Nicholas Spector, 23, of Sonoma, Calif., was in control from the gun in both stages of the Golden Gate 8K Double Adventure Run, Sun., Aug. 2, in San Francisco, Calif., as he won the race in 25:47 (16:15 5K/9:32 3K).
Thus the grad student at Chico State University in Chico, Calif., won his third consecutive Double 8K to improve his record in Double Racing to a perfect three for three!
He will run the Double 15K in San Jose on Aug. 22, which will be his first outing at that distance.
Spector won his first Double 8K on the roads in Pleasanton, Calif., last December, setting a new world best for the distance of 24:32 (16:02/8:30). And just six weeks ago, on June 21, he won the San Francisco 8K Double Adventure Run in beautiful Land’s End Park in San Francisco – the first Double Adventure Run ever held in the U.S. (an Adventure Run is a euphemism for a Double run on trails, cross-country terrain, beaches, etc., as opposed to a Double run on paved roads). At Land’s End Park, on a hillier, tougher course than competitors ran on Sunday, almost in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, Spector ran 28:17 (17:57/10:20). Running on the easier course Sunday, Spector posted the best time ever run in an 8K Double Adventure Run, which means he’s now run three Doubles, won each one and set a world best each time out! As they say, things happen in three’s.
On Sunday, running loop courses that took competitors from historic Crissy Field near the Presidio towards the Golden Gate Bridge and back, Spector once again outran Osamu Tada, the 34-year-old Double veteran from Sacramento, Calif., who was also the runner-up in the Land’s End race. Tada, participating in his 12th Double, ran the 5K in 16:37 and the 3K in 9:40 on Sunday to finish second on combined time – 26:17.
Ray Avalos, 31, of San Jose, Calif., was third in 28:51 (18:16/10:35).
In the women’s race, Michelle Meyer made her return to Double Racing a winning one as she ran the 5K in 18:47 and the 3K in 11:13 for an aggregate time of 30 minutes even, best among the women. This also placed her fifth overall in the race.
Meyer, who's now 28, had finished second in the women’s race at the inaugural Double 15K in Pleasanton, Calif., Dec. 23, 2012, but she hadn’t raced any Doubles for more than three years due to her studies at San Francisco State University Medical School. This was her first victory in a Double.
Bre Avalos, 21, of San Jose, Calif., was the second female finisher on Sunday with an aggregate time of 31:09 (19:39/11:30), Cynthia Salazar, 24, of San Francisco was third in 31:22 (19:50/11:32), and Rosa Gutierrez, 51, of San Jose, always at or near the top among the women in each Double she’s run, finished fourth in 31:50 (19:52/11:58). It was her first Double Adventure Run.
Interestingly enough, four women placed in the top 11 overall in the race on Sunday! As mentioned, Michelle Meyer was fifth overall, but Bre Avalos finished eighth overall, Cynthia Salazar was 10th and Rosa Gutierrez 11th.
The race was run under cool, perfect-for-running conditions in a beautiful setting and all the competitors seemed to thoroughly enjoy it as Double Racing continues to make inroads into off-road locations. Most Doubles, however, are still true road races run on pavement.
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