Second edition celebrates unique trail race with one-of-a-kind post-race Finish Line Festival at Sanford Winery with wine tasting, local food and live music; more than 350 runners, friends and family enjoy Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation fundraiser for its community programs
LOMPOC, Calif. - (July 23, 2016): On a postcard perfect sunny Saturday morning, Ramiro Guillen and Dani Moreno of Santa Barbara won the second Vintners 5 Miler presented by the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation. On this unique trail run with mixed terrain and spectacular views of the Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict Vineyards on Santa Rosa Road, Guillen, 33, bested the field, clocking 27 minutes, 7 seconds, while defending champion, Moreno, 24, crossed the finish line in 32:30 as top woman again, finishing 5th overall.
"We had an incredible second edition with beautiful weather and a record number of participants," said Sanford Winemaker & General Manager and Vintners Foundation Board President Steve Fennell, who also ran the course in 38:33. "Our sponsoring wineries and restaurants made this a unique event on the region’s running calendar. Along with our generous community sponsors and dedicated staff and volunteers, the event helped raise funds for the Vintners Foundation’s community programs."
The team competition with seven scoring teams (five finishing runners scored) was won by Santa Barbara’s The Screwcaps, led by last year’s champion Ricky Ho who finished in 31:01. The team averaged 34:29 (Tim Strand, 32:55; Andrea Schettler, 33:33; Mark Fennell, 34:31; and Teri Malinowski, 40:24, who were the 2-5 scoring runners).
Overall, there were nearly 350 entrants and more 290 official finishers in the 5 Mile run as well as the new 1 Mile Wine Walk. In addition to the run, participants enjoyed a world class Finish Line Festival with 10 pouring wineries and four regional chefs. Also new this year, every finisher received a commemorative wine glass sponsored by Union Bank along with their finisher’s medal and event t-shirts.
The post-race Finish Line Festival was a family-friendly event that included complimentary wine tasting, live music by Dave Courtenay & The Castawaves, a kids fun zone and outstanding local food served by the Hitching Post II, Four Seasons Resort: The Biltmore Santa Barbara, Industrial Eats and Scratch Kitchen.
Participating wineries at the event included: Brewer - Clifton, Cambria Estate Vineyard & Winery, Casa Dumetz Wines, Foxen Vineyard & Winery, Grassini Family Vineyards, Hitching Post II, J. Wilkes, Lutum Wines, Nielson by Byron and event host Sanford Winery.
Community sponsors included: Union Bank, Santa Ynez Elite Party Rentals, Southern Wine & Spirits, Hayes Commercial Group - Michael Martz, Alaris Fitness, PhysioPhyx and Isla Vista Screen Printing.
For complete results, photos and more, go to: RaceRoster.com.
The Vintners 5 Miler was produced by the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation, EventPRO, a Santa Barbara-based media & marketing company and Riviera Multisport.
About Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation
The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation is the charitable umbrella under which Santa Barbara Vintners conducts its philanthropic work. Through the Foundation, Santa Barbara Vintners contributes to the community through local charitable and scholarship organizations with proceeds from its various events. Visit SBCountyWines.com for more information.
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