Atkinson, Seawright-Newton win Hermosa Sand and Strand Run
Five-year-old Nate Cohn ran the 2.5 mile race in a respectable 25:55. Photo The return of the John Hales Memorial Sand and Strand Run on Sunday in Hermosa was especially significant for two prominent South Bay runners. The race, which was canceled the past two years, was the first road race Olympian Jeff Atkinson (Seoul, Korea, 1988) and former UCLA runner Annie Seawright-Newton ever competed in. Atkinson was an eighth grader in 1977 when he showed his future promise by winning his age division and bringing home a two-foot high trophy from the race. Seawright-Newton also brought home a trophy when she ran the race the following year and placed second in her division, as a 14-year-old Mira Costa High freshman. Both would go on to win the Sand and Strand multiple times. On Sunday, three decades after first competing in the race, they returned to the podium once again. Atkinson, 48, of Redondo Beach, finished first overall in the 2.5 mile race in 15:11. Seawright-Newton, 46, of Hermosa Beach, was the first female finisher, in 18:16. The Hermosa Sand and Strand was the first road race Annie Seawright-Newton and Jeff Atkinson ran in their youth. They were Sunday’s top finishers. Photo…
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