Carlton, Oregon – Runners from Oregon and 41 states joined for the 7th annual celebration of running and wine through the Willamette Valley at the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, presented by Destination Races. Despite a rare summer heat wave across most of Oregon, early morning temperatures were ideal for a strong elite field, and the result was both course records being broken. Dan Kremske, 27, of Eugene, finished in a blistering 1:06:17, shaving nine seconds off his own course record set in 2014. Meanwhile, 2016 USATF Half Marathon Champion Tara Erdmann Welling, 27, of Portland, scorched the women’s record by over three minutes, finishing with a time of 1:15:42.
Daniel Herrera, 23, of Portland finished 2nd with a time of 1:08:13 while Craig Hopkins, 28, of Vancouver, WA, placed 3rd with a time of 1:09:05. For the women, Allison Morgan, 33, of Bend, OR, finished second with a time of 1:18:35 while Sarah Pease, 28 of Elizabeth, IN, finished in third with a time of 1:18:43. Kremske and Welling both received $900 checks, a Fortessa plate trophy and a 3 liter bottle of Pinot Noir from Ken Wright Cellars. Jodi Stilp and Mike Davies won the masters divisions.
“I felt good out there and was very pleased with my performance”, said Welling, who was running her first Wine Country Half Marathon with Destination Races after recently competing in the Olympic 5K and 10K trials. “What a wonderful, beautiful and challenging course. I look forward to taking part in more wine country events.”
Located about an hour from the active metropolis of Portland, the race starts at Stoller Family Estate, nestled amongst the vineyard-lined hills of Dundee. After an inspiring sunrise over Mt. Hood, runners take off on a 13.1 mile journey past orchards, vineyards, and farms before finishing in the small town of Carlton, where everyone is treated to a celebratory post-race Wine & Music Festival, featuring music, local foods and wine tasting.
“This event typifies how small communities can really get behind an event like this and reap immense benefits”, said winemaker Ken Wright, whose team defended its championship in the team competition. “Seven years ago we had empty store fronts here on Main St. and our school was in jeopardy of losing its athletic programs. But thanks to a strong commitment from our community we’ve rallied in support of the event, and in turn we receive key funding and exposure which has helped put Carlton and Yamhill on the map”, added Wright.
Destination Races, based in Sonoma, California, is the pioneer producer of the Wine Country Half Marathon Series. Founded in 2004, the Wine Country Half
Marathon Series consists of eight races across prestigious wine regions in North America. The Oregon event was created in 2010 with assistance from the Oregon Sports Authority, Ken Wright Cellars, Willamette Valley Wineries Association and Yamhill Carlton Together Cares.
TOP OVERALL Male Finishers:
- Dan Kremske 1:06:17* Age 27 Eugene, OR
- Daniel Herrera 1:08:13 Age 23 Portland, OR
- Paul Balmer 1:09:05 Age 28 Vancouver, WA
- Vince Hamilton 1:10:26 Age 23 Spokane, WA
- Paul Rottich ` 1:11:27 Age 30 Beaverton, OR
TOP OVERALL Female Finishers:
- Tara Welling 1:15:42* Age 27 Portland, OR
- Allison Morgan 1:18:35 Age 33 Bend, OR
- Sarah Pease 1:18:43 Age 28 Elizabeth, IN
- Lyndy Davis 1:18:53 Age 26 Portland, OR
- Christina Overbeck Crawford 1:22:17 Age 30 Portland, OR
For complete race results of the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon http://ift.tt/2bzDI7B
For more information on the event and Destination Races
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Twitter @winecountryhalf
Instagram @destinationraces
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