Men’s Wharf to Wharf winner Diego Estrada of Salinas extended his lead at Pleasure Point on Sunday, pulling ahead of Shadrak Kettel and Josfaye Kipchircyl. Estrada won the race with a time of 27 minutes and 14 seconds, 34 seconds ahead of second-placed Kiptirchil. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Warden)
Capitola — Salinas’ Diego Estrada (33) turned things around on the 51st run of the Wharf to Wharf race on a cloudy Sunday morning by going left.
Estrada reflected on his decision to turn right around the roundabout near Crow’s Nest when most of the 15,000 runners in last year’s race went left. It was a costly decision. The former Northern Arizona University standout and 2012 10,000-meter Olympian finished second, just two seconds behind winner Kenyan-born American Emmanuel Bol.
Estrada has stepped up her training over the past year and has shown strength throughout Sunday’s six-mile race. With all his might he pulled away from Kenya’s Josfay Kipchirchir and Shadrach Kettel to take the lead by four miles. Estrada continued to extend his lead and ran the last mile alone. No other runners were seen behind him as he crossed the finish line in 27:14 on the home downhill.
“I feel good now, but when I crossed the finish line I felt pretty bad,” Estrada said. “I had a bad day that day, so I knew that whatever I did in the first mile would be my pace to the race. Because when you go downhill, you have a problem. So when I went on Mile 4, I felt like I was bluffing. It seemed like the only move I could make. I went with all my might. “
Mr. Estrada wasn’t sure if his actions were enough.
“I put everything into the move,” he said. “I’ll do my best if someone covers it, but that’s what it is.”
nobody covered it. Kipchirchir was second with 27:47 and Keter third with 27:49.
“For me it’s a big thing to prove that there is still a little bit left in the sport,” said Estrada.
Estrada was hoping to break the 27th minute, but abandoned that goal midway through the race. Still, he seemed to be looking at his watch every few seconds over the last two miles.
“I was trying to save my energy,” he said. “It’s like when you’re squeezing when you’re doing something and you want to make sure you’re squeezing it right because you don’t want to look like a fool when you’re caught walking in by this amazing crowd when there are 400 left.”
Estrada said she could push more if she wanted. “But to be honest, I didn’t want to do it because it hurt so much.”
Colin Benny, who was leading the first two miles, finished fourth with a time of 27:55. Fellow American Ben Blankenship was fifth in 28:01.
Watsonville University’s Julian Vargas, a graduate of St. Francis High School, competed at Xavier College and earned honors as the top local boy. He finished 9th overall in 29:28, a new personal record of 40 seconds.
Vargas said he had no expectations heading into the race. His training these days focuses on working longer distances and minimal speeds.
“It means a lot,” Vargas said. I never thought I would be here now. “
Santa Cruz’s Stefano Profumo (30:20) was 20th, Scotts Valley’s Patrick Goodrich (30:29) was 23rd, and 2022 local top Jack Rose (30:49) was 34th.
“I’m very happy,” Estrada said. “I wish I was from this county just for the fact that I could be top local.
Top prize winner
1, Diego Estrada, Salinas, 27:14
2, Josfay Kipchirchir, Kenya, 27:47
3, Shadrak Kettel, Kenya, 27:49
