Cross Country
Goeduck Gallop
Sunday February 7th 2010
Entry Form Course Map
2010 Race Results
Race Report
February 7, 2010
OLYMPIA, Wash. - It's hard to catch a Geoduck, or at least that’s what two time Geoduck Gallop Half Marathon champion Jesse Stevick discovered this weekend in the fifth annual road race hosted by The Evergreen State College cross country teams. Evergreen’s own Brian Rakestraw (Sr., Woodinville, WA) came away with the overall win, finishing nearly a minute ahead of Stevick, and establishing a new course record with his excellent time of 1:09:46.69! Rakestraw's time also establshed a new school record in the event. His performance places him over four minutes below the automatic qualifying time for the marathon at the 2010 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held on May 27-29 in Marion, Indiana.
Jesse Stevick is himself an accomplished local runner, having won the Geoduck Gallop for the past two years, in addition to winning the Capital City Marathon for the past four years, and most recently finishing second overall in the Seattle Marathon. His time of 1:10:49.66 earned him a second place finish in this weekend's half marathon, nearly a minute faster than his own previous course record set last year.
In the women’s Half Marathon, Marlene Farrell won the race handily. Farrell finished over ten minutes faster than second place finisher despite a brief foray off-course. After regaining her bearings, Farrell ran to the finish in a time of 1:18:54.52, breaking the previous course record of 1:21:20 set by Susan Barth in 2007. Jenny Stevick took second place in the women’s Half Marathon, crossing the line in a time of 1:29:17.63. Stevick is married to men’s second place finisher Jesse Stevick.
The Evegreen Women had a good showing as well, with Sophomore Britta Peterson (Port Orchard, WA) earning an automatic qualifying mark in the marathon with her time of 1:31:41.55. Peterson will join Rakestraw in having qualified for the 2010 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Peterson was accompanied in the race by teammate Karissa Carlson, who due to her enrollment status was forced to run unattached. The two paced each other through most of the race until Carlson pulled ahead in the final miles of the race and finished just ahead, with a time of 1:30:59.18.
Rakestraw and Peterson join a list of six other athletes who have used the race a qualifying course for the NAIA Marathon, all from various teams in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. That list includes local standouts such as Kjerstein Brashers (Bailey) of Northwest University who finished 2nd in the NAIA Marathon in 2007, and Eric Jones of The Evergreen State College who finished 10th in the NAIA Marathon in 2009.
Nearly 185 runners finished in both the half marathon and 10k races this year, and more than 200 were registered. The massive turnout overwhelmed the race staff, and tripled the number of competitors who participated in the 2009 event.
Jessica Winter won the women's 10k in a time of 39:46, and Rich Brown grabbed a 2 minute win in the men’s 10k in a time of 33:18.
The race is a fund raiser for the Cross Country and Track & Field Teams at Evergreen and runners received a discount on their registration fee with food donations. The pick-up truck load of food will go to the Thurston County Food Bank, who has been the teams chosen charity the last three years. This year the event garnered the equivalent of nearly $500 worth of food donations, nearly doubling the totals from previous years.
Date
February 7, 2010
Time
Half Marathon & 10k start at 9:00 AM. Registration and packet pickup begins at 7:30 AM. Raceday registration will close at 8:45 AM.
Location
The Evergreen State College Campus. Registration and packet pickup in the Indoor Soccer Pavilion at the playfields. Directions. Parking is available in F Lot (Overhulse and Driftwood) or in the main parking lot (C-Lot) off the Evergreen Parkway.
Course
The course starts and finishes near the pavilion and takes runners onto the rural roads and bike paths surrounding the campus and follows wide shoulders the majority of the race. The course will be well marked (including mile markers), monitored at intersections and will have water stations. To reduce encounters with the minimal car traffic, there will be an out and back section in the last 4 miles of the course
Background
The original Geoduck Gallop was established in 1984, but only lasted through the following year. Formerly a pledge run/walk, in 2006 it was re-invented as a Half Marathon and a 10k road run/walk. The race was set up as a qualifying course for Evergreen Track and Field Team members wishing to run the standard for the NAIA National Championships Marathon and opened to the public.
Benefits
This year we are proud to announce that we will be joining with The Thurston County Food Bank in an effort to address the issue of hunger in our area. Participants donating a minimum of 4 cans of food* will recieve $5.00 off of their entry fee. Entry fee's will also contribute to the Evergreen Cross Country Team's fundraising efforts.
*Canned food donations such as canned fruit or meat items (tuna fish, spam, chicken) are especially appreciated.
Awards
10k & Half Marathon - Top 3 overall male and female.
Half Marathon - Top 3 overall male and female and top 3 in age group.
10k awards will be at 10:30 AM and 1/2 Marathon awards will start at 12:00 PM.
Half Marathon Age Groups - 0-15,16-19,20-24,25-29,30-39,40-44,45-49,50-54,55-59,60-64,65-69,70+
No age group awards for 10k.