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Westlake blisters 10K field

by dan thomas

Sunday’s weather was warm for the fourth annual Lake Tahoe Marathon, but Dominique Westlake was blistering in the 10K.

Westlake, who coaches South Tahoe High’s boys cross country team and won the Oct. 3 Kokanee Half Marathon, claimed Sunday’s 10K run in 33 minutes, 31 seconds, smashing the course record.

“It’s just so neat to have the road to yourself,” said Westlake, the first runner across the line during Sunday’s races, which included not only the 26.2-mile marathon, but a half-marathon and the 10K. “Les puts on a really good race.”



After Westlake overtook a strong lead group, he indeed had the road all to himself – second-place Steve Knight of Richmond, Va., finished more than a minute later, in 34:32. Westlake’s time in Sunday’s 10K was nearly a minute and a half quicker than the course record of 34:55.

Westlake tried to run the first half of the race conservatively. When he checked his splits, though, he knew he was ahead.



“As I got closer, I realized I would have it,” Westlake said.

Knight was second, ahead of William Rice of San Jose, who finished in 34:58. Scott Robertson and Erick Studenicka of Carson City were fourth and fifth, in 35:28 and 36:16, respectively, and Chris Badolato of Reno was sixth in 37:23. Two runners from Stateline – Neal Chappell and Andy Takaha – occupied the eighth and ninth spots, and Rick Lambert of South Lake Tahoe was 10th in 40:42.

Stateline’s David Hughes was 12th after a 42:33 finish in the 10K, and Robin Desota of Stateline was 14th in 43:01. One more local, Gordon Rathbun of South Lake Tahoe, finished among the top 20 men, taking 19th in 44:34.

Three of the top five women in Sunday’s 10K were Californians, with South Lake Tahoe’s Gwen Gallanty rounding out the top five behind Cristine Cronin of Richmond, Va., Jamie Kaninski, Sinead Foran of Rossmoor, Calif. and Julie Fingar of Granite Bay, Calif., crossing the line before Gallanty, who finished in 43:01.

Paula Lambdin of South Lake Tahoe was the only other local runner among the top 20 in the 10K, finishing 14th in 48:35.

Racers also had the option of the half marathon, which covered 13 miles from Meeks Bay to the finish line at Pope Beach. In the men’s half marathon, Glendale, Calif., came out in force with the top three spots belonging to three Glendale runners. Jose Arriaga was first in one hour, 15 minutes, two seconds. Enrique Santoyo and Angel Soto followed in second and third. Michael Sharp of South Lake Tahoe ran the race in 1:25:58 and took fifth behind Reno’s Ted Rasoumoff. Gergory Wheatfill of El Dorado Hills was 15th with a 1:38:25 time, Scott Flint of Olympic Valley was 18th in 1:40:28, and Budd Ring of Placerville finished 24h in 1:41:00. Keith Norberg of South Lake Tahoe rounded out the top 20, finishing in 1:41:17.

Deanna Thadley was the fastest woman in the half marathon, turning in a time of 1:30:41. Tracy Whitehead of Reno, Kimberly Romic of Evanston, Ill., Ann Conlin of Reno, and Heather Langley of Salt Valley, Utah, rounded out the top five. The top local woman was Carol Chaplin of Stateline, who finished the race in 1:44:55, good for 14th. She was about a minute quicker than Cookie Bidle of Zephyr Cove, who was 15th in 1:45:53.


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