County Runners Dominate Irvine Race

Matt Capelouto knew that only a top finish would do at Saturday’s Southern California Half Marathon.

“I had been talking all week about winning this race, so it was time to put up or shut up,” said Capelouto, 30, of Trabuco Canyon.

Capelouto definitely put up, breaking free of the pack near the midpoint of the race and finishing the 13.1-mile Irvine course in 1 hour 8 minutes 33 seconds to win the men’s division.

“I was switching leads with another runner early in the race, then I moved in front for good around the 5 1/2-mile mark,” Capelouto said. “I was hoping to finish with a time closer to 1:07, but I’ll take [the win].”

Huntington Beach’s Dolly Ginter, 37, won the women’s division in 1:21.10, leading a 1-2-3 finish by Orange County runners. Jennifer Austin of Mission Viejo finished second with a personal-best time of 1:24.19 and Dana Point’s Faye Hutchison was third at 1:25:01.

“It was a good, solid run,” said Ginter, who also competes as a triathlete. “I’ve only been running about 20 miles a week, along with bicycling, so this is the farthest I’ve run in a while.”

Although Ginter led all the way, she did have some competition.

“I was jockeying for position with some of the men,” she said. “I think they feel like they have to beat the lead women. That’s fine with me, because I feel like I can beat them anyway.”

Danny Reed of Laguna Niguel recorded a time of 15:12 to win the men’s 5K. Reed, 40, used the race as a tuneup for April’s Boston Marathon.

“It was a nice workout and tells me where I’m at,” Reed said. “I struggled at the start because of the cold, but once I warmed up, I felt good. It was a good, fast course.”

Nineteen-year-old Becky Miske of Lake Forest was the top county finisher in the women’s 5K, placing third in 20:15. Nancy Wood and Bara Skuladottir, both of Northridge, tied for first in 17:55.