Wedding proposal, raindrops and running / Race the Reserve

She said yes.

Rain dampened the day but not the romantic mood during the eighth annual Race the Reserve, which wove through Central Whidbey Saturday, Aug. 10.

The event, however, was more than a backdrop for a wedding proposal. It is the primary fundraiser for the Coupeville High School Parents of the Class of 2020, and proceeds will go to providing a safe and sober graduation celebration for next year’s seniors.

Race the Reserve included a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and marathon relay. In all, 252 individual runners and four relay teams finished the course.

Oak Harbor’s Jacob Pearson was the only local runner to win one of the five races, taking the 5K in 19:39.

The top local runners in the other events were Rachel Rodriguez of Oak Harbor (marathon, 18th overall, 4:56:43), Andy Wyman of Oak Harbor (half marathon, second overall, 1:28:48), Jonathan McClellan of Oak Harbor (10K, sixth overall, 51:26.6) and Coupeville XC 1.1, which included members of the middle school cross country team — Jack Porter, George Speak, Ayden Wyman, Hank Milnes and Johnny Porter (marathon relay, second overall, 3:54:36).

AJ Osborne from Sammamish won the marathon (3:17:36), Ryan DeWaard of Lynden took the half marathon (1:28:05), Gregory Miller of Newcastle finished first in the 10K (41:34) and P. SNAP of Snohomish captured the marathon relay (3:41:11).

The leading females in each race were Katie Steffl of Seattle (marathon, seventh overall, 4:05:27), Jennifer Szczepaniak Sloane of Macclesfied, England (half marathon, 14th overall, 1:51:49.9), Rachelle Gorham, Hunnington Beach (10K, eighth overall, 54:47.4) and Sophia Morgan of Langley (5K, fifth overall, 23:21).

“(The) race was a tremendous success because of the support of our volunteers and sponsors,” Race Director Beth Dion said. “The weather was drippy but there was no wind and the temperatures were perfect for running — albeit we may have had a few wet supporters.

“The feedback we got was that the courses were well-supported and the scenery was beyond compare. Many have already committed to coming back next year.”

Dion lauded the work of DJ Bud Fox, “whose talents made it a real party,” and MaryAnn Engle, whose booth from Haggen Foods “nourished all of the runners post-race with water, bagels and cream cheese, peanut butter, string cheese, tangerines and more.”

Results

(Hometowns for some participants were not listed in the official results. Therefore, some of the leading local finishers may not be included below.)

Marathon, top five finishers: 1, AJ Osborne, Sammamish, 3:17:36.8; 2, Joseph Oxborrow, Kent, 3:25:21.5; 3, Aaron Kohen, Sherman Oaks, 3:37:42.8; 4, Keegun Zitkovich, Mount Vernon, 3:46:22; 5, Roni Kauri, Sammamish, 3:47:19.

Marathon, top five female finishers: 7, Katie Steffl, Seattle, 4:05:27; 10, Laura Pigion, Portland, 4:29:08; 12, Amy Grasse, Coronado, 4:41:13; 13, Candice Appleby, Langley, 4:44:12; 15, Marilyn Simmons, Freeland, 4:45:20.

Marathon, local finisher: 18, Rachel Rodrigeuz, Oak Harbor, 4:56:43.

Half marathon, top five finishers: 1, Ryan DeWaard, Lynden, 1:28:05; 2, Andy Wyman, Oak Harbor, 1:28:48; 3, Kurt Warwick, Clinton, 1:30:28; 4, Kevin McFeely, San Jose, 1:32:52; 5, Ryan Stueber, Maple Valley, 1:34.

Half marathon, top five females: 14, Jennifer Szczepaniak Sloane, Macclesfield, England, 1:51:49; 16, Kathryn Kramer, Anacortes, 1:54:35; 19, Cassandra Szeliga, Gilead, 1:56:28; 26, Bonnie Decker, Langley, 2:00:51; 27, Christina Jump, Coupeville, 2:02:26.

Half marathon, top 10 local finishers: 2, Andy Wyman, Oak Harbor, 1:28:48; 12, David Goodchild, Oak Harbor, 1:50:15; 15, Rj Rangel, Oak Harbor, 1:52:17; 22, Michael Linder, Coupeville, 1:58:50; 25, Paul Golden, Oak Harbor, 2:00:25; 27, Christina Jump, Coupeville, 2:02:35.5; 28, Brian Austin, Oak Harbor, 2:02:40; 41, Lark Gustafson, Coupeville, 2:13:32.1; 59, Neil Anthony, Coupeville, 2:35:16.4; 60, Lani Martinez, Oak Harbor, 2:36:02.

10K, top five finishers: 1, Gregory Miller, Newcastle, 41:34; 2, Jasper Hein, no hometown listed, 42:25; 3, Jakob White, no hometown listed, 49:28; 4, Robert Owens, Moses Lake, 50:19; 5, Gary Hawkes, Friday Harbor, 50:45.

10K, top five females: 8, Rachelle Gorham, Hunnington Beach, 54:47; 11, Ingrid Nishiyama, Bellingham, 57:09; 14, Lucy Sandahl, Coupeville, 1:01:21; 15, Alison Perera, Coupeville, 1:01:46; 18, Angela Graeff, Kent, 1:04:33.

10K, top 10 local finishers: 6, Jonathan McClellan, Oak Harbor, 51:26; 7, Todd Wentworth, Coupeville, 52:40; 14, Lucy Sandahl, Coupeville, 1:01:21; 15, Alison Perera, Coupeville, 1:01:46; 17, Ross Labrenz, Oak Harbor, 1:03:04; 19, Jessica Lyons, Oak Harbor, 1:04:50; 21, Sophie Sandahl, Coupeville, 1:05:07; 24, Brooke Stout, Oak Harbor, 1:05:53; 26, Tawnya Wavada, Oak Harbor, 1:09:59; 32, Rachel Gonzalez, Oak Harbor, 1:12:15.

5K, top five males: 1, Jacob Pearson, Oak Harbor, 19:39; 2, Nabil Kausal-Hayes, Seattle, 20:52; 3, William Nelson, Coupeville, 21:30; 4, Aidan Wilson, Coupeville, 22:37; 6, Danny Conlisk, Coupeville, 25:33.

5K, top five females: 5, Sophia Morgan, Langley, 23:31; 8, A. Boyer, no hometown listed, 26:32; 9, Jenna Spesard, no hometown listed, 26:43; 14, Blair Thomas, no hometown listed, 28:39; 19, Amber Austin, Portland, 29:20.

5K, top 10 local finishers: 1, Jacob Person, Oak Harbor, 19:39; 3, William Nelson, Coupeville, 21:30; 4, Aidan Wilson, Coupeville, 22:37; 6, Danny Conlisk, Coupeville, 25:33; 16, David Thuet, Oak Harbor, 28:53; 20, C. Wilson, Coupeville, 29:52; 23, Nikolai Lyngra, Oak Harbor, 31:06; 31, Susan Marchese, Coupeville, 32:48; 32, Michael Hess, Oak Harbor, 33:08; 34, Kenneth Conlisk, 33:24.

Marathon relay: 1, P. SNAP, Snohomish, 3:41:11; 2, Coupeville XC 1.1 (Jack Porter, George Speak, Ayden Wyman, Hank Milnes, Johnny Porter), 3:54:36; 3, The Things, Clinton, 4:06:10; 4, Coupeville XC 1.0 (Andrew Williams, Hayden Harry, Tate Wyman, Cole White, Chase Anderson, Aiden O’Neill), 4:17:35.8.