Run Through the Pines attracts over 250 runners

Some 250 runners erupted from the gate at precisely 8 a.m. (Photos by Douglas W. Motley)

Collin Johnstone holding his 6th place trophy.

Veteran Crestline marathon runner Eddie Hahn, who placed 14th, expects to complete his 300th marathon this year.

Tony Wetmore from Crestline captured first place in his age category.  

Brooklyn Cavados of Lake Arrowhead with her 5K medal.

Team Coldwell Banker was led by Allison Banner (left).

Six-year-old Finn Hackney of Lake Arrowhead and his dad both won medals. 

By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer

The 42nd annual Run Through the Pines 5K/10K race around Lake Gregory, which took place on Saturday, Aug. 12, attracted more than 250 runners from throughout Southern California and from as far away as Bend, Oreg., the home of former mountain resident Trevor Soderholm Jr., 32, a first-time competitor who captured first place overall in the 5K race.
Trevor’s father, a retired Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School teacher, told the Alpine Mountaineer that 30 years ago he had pushed his infant son around the racecourse in a baby carriage. “Today, Trevor pushed his daughter around the course in the very same carriage.”
Following a heartwarming rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” by Gianna Befusco, race coordinator Cara Ware reminded the already lined-up runners that there were porta-potties at several locations around the lake and instructed them to stay on the paved path and not to wander onto the street. At precisely 8 a.m. a horn sounded, and the race was on.
Prior to the hour-and-a-half competition, the Alpine Mountaineer interviewed several competitors, including longtime Crestline resident Eddie Hahn, who has competed in the Run Through the Pines five times; he has also run in 294 marathons, worldwide. “I expect to hit my 300th marathon sometime this year,” Hahn said. He finished in 14th place in this year’s 10K race.
Mountain residents who fared well in the competition include 37-year-old Veronika Hoover of Crestline, who garnered a first-place trophy in the 10K competition; 16-year-old Twin Peaks resident Collin Johnstone, who finished the 5K run in sixth place; Victor Cortez, 37, of Crestline, who finished fifth overall in the 10K race; and Tony Wetmore of Crestline, who finished first in his age category. Johnstone also captured first place in the 13-to-18-year-old category. Collin’s dad, Goodwin’s Market Vice President and General Manager Mike Johnstone, figured he finished close to the top of his age group.