Solvang Mile
By John Zant, Santa Barbara Independent
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Bring Back the Mile is a national campaign to establish the Mile (as opposed to 1500 meters) as the preferred middle-distance running event. The four-minute Mile is still a gold standard among athletic achievements. Several men will take a shot at it on Saturday morning, October 6, in the inaugural Solvang Mile.
The race will be run on a certified loop around the picturesque town, starting and finishing on Copenhagen Drive. (Santa Barbara’s State Street Mile finishes downhill from the starting point, so times recorded there carry an asterisk). Recreational runners will start the Solvang Mile shortly after 7 a.m., building up to the elite men’s race at 8:30.
San Diego’s AJ Acosta, the USATF SoCal Road Mile champion (he ran 3:58 down the El Toro airfield), is the favorite to win the $1000 first-place prize. Acosta has clocked a 3:53.7 Mile on the track. South African Peter van der Westhuizen (3:54) and Santa Barbara’s Tommy Schmitz (3:58), a Wisconsin native, are expected to contend.
“We look forward to celebrating the iconic distance,” said race director Alex Kehaya, a teacher at Dunn School. The celebration will include food and beer tastings for adults at Solvang Brewing. Kehaya said a portion of the proceeds from the Solvang Mile will be donated to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign.
To register or for more information, go to: www.active.com/10k-race/solvang-ca/the-solvang-mile-2012
Article from: independent.com
