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Hours before two of the most storied franchises in NFL history met in Super Bowl XLV, more than 8,000 people kept a Redondo Beach tradition alive in what has become one of – if not the – largest Super Bowl celebration in Southern California.
It seemed fitting that while runners and walkers prepared for the start of the 5K race, a fog bank rolled in. Reminiscent of weather Sunday’s Super Bowl adversaries the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers were accustomed to playing in, the fog lifted and the sun emerged for the end of the final race – symbolic of 1967 when the Packers played in the first Super Bowl in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Steelers made their Super Bowl debut in 1975 in Tulane.
Hosted by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, the 33rd annual Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K and 5K Run featured many participants donning elaborate costumes while others sported the colors of their favorite team. Many wore Packer green and yellow or Steeler black and yellow.
Friendly arguments could be overheard as fans debated which franchise is the best. Founded in 1919, the Green Bay Packers have won the most NFL championships and Sunday’s win increased the team’s total to 13. Green Bay and Chicago are the second oldest teams in the NFL followed by the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions.
The Steelers are the oldest AFC team and seventh overall and have the most Super Bowl victories with six. One would have to be a true trivia fan to know which the oldest team in the NFL is. Surprisingly, it’s the Arizona Cardinals, having originally been founded in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club. They eventually became known as the Racine Cardinals and joined the NFL in 1920 as one of the league’s founding teams, but changed the name to the Chicago Cardinals a few years after joining the league. They moved to St Louis in 1960 where they played for 27 years before moving to Arizona in 1988.
Hermosa Beach resident Phil Isaac is a member of Team 80’s, an annual participant in the popular costume contest that kicks off the day’s festivities, and made sure everyone knew of his alliance to Pittsburgh.
“We have Big Ben the God Send,” Isaac said prior to the costume judging. “Every year we’ve entered and the Steelers have won the Super Bowl when we’ve taken second place in the costume contest so if we can take second place this year, the Steelers will be Super Bowl champs. It’s the one-two punch that we have.”
This year, however, Isaac’s fortunes were reversed. Team 80’s won first place in the group competition and later, his Steelers fell to the Packers 31-25.
For the first time in many years, the 2011 Super Bowl 10K acquired a title sponsor. Kaiser Permanente came on board and had a strong presence at the two-day Health and Fitness Expo with an on-site mobile health trailer, healthy cooking demonstration, Vision Essentials tent, and Ask-a-Doc booth.
“Kaiser Permanente has brought a lot of healthy resources.” said Marna Smeltzer, President and CEO of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. “Kaiser is really a good match for us and with the trend of Vitality Cities in the Beach Cities it’s a great initiative right now. It’s great financially to have a title sponsor but that’s not what this is all about. It’s more about getting the South Bay to be healthier in our lifestyle and think about our choices.”
Another change at this year’s event was noticeable at the conclusion of each race. Michelob Ultra became the new post-race hospitality area sponsor and provided one post-race beer for all runners 21 and over, down from two free beers offered by Asahi in years past. Runners were also be given the opportunity to receive discounts on Michelob Ultra beers from local retailers if they showed proof that they participated in one of the races.
The reduction in free suds did not seem to dampen the spirits of those involved as the north end of Seaside Lagoon quickly filled with post-race revelers.
“This is the best part of the race,” said Trevor Hinkey, one of a group of Redondo Beach residents quenching their thirst after running the 5K in cops and robber uniforms. “This gets us geared up for the game later on.”
Sandal-clad runner Patrick Sweeney, of Manhattan Beach, never broke stride after crossing the finish line of the 5K race, sprinting to be one of the first to grab a cold brew.
“I was excited to get to the beers but it’s only one beer this year,” Sweeney said after finishing fourth in the 30-34 age group with a time of 17:19.8. “I’ve been dealing with some injuries, including plantar fasciitis, which has prevented me from training as hard as I should. I’m debating whether to run the 10K. Probably the more I sit around, the more I’ll decide to do it.”
Sweeney eventually opted to run the 10K and, like the 5K, he finished fourth in his age division with a time of 36:39.2.
“We have managed this event for five years and this has been our biggest turnout yet,” said Spectrum Sports Director of Events Kevin Carerra. “Having Kaiser Permanente and Michelob Ultra as two of the sponsors really helped make the Redondo Beach 10K a premier event.”
Winning the 5K race was Juan Valencia of Los Angeles whose time of 15:45.4 bested Reo Miranda Lavertu (16:19.3) of Rancho Palos Verdes and Redondo Beach runner Humberto Sanchez (16:25.1).
Tania Fischer (17:43.9), of Santa Monica, was the first female to cross the finish line in the 5K contest, edging Alison Atkinson, of Manhattan Beach, who finished with a mark of 17:56.8. Sarah Montez placed third at 18:21.8.
Improving his personal achievement was Manhattan Beach resident Don Jung who has completed a race at the Redondo Beach Super Bowl event every year since its inception. The 64-year-old Jung finished the 5K in 1:44:42.6 to keep his record intact.
Running under the guise of El Gato 4 Loco, Hermosa Beach resident Derick Gilmore’s plan to run in costume was a last minute decision.
“I’ve been running in the Super Bowl race since moving from Australia 17 years ago, but this is the first time in costume” Gilmore said. “When I woke up today, I said to myself, ‘Well, I could look like everyone else or I could look awesome.’ I’ll sacrifice a little warmth but it’s totally worth it because people react to the costumes and get excited and happy. I have to root for the Packers because I have family in Green Bay. The Steelers are terrible,” he added.
“The Funky Banana and the Monkey Bunch” was the theme for Brent Kuykendall’s group which, for the seventh year, refused to let elaborate costumes deter its members from completing the course.
In past years, the group has competed under the premise of a basketball team, Boy Scout Troop, Super Hero Sunday, Animals on Parade, Perfect Super Bowl Party and Sunday Morning Cartoons.
“We come up with our ideas throughout the year but try to have them ironed out by December at the latest,” said Kuykendall, who portrayed a banana being chased by a group of primates. “Some of our costumes are made and some are purchased, it all depends on what people want to do. The costumes that are made have taken a few people quite a long time while others are sewing or painting them the morning of the race. We figure that if the costumes make people (including us) laugh it was all worth it. I’m a fat-free banana but not the fastest banana you’ve ever seen. I’ve been training and eating a lot of smoothies.”
Fifteen-month-old Maya Cortez woke up just in time to be the first participant to cross the finish line in the Baby Buggy 10K competition.
“I’ve been doing this race for years,” said Maya’s father Michael Cortez, a resident of Redondo Beach who entered the Baby Buggy race for the first time. “It was good weather for a race. It was nice my daughter slept through the race. I was solo for quite awhile and was just talking to the motorbike officer mostly.”
Cortez hung on to win the race with a time of 39:17.5, besting John Cheland (39:51.0), of Algona, and Jeff Cohn (40:21.9), of Hermosa Beach.
The final race of the morning nearly had a different outcome. If not for a miscue, veteran Super Bowl competitor Daniel Rojas may have captured the 10K title.
“They changed the course on me,” Rojas said after watching his Nike Run LA teammate Luis Ibarra win the race with a time of 30:41.7. “I was in first but I made a wrong turn. But it’s all good because my teammate was right behind me.”
Despite the runner-up finish, Rojas was pleased with his mark of 31:05.4.
“I like running in this event because it’s one of the bigger races around here,” Rojas said. “It used to be bigger when there was money involved but it’s still fun to be a part of. The course is a little tough but now I’ll go home, take a little nap and enjoy the Super Bowl game.”
Ibarra was ecstatic to win his first Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10K after finishing third on two occasions.
“We like to represent and it was a good day for us,” Ibarra said. “This is a challenging course, a very undulating course. Danny and I train together in the mornings so we know each other’s fitness levels and we pushed it today so it was good.
“With about a quarter-mile he was a little bit ahead of me and then he made a wrong turn. He had to turn around and come back. If not, it would have been a very, very close finish. I’ve finished third twice before in the 10K but this is kind of bittersweet because on the one hand I took the victory but on the other hand, Danny made the wrong turn. Nevertheless, it’s good to come out here and, with or without costumes, just be a part of it. It’s one of the best organized races and the community in general is very welcoming and it’s great to hear the cheers all along the course.”
Beth Hodgkiss, of Manhattan Beach, was the top female finisher in the 10K with a time of 37:45.9. Former South Torrance runner Erica De Biasio placed second at 39:29.0, just ahead of Caitlin Bertelsen (39:39.3) of Los Angeles.
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Local males winning their respective age division in the 10K race were Justin Unno (Palos Verdes Estates, 15-18, 35:51.3, 13th overall), Robert Frank (Redondo Beach, 50-54, 38:39.0), Hugo Velazquez (Hawthorne, 60-64, 40:32.3), Don Jennings (Manhattan Beach, 65-59, 47:13.0), Luis Gorordo (Redondo Beach, 70-74, 50:01.7), Nathan Winer (Palos Verdes Estates, 75-79, 57:21.1) and Dick Windishar (Manhattan Beach, 80-99, 1:04:38.3).
Female 10K runners placing first in their age group included De Biasio (15-18), Gillian Mintier (Hermosa Beach, 25-29, 41:57.8), Stephanie Norberg (Manhattan Beach, 30-34, 42:30.1), Heather Buchta (Hermosa Beach, 35-39, 41:48.1), Hodgkiss (40-44), Annie Seawright (Hermosa Beach, 45-49, 40:39.1), Jenny Kusagaya (Torrance, 50-54, 44:00.6), River Cocco (Manhattan Beach, 55-59, 53:48.7), Susan Callaway (Hermosa Beach, 65-59, 1:03:04.6) and Mary Elwell (Palos Verdes Estates, 70-74, 1:02:59.5).
Local male 5K runners winning their age divisions were: Duncan Reid (Palos Verdes Estates, 1-14, 19:20.9), Lavertu (15-18), Sanchez (35-39), Jon Megeff (Rancho Palos Verdes, 45-49, 16:40.4, 4th overall), Rich Gust (Hermosa Beach, 50-54, 17:35.0, 12th overall), Mike Gauthier (Manhattan Beach, 55-59, 21:44.2), Pat Wickens (Redondo Beach, 70-74, 22:54.6), Frank Greene (Hermosa Beach, 75-59, 25:36.4) and Dale Keyser (Rancho Palos Verdes, 80-99, 29:40.7).
Female runners winning their age group in the 5K included Cambria Wu (Torrance, 30-34, 18:24.8, 29th overall), Kirsten Leetch (Redondo Beach, 45-49, 18:30.4, 30th overall), Madeleine Tarnay (Torrance, 65-69, 32:08.4), Jean Saunders (Redondo Beach, 75-79, 25:58.0) and Teresa Lynch (Redondo Beach, 80-99, 37:58.8).
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