Na Pulls Away in Huntington Beach 5K Race
Costa Mesa’s Rene Na easily outdistanced the field Friday, winning the women’s open division 5K race at the 93rd Huntington Beach Fourth of July celebration.
Na, 27, finished the race in 15 minutes 50 seconds, almost two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Kelly Flathers of Huntington Beach. Flathers, 26, crossed the line in 17:21, with Long Beach’s Christine Morgan (17:39) finishing third in the race that had more than 3,000 participants in several divisions.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. July 11, 1997 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Friday July 11, 1997 Orange County Edition Sports Part C Page 15 Sports Desk 1 inches; 29 words Type of Material: Correction
Road race--Kelly Flathers of Huntington Beach won the women’s open division of the Huntington Beach Fourth of July Celebration 5K race. Her finish was incorrectly reported in the July 5 edition of The Times.
The men’s race was closer. Riverside’s Danny Reed, 36, won in 15:02, beating Fountain Valley’s Dave Schumacher, 29, by 12 seconds. Santa Ana’s Cor Vig took third in 15:40. Schumacher won the 25-29 division and Vig, 23, won the 19-24 division.
In the women’s open, Orange County runners dominated the divisions, taking the titles in eight of the 12 divisions.
One of the most impressive performances came from 80-year-old Winnie Rich of Mission Viejo. Rich won the 70 and over title, finishing in 30:18, a pace of 9:46 a mile. Tustin’s Lois Edds, 76, took second in 32:52, and Westminster’s Helen Ekovich, 74, finished third (55:15).
Garden Grove’s Jenny Sliwa won the 12 and under division, finishing in 22:18, more than two minutes ahead of her closest competition, Cristina Bracamonte of Bell (24:46). Bracamonte’s mother Wendy, 42, won the 40-44 division (21:57).
In the men’s open, 61-year-old Bruce Lin of Buena Park, won the 60-69 division, with a time of 20:21. Costa Mesa’s Bud Gardner, 60, followed Lin in 23:08.
In the 50-54 division, Santa Ana’s Antonio Gutierrez won with a time of 19:52.