Late Entrant Surprises Field in Bastille 8K

The 12th annual Bastille Day Celebration and International Food Faire had its share of surprises during the 8K race Saturday evening.

Santa Ana’s Valerie Vaughn registered late for the race and then sneaked up on the elite competition and finished first in the women’s division in 27 minutes 7 seconds.

Vaughn, a Mater Dei track coach, surprised veteran competitors Karen Hecox, who finished second (27:14), and third-place finisher Nicole Woodward (27:19). Teresa Barrios of Huntington Beach was fourth (27:41).

In the men’s division, Ian Robinson of Phoenix took advantage of the absence of defending champion Eric Polanski to win in 23:19. Polanski, who had won four road races this season, missed the event because of a leg injury sustained during the week.

Kenya’s Cosmas Musyoka finished second (23:33), followed by Riverside’s Tesfaye Bekele (23:49) and San Diego’s Mebrahtom Keflezighi (24:01). Gus Quinonez of Los Alamitos was the top county finisher, taking seventh in 24:19.

The event, which has a $2,500 purse, was previously run in the early-morning hours on Sundays. However, organizers predicted the switch would be better for the Faire, which raises funds for the Food Distribution Center that serves 280 centers for the needy in Orange County. The event is Orange County’s only twilight race.