Hey everyone welcome back to another monthly installment of the Race Recap this time for the month of September 2025! We enjoyed tons of great racing from road racing to the USATF Pacific Association Cross Country season well under way. As always lets take a moment to not only enjoy our own achievements but recognize and celebrate the achievements of members across the club. 

As always if there is a race or effort I missed you would like included please let me know and we can add it in.

Thank you and enjoy!

-Zeb

Aloha Run 5K

Liza Medina ran the 5K in a time of 28:06 earning 3rd place in her age group (60-64), well done Liza way to represent in sunny San Diego!

Davis Labor Day 5K

Mike Tiska completed the 5K race in a time of 23:53, well done Mike breaking the 24 Minute barrier; your fitness is growing!

Cancer Champions Walk-Run-Roll 5K/10K

Vianey Ortiz completed the 10K in a time of 56:35 earning 2nd place in her age division (40-49); well done Vianey way to go!

David Ortiz ran the 5K to a time of 41:33; well done David getting the road race done!

Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz 

Lean Castle completed the half ironman distance in a total time of 6:43:49 with a 45 minute 1.2 mile swim, 3:11:09 on the 56 mile bike ride, and a 2:34:05 13.1 mile run. Well done, Leann your abilities in endurance are unparalleled!

Gold country 5K

Angelica Cross earned 2nd in her age group (F40-59) with a time of 48:03; way to go Angelica!

Kunhuor Hak was right there with Angelica running a time of 48:04; another strong race Kunhuor keep it up!

Garin Park XC Challenge

Race timing data for this race was lost so I will list the placings instead. Great job guys showing up and representing the club strong!

Since Cross Country is a team sport in addition to being an individual sport I will include a recap of the team scoring after every race.

The men’s 50+ team composed of John Gibson, Ruben Rodriguez, Mike Tiska, and Andy Harris (scored down as a 50 year old) placed 5th out of 7 teams earning 9 points; way to go guys on a tough course!

The men’s 60+ team composed of Ben Mundy, Gil Machado, Shane Curren, and Ron Souza placed 7th out of 7 teams but still bagged 6 points for the club; great job guys!

If any club member is interested in running cross country please reach out to any board member or club member who runs XC. There is a whole series with championship style scoring which adds an additional layer of tension and suspense to the entire season!

John Gibson ran hard to secure 51st place overall; well done John!

Ruben Rodriguez was not far behind running a strong race to finish 56th place overall; excellent effort Ruben! 

Ben Mundy enjoying a strong string of performances finished 76th place overall; great job Ben!

Mike Tiska pushed himself to the absolute limit to earn 83rd Place; excellent work Mike!

Gilbert Machado used all of his skill and experience to secure 98th place; well done Gil!

Shane Curren completed the course to earn 100th place; looking strong as ever Shane!

Andy Harris looking strong in the headband finished in 102nd place; another race in the books for the veteran racer!

Ron Souza rounded out the Rebel effort to finish 104th place; way to get it done Ron despite the difficulties. 

Buffalo Stampede 4 & 10 Miler

Mariano Meza running his longest race up to this point completed the 10 miler in a time of 1:53:34; way to push yourself Mariano you now a seasoned racer for sure!

Richard King completed the 10 miler in a time of 1:39:50; great job Rich getting under the 100 minute mark; well done!

Suzie Oyoung completed the 10 mile course in a time of 1:50:32 way to show up and represent the club with style as always Suzie!

Steve Bond completed the 4 mile race in a time of 34:53 earning 1st place in his age group (M65-69)in the process too ; another solid effort by a long time member; great job Steve!

Here is what Mr.Bond had to say about his race:

“Finally recovered from my quad strain in early August when I lost my footing on a turn in Land Park and went down hard on the pavement, damaging my right knee, hip, elbow and shoulder. Three hours at urgent care gave me the reassurance that, as they reported, I had “no new fractures.” Key word being NEW. Takes a while to get the confidence back after a painful fall and I took it cautiously at the Buffalo Stampede 4 mile, averaging 8:35 pace and winning the 65-69 age group by 4 minutes.”

Steve Swindell completed the 10 mile course in a time of 1:59:12 sneaking under two hours; another great effort Steve!

Berlin Marathon

Udochi Mbonu ran the marathon major to a time of 4:37:39 running consistent splits all throughout to earn a 30 second PR in the marathon! Great job Udochi your running is growing with every month. Here is what she had to say about her race:

“This training block didn’t ( wait i just saw harry styles lol) really feel like a training block. And maybe because this is my second one around and I no longer had the excitement of doing so many “1st” . Just felt like I was running so much and not feeling well at all. Most of my runs did not go as well as I wanted. I’ve been in a weird mood and my body has been hurting so much. Also combined with the travel to Portland 🤮 I was just all over the place. The last few weeks are fun bc you get to that end point of the block where you are running less mileage and your body actually starts to work lol and you might even trick yourself into signing up for another one! Ha! Anyways I loved taper and I went into this marathon with no plans just to have fun and try my best to do it alone! And that’s exactly what I did! I high fived every kid I saw and took as many pictures that I could! And boy was it HOT! But I was hydrated and made sure to stay hydrated so it wasn’t anything crazy! And thankfully by the second half things started to cool down! So it was everything I could have dreamed of! The crowds were mid compared to nyc! Like so mid, but I learned so much and trusted myself! Listened to my body and felt consistent the whole way through. It was only a 30 second pr, but one I’ll cherish forever! Plus all the police officers in berlin were so nice to stare at during the race lol! Now I will be doing nothing but eating and spending money that I don’t have :)”

Rebels Cross Country Challenge 6K

The club’s very own USA Track and FIeld certified Cross Country race is part of the USATF Pacific Association’s Cross Country Championship, a race which has been put on for well over a decade now bringing competitive runners in from all over Northern California. Another super successful event with many amazing efforts by members of the club. We look forward to even greater participation and even more fun next year!

Since Cross Country is a team sport in addition to being an individual sport I will include a recap of the team scoring after every race.

The male 60+ team made up of Ruben Rodriguez, Howard Iseri, Shane Curren, Ben Mundy and Andy Harris came in 3rd out of 5 teams; great job guys racing hard and scoring well for the club; excellent work!

The male 70+ team made up of Ron Souza, Mike Buzbee, and Gil Machado came in fourth out of four teams but still secured 10.5 points in the championship; great job guys!

If any club member is interested in running cross country please reach out to any board member or club member who runs XC. There is a whole series with championship style scoring which adds an additional layer of tension and suspense to the entire season!

I would also like to give a massive shoutout to all of our volunteers but I want to give special recognition to Gil Inouye and Souzie Oyoung for going above and beyond with their duties by helping with the course setup. Thanks again!

Mariano Meza ran his first cross country race to a time of 39:38; well done and congrats and welcome to XC racing!

Ron Souza completed the course in 36:47; way to keep moving in your 70s Ron!

Michael Trotta ran his first XC race for the club in a time of 37:39; congrats and welcome to XC!

John Gibson completed the course in a time of 26:20 scoring well for the 50+ in the process; well done John!

Mike Buzbee ran the race in a time of 33:34; way to show up for the club Mike!

Howard Iseri ran a strong race to finish in a time of 28:37! Way to go Howard!

Lucas Sanchez completed the XC course in an excellent time of 25:53; averaging 6:53 per mile! Well done Lucas, your training is paying off!

Jessica Rong ran the 6K course in a time of 29:57 averaging 8 minutes per mile pace on a challenging course; well done Jessica you are having an amazing summer of running!

Courtney Eldridge was right there with Jessica completing the course in a time of 30:14; another club member who is having an amazing summer coming off the back of a great personal record in the Santa Rosa marathon; keep going Courtney!

Mimi Macias was out there supporting the club by running our race to a time of 43:26! Great job Mimi we look forward to many excellent race performances in the future.

Emily Huang ran an excellent race to a time of 34:40 averaging 9:17 per mile pace; way to perform on the day Emily!

Megan Rodriguez completed the course in a time of 36:52; way to go Megan always proudly representing the club; way to go!

Andy Harris club founder and former president ran the masters race in a time of 35:37! Well done Andy; you are putting together a strong XC season this year!

Ben Mundy current club President ran a strong race to finish in a time of 30:40! Ben your consistent training this summer is paying dividends with your performance at the XC; enjoy!

Gil Machado another long time club member and all around strong runner ran the 6K in a time of 34:05; well done Gil another great race in the books!

Vainey Ortiz ran a strong race finishing in a time of 36:43; amazing work Vainey!

Lynn Marshall raced hard to complete the course in a time of 37:38; well done Lynn!

Mai Nakamoto completed the Rebel XC challenge in a time of 43:19; great job Mai!

Shane Curren demolished the course to run a time of 30:26; great job Shane you are also having a standout summer!

Ruben Rodriguez ushered in his 60th birthday the day before by putting in a fantastic effort to run the 6K course in 26:24 at 7:04 minutes per mile pace! 

Zero Prostate Cancer Run 2025

Lucas Sanchez won the entire race with a time of 17:49 for the 2.5 mile course; well done Lucas for a fantastic cause!

Urban Cow 5K and Half Marathon

Another of the marquee races in Sacramento along with CIM and Shamrock’n this race featured over 5000 participants in the half marathon and the Rebels made up the numbers by showing up on both days with gusto!

Liza Medina displayed some true grit and determination to finish the race despite struggling throughout; great job Liza you are an inspiration to us all!

David Herman completed the half marathon in a time of 2:16:39; great job David we are excited to watch you grow into your running!

Jessica Rong earned a PR in the half marathon continuing on her amazing from this summer with a time of 1:43:07! Great job Jessica we are all so proud of your progress!

Traci Seto ran an amazing race to finish the half marathon in 1:46:38; great job Traci!

Mariano Meza completed the half marathon in a time of 2:38:25; while also completing a fantastic photo bomb jump at the end; excellent work on both counts Mariano!

David White completed the Half Marathon in a time of 1:46:39 earning 2nd place in his age group (M65-69)! Congrats David way to smash the race!

Steve Bond ran the 5K in a time of 25:37 earning 2nd place in his age group (M65-69); great job Steve representing strong at every race!

Here is what Steve had to say about his Urban Cow 5K effort:

“Two weeks later (after the Buffalo Stampede), still cautious and not at all happy when racers cut me off, not even looking before changing direction, I averaged 8:11 pace at the Urban Cow 5K for second in the 65-69 age group. An 8 year old girl beat me by 3 seconds! Girl Power! If only there was a way to assure never falling again!”

Michael Trotta ran the half marathon in a time of 2:26:31; great job Michael you are unstoppable! 

Michelle Carrasco ran the 5K on Saturday to a time of 33:20!

The next day she finished the half marathon in a time of 2:16:23; way to go Michelle you are consistent in your training and your racing! Congrats on completing the double udder challenge and looking great in both the black and white rebel race shirts!

Mike Tiska ran the 5K to a time of 24:02 earning 3rd place in his age group (50-54) great job Mike always bringing the fire!

Mike Buzbee finished the 5K in a time of 24:39 earning a 2nd place age group (M70-74) finish! Well done Mike!

Vaniey Ortiz completed the half marathon in a time of 2:12:56; well done Vainey!

David Ortiz completed the half marathon in a time of 3:05:40 well done David getting out there and getting it done!

Richard King running for Ainsley’s Angels completed the Half-Marathon in a time of 2:43:36! Way to get it done for a great cause Rich; congrats!

Gil Inouye ran the 5K in a time of 33:22!

 He also completed the half marathon in a time of 2:16:50 pacing David Herman at first and finishing with Michelle Carrasco at the end; another stellar effort Gil! Congrats on completing the double udder challenge (running both the 5K and the Half-Marathon)!

Courtney Eldridge first ran the 5K on Saturday with her sister to a time of 31:16. Here is what Courtney to say about the 5K:

“Pacing my baby sis for her first race in 10+ years! She CRUSHED it. I made sure to be as annoying as possible so she was motivated to move fast.

Legitimately so much fun and I am so proud of her 🥲

Also a milestone for me, first ever race weekend where I’m just having fun with it.”

The next day Courtney ran the Half Marathon with Zach Gonzalez to a time of 2:14:44. Here is what she had to say about the Half Marathon:

“But make it PARTY PACE ft. Zach Gonzalez

First HM race ever where I just had fun with it. Chest cold took me out this week, combined with ongoing hip pain made a PR weekend well outside my reach. Had an incredible time though!”

Great job Courtney completing the double Udder Challenge (running the both 5K and the Half Marathon)!

Zach Gonzalez completed the half marathon in a time of 2:44:44 with Courtney. Here is what he had to say about his race:

“After a busy homecoming week and month of prep I knew I’d just take this one easy. Had fun just chilling on the course and enjoying the time. Courtney Eldridge also took it easy so didn’t feel the pressure to beat her this time! It was my first time back at Urban Cow in the last few years, and it was great!”

Well done Zach another excellent race in the books!

Sherry Kirton set a PR in the Half-Marathon with a time of 2:55:49, made all the more remarkable given the back story:

“Urban Cow half marathon for Team World Vision’s Clean Water Wells project

Ambitious goal: 2:45-2:50.
Forgot my water bottle at home. After panicking- pulled my ancient spare bottle & Capt. Jill filled it with cold water; I swallowed some electrolyte capsules. Then nerves sent me to the porta & heard my corral start without me. After cleaning up and getting to the start line with no one around me I raced to catch my pacer—never saw him/her, but met Linda and two others along the way.
Got a huge boost when a text notification said I had a new donation! Sally Majestic

Two weeks left to fundraise for underdeveloped communities worldwide giving them clean water: health, education, life.”

Congratulations Sherry both on your race and your cause!

Suzie Oyoung ran the 5K in a time of 35:02 even getting the race done with some hops in the middle; Suzie you are very athletic!

The next day Suzie ran the Half-Marathon to a time of 2:22:51! Congrats Suzie on completing the double udder challenge way to stay mooving! 

Ron Souza completed the 5K in a time of 24:34 earning 1st place in his age group (M70-74)! Well done Ron!

Ruben Rodriguez ran an excellent Half-Marathon finishing in 1:42:23 and as always taking fantastic photographs of friends and club members alike; congrats Ruben!