Surprise Proves to Be Order of Day in This Event : Running: Hawthorne must battle a non-entrant for the lead before easily winning San Diego Marathon. Trason’s workout leads to victory.

It was a surprising experience for each winner in the San Diego Marathon on Sunday.

Brad Hawthorne of Oakland ran away from the field in the men’s race as expected, but not before he received unofficial opposition from a “ringer,” Gambino Toledo of Mesa College in San Diego.

Toledo, who showed up at the starting line even though he hadn’t entered the race, stayed with Hawthorne for almost 20 miles of the 26.2-mile race before falling back. Hawthorne did a solo the rest of the way and won in 2 hours 19 minutes 11 seconds--an average of 5:18 per mile. Phillip Camp of Chula Vista was a distant second in 2:35:09.

Jim Sheremeta of San Diego, the only runner given a legitimate chance to push Hawthorne, dropped out after 18 miles.

Ann Trason of Kensington entered the women’s race only because she “wanted to do some speed work” for a 100K (62-mile) run in New York on Feb. 27. She assumed that Kathy Smith of Tustin would win.

But Smith quit on the 21st mile, saying she had merely been working out for the Las Vegas Marathon Feb. 6, and Trason inherited the lead. Trason won uncontested in 2:48:21--a pace of 6:25 per mile. Candy Dodge of Canyon Country was second in 2:55:22.

Each winner earned $1,250.

Hawthorne, 37, a database analyst, has won the Big Sur Marathon five times, but this was his first appearance here. He was tuning up for the Long Beach Marathon on Feb. 6.

Hawthorne ran precisely in the time he had projected.

“I planned to hit the halfway point at 68:40, and I hit it at 68:42,” Hawthorne said. “At that point, I knew I could run 71 minutes and get my 2:19.”

Trason, 32, teaches microbiology at Contra Costa College in Richmond, Calif. She holds the world record for 100 miles--13 hours 47 minutes--so a marathon is like a sprint to her.

“I was quite a ways behind Kathy Smith, and when she stopped and I ran past her, I told her to keep going,” Trason said. “After that, I didn’t even know I was leading.”