Tapia first in marathon

Former North Monterey County High standout Daniel Tapia won the 2012 California International Marathon on Sunday, outdistancing the rest of the field by less than a minute.

Tapia finished the race in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 29 seconds. Fighting a cold, he pulled away from Ethiopian runner Tesfay Alemayehu, who finished at 2:17:06.

Tapia, who starred for the Condors and at Hartnell College, won $10,000 for first place.

The Castroville native was the third-youngest runner of the top 10. The 26-year-old had a 5:12 pace per mile. He was one of five runners to finish under 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Alisha Williams, of Colorado Springs, Colo., won the women’s division with a time of 2:34:57.

It’s the first time since 1993 that the top male and female runners were both from the United States. Tapia is the first American to win since 1999.



For the complete article see the 12-04-2012 issue.

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