America’s Finest City Half Marathon : Winners From ’87 Missing, but Field Is Loaded

Despite the absence of both defending champions, the 1988 America’s Finest City Home Federal Half Marathon might have the most competitive field in the event’s 10-year history.

The moderately hilly, 13.1-mile race will start Sunday at 7 a.m. and go from Cabrillo National Monument at the tip of Point Loma to Balboa Park.

Neither Marty Froelick nor Maria Trujillo, the 1987 men’s and women’s winners, will compete. Froelick, who ran 1 hour 4 minutes 31 seconds last year, was scheduled to defend his title, but has a foot problem that has kept him from running for the past two weeks. Trujillo, whose 1:15:17 in 1987 was the eighth fastest women’s time in the race’s history, had a prior commitment.

“Even with Froelick out, it is still the deepest field we’ve ever had, both men and women,” race director Neil Finnsaid. “The top end is better as far as the absolute fastest runners we’ve ever had. There are 45 entrants who have run under 69 minutes for the half marathon among the men.”

At least four, and possibly five, Olympic marathon qualifiers will compete.

The men’s field, which could challenge Kirk Pfeffer’s 1981 course record of 1:02:55, will be led by Mexican Olympic marathon team members Jesus Herrera and Carlos Retiz.

Herrera, 26, placed second in the 1988 Los Angeles Marathon--which was used as Mexico’s Olympic trials--and is the Mexican national record holder for 10 kilometers on the track (27:44).

Retiz was the third qualifier in the Mexican marathon trial race. It was originally thought he needed a strong race Sunday to solidify his position on the team. But he recently won a 20-kilometer trial to secure his trip to Seoul.

Domingo Tibaduiza, 39, a four-time member of the Colombian Olympic team, needs to run a sub-1:04 to qualify for the 1988 games, Finn said. Tibaduiza was the 1982 AFC winner and apparently is in excellent shape.

“Matt Clayton (a top distance runner at San Diego State) ran against Domingo and said Domingo is really fast,” Finn said. “With the hills here, that should help Domingo because he’s strong on the hills from his training in the Sierra Nevadas near Reno.”

Other top men will include Don Janicki, 28, of Tucson, second here in 1984, third in 1985 and second in 1986; Ric Sayre, 35, of Medford, Ore., who won the 1986 Los Angeles Marathon and has 10 career marathon victories, and Sam Sitonik, 32, of Kenya, fourth here last year.

Highlighting the strong women’s field will be Boston’s Cathy Schiro-O’Brien, 21, third qualifier for the 1988 U.S. Olympic marathon team.

Schiro-O’Brien prepared for the May 1 Olympic Trials by running 1:12:20 to win the New Bedford (Mass.) half marathon. A similar showing would break the AFC course record of 1:14:31 set in 1983 by Nancy Ditz. Ditz edged Schiro-O’Brien by four seconds for second place in the Olympic trials.

“I think I should be able to probably win it,” Schiro-O’Brien said. “I know that I’m in good shape, and I’ve trained well the last few months since the trials. I’m not peaking for this race. I’m confident that I’ll do fine, but I’m not going to get all worried about it.”

Schiro-O’Brien’s top competition should come from Marie Rollins, the top qualifier for the Irish Olympic team. Rollins, 27, who is based in Los Angeles, won the Las Vegas Marathon this year and was second in the 1986 AFC race in 1:17:13.

Other top women will include Jeanne Lasee-Johnson, 31, of Bonita, whose 1983 second-place time of 1:14:33 is second best in race history; 1981 AFC winner Elizabeth Baker, 30, of Rancho Santa Fe, whose third-place time in 1983, 1:14:36, ranks as third best; 1987 Coronado Half Marathon winner Donna Chin, 28, of San Diego; 1988 La Jolla Half Marathon winner Laurie Clare (formerly Crisp), 27, of El Cajon, the top U.S. finisher in the 1987 New York City Marathon, and two-time AFC masters winner Harolene Walters, 45, of El Toro.