Wysocki Wins Race for the Cure

Ruth Wysocki didn’t let her eyes wander from the task at hand Sunday. Despite the emotional atmosphere at the Orange County Race for the Cure in Newport Beach, the 42-year-old Sun City resident kept her focus on the course and won the women’s 5K for the first time in eight tries.

“I was introduced to this race by a friend who is a cancer survivor,” Wysocki said. “When she first told me about it, I was like, ‘Oh great, another race for another charity.’ Then I came out here and you see these pink visors and these memory signs. I made up my mind in the race, don’t look for pink visors while you’re racing because it’s too emotional.”

The pink hats worn by some of the 24,691 participants, including 18,247 females, indicated they are cancer survivors. Thousands of others wore pink placards attached to their backs that mentioned loved ones who have died from the disease or survived it.

Proceeds from the eighth annual event went toward the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which funds outreach, education, screening and treatment programs.

“This event is the most incredible event I run,” Wysocki said. “As far as what it means, there’s nothing like it.”

Wysocki, a veteran road racer,has set American masters records in the 5K, 8K and 10K. On Sunday she left the pack early and finished in 16 minutes 52 seconds, which was 28 seconds ahead of Laura Stuart of Encinitas. Wysocki earned $1,200 for the victory, plus another $500 for being the top masters finisher.

“I waited a long time for this,” Wysocki said. “There’s just been years when tougher people have come in, and there’s been years when I’ve run a lot faster and not won. It’s just the way it was today and I’m not complaining.”

Wysocki said her goal was to start the race with a quick pace and try to intimidate some of her competitors. Wysocki said her time was average, so the strategy must have worked.

Wysocki, who was sixth in the 800 meters at the 1984 Olympics, has had to juggle her training schedule recently. She began teaching physical education part time at Linfield School in Temecula this fall, and is still getting accustomed to the rigors of teaching.

“It’s giving me a chance to see if it’s something I really want to do,” Wysocki said. “I have the time to train, it’s just that you don’t realize when you’re teaching PE how much time you spend on your feet all day. I’ve learned to get up early in the morning and run.”

The coed 5K race, which drew 15,298 entries, was won by Danny Reed of Laguna Niguel. Reed, 38, finished in 15:07, beating Marco Ochoa of Fullerton by 14 seconds.

“We usually go back and forth,” Reed said of Ochoa. “I kept looking over my shoulder going, ‘Where is he?’ Because he usually comes back. I was surprised he didn’t come back.”