America's Finest City Half Marathon

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America's Finest City Half Marathon
CabrilloMonument.jpg
The Cabrillo National Monument is the race start point
DateAugust
LocationSan Diego
Event typeRoad
DistanceHalf marathon
Established1978
Official siteAmerica's Finest City Half Marathon

America's Finest City Half Marathon is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance 21.0975 kilometres (13.1094 mi) which is held in mid-August on the streets of San Diego, California. ("America's Finest City" is the official nickname of the city of San Diego.[1]) The race was inaugurated in 1978 and has been held every year since then. By 1985, more than 6000 professional and amateur runners were taking part in the race each year.[2] Both men and women are able to enter into the half marathon and shorter 5 kilometer fun run.[3]

The race is used to raise money for the American Lung Association and in its first fourteen years of existence it had cumulatively raised US$1.7 million for the non-profit organization. The race was sponsored by the Home Federal Bank in the 1980s and early 1990s.[4][5] The organizers endured financial difficulties in 1992 after the loss of its title sponsor.[6] The race remained popular, however, and the following year over five thousand runners took part; among them was television host Oprah Winfrey, running under the pseudonym "Bobbi Jo Jenkins" and accompanied by a bodyguard, a trainer, and a video crew.[7] At the 33rd edition in 2010, the half marathon and 5K races attracted an international field of almost 10,000 runners and the event had raised $3.8 million for non-profit organizations.[8] That year, Ethiopian training partners and topped the men's and women's fields respectively.[9]

The course of the half marathon has a point-to-point format. It starts on the Point Loma Peninsula next to the Cabrillo National Monument – some 300 feet (91 m) above sea-level. The course heads north and descends towards San Diego Bay. Turning eastwards onto North Harbor Drive, the race enters a flat straight around the five mile (8 km) mark. After looping around Harbor Island the course heads south, passing near the Star of India museum ship and San Diego Broadway. It traces a path northwards at this point, heading along Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street on its way to Downtown San Diego. The race finishing point is Pan American Plaza in Balboa Park.[10]

Kenyan holds the men's half marathon course record of 1:01:59, while Belaynesh Zemedkun is the women's record holder with her time of 1:10:28.[11] The men's race over the distance has been dominated by Kenyans, with 13 wins since the mid-1990s, but Americans are historically strong on the women's side with seventeen race wins. The United States has produced the most winners overall, with 25 of the half marathon's winners hailing from the host country. of Kenya is the only man to win the race twice. Maria Trujillo has the most wins to her name, having won the race on four occasions.

A virtual race was held in 2020, and entrants were given the option to get either a refund or defer their entry to 2021.

Past half marathon winners[]

America's Kirk Pfeffer won the 1981 edition.
Japan's Hiromi Ominami won the women's race twice consecutively between 2007 and 2008.

Key:   Course record

Edition Year Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner Time (h:m:s)
1st 1978   (USA) 1:06:36  Marty Cooksey (USA) 1:15:04
2nd 1979   (USA) 1:06:36   (USA) 1:14:50
3rd 1980 †  Terry Cotton (USA) 1:06:20  Laurie Binder (USA) 1:17:43
4th 1981  Kirk Pfeffer (USA) 1:02:55   (USA) 1:17:02
5th 1982  Domingo Tibaduiza (COL) 1:03:46   (USA) 1:16:55
6th 1983   (USA) 1:04:08  Nancy Ditz (USA) 1:14:31
7th 1984  Ibrahim Kivina (TAN) 1:03:36   (USA) 1:15:06
8th 1985  Jerry Kiernan (IRL) 1:03:15  Laurie Binder (USA) 1:17:43
9th 1986   (MEX) 1:03:41   (SUI) 1:16:22
10th 1987  Marty Froelick (USA) 1:04:31  Maria Trujillo (USA) 1:15:17
11th 1988  Carlos Retiz (MEX) 1:03:40  Sylvia Mosqueda (USA) 1:11:31
12th 1989  Alejandro Cruz (MEX) 1:03:56  Maria Trujillo (USA) 1:13:41
13th 1990   (MEX) 1:04:38   (USA) 1:13:00
14th 1991   (MEX) 1:04:06   (USA) 1:14:18
15th 1992   (BRA) 1:08:36   (USA) 1:16:23
16th 1993   (USA) 1:04:32  Maria Trujillo (USA) 1:16:17
17th 1994   (KEN) 1:03:33  Roseli Machado (BRA) 1:14:44
18th 1995   (MAR) 1:05:11  Lisa Ondieki (AUS) 1:12:52
19th 1996  John Kagwe (KEN) 1:03:28  Mari Tanigawa (JPN) 1:13:11
20th 1997   (KEN) 1:02:51  Maria Trujillo (USA) 1:15:04
21st 1998   (KEN) 1:03:16   (JPN) 1:14:29
22nd 1999   (KEN) 1:03:22  Tina Connelly (CAN) 1:14:04
23rd 2000   (KEN) 1:02:24  Cristina Pomacu (ROM) 1:10:44
24th 2001  Wilson Onsare (KEN) 1:02:45  Margaret Okayo (KEN) 1:10:38
25th 2002  Mbarak Hussein (KEN) 1:03:00  Sylvia Mosqueda (USA) 1:12:34
26th 2003   (JPN) 1:03:57   (RUS) 1:14:24
27th 2004   (KEN) 1:04:25  Alevtina Ivanova (RUS) 1:15:01
28th 2005  Nephat Kinyanjui (KEN) 1:03:18   (RUS) 1:13:35
29th 2006  Wilson Chebet Kwambai (KEN) 1:02:38   (RUS) 1:14:12
30th 2007   (KEN) 1:04:25  Hiromi Ominami (JPN) 1:12:49
31st 2008   (USA) 1:05:46  Hiromi Ominami (JPN) 1:12:47
32nd 2009   (KEN) 1:04:01   (ETH) 1:10:49
33rd 2010   (ETH) 1:03:58   (ETH) 1:10:28
34th 2011   (ETH) 1:03:44   (NZL) 1:16:47
35th 2012   (KEN) 1:03:18   (USA) 1:17:17
36th 2013   (KEN) 1:01:59   (USA) 1:13:15
37th 2014   (KEN) 1:05:17  Lindsey Scherf (USA) 1:14:33
38th 2015   (KEN) 1:04:19  Janet Bawcom (USA) 1:12:24
39th 2016   (KEN) 1:04:10  Jane Kibii (KEN) 1:14:47
40th 2017  Boniface Kongin (KEN) 1:03:25   (KEN) 1:11:02
41st 2018  Juan Pacheco  (MEX) 1:05:37  Jane Kibii (KEN) 1:14:25
42nd 2019
43rd 2021
  • † = The 1980 course was mis-marked and was around 800 metres longer than the true half marathon distance.

Statistics[]

References[]

  1. ^ City of San Diego website
  2. ^ Scott, Steve (1985-08-26). Kiernan Beats Heat to Win AFC Half Marathon. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  3. ^ Frequently Asked Questions. America's Finest City Half Marathon. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  4. ^ Parenti, Jeffrey (1988-08-22). Fast Times at Half Marathon: Three Women Beat Record. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  5. ^ Geis, John (1990-08-18). Swai Hopes Comeback Trail Includes Victory in Half Marathon. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  6. ^ Geis, John (1992-08-15). Half Marathon Runs for Its Financial Life. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  7. ^ Oprah Enters a Half Marathon. The Tuscaloosa News (1993-08-18). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  8. ^ Malloy, Patrice (2010-08-16). Ethiopian Couple Wins America's Finest City Half Marathon Archived 2010-09-06 at the Wayback Machine. Running USA/Cool Running. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  9. ^ Thien, Glae (2010-08-16). Ethiopians win San Diego Half Marathon. Ethiopian Review/San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-09-22.
  10. ^ Course Map. America's Finest City Half Marathon. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  11. ^ Top Times for the America's Finest City Half Marathon. America's Finest City Half Marathon. Retrieved on 2010-09-24.
List of winners

External links[]

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