Posted: June 1, 2004

Athletics: Third Time a Charm for James Sheremeta at Saddleback Memorial 1/2 Marathon

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. - (May 31, 2004) - What started out as a cool overcast morning with a gentle coastal breeze turned into a heated battle between masters athlete James Sheremeta from La Jolla and Juan Ramirez 35-years-old from Bristol and past champion Matt Capelouto from Rancho Santa Margarita.

With the temperature rising each step, the trio pushed the pace and led the trailing pack from the first mile and continued on together for the next 5 miles of gentle downhill. Sheremeta took the lead at 9 miles, just past the stretch through the Aliso Wood Wilderness park and he went unchallenged to the tape in 1:12:02 with Ramirez second (1:13:10) and Capelouto third (1:13:47).

Sheremeta had competed at the Saddleback Memorial 1/2 Marathon twice before and finished no higher than third place with a 1:10:32 in 2002 when Julius Gidabuday ran a 1:08:19 course record on a much cooler day.

In the women's race, Mary Akor defended her title from 2003 with a clear victory in 1:23:19. Second place finisher was Cheryl Smith from Aliso Viejo in 1:25:33 and third was Courtney Meldrom from Yorba Linda in 1:26:04.

At the 6th Saddleback Memorial 1/2 Marathon, it was a clean sweep of the top places for Orange County residents. Despite recent sightings of mountain lions in the area, all 3,000 competitors had a great day running in the 1/2 Marathon and 5K. It was also a time for reflecting on the sacrifices our friends and family in the armed services have made and continue to make for us.

For complete results go to: www.kinaneevents.com.