Posted: July 31, 2005

Athletics: First Time Victors Lead Record Turnout For San Francisco Marathon

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - (July 31, 2005) - Two jubilant runners earned their first-ever marathon victories, leading a record 11,290 finishers at the 28th edition of the San Francisco Marathon and companion events presented by Runners World today. Tony Torres, 35, of Cedar Glen, CA grabbed the men's victory in 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 57 seconds. Sarah Hallas, 25, of Petaluma, CA earned the women's crown with a time of 2:56:55. The pair topped the featured 26.2-mile marathon (4,918 finishers) which also included two half marathons and a 5K run/walk.

Running with the benefit of San Francisco's patented mid-summer cool running conditions, Torres closely trailed Simon Isaacs of Washington, D.C. through the early miles along the San Francisco Bay waterfront. Following a roundtrip over the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge, Torres overtook Isaacs at 9-1/2 miles in Golden Gate Park. From there, Torres negotiated the remainder of the scenic loop course unchallenged, and broke the finishing tape at the Ferry Building in strong form.

Isaacs, 25, hung in for second place, finishing in 2:34:52. Austria's Niklas Kroehn, 34, was third in 2:34:58.

"I felt that the early pace was slow, and I knew I could do better than that," said Torres, who ran his first marathon only last December in Sacramento. It's a pretty hard course, so my time was kind of slow. Over the last two miles, I felt the pain. But now I feel good. With the experience that I have now, I'll definitely be ready for my next marathon."

Torres said that he was a star prep runner at Madera High School (near Fresno), then stopped running until he resumed training five years ago.

On the women's side, Hallas improved upon her third place finish at last year's San Francisco Marathon, and recent runner-up performances at the Napa Valley Marathon and the Avenue of the Giants Marathon. Now, in her fifth marathon, the former competitor at Ursuline High School (Santa Rosa) and Chico State University is a marathon champion.

Hallas took the lead from the starting gun and never relinquished it, improving upon her previous personal best time by 47 seconds.

"There were a couple of men that I was able to run with most of the way," said Hallas. "That was great, so I was able to get through the hills okay. It feels great to be a winner."

Tyler Stewart, 27, of Oakland, CA finished second in 3:04:27, followed closely by Shana Brown, 35, of Colfax, CA in 3:05:12.

Vytautas Ezerskis, 44, of San Francisco successfully defended his masters (age 40 and over) men's title, placing 7th overall in 2:42:56. Jane Bloom, 40, of Olathe, KS captured the women's masters title in 3:14:01. John McCardle, 39, of Montpelier, VT was the first wheelchair racer, finishing in 2:40:28.

San Francisco's Marian Lyons, 58, successfully completed her 100th marathon. Wearing bib number 100. Lyons finished in 4:13:11.

"Everybody was cheering me on the whole way," Lyons said. "They brought me through. Thanks to all my supporters, the marathon committee, and Runner's World magazine for a great race and supporting me in my 100th."

Other notable accomplishments: Don Lang, (71 years old, Glendale, CA) successfully finished his 400th marathon in 6:38:02. Chicago's Jose Nebreda, 63, carried the American flag for the entire marathon distance for the 37th time in honor of September 11 victims, finishing in 7:08:10.

In addition to the marathon, the event offers two half marathons. Participants can choose which half marathon they want to run, negotiating either the first 13.1 miles or second 13.1 miles of the marathon course. The winners of the "first" half marathon were Michael Western (1:17:48), 26, of Waverly, IA and Eileen White (1:29:12), 42, of Piedmont, CA. White also won last year's first half marathon. Sean Nixon, 34, of Bend, OR secured the men's title in the "second" half marathon in 1:15:20. Lisa Daane, 34, from Reno, NV was the second half marathon women's winner in 1:21:46.

Sarah Reinertsen, 30, of Solana Beach, CA finished the first half marathon in 2:36:47. Reinertsen, a disabled athlete, holds world records in several distances from 100 meters to the marathon for above-knee amputee women. She is training for October's Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.

In the accompanying 5K race, Palo Alto, CA's Daniel Roth, 25, took the men's crown in 15:43 and Brooke Wells, 20, from Berkeley, CA topped women in 18:57.

The marathon's unique "Cause to Run" program allows participants to pledge support to any of the event's official charity organizations, raise funds, and earn pledge prizes by participating in any of the running/walking events. In the past two years, race participants raised over $250,000 for local charities that provide valuable and much-needed services for the community.

The 2005 San Francisco Marathon is sponsored by Runner's World (presenting sponsor), KPIX CBS Channel 5, UPN 44/Digital 45/Cable 12, Hyatt Regency, Organs 'R' Us, Cytomax, University of California-San Francisco, and See Jane Run. Our radio supporters are KGO 810 AM, KSFO 560 AM, 96.5 KOIT, and KDFC 102.1 FM.

Top Finishers - San Francisco Marathon - July, 31, 2005

Men
1.  Tony Torres  35  Cedar Glen, CA  2:31;57
2.  Simon Isaacs 25 Washington, DC  2:34:52
3.  Niklas Kroehn 34  Austria  2:34:58
4.  Duncan Larkin  35 Bethel, CT  2:37:26
5.  Chikara Omine 22 San Francisco, CA  2:38:01

Women
1.  Sarah Hallas  25 Petaluma, CA  2:56:55
2.  Tyler Stewart  27 Oakland, CA  3:04:27
3.  Shana Brown 35  Colfax, CA  3:05;12
4.  Caroline Radtke  27 Vacaville, CA  3:09:26
5.  Amanda Klein  26  Williston Park, NY  3:09:27