Eighth Annual One Mile Bang – Sunday, June 24, 2018
The One Mile Bang entered its 8th year with lots of excitement and a second year of being part of the USA Track and Field / Pacific Association (PA/USATF) Grand Prix. There were two new overall champions this year, and lots of very competitive races. The Family Fun Run had kids, parents, and others, too, from the community join together to enjoy the day’s events. Weather was perfect – sunny and 70 degrees, and the course stretching along Lake Vasona made for a very scenic backdrop.
Starting off the day’s races was the traditional Family Fun Run. Nearly half of the field of 40 runners were children 18 and under – great to see more youth getting involved! Speaking of youth, the overall Female winner, and top female Los Gatos resident was 14 year old Elvira Lundberg, who ran 6:14. The top Male runner in the Family Run was Kyle Berman, 20, San Francisco, at 4:56. The youngest competitor was Finley Hood, 4 years old, San Jose, who ran 10:24!
Before the start of the Family Run, race director Scott Bang’s Dad, Terry Bang from Oregon, brother Mike Bang from Minnesota, and daughter Paloma all sang the National anthem together – three generations of Bangs – they “fired” the day off with a bang! – in true family fun style. In addition, the local Boy Scouts led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Following the Family Run was the start of the PA Grand Prix competition, beginning with the Men’s 50+ race. Taking first in the race was Barry Phelps, 51, Santa Clara, running wire-to-wire with a time of 4:43.0. Taking 2nd was Anthony McGrath, 51, San Francisco, 4:55.6, and 3rd place was Michael Axinn, 58, Berkeley, 4:57.0. Doug Steedman, 63, San Francisco, defended his Men’s 60+ title from last year, taking first in 5:04.5. Although he ran in the Open Men’s race, Tom Legan, 51, Gilroy, ran 4:24.8, and thus set a new Men’s 50+, course record, smashing the previous record of 4:50.4! Len Goldman, 73, Oakland, took 1st in the Men’s 70+ running 6:01.2, and Thomas Guldman, 85, Larkspur, won the Men’s 80+ in 8:36.8.
Next up was the Women’s 40+ race. It was quite a battle, as Claire Saxton, 40, Santa Clara, Jennifer Bayliss, 47, San Ramon, Lisa Renteria, 40, San Jose, and Nancy Thomas, 48, San Francisco, all were in the lead pack at the first ¼-mile. Eventually, Bayliss pulled away for the win in 5:10.0, followed in 2nd at 5:12.6 by Renteria, who is the coach of the local running club, the Wolfpack. Saxton took 3rd in 5:14.0. In the same race, Midori Sperandeo set a new Womens’ 50+ course record in 5:23.8. Maria Briones won the 60+ in 6:32.3, Diane Anderson won the 70+ age group for the second year in a row at 8:18.5.
The race of the day, however, likely belonged to Eve Pell, 81, Mill Valley. She not only won the 80+ division, and set a new 80+ course record, but also, according to PAUSATF officials, she ran the fastest Mile in the world over the past two years for her age group! Because of the net drop in the race’s elevation, it is not eligible for a record, but it is still an amazing achievement – congratulations Eve!
In the Men’s 40-49 race, Jaime Heilpern, 48, San Francisco took first in 4:28.1, followed in 2nd by Jason Lee, 42, San Francisco, 4:42.0, and in 3rd place was Lee Klarich, 43, Los Gatos, 4:44.6.
In the Women’s PA Open race, a new champion was crowned, Tori Tsolis, 25, Redwood City, with a winning time of 4:46.9. She was joined by two other women who broke 4:50, as Tsolis was followed closely by Katherine Jamboretz, 25, 4:48.5 and Phoebe Novello, 24, Sacramento, 4:49.5.
In the last race of the day, the Men’s PA Open division, Darius Terry, 27, San Jose, last year’s champion and course record holder, returned to defend his title. He was pushed by a strong field, which included Connor Clark, 23, Mill Valley, who had recently won the Hoka One Mile down in Santa Barbara, and came in with a 3:45 1500 PR. He along with 4 others battled Terry in the lead pack. Nearing the last ¼-Mile, with the downhill finish to carry him, Clark surged with a strong kick, and pulled away for the win at 4:10.3. Terry took 2nd in 4:14.8. There was a tough fight for the third spot, as the next four runners all finished within one second of each other. Ultimately, third place was grabbed by Jarrett Moore, 25, Redwood City, 4:16.8. This exciting and tightly contested race was a fitting way to finish off the day’s group of races.
With a record 226 runners participating, including competitive races and fast times in the PA divisions, along with an injection of youth to fuel the fun family atmosphere, The One Mile Bang 2018 was a big success. We thank you for being a part of this year’s event as we continue to strive for a better community by promoting running at all ages and abilities, and supporting City Team Ministries of San Jose. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
Sincerely,
-Scott Bang
Race Director, One Mile Bang 2018