Napa Valley Marathon still taking runners to fill out field
Directors say women’s race is wide open
By MARTY JAMES, Executive Sports Editor
It’s not too late.
You can still sign up for the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon, a 26.2-mile race which takes runners from the starting line at Rosedale Road and Silverado Trail in Calistoga at 7 a.m. to the finish line at Vintage High School in Napa on March 4.
Race officials are continuing to accept entries for the 29th annual event, and will do so all the way up to March 3, the day of the marathon’s annual Sports and Fitness Expo. It runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa and includes the marathon’s popular Marathon College, an innovative speaker/seminar program that includes a “faculty” composed of respected running authorities and celebrity runners.
Last year’s rainy and windy weather is one of the reasons why entries are down by about 350 runners with a week to go. The Los Angeles Marathon, also held on March 4, takes away potential runners.
“Also, our marketing efforts probably weren’t as good as they could have been, in addition to marathoning in general at this time of year could be a little bit low, too,” said Dave Hill, one of the race’s directors. “We just didn’t aggressively market it like we had been, and that’s our fault. We just didn’t do our work.”
Nonetheless, the marathon will go on, rain or shine. The event is limited to the first 2,300 registrants. Runners can register for the marathon online or download an entry form at www.napavalleymarathon.org. Alternatively, contact the race via e-mail at nvm@napanet.net or call 255-2609. The registration fee for the race is $100. There is no race-day registration.
“The thing that we’re looking for now is to have a good race,” Hill said Friday. “If we have good weather it’s going to be great.”
According to co-race director Rich Benyo, the event has an additional notable distinguishing attraction.
“We just try to keep the event simple, and as retro as possible,” Benyo said. “It’s an old-time, down-home type of event. Many first-time marathoners choose the Hollywood type, expansive, blown-up marathons. But the feedback that we get from our runners is that they like ours. It’s laid back. The runners don’t get tense and excited. They have a good time and are treated on a very personal basis.”
Sixty percent of the race’s participants hail from Northern California, enjoying the marathon’s reputation as the “Biggest Little Marathon in the West.”
Napa has again been selected by the Road Runners Club of America as its National Marathon Championship — a designation it has received since 1998. Runners may also choose the companion Kiwanis 5K Run, which starts and finishes at Vintage High on marathon morning.
There are a few rolling hills during the first six miles, but overall Napa’s point-to-point course is considered fast.
“People ask how fast we are, and we are a very fast course,” said Hill. “There’s a lot of (personal records) set on this course.”
The men’s field appears to be one of the strongest in the race’s history, as Tom McGlynn of Burlingame and training partner Mike Wallace of Menlo Park are hoping to score a fast time at Napa that will qualify them for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Nov. 3 in New York City.
The Trials race will select the U.S. men’s team that will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games marathon in Beijing, China next year.
To qualify for the men’s 2008 Trials, U.S. men must run a marathon under two hours and 22 minutes flat for a basic entry (a “B” standard time) or sub 2:20 (“A” standard) for an entry that includes amenities such as travel expenses and lodging.
Additional top male entrants include Ben Turman of Kensington. The women’s field is wide open. Diana Fitzpatrick’s excellent women’s NVM course record of 2:39:42 (set in 1992) should not be threatened.
“I don’t think we’ve had such a strong men’s field in recent years,” said Hill. “We have checked the resumés and verified the bios of all the men’s runners that we have.”
Runners will receive official times and finisher’s medals up until 12:30 p.m. when the course closes. Runners who haven’t reached Mile 17 by 11 a.m. will be transported by bus back to the finish line.
The race is supported by over 1,200 volunteers, who help out in various capacities, from the 13 aid stations to the finish line.
“We’re looking forward to a wonderful event,” said Hill. “We appreciate the community of the Napa Valley coming out and helping us. This is really a participant’s event. We pride ourselves in putting on a quality event for the runners.”
