Street Racers Ready for 5K/10K Run

The countdown is underway for the 27th annual Palisades-Will Rogers 5K/10K Run, which will once again serve as the opening act of Sunday’s Fourth of July festivities in the Palisades. Followed by the parade in the afternoon and fireworks in the evening, the event is a proud local tradition and one of the most popular races in California, attracting between 2,500 and 3,000 entrants each year. The list of celebrities and athletes who have participated in or assisted with the race since its inception in 1978 is long and distinguished, including late actor Walter Matthau, singers Toni Tennille and John Raitt, ex-Los Angeles Kings goalie Rogie Vachon, ex-Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes, ex-NBA star Steve Kerr, Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Spitz, Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Congressman Mel Levine. In recent years, the 5K portion of the race has been dominated by Palisadians. Former Palisades High and UC Berkeley standout Peter Gilmore has won six out of the last eight men’s 5K races and set the course record last year, blazing the streets of Huntington Palisades in 14:10’eight seconds better than his previous best time. After braving the Will Rogers State Historic Park switchbacks to win back-to-back 10Ks, former PaliHi and UCLA cross country runner Kara Barnard returned to the 5K last year and won it for the fifth time. Barnard won four successive 5Ks from 1997-2000. Friends Nate Bowen and Tyson Sacco crossed the finish line together in first place’marking the third time each has won the 10K, considered one of the most challenging courses in the state. Bowen, in fact, trained with Gilmore on the Nike Farm team in Menlo Park. Running the race for the second time, Lucy Fitzgerald won the women’s 10K last year in 38:12. Corporate sponsors for this year’s race are Coldwell Banker and William E. Simon and Sons. President Bill Simon and Scott Gibson, representing Coldwell Banker, will join Honorary Mayor Steve Guttenberg as the official race starters. Proceeds of the race will once again support the Palisades Optimist Club youth charities. Before the starting gun goes off, Miss Palisades Gilli Shir Messer will sing the national anthem. Messer had a featured role in PaliHi’s production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and is currently cast in ‘The Music Man’ at the Morgan Theatre in Santa Monica. Becoming as commonplace as the 5K/10K races is the Kids’ Fun Run, a half-mile race for children 12 and under, which starts at 9:15 a.m. The flat course begins on Alma Real and continues onto Ocampo, where runners will proceed south to Drummond, then head east on Drummond to Toyopa. The final leg has kids moving north on Toyopa to the disbanding area at the Rec Center. Those still wishing to join in one of the community’s proudest traditions can still register on Sunday at the Rec Center entrance from 6:30 to 8 a.m. at cost of $30. Cost for the Kids’ Fun Run is $15. Race Central will post times on its Web site after the race. For complete results, log onto the official Will Rogers Race site (www.pwr10k.com) one week after race day.