Wellness and Adventure event adds economic boom in off-peak season
Sedona AZ (February 5, 2020) – On a perfect Sedona day, registrants from 48 states, and 10 countries raced through Sedona’s beautiful red rock country in the 15th Annual
RunSedona event. Results are posted at www.runsedona.com. The top three male and female finishers have been recognized below.
The 2020 half marathon was the largest race with 1,380 registrants!
In the Half Marathon Men’s Division, Mike Popejoy from Flagstaff , AZ won with a time of 1:12:31. In second place was Rodell Williams from Chinle, AZ with a time of 1:17:32, and rounding out the podium was third place finisher, Luis Romero finishing with a time of 1:18:03.
In the Half Marathon Women’s Division, Khia Kurtenbach from New York, NY won with a time of 1:27:07. Just two minutes back, Minnie Horvath from Chicago, IL earned second place with a time of 1:29:13, followed by third place finisher Cori Kovac from Chandler, AZ with a time of 1:34:13.
Close to 800 runners/walkers participated in the 10K.
In the 10K Men’s Division, Ricardo Conteras from Milwaukee, WI won with a time of 36:56, followed by Chris Carter from Phoenix, AZ with a time of 37:36. In third place was Mark Loeffler from Flagstaff, AZ with a time of 38:27.
In the 10K Women’s Division the top two finishers crossed the finish line within 7 seconds of each other! Gwen Talaski won with a time of 46:41 with Amy Elliot from Flagstaff, AZ on her heels with a time of 46:21. In third place was Dawn Greenwalt from Flagstaff, AZ with a time of 46:50.
Over 750 athletes competed in the 5K.
In the 5K Men’s Division, Grandon Smith from Newtown, CT scored the win with a time of 18:12, 13-year-old Cole Troxler captured second with a time of 18:48, followed by Tim Miller of Cottonwood, AZ with a time of 19:37.
In the 5K Women’s Division, a 12-year-old blazed to the win, and a repeat of her 5K win the 2019 race! Haley Johnson, age 12 from Bellemont went 22:33. In second place from Clovis, CA was Carla Bustos who went a time of 23:16. In third place with a time of 23:53 was Cori Fritzler from Guthrie, OK.
Congratulations to the almost 3000 runners and walkers who participated in the RunSedona Events Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. Registrants came from all over the world including 31 registrants from Canada and 15 from Japan.
Exciting new features to the RunSedona event included increased participant safety with a full road closure at Dry Creek Road. RunSedona Events 5K/10K/Half is also certified as a Zero Waste event, meaning 90% waste diversion from landfills. Banana peels and other food items were diverted to Sedona Compost waste bins rather than the landfill. With WaterMonster at the Start/Finish line, registrants had access to fresh water without wasting single-use plastic bottles.
The 15th Annual RunSedona event was directed and produced by BlueWolf Events LLC and is owned by the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau.
The 16th Annual RunSedona event will be held on February 6, 2021. Online registration will open on June 1, 2020 at www.runsedona.com, so take advantage of early bird pricing.