Running News Daily

2023 Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon & Half at Full Capacity as Runners Gear Up for Race Weekend

The 2023 Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon & Half Marathon has officially sold out, with runners from around the world gearing up for the highly anticipated race. The event, scheduled for March 5th, has drawn runners of all abilities who are ready to tackle the scenic courses through California’s beautiful wine country.

The Napa Valley Marathon is a celebration of running, health, and wellness. The point-to-point race will feature several runners looking for their Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying time, including last year’s female champion and course record holder, Ann Centner (2:38:29).  Others to watch include Peter Gilmore, Napa Valley Marathon’s 2009 champion who is now a top-level masters runner.  This year’s field also includes wheelchair athlete Rob Balucas, who was injured in a biking accident in 2015 and became paralyzed.  Rob hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Local runner Jonathan Pascual is a five-time finisher of the Napa Valley Marathon and is returning to the race this year after a seven-year absence due to health issues. Jonathan was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and had to put his running on hold. But this year, he is ready to tackle the course once again.

“It was through nutrition and my diligence in exercise that I could do a comeback running race in December 2022. I knew then that with the cancer treatments and continued training, I can keep getting stronger and fitter,” Jonathan said. “ I have accepted that I will no longer be the athlete I was once nor could I perform the way that I used to. So I decided that these are times of discovery. The challenge is to figure out what my mind and body can do athletically”.

According to Race Director, Michelle La Sala, “Whether runners are looking for a personal best, coming to celebrate a girl’s weekend, or seeking out a beautiful and inspiring course to achieve a goal, the Napa Valley Marathon offers it all.  One of the largest sporting events in the valley and with proceeds supporting the local community, we are thrilled at the continued growth and notoriety this race brings.  On behalf of the Napa Valley Marathon, Inc. board of directors and President Jonathan Williams, we look forward to welcoming runners to Napa and showing them a wonderful weekend!”

For more information about the 44th annual Napa Valley Marathon & Half Marathon, visit the event’s website at www.napavalleymarathon.org.

(03/01/2023) Views: 957 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

San Francisco Half Marathon returns for its 39th year this weekend

The San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K presented by Pamakid Runners returns on February 5, 2023, after a renewal from title sponsor, Kaiser Permanente. This year marks the race’s 39th year running through the streets of San Francisco, and Kaiser Permanente’s 19th year as title sponsor. 

The San Francisco Half Marathon started in 1983 and has become one of the city’s largest road races, with over 100,000 runners having crossed the finish line. Over the years the race has raised over $1 million which goes right back into the community.  Registration numbers have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as the race remains a long-time fixture on the Bay Area running calendar.

According to club President Jerry Flanagan, “Pamakid Runners take great pride in promoting a healthy lifestyle and supporting our local community and charitable causes through our participation, volunteering, and financial support.  Through the continuing success of the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, Pamakid Runners was able to donate over $120,000 in 2022 to many local and regional nonprofits.  More to come in 2023!”

This year, the race’s charity partners include Girls on the Run, Salvation Army Harbor Light, Running for a Better Oakland, and Support for Families of Children with Disabilities. 

Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing support has been instrumental to the success of the event.  Over 100 Kaiser Permanente employees are involved in executing the race’s medical plan, ensuring a safe race day experience for all.  “We approach the runners as if they were patients in our office. On race days, we see everything from minor injuries, such as scraped knees and sprained ankles, to hypothermia and shortness of breath. Our Kaiser Permanente health professionals work to assess and treat any issues,” says Race Medical Director, John Touhy who is a Kaiser Permanente San Francisco sports medicine physician.

The 39th annual race, produced by Blistering Pace Race Management, is Sunday, February 5th in Golden Gate Park with three distances to choose from including a 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon. Registration is available at www.sanfranciscohalfmarathon.org

About Pamakid Runners: Established in 1971, the Pamakid Runners strive to promote a healthy lifestyle, support the running community and charitable causes by organizing, volunteering, and participating in running-related and social events in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Visit www.pamakidrunners.org for more information.

About Blistering Pace Race Management: Founded in 2016, BPRM works in a variety of race management capacities, ranging from staffing to full operational oversight. Clients include the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon (10K & 5K), the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon, the Big Sur Marathon Foundation, Chicago Event Management, and the New York Road Runners. For more information, visit www.blisteringpace.com

(02/04/2023) Views: 951 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

The Big Sur Marathon Foundation (BSMF) Taps Blistering Pace Race Management as Organization Reboots

As the running industry eagerly returns to in-person racing, the Big Sur Marathon Foundation (BSMF) is excited to announce their expanded partnership with Napa-based Blistering Pace Race Management (BPRM). On October 1, 2020, the Big Sur Marathon Foundation suspended most business operations in order to preserve resources during pandemic-era shutdowns. As California begins to lift restrictions and develops guidelines for large in-person events, the organization is planning for 2022 events with BPRM and Race Director, Doug Thurston, at the helm.

BPRM, who has worked with BSMF since 2016, is expanding their scope of work with more operational responsibilities and added marketing and communications, sponsorship, and registrations.

“After working with the Big Sur Marathon Foundation in increasing capacities for the last five years, we have been fortunate to learn about their events, work alongside their staff, board of directors, and committee members, and build a very strong relationship of trust between us,” said Michelle La Sala, President of Blistering Pace Race Management. “We are thrilled to take the next step with the foundation and look forward to delivering continued success and a world-class participant experience.”

In order to allow adequate time to plan and execute a safe event weekend, BSMF’s next in-person race is the Big Sur Marathon weekend of events scheduled for April 22-24, 2022.  The next in-person Monterey Bay Half Marathon weekend is planned for November 11-13, 2022.

“We’re excited to expand our relationship with Blistering Pace,” said Doug Thurston, race director. “She has built a world-class team that is dedicated to the runner experience and helping our non-profit organization rebuild from the effects of the pandemic.”

The Big Sur Marathon Foundation’s mission is to “create beautiful running events that promote health and benefit our community.” BSMF aims to expand upon their mission by employing BPRM’s strategic counsel and professional implementation for their two flagship races. BPRM brings six years of wide-ranging industry experience to the BSMF portfolio of events, along with a full-time staff of five.

About Blistering Pace Race Management

Founded in 2016, BPRM works in a variety of race management capacities, ranging from staffing to full operational oversight. Clients include the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, the Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon, the Big Sur Marathon Foundation, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and the TCS New York City Marathon. For more information, visit the website.

 About the Big Sur Marathon Foundation

The Big Sur Marathon Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create beautiful running events that promote health and benefit the community. Under the brand are two individual race weekends: Big Sur International Marathon in April and the Monterey Bay Half Marathon in November. For more information, visit www.bsim.org #bigsurmarathon

(06/30/2021) Views: 1,629 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

2021 Napa Valley Marathon has been cancelled due to the pandemic

The 43rd Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon has officially been cancelled as an in-person event for 2021. The NVM board of directors made this difficult decision as they continued to monitor updates from county and state agencies regarding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The governance board cited an abundance of safety as the primary reason for cancelling the event. 

“Our highest priority is always the safety of our participants, volunteers, spectators, and residents,” said Race Director Michelle La Sala. “We are deeply saddened by the decision to cancel, but we’re confident that it is the responsible choice for our community.”

California’s comprehensive reopening plan does not allow mass gatherings until the final reopening phase when a vaccine is widely available. Race organizers say that even if the state began allowing mass participation events early next year, there would not be enough time to secure proper permits and infrastructure to guarantee a safe event.

Several hundred participants were already registered for the 2021 via the organization’s “Whine Stopper” Registration plan, which guaranteed participants deferral to either the 2022 or 2023 race free of charge. All 2021 entrants will be contacted when registration opens for the 2022 event and asked to make their deferral choice. There is no action required of 2021 entrants at this time.

Napa Valley Marathon officials state that a virtual race experience will replace the 2021 in-person event, with details to come in the near future.

“We’re excited to unveil a virtual experience that really captures the spirit of the Napa Valley,” said La Sala. “It’s important for us to find ways to keep our community engaged and continue to support our local nonprofits, and I think our participants will find it very unique and engaging.”

Napa Valley Marathon, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that typically provides nearly $30,000 in support back to the local community.  The organization points to the development of their new virtual experience as one avenue to raise revenue for their charitable giving.

(11/17/2020) Views: 1,392 ⚡AMP

Ryan Smith rules men's field, Anne Theisen pulls out women's win at Napa Valley Marathon

The 42nd Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon, boasting its largest field ever, did not disappoint on Sunday.

Far from it, in fact.

The field of 5,000 registered runners for the marathon, half marathon and 5K were treated to stellar views, mild weather and the type of hospitality and community feel that have attracted runners from all over the world.

“We kind of need to wait for it to flush out until the very end, but so far so good,” said second-year Race Director Michelle La Sala as the latter half of the marathon field began to come across the finish line at Vintage High School. “We have had lots of happy people finish today, lots of PRs (personal records). It was a really fast day and the weather was great. We’re definitely excited and want to see what we can do from here.”

While a community event in the truest sense, none of the top finishers were Napa Valley natives. Both the men and women’s winners of the full marathon were out-of-staters, but the top finishers in the second annual half marathon hailed from the Bay Area.

With a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 47 seconds, Ryan Smith, 40, of Boulder, Colorado won the full 26.2-mile race on the men’s side, while 47-year old Anne Theisen of Mazama, Washington, was the fastest woman to cross the line, doing so in 2:52:58.

Smith ran alone for the majority of his time on the course on Silverado Trail, which began in Calistoga and ended at Vintage High School in north Napa. He finished almost three minutes ahead of second-place finisher Nicholas Budzyn of Citrus Heights.

Smith said after the race that he actually prefers running alone, and that by looking at previous times he figured that might be a possibility again on Sunday.

“It’s a great marathon,” Smith said. “It’s kind of my jam. I like the low-key ones. It’s just something a bit more mellow and fun about it.”

Sporting a mullet, Budyzn, a collegiate hockey player-turned-endurance runner, had no complaints about his performance.

“I feel like it went great,” he said. “I ran smart but pushed when I wanted to. I was conservatively aggressive and was able to hold it together and finish strong.”

Theisen, meanwhile, had competition nipping at her heels. She came in with arms raised in victory just 20 seconds ahead of Catherine Medvene, 30, of New York. Unlike Smith, Theisen didn’t come in expecting a top finish but that reality showed itself relatively early on.

(03/02/2020) Views: 1,917 ⚡AMP
by Gus Morris

The Napa Valley Marathon 2020, has the largest field ever with over 5,000 entrants

the 42nd Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon, second-year Race Director Michelle La Sala has been busy putting the final touches on this year’s event.

“We prepare all year long to have this week to prepare for all of the many things that are not set in stone and change on a dime,” she said Monday morning.

On that particular day, she was updating the event’s website and social media pages to spread the news that all the races had officially sold out. The final spots had been reserved late Sunday night.

One of the main reasons for the down-to-the-wire sellout was because of the expanded field this year. After the success of the inaugural half marathon in 2019, the organization extended the caps on both that race and the full marathon for this year.

“We’ve taken just over 700 more people across the board in all three events this year for this sellout, so we’re super excited,” La Sala said. “It’s going to be a great year. The weather is looking good, but we are coming into this race as the largest Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon ever.”

In total, she said, more than 5,000 people will be participating in this year’s marathon, half marathon and 5K combined, all taking place this Sunday, March 1. Two thousand have registered for the full, 2,500 for the half, and 600 for the 5K.

Sunday will also be one of the coolest days temperature-wise all week. The high is forecast to be 59 and the low at 39, according to accuweather.com, which also says it will be “mostly cloudy and cool.” The forecast also says that the chance of rain will be 25 percent.

Twenty-one countries and 47 American states will be represented on Sunday. La Sala said there are “many” entrants from the Bay Area as well as from across the rest of California. She also added that they’ve had sign-ups from New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom, to name a few.

“We’re excited to showcase the Napa Valley to them,” she said.

While this is the largest field ever seen for this event, La Sala did concede that the marathon won’t feature as many elite entrants as it has in the past. That’s because the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials are being held in Atlanta, Georgia, this weekend, as well, and most of the country’s premier distance runners will be competing there.

(02/27/2020) Views: 1,677 ⚡AMP
by Gus Morris

Sam Long claims the men title at the Kaiser Napa Valley Marathon

Sam Long of Boulder, Colorado, a professional triathlete, was the overall champion of the 41st annual Napa Valley Marathon. Long came from two minutes behind at the 18-mile mark and passed Zack Sims, the leader, of Atlanta with just three miles to go in the point-to-point race that is sanctioned by USA Track & Field.

Long crossed the finish line in the front parking lot area of Vintage High School clocking 2:32:33. Sims, running in his first marathon and his first distance in a race over 10K, was second in a time of 2:34:58.

“I gave it everything I had at 20 miles,” said Long, running in only his second marathon race. “It’s a beautiful area, a beautiful course, and a great race. The last two miles felt like they took 30 minutes. I just told myself just to give it all. (Sims) had a phenomenal race.

“I didn’t really expect to overtake him. I knew it was a hope. Anything can happen in the last three miles of a marathon. I’ve been in that position when you get passed. It’s pretty rough. But that’s just life these days, you know.”

Greg Krathwohl of San Francisco was third in a time of 2:42:17.

Liza Reichert won the women’s title, finishing fourth overall, and secured the “B” standard, also qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the marathon. Reichert ran 2:44:06. The “B” standard for the trials is 2:45:00.

Reichert said her primary goal was to hit the trials qualifying mark.

“It was exciting to win,” she said. “It’s a little off my personal best but I knew that this was a challenging course. It was a little bit off of what I had hoped to run time-wise today. But mission accomplished.”

(03/04/2019) Views: 2,246 ⚡AMP

Cassie Scallon of Santa Barbara is one of the elite entrants in the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon, despite injury

A hamstring injury has forced Cassie Scallon to cut down on her training, but she still plans to be in the field for Sunday’s Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon as one of the race’s elite women’s entrants.

The injury, said Scallon, has been frustrating, as she has dealt with it now for the last two months.

“So instead of doing the amount of training that I’d like to do, I’ve been spending a lot of time in therapy and seeing doctors, so that’s frustrating,” the Santa Barbara resident said.

“I’m not where I want to be with my fitness. But I’m not going to count myself out for the marathon at all.”

It will be Scallon’s first appearance in the Napa Valley Marathon, which rewards the top male and female overall finishers with their weight in wine provided by the Andretti Winery. 

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said Scallon. “I’m meeting a bunch of friends from Boulder (Colorado). We’ve moved from Boulder about a year ago. We don’t get a chance to see each other all that often. Races are usually our big reason to get together.”

Scallon’s personal record for the marathon is 2:56:57, which she attained at the Woodlands Marathon in Texas in 2016. She was the second women’s finisher.

Her original goal for Napa was to try and set a new PR, or personal record. The woman’s course record in Napa is 2:39.36 in 2012.

“I was hoping I could go faster than that, but with this injury setback, I don’t know,” she said. “But it would still be nice to run around three hours I think.”

(03/01/2019) Views: 2,212 ⚡AMP

Jonathan Briskman is set to compete in the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Half Marathon

Jonathan Briskman has a game plan going into the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Half Marathon, a 13.1-mile race that starts at 7 a.m. on the Silverado Trail in St. Helena, near Conn Creek Winery, and follows a point-to-point course to the finish-line area at Vintage High School on Trower Avenue, on Sunday, March 3.

Briskman, a resident of San Francisco, said one of his focuses will be on trying to stay relaxed for the first few miles, making sure that he doesn’t go out too fast, while still looking to keep up a good pace.

“A lot of it is experience, having raced quite a few half marathons now,” Briskman said in a telephone interview last week. “It’s just knowing how it’s supposed to feel for the first few miles, so that you can pace yourself accordingly, so that hopefully you can finish strong or even a little bit faster at the end.”

Briskman, 27, is one of the elite-level entrants, event organizers said, as he has a personal record time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, 12 seconds at the race distance.

The Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon, a 26.2-mile race now in its 41st year and beginning at 7:30 a.m. in Calistoga, is also sold out, with 2,000 runners. The marathon heads south on the Silverado Trail, to the finish line at Vintage.

“That was kind of a breakthrough race,” he said. “I’m hoping to build on that actually at Napa this year and run even a little bit faster. The set-up is point to point, with very few turns. That makes it pretty quick, as well as it’s a little bit of a net downhill.”

“That’s what I’m shooting for, trying to get as close as I can to about that five-minute pace,” he said. “I’m really excited for it. I’m really excited to try and run a fast time.”

Briskman ran a PR of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 18 seconds and placed 63rd overall at the California International Marathon in December. His previous best was 2:28.

(02/26/2019) Views: 2,247 ⚡AMP

Chris Maxwell is hoping to PR at the new Napa Valley Half Marathon as he gets ready to run Boston April 15

This is a big year for Chris Maxwell. A member of the Bowerman Track Club Elite team in Portland, Oregon, Maxwell will be looking to attain a personal record when he runs the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Half Marathon on Sunday, March 3.

The new 13.1-mile race starts at 7 a.m. on the Silverado Trail in St. Helena, near Conn Creek Winery, and follows the same course that the full Napa Valley Marathon uses, to reach the finish line area at Vintage High School.

Six weeks later, Maxwell is running the 123rd annual Boston Marathon on Patriots Day April 15.   

Maxwell said his training and preparation over the last two months, with mileage of over 80 miles per week and speed workouts on the track, have gone well.

“I think that will translate well to the half marathon,” Maxwell said in a telephone interview Monday. “Coming from not having a strong track background, it’s something that I’m continuing to develop. I feel super excited about the race. I’m feeling great. And I’m excited that I get to open it up and see where I am at six weeks before Boston.”

The Napa Valley Half Marathon, a brand new race which was announced last year by event officials, has a sold-out field of 2,000 runners. It’s one of three races on March 3, joining the 41st annual Napa Valley Marathon and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Napa 5K (3.1 miles). The same finish-line chute, located in the front parking lot of Vintage, will be used for all three races.

Maxwell’s fastest half-marathon time is 1 hour, 12 minutes, 21 seconds – a split-time that he achieved at the California International Marathon, a point-to-point race that is put on by the Sacramento Running Association, this past December. He placed 140th in the race in a time of 2:28:05.

“That was the first half of the race,” said Maxwell, 25. “I know that doing a half, just by itself, and not having the second half within the marathon itself, I think I can definitely run faster than that.”

Maxwell and his coach, Mario Fraioli, have identified a time of 1:09 to 1:10 for the Napa race as a goal.

(02/23/2019) Views: 2,292 ⚡AMP

2014 Napa Marathon Champion Jenny Kadavy Is going to run the new Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Half Marathon

There is so much that Jenny Kadavy likes about the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon.

She likes the course, which is a point-to-point route and is considered fast because it is flat.

She likes the area’s beautiful scenery.

She likes the organization of the event and the time of year that it’s held.

“I know that you win some wine – so that’s a good incentive as well,” Kadavy said on Sunday in a telephone interview. “I’ve come out to watch some from friends run it in the past. It’s just always been a really well conducted event.”

Kadavy, a resident of Clayton in Contra Costa County, was the women’s champion and the seventh overall finisher of the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon in 2014.

It was Kadavy’s first win in a marathon. She achieved a personal record, finishing the race from Calistoga to Napa in a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, 47 seconds. She also qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Kadavy will be returning to Napa, but not to run the marathon. She is an elite-level entrant and is in the field for the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Half Marathon, a first-year race, on Sunday, March 3. The 13.1-mile race starts at 7 a.m. on the Silverado Trail in St. Helena, near Conn Creek Winery, and follows the same course that the full marathon uses to reach the finish-line area at Vintage High School on Trower Avenue.

(02/20/2019) Views: 2,328 ⚡AMP

The Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon has added a half marathon this year

The annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon has kept to its traditions over 40 years. It’s always on the first Sunday in March. The 26.2-mile full marathon race starts at 7:30 a.m. from Rosedale Road and the Silverado Trail in Calistoga. The USA Track & Field certified point-to-point course takes runners south, through St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville and to the finish line, located in the front parking lot area of Vintage High School in Napa.

The 13.1 mile half marathon race, new this year, starts at 7:00 a.m. on the Silverado Trail at Conn Creek Winery and also finishes at Vintage High School.

The companion Greater Kiwanis Club of Napa 5K (3.1 miles) race starts at 7:30 a.m. at Vintage High School where it also finishes. 

Michelle La Sala, the founder of Blistering Pace Race Management, is the event’s new race director.

La Sala takes over for Rich Benyo and Dave Hill, who retired after 16 years as co-race directors following the 40th annual race last year. Benyo and Hill have each been involved with the race for 30 years.

”It shouldn’t be a surprise that people love to come and run in the Napa Valley,” says La Sala.  “It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

On January 9, 2018 Forbes Travel Guide rated NVM among the top 13 marathons in the world “worth traveling for,” an honor it has bestowed on NVM three times in the past four years. On January 28, 2016 The Economic Timesranked NVM at the top of its list of the “world’s best marathon locations to inspire you to lace up and get training.” 

Runner’s World magazine selected NVM as one of the top ten U.S. marathons for first-time marathon participants in its January, 2011 issue. My Best Runs/World’s Best Road Races ranks NVM as one of the world’s best 100 races (regardless of distance).

There are so many amazing stories surrounding the Napa Valley marathon and here is one of them:

Steve Radigan (67, Fremont., Calif.) is the only runner that has completed all 40 to date. His phenomenal streak started in 1979, the first year of the event. He owns an amazing total of 156 marathons on his running resume. What keeps this runner returning to NVM every year?

“I love the course, the organization, the size of the field, and how the race has treated me over the years,” Radigan said. “And, it’s much nicer to run on a quiet, gently rolling, uncrowded country road with no traffic than any urbansetting. The fact that it’s a point-to-point course makes quitting less tempting. There’s no shortcuts to the finish line.”

Radigan’s first NVM was his third marathon ever. He was 27 years old and had been running for about three years. Although he liked what running had done for his fitness it was becoming clear that he was never going to be an elite runner.

After his third NVM marathon he remembers: “As I was nearing the finish of that year’s race I thought how much I liked the NVM course compared to others and it would be a good goal for me totry to run it every year until I was 50,” Radigan said. 

In 1982 Radigan crossed the NVM finish line in 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 9 seconds, dipping under the qualifying time he needed for Boston by 51 seconds.

“Other races have come and gone,” said Radigan. “But I’ve been fortunate that NVM has continued and allowed me to come back year after year.”

(02/18/2019) Views: 2,295 ⚡AMP
by Mark Winitz

Napa Valley Marathon has added a New Half Marathon Distance event

Half the distance, that’s a new option for runners flocking to Napa on March 3, 2019, for the 41st Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon and new this year Half Marathon. Registration opened on June 13, 2018. The 13.1-mile race will start on the Silverado Trail at Conn Creek Winery, which is the halfway point of the 26.2-mile route. The half marathon takes off at 7 a.m. and the marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. All finishers end up at Vintage High School. “With the half marathon also comes a host of updates, including a new logo, website, and exciting new partner in Conn Creek Winery,” said Michelle La Sala, Napa Valley Marathon race director and president of Blistering Pace Race Management. “We have been working hard to enhance the runner experience while maintaining our long-standing commitment to the runner.” Runners will enjoy not only the new half-marathon option, but also the same long-time perks that the Napa Valley Marathon is known for—participant shirt, bag, medal, a boutique expo with free wine and beer tasting, VIP guest speakers, and tasty cooking demonstrations. The Napa Valley Marathon has garnered a loyal following on a beautiful point-to-point course through the nation’s most scenic wine country. It’s indeed an inspiring setting and has become known as the “biggest little marathon in the West,” and attracts the legends like Joan Benoit Samuelson. (06/14/2018) Views: 1,921 ⚡AMP

40 years running through the Picturesque Napa Valley

The 40th anniversary of the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon (March 4) presented perfect conditions for racing 26.2 miles through California’s picturesque Napa Valley. Cool temperatures at the start in the mid-30s with little wind greeted over 2,100 entrants eager for fast times. Andrew Bauer, 34, of Martinez, Calif. ran way with the men’s overall victory while Casey Crosson, 19, of Los Angeles, Calif. earned the women’s title. Bauer crossed the finish line with a time of 2:24:04 and Crosson secured her win in 2:50:49. (03/05/2018) Views: 1,682 ⚡AMP

Cassie Scallon is going for her weight in Wine at Napa Valley Marathon

A hamstring injury has forced Cassie Scallon to cut down on her training, but she still plans to be in the field for Sunday’s Napa Valley Marathon as one of the race’s elite women’s entrants. The injury, said Scallon, has been frustrating, as she has dealt with it now for the last two months. “I’ve been spending a lot of time in therapy and seeing doctors, so that’s frustrating,” the Santa Barbara resident said. “I’m not where I want to be...but don't count me out." It will be Scallon’s first appearance. By winning, one of the rewards is their weight in wine provided by the Andretti Winery. Cassie was the USA Track & Field’s 100K Trail national champion in 2012 and 2016. She won the title at USA Track & Field’s 50-Mile Road Championships in 2013. (02/27/2018) Views: 1,788 ⚡AMP

Three Time Napa Valley Marathon Champion Racing Again

The Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon announced today that three-time women’s champion Devon Yanko will return to the world-renowned Napa Valley and highlight a compact, but determined, elite field on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Yanko, age 35, has competed four previous times on the race’s fast point-to-point course, and emerged victorious in three of those instances (in 2007, 2012, and 2015) and placed third in 2014. Only one athlete to date has won NVM four times: Mary Coordt (Elk Grove, Calif.) who ran away with women’s victories in 1997, 2005, 2009, and 2010. (02/26/2018) Views: 1,738 ⚡AMP

Benoit Samuelson going to run 5K at 40th Annual Napa Valley Marathon

Runners from 16 countries and 44 states will gather in California’s Napa Valley for the 40th Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon and Kiwanis Club of Greater Napa 5K Run on Sunday, March 4, 2018. American running icon Joan Benoit Samuelson (Freeport, Maine), a member of the Running USA Hall of Champions, will be a special guest and will be running the 5k. It was 34 years ago when Joan Beniot won the inaugural U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials race in 1984 and then winning the gold medal in Los Angeles at the first women’s Olympic Games marathon. (02/15/2018) Views: 1,993 ⚡AMP
Olympians

Napa Valley Marathon is Worth Traveling For says Forbes Travel Guide

Over the last four decades, the Napa Valley Marathon brings thousands of runners and spectators to the Valley every year in the spring, at a time when the tourist industry is usually slow. The race helps bring attention and prestige to Napa County. The race is routinely picked as one of the best marathons by running-related media, most recently by Forbes Travel Guide, which included it in the list of “13 Top Marathons Worth Traveling For In 2018,” joining events in Tokyo, Rome, London, Boston and New York. (02/12/2018) Views: 1,771 ⚡AMP

Joan Benoit-Samuelson will Be keynote Speaker at Napa Marathon

This year’s Napa Valley Marathon is also the Road Runners Club of America National Marathon Championships. “We are proud of our long-running relationship with the RRCA,” says Rich Benyo board chairman of Napa Valley Marathon. Joan Benoit-Samuelson, who makes her home in Maine, will be the featured keynote speaker at the NVM expo. “I’m looking forward to returning to the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon to celebrate the 40th running of the event at age 60,” Benoit-Samuelson said. (01/22/2018) Views: 1,474 ⚡AMP