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Former high school rivals dual to finish in Manhattan Hometown 10K
by Steve Travers
Former Redondo
Union High School runner Rogelio Flores, 26, defeated his old Mira Costa High
School rival and current training partner Matt Harris, 24, to capture the 23rd
Manhattan Beach Hometown 10K Race on Saturday.
"Matt and I were rivals when I was at Redondo High and he was at Mira Costa. He beat me back then in the league championships, so it's nice to get a little payback," said a breathless, sweat-soaked Flores following the race.
Flores' time of 31:56 was 20 seconds slower than his second place time last year. Harris, who won the race two years ago, and came in third last year, finished in 32:25.
Jeff Atkinson, another former Hometown race winner and a 1988 Olympian, finished third in 32:55. Atkinson attributed the relatively slow times to an early morning onshore wind.
But the wind didn't bother Nathalie Higley of Hermosa. She bettered her winning pace of last year by over a minute to capture first place in the women's division with a time of 35:58. Melanie Ellis, 36, of Los Angeles was second with a time of 37:38. Annie Seawright, 35, of Hermosa was third in 38:00.
"I'm getting ready for the Long Beach Marathon on Nov. 12," said Flores, who coached San Pedro High's long-distance city champion, Valerie Flores (no relation). "I train with Matt. We go on long runs...The Long Beach Marathon's pretty flat - from the Queen Mary to Cal State Long Beach.
"I was in the lead most of the way. I wasn't pressing at all. I like downhills. I'm used to training here, I run on The Strand all the time," said Flores, who also ran at El Camino College.
Cool weather, high humidity and runners putting out 110 percent effort kept the medical team, led by Centinela Medical Center's Dr. John Herschfelder, busy throughout the morning.
"I just got tired at the end," said 83-year-old David Miller, one of over a dozen runners who started wandering in circles after crossing the finish line. Race director Russ Lesser straightened Miller out and led him to the medical area.
Of the entries, 1,999, or 5.5 percent of Manhattan's population, were Manhattan residents. Hermosa and Redondo each sent approximately 500 runners to the race.
The 4,218 official entries were the largest number in the race's history.
Proceeds from the race are donated to city and school programs. Over the past two decades more than $250,000 has been donated to programs such as the climbing wall in Manhattan Heights Park, the Mira Costa track program, the exercise facilities at Manhattan Beach Middle School and to college scholarships. ER