Evergreen Runners "Gallop" to two Marathon AQ's
February 8, 2010
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Its hard to catch a Geoduck, or at least that’s what two time Geoduck Gallop Half Marathon champion Jesse Stevick discovered this last weekend in the fifth annual road race hosted by The Evergreen State College cross country teams. Evergreen’s own Brian Rakestraw came away with the overall win, finishing nearly a minute ahead of Stevick, and establishing a new course record as well as a new school record with his excellent time of 1:09:46.69! His mark 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.
The Evergreen Women had a good showing as well, with Sophomore Britta Peterson 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 joined in her effort by teammate Karissa Carlson, who ran 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.
The Geoduck Gallop Half Marathon and 10k is a fund raiser for the Cross Country and Track & Field Teams at Evergreen. Runners who participated received a discount on their registration fee with food donations. Nearly 200 people registered for the event, which almost triples the attendance from years prior. The pick-up truck load of food that was collected will go to the Thurston County Food Bank, who has been the team’s chosen charity the last three years. This year the event garnered the equivalent of nearly $600 worth of food donations.
Evergreen will compete next in the Pacific Lutheran University Invitational in Parkland, WA on March 13, 2010.