Pickens romps to victory in Strawberry Festival 5K run
By Dick Sparrer
It was a pretty hot day to take a run.
But Robert Pickens breezed through the field to win the Strawberry Festival's 5K Run on a 90-plus degree-day on June 19.
The 40-year-old Pickens covered the five kilometers in 17:12 to finish first overall in the Sunday race held at West Valley Community College in Saratoga.
The run was held in conjunction with the annual Strawberry Festival, a fun family event held to raise funds for treatment and support services for troubled children and their families in the community.
Pickens won the race by a wide margin over runner-up David Woodruff, who finished second in 19:33. James Cunningham was third in 19:40.
Kristina Mathias outrun Stephanie Hovancik to take the women's title in the run. The 30-year-old Mathias finished in 19:43 to edged the 24-year-old Hovancik, who was second in 20:05. The two finished an impressive fourth and fifth overall in the field of 341 runners.
Rounding out the men's top 10 were Michael Gilbert, fourth in 20:10; Jeff Ettinger, fifth in 21:04; Tom Azevedo, sixth in 21:30; Doug Brown, seventh in 21:41; Matt Favaro, eighth in 21:50; Brian Salada, ninth in 21:51; and Matt Sheehan, 10th in 22:07.
Claiming spots in the women's top 10 were Susan Brewer, third in 21:19; Kelly Emo, fourth in 22:48; Gina Kreig, fifth in 23:17; Suzy Morganstern, sixth in 23:19; Kaela Hoch, seventh in 23:32; Carolyn Jerns, eighth in 23:51; Sandy Luong, ninth in 24:32; and Joanna Hingle, 10th in 24:58.
Male age division winners included
Favaro (2-12), Trevor Woo (13-15), Kirk Sharp (16-19), Gilbert (30-39), Pickens (40-49), Cunningham (50-59), Jack Vandenbogaerde (60-69) and Cal Morris (70-79).
Female age division winners included: Hoch (2-12), Luong (13-15), Hannah Goldberg (16-19), Hovancik (20-29), Mathias (30-39), Kreig (40-49), Betty Boppart (50-59), Joyce Friedlander (60-69), Bette Pestka (70-79) and Helen Francis (80-95).
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
