in 2:57:50.
Roberta McGraw (Antioch, Calif.), 43, won the women's masters race in 3:06:40.
Among senior competitors, multiple age-group record holders John Keston and Helen Klein recorded standout races. Oregon's Keston, 80, finished in 3:51:07. Klein, of Rancho Cordova, Calif. concluded in 4:57:12.
All proceeds from the Napa Valley Marathon (a non-profit organization) are donated to local charities in the Napa Valley.
The Napa Valley Marathon appreciates generous sponsor support from Calistoga Mountain Spring Water, Gatorade, ASICS America Corporation, Silverado Trail Wineries Association, Marathon & Beyond, Road Runners Club of America, USA Track & Field, Marathon Photo, Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, CBS 5 and UPN Bay Area, GU, KVYN/99.3 The Vine, KVON 1440, Comcast, Wines Central, MRC Delivery Solutions, Pacific Union College, Napa Running Company and Queen of the Valley Hospital.
27th Napa Valley Marathon
Napa, CA, Sunday, March 6, 2005
MEN
1) Chris Lundstrom, San Francisco, CA, 2:23:43
2) Byrne Decker, Yarmouth, ME, 2:26:32
3) Pieter Vermeesch, Stanford, CA, 2:30:05
4) Justin Henkel, Hoffman Estates, IL, 2:31:03
5) Matte Pulle, Nashville, TN, 2:33:14
MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) Dick Beardsley, Detroit Lakes, MN, 2:43:41
WOMEN
1) Mary Coordt, Elk Grove, CA, 2:51:50
2) Sarah Hallas, Two Rock, CA, 2:57:42
3) Jasmine Green, Morgan Hill, CA, 2:57:50
4) Erin Tracht, Shell Beach, CA, 2:59:47
5) Elizabeth McCleneghan, Stanford, CA, 3:06:28
MASTERS WOMEN (40+)
1) Roberta McGraw, Antioch, CA, 3:06:40
See www.napa-marathon.com for full results.
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