by Garth Meyer
Calene Morris, 28, of Torrance defended her title from last year in the 29th annual Riviera Village Independence Day 5k, held July 3, with a time of 16:57. The race included a special salute to South Bay female runners in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
For the men, Shimales Abree, 26, of Ethiopia, took first place. His winning time was 14:38, followed by Corey Brunelle, 31, at 15:18 and Kenny Valdez, 24, in third at 15:21.
Finishing second for the women was Kelli Capel, 28, at 17:26. Cristina Lowry, 36, finished third at 18:07.
More than 2,000 competitors ran the course – up the Esplanade to the turn at Veterans Park and back to Riviera Village.
“My race was good, and I was pushing from the beginning to the end,” said Abree. “My personal record on the track is 13:50. I knew I had to go out by myself for the whole race.”
“The course was deceivingly hard because of the hairpin turns and uphill segments, which made it very challenging,” said Morris.
She is one of a growing number of female runners in the Fourth of July race.
“I have seen female runners go from a smaller segment in our events to over 50 percent of the participants,” said Mike Ward of Village Runner. “The growth of women’s running has been so important for the sport. We recognize the essential contribution to sports that Title IX has brought over the years.”
Honorees included Dalia Frias, a 2022 graduate of Mira Costa High School, headed to Duke this fall. She won the cross country state championship her senior year and led her team to a Division Two state title. Frias set a national high school record during the season for the two-miler (9:50.70) at an invitational in Seattle. Rebecca Mehra, also honored, ran for Palos Verdes High School and then was a three-time All-American at Stanford. Laura Cattivera was a decorated runner for Mira Costa and Princeton; Redondo Union High School assistant coach Kirsten O’Hara made All-American at Cal; and Chloe Curtis, head coach at Loyola Marymount, won a state championship in the mile at RUHS. ER
