Auburn, California, April 4. Max King and Kami Semick, both from the ultra hot-spot of Bend, Oregon, were winners at the 30th annual American River 50, which finished here today. King, who took the lead from early leader Chikara Omine shortly after the Granite Bay checkpoint, pulled away to a seven-minute victory. Dave Mackey edged Omine for second.
Semick, UltraRunning magazine’s runner of the year in 2008, led from wire to wire. Jen Pfeifer finished second and Annette Bednosky took third. 510 runners completed the race, which follows the shore of American River from Sacramento to Auburn. The first 28 miles are on a bike path and the last 22 on trails along the north shore of Folsom Lake. The race was run under ideal conditions. It was a chilly 41F at the 6 a.m. start, with the high temperature for the day peaking at 64F under sunny skies.
Gloria Takagishi, 63, of Sacramento, California finished in 12:39:46. Takagishi has finished the race all 30 years it has been held.
Men
1. Max King, 29, Bend, OR 6:04:44
2. Dave Mackey, 39, Boulder, CO 6:12:13
3. Chikara Omine, 26, San Francisco, CA 6:12:46
4. Matt Lonergan, 35, Eugene, OR 6:13:53
5. Timmy Parr, 27, Gunnison, CO 6:16:04
Women
1. Kami Semick, 42, Bend, OR 6:45:51
2. Jen Pfeifer, 37, Folsom, CA 7:03:25
3. Annette Bednosky, 40, Jefferson, NC 7:11:21
4. Jenny Capel, 36, Reno, NV, 7:14:33
5. Monicha Ochs, 40, Anacortes, WA 7:26:02