300 Runners Enjoy Perfect Weather for a Race Up the Mt. Wilson Trail as Hundreds Watch

The cool weather set an ideal stage for the Mount Wilson Trail Race this past Saturday, May 28th as over 300 runners participated in the 2016 Mount Wilson Trail Race.

“It was another successful year with optimal trail conditions and a hardworking team of volunteers,” a city offial said.

All 304 participants safely completed the difficult 8.6 mile course—an impressive feat worth a lifetime of bragging rights. Hundreds of spectators stood along the sidelines as the official race starter, Nigel Rini, fired the start gun. At the time of 1:01:35, Adrian Diaz from Duarte, CA came sprinting across the finish line. At 18 years old, this was Adrian’s first victory at the Trail Race. First female, Mireya Vargas returned to the podium and ran an outstanding race to win with a time of 1:17:50; Mireya won back to back in 2013 and 2014 Mount Wilson Trail Races.

The night before the race, families enjoyed the annual Pasta Feed Dinner in Kersting Court. Mount Wilson Committee members catered the dinner which included pasta, salad, breadsticks (donated by StoneFire Grill) and delicious rice crispy treats (provided by Sierra Madre Civic Club). In addition to loading up on carbohydrates, attendees were able to enter an opportunity raffle, purchase souvenirs, and check-in for both the Trail Race and the Kids’ Fun Run. Returning this year was a high performance road bicycle, donated by CENTRIC Bicycles of Sierra Madre and raffled off on race day. Partial proceeds from the night benefited Sierra Madre Search and Rescue which provides race day safety support on the trail the day of the race.

Fun was had by all on the day of the race. Even those not racing enjoyed themselves either by cheering on the sidelines, visiting the vendor booths, and socializing in the Beer Garden. The annual Kids’ Fun Run, sponsored by Sierra Madre Community Foundation was once again a large success with over 200 youths participating. Each child participating in the free Kid’s Fun run received a Mount Wilson Kids’ Fun Run t-shirt and participation ribbon.

The City of Sierra Madre and Mount Wilson Trail Race Committee would like to thank the following sponsors and donors for making the 2016 Mount Wilson Trail Race such a success: Asics, Arcadia Association of Realtors, Britton Chiropractic, CENTRIC Performance Bicycles, The Unexpected Portrait, Trader Joes, Stone-Tapert Employee Benefits, Invictus Running Academy, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices – Sierra Madre, Bob O’Keefe, Bradford Portraits, Buccaneer Lounge, Casa Del Rey, Dr. White M.D., Dunn Edwards, Faulkner Design, First Wilshire Securities Management, Inc, Golf N Stuff, HealthCare Partners, I-Fruggie, Physiophyx, Dicks Sporting Goods, Corfu, The Ice House, Thorlo, Joe Pacilio – Century 21 Earll, Ltd., Leonora Moss, Matt Denny’s Ale House, Methodist Hospital (Dr. Ken Wogensen M.D.), Mountain Khakis, Pasadena Ice Skating Center, Pasadena Playhouse, Sierra Madre Civic Club, Sierra Madre Community Foundation, Sierra Madre Grocery CO, San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, Santa Anita Park, Spero Foundation, United Portable Services, Stonefire Grill and Run With Us.

Additionally, the City of Sierra Madre and Mount Wilson Trail Race Committee would like to thank the following volunteers for their support of the 2016 Mount Wilson Trail Race: Sierra Madre Civic Club, Sierra Madre Community Services Department, Sierra Madre Fire Department, Sierra Madre Police Department, Sierra Madre Public Works Department, Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, Sierra Madre Woman’s Club, and Sierra Madre Emergency Communications Team.

The 2017 Mount Wilson Trail Race will return next Memorial Day weekend. Be sure to check out www.mountwilsontrailrace.com for registration information. Registration doesn’t take place until early March 2017, but it’s never too early to start training!