by Mark Winitz NAPA, Calif. (March 4, 2012 ) On a calm bright morning, almost  ideal for marathon running, Chris Mocko, 25, of San Francisco, Calif., and  Devon Crosby-Helms, 29, also of San Francisco, emerged as victors at  today’s 34th Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon. Mocko  successfully defended his men’s title from last year. Crosby-Helms  scored her second win at the Napa Valley Marathon (NVM). She also won the  race in 2007. A sell-out crowd of 2,500 marathon entrants raced  through the scenic Napa Valley wine-growing region as colorful air  balloons hovered overhead and mid-day temperature reached the middle  70s.

Photo: Devon Crosby-Helms set a new course record.

Mocko broke the finish line tape at Napa’s Vintage High School in 2 hours,  24 minutes, and 38 seconds, an improvement of 2 minutes and 24 seconds  over his 2011 winning time. Crosby-Helms ascended the winner’s podium  after recording a new women’s course record of 2:39:37 just seven weeks  after competing in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston where  she placed 36th among women. The previous women’s course record of 2:39:43  at NVM was set by Diana Fitzpatrick in 1992.

The temperature at the 7:00 a.m. start was 39 degrees as Crosby-Helms took  an immediate lead in the women’s contest and never looked back. It was  a satisfying effort for a woman who has built a running reputation on  strong ultramarathons at distances from 50 kilometers to 100 miles. Crosby-Helms  is now using marathons to set herself up for breakthrough  performances at two challenging ultras in South Africa: the Two Oceans  Marathon (56 kilometers/34.8 miles) on April 7 and the Comrades Marathon  (56 miles) on June 3.

Photo: Chris Mocko was the overall winner.

“It’s pretty cool because I’ve never set a course record in a major  marathon before. In ultras it’s less of a big deal,” said Crosby-Helms who  ran the fastest 100K time by a U.S. female in 2011 (7:46:34), and the  11th fastest ever, while recording a course record at the U.S. 100K  Championship in Wisconsin. “But the women’s course record at the Napa  Valley Marathon has stood for [20 years]. I had that in mind from the  start. When I was on 6-minute (per mile) pace, I felt like I had to  go for it.

“I’m trying to learn how to race on the roads. Ultras are very different.  It’s, like, how comfortable can you be? In marathons, however, you try to  get in that place where it hurts a little bit. So, I’ve been focusing  on high-quality training sessions.”

Tammy Lifka (Glenn Ellyn, Ill.), age 41, finished in second place behind  Crosby-Helms in 2:56:33 and won the women’s masters (age 40 and over)  title. Kristin Walstad (Alta, Calif.) was third in 2:58:14.

Among the men, Mocko and John Van Metre (San Jose, Calif.) broke away  early and proceeded together over the rolling 26.2-mile, point-to-point  marathon course that is certified (for distance) by USA Track &  Field. The pair occasionally chatted as they went through the 13.1-mile  halfway point in 1:11:36.

“We were out there trying to run similar times, so it made sense for us to  run together,” Mocko said. There were moments when [Van Metre] was  really pushing me. I hadn’t intended to run that hard so early, but I  knew I had to stick with him because we were out there running as a team.”

At 14 miles, Mocko gained a slight lead as Van Metre slowed in an  unsuccessful attempt to collect his fluid bottle at an aid station. Mocko  let Van Metre catch up and shared his water with him before surging and  pulling away for good at 14.5 miles.

“[Mocko] was a real gentleman,” said Van Metre who placed second in  2:25:57. “I like running on hills, and I train on them a lot, so the  rolling hills on this course were great for me. I even had a little kick  at the end.”

Robert Wiley (Gurnee, Ill.) finished third in 2:28:00, as he ran the  entire distance unaccompanied behind the two leaders.

The leaders took it out a little stronger than I wanted to run, so I  decided to run my own race and try to pick them off,” Wiley said. “But, it  warmed up out there, and I didn’t want to get in over my head. But the  course is beautiful, there’s great competition, and I can’t complain.”

Ultimately, Mocko’s familiarity of the course, and his hard training on  the hills of San Francisco, gave him the edge for victory.

“I think I’m more race savvy and conditioned for the longer distances  now,” said Mocko who has five marathons under his belt. “I haven’t been  doing a lot of speed work, but I’ve been doing a lot of 25- to 27-mile  long runs, and it certainly paid off today.”

Victor Ballesteros (San Rafael, Calif.), age 41, placed fifth overall and  took home the men’s masters (age 40 and over) crown in 2:37:51. Steve  Radigan (60, Fremont, Calif.) preserved his streak of 34 consecutive NVM’s  by finishing in 3:59:10.

The marathon race once again served as the Road Runners Club of America’s  Western Regional Marathon Championship. Known as “the Biggest  Little Marathon in the West,” the race rewards male and female open  and masters winners with oversized bottles of wine etched with their  championship accomplishments. The male and female winners of the race  also receive their “weight-in-wine” from the sponsoring Silverado Trail  Wineries Association.

“It was a beautiful day in Napa Valley and we’re very pleased to be  affiliated with Kaiser Permanente,” said David Hill, who co-directs NVM  with Rich Benyo. “We couldn’t ask for a better day with a record  number of starters (1,834), and finishers (1,770).”

In the accompanying Kiwanis 5K Fun Run, Dale Taylor (23, San Francisco, Calif.) was  the men’s winner in 15:31 and Stephanie Pancoast (23, Stanford, CA)  was first among women in 16:41.