After an inadvertent turn near the finish line because of a mismarked course, Tlaloc Antonio Venancio of San Diego was awarded the winning time in the 44th annual 10-kilometer Race Thru the Redwoods in Felton.
Venancio, 27, was leading the Aug. 19 race when he missed a turn near the finish line because the course was mis-marked by course-volunteers.
He wound up crossing the finish line in the wrong direction, but was awarded the win because the second-place runner Alexander Johann of Palo Alto, saw the mistake and told organizers that he was far behind Venancio as they approached the finish. The course was altered after the third runner passed, and the remainder of the finishers ran the correct route.
Venancio’s winning time was estimated to be 36 minutes, 26 seconds, followed by Johann in 36:57 and Mathew Tompkins of Santa Clara in 40:08.
The top local finisher was 15-year-old Nicholas Heath of Scotts Valley, who took fourth in 40:20. Last year’s winner, Brent Wood of Tempe, Ariz., took fifth in 40:28.
The top woman was Sarah Meyer, 31, of Santa Cruz in 43:18. The top local woman was 19-year-old Joanna Coker of Ben Lomond, who was the sixth woman overall and first in the 15- to 19- year-old division.
Five hundred-seventy racers crossed the finish line, and many made their way to the pancake breakfast at the Felton firehouse following the race.
In the kids’ one-mile fun run, Jason Gomez, 12, of San Jose won for the third consecutive year, finishing in 5:33. Jared Rembao, 12, of Boulder Creek finished second in 6:13. One hundred-eight children finished the run.
The race, the oldest of its kind in Santa Cruz County, is sponsored by the Felton Business Association.
