Arturs Medveds was on a mission to defend his championship at the 54th running of the Wharf to Wharf race on July 26.
And just like the breeze that steadily flowed in from the Pacific Ocean, the 26-year-old Latvian native stayed cool and calm en route to winning the “six-mile” race in 27 minutes, 21 seconds in dominant fashion.
Medveds crossed the finish line at the Capitola Village well ahead of runner-up Anthony Raftis, who placed second in 27:48, followed by Nicholas Brichta (28:22) in third, Foster Wilfong (28:34) in fourth and Nolan Hosbein (28:37) in fifth.
“It felt a little bit easier because it wasn’t that competitive this time,” said Medveds, who had just raced in Fresno the day before the Wharf to Wharf. “But at the same time I made sure to win, so I pushed a little bit more than I should.”
Due to ongoing construction on the Murray Street Bridge in Santa Cruz, Medveds and the other 16,000 participants took off from the alternate starting line on Portola Drive instead of the traditional start point in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
The new course is now a total of 5.91 miles, which was slightly shorter than the traditional six-mile course participants are accustomed to running on.
Medveds, a California Baptist University alumnus, and Raftis ran side-by-side during the first two miles of the race while building a large gap of about 120 meters from the rest of the pack.
“Once your legs start going, it gets more comfortable to push and run fast,” Medveds said. “But before starting, my legs felt heavy because of all the traveling.”
After the third mile mark, the defending champion began to pull ahead of Raftis, who kept wiping away the sweat from his forehead.
Medveds surpassed the fourth mile in 4:21, and at that point it was smooth sailing for him.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the best,” he said. “I want to be the best, and I want to compete in the Olympics. But I know I’m still far from it, so there’s always room to work harder.”
Medveds added, “Especially because running is not an individual sport; it’s mainly a team sport. I always look for the team who can support and help me to achieve my goals.”
Medveds was presented with the Mayor’s Cup and a $1,200 payday, while Raftis and Brichta earned $600 and $300, respectively.
Sean Riedel, 27, of Santa Cruz also defended his title as the top local men’s finisher by placing 29th overall in 30:12.
“A little unexpected, honestly, but I’m glad,” he said. “A little slower than last year for top local, but I still got it, so pretty stoked.”
Riedel said most of his training this year has been focused more on trail marathon distance, but still believed he was in good shape to compete in the annual Wharf to Wharf race.
“I surprised myself with how fast I went,” he said. “I was 40, 50 seconds slower than last year, but faster than I thought I was going to be this year.”
Riedel attempted to go with a conservative pace in order to jump out in a good spot while also keeping his options open. Just past the third mile, he was clocking in at an average of a 5:08-mile pace.
“By then I knew if I could just hold on and close, I could do pretty well,” Riedel said. “I just tried to start picking people off. I was right behind the top female for the first four or five miles, then I finally got her around four or five miles, and then just tried to close hard.”
American runner Paige Wood, 30, was the top women’s finisher in 30:34, followed by Lauren Hagans (31:18) in second, Gillian Meeks (32:08) in third, Khia Kurtenbach (32:42) in fourth and Jennifer Cardenas Sandoval (33:04) in fifth.
“It’s super special,” said Wood, who competed for her first time two years ago and had an eight-month old baby boy at the time. “So to come back two years later and win it is really special.”
Wood was presented with the Mayor’s Cup and a $1,200 payday, while Hagans and Meeks earned $600 and $300, respectively.
This year’s strategy for Wood was to feel out the race as it progressed only because she didn’t know what to expect competition wise.
“I was just gonna see if there were any other ladies around, and if not, then try to find a group of men that I could maybe run with,” Wood said. “I was trading off back and forth with a couple guys, which was fun.”
Aptos High graduate Maya Schiro, 18, was hoping to just set a personal record going into her third Wharf to Wharf race. Instead, she wound up as the top local women’s finisher by placing 16th in 35:12, and 204th overall.
“I was really shocked because there’s so many amazing women who come out here,” Schiro said.
Schiro said she felt a lot stronger going into Sunday’s race due to an increase in training sessions as she prepares to run at Chico State in the fall. One of her favorite parts about participating in the event is having people cheer throughout the course.
“There were little girls yelling ‘Girl Power,’ just really cute, really fun,” Schiro said.
First-time runner Teresa Balcazar, 50, of Cupertino won the Golden Bib raffle award of $1,000 during the award ceremony at Capitola Beach. She was walking toward the stage when her bib number was being called out.
“We’re going out to dinner,” said Balcazar, who ran the race with her best friend Melissa Ruiz. “I want to do a little more shopping. I wanted Birkenstocks, I’ll probably buy some of those. Otherwise, I’ve got bills to pay.”
Balcazar, who wound up running more of the race than walking it, enjoyed her first experience of the Wharf to Wharf.
“Just being here at the beach and running along the wharf, the camaraderie with everyone there cheering you on, I think, it’s awesome,” she said.
