October 13, 2005

Ladies and gentlemen, start your feet

12th annual Almaden Times Classic attracts more than 400 runners

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

With running shoes strapped on and a festive, yet competitive atmosphere filling the air, more than 400 runners took part in the 12th annual Almaden Times Classic Oct. 9 at Leland High School.

A crowd of runners gets a quick start from the starting line at the 12th annual Almaden Times Classic, held Oct. 9 at Leland High School. More than 400 runners took part in this year’s event. Photos by Diego Abeloos

The annual event, which includes a 10k run and 2-mile run, raises funds for the Almaden Valley Counseling Service, a nonprofit mental health counseling center currently celebrating its’ 25th year of existence. The Classic saw more than 300 runners pre-register for the race, the highest total ever in the Classic’s history.

In addition, more than 50 volunteers helped make the event run smoothly. Volunteers for the Classic were provided through efforts from the Almaden Valley Kiwanis Club and Key Clubs from Pioneer and Leland High Schools.

AVCS Executive Director Rocki Kramer, who is set to retire from her post in the coming weeks, said the event is expected to raise between $18,000 to $20,000 through registration fees and sponsorship for the center.

“We like it because it’s a community event and it really brings the community out,” Kramer said. “Aside from making money, hopefully people become aware of the counseling center and learn more about the agency.”

A pair of Bret Harte Middle School runners get ready to run the Almaden Times Classic on Oct. 9. Bret Harte eighth-grader Claudia Barnett finished second among female runners in the 2-mile run, clocking in with a time of 12 minutes and 22 seconds. Sister Stephanie Barnett, a Leland freshman, finished first among females in the 2-mile run with a time of 11 minutes and 2 seconds.

Incoming AVCS Executive Director Matt Osment, who served as the master of ceremonies for the Classic, said the Classic’s registered participants are doing a great service to the community.

“What they’re doing here is truly helping the lives of others; really even to the point where they’re actually helping to save people’s lives,” Osment said of the more than 400 runners who signed up for the event. “We are really seeing some people who are having some very hard times. We take a sliding scale fee, so the people who come to see us really don’t have a lot of money and don’t have many other options to get counseling.”

Osment, 39, comes to AVCS after serving as director of the Benny McKeown Center in East San Jose, where he served for more than five years. The center serves as a residential drug and alcohol program.

Osment added that filling Kramer’s shoes won’t be an easy task. Just one week on the job, Osment quickly realized the extent of Kramer’s legacy within the center.

10k winner John Mentzer gets ready to cross the finish line on Oct. 9. Mentzer, 29, finished the race in 31 minutes and 4 seconds.

“I’m really starting to understand what the people associated with this agency, what they’re going to be missing when she’s gone,” Osment said. “She’s got terrific energy … She has really made my week fun and she’s given me the confidence to know that I’ll be able to do this job.”

Almaden Times Classic Race Director Bob Dando, whose family also took part in the event, said this year’s event was a success because of the people involved, both as volunteers working the race and those taking part in the competition.

“It was an outstanding race,” Dando said. “We had sufficient volunteers and a lot of support. I think this year we had bigger registration than other years …We really have the course down to a science now. We have all the miles marked now and everybody made the right turns, so it was really a fantastic effort by all the volunteers and everybody who supported the race.”

The winners
In the 10k, 29-year-old John Mentzer was the overall winner, completing the course in 31 minutes and 4 seconds. Mentzer, a native of Montana, is currently attending Naval Post-graduate School in Monterey.

Mentzer, who ran the Classic to prepare for the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October in Washington D.C., was pleased to come out as the overall winner of the 10k.

“You always wish you ran a little faster and a little better, but I’m happy,” said Mentzer, who moved to California with his wife this March.

Almaden Valley resident Dina Rosenthal, 33, pushes for a strong finish at the Almaden Times Classic. Rosenthal was the first female finisher in the 10k with a time of 38 minutes and 32 seconds.

The first female finisher in the 10k was 33-year-old Dina Rosenthal, who placed seventh overall with a time of 38:32. Rosenthal, who participated in the Classic for the first time this year, is an Almaden Valley homemaker.
“It feels really good,” Rosenthal said of coming in first among female runners. “I’ve been running out here with my (15-month-old) son. We actually run out here at Almaden Lake Park all the time. When I saw there was a race out here, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to come out and run again.”

In the 10-13 year-old category for the 10k, this year’s winners were twin brothers Weston and Nathan Strum, who finished first and second respectively.

They finished 10th and 11th over all in the 10k with a finish time of 40:13 for Weston and 40:17 for Nathan. They are eighth graders at Castillero Middle School.

In the 2-mile run, Evergreen Valley High senior Daniel Beckwith finished first overall, posting a time of 10 minutes and 39 seconds. Beckwith, who runs track & field for EVHS, finished third in last year’s race.

Fourteen-year-old Stephanie Barnett finished first among female participants in the 2-mile run, garnering third place overall with a time of 11:02. Barnett, a freshman cross country and track and field runner for Leland, was joined by 13-year-old sister Claudia, who finished second among the female runners in the 2-mile run and in 10th place overall with a time of 12:22. Claudia Barnett is an eighth-grader at Bret Harte Middle School, where not surprisingly she runs cross-country and track and field.

Sisters Stephanie, left, and Claudia Barnett pose for a photo following the Almaden Times Classic. Both ran the 2-mile event, with Stephanie finishing first among the females at 11 minutes and 2 seconds, while Claudia came in a close second at 12 minutes and 22 seconds.	Evergreen Valley High School’s Daniel Beckwith came away as the 2-mile winner at the Classic, clocking in at 10 minutes and 39 seconds.	Leland girls’ tennis coach Pam Headley poses with one of her players, Roxie Pourmirzaie, after competing in the Almaden Times Classic on Oct. 9.