Friends and Podiums
The Foot Traffic Flat 5k squad. Left to right: Steven Hallstone, Supreeth Mannava, Alex Rudd, Carsen Moon.
Written by Karl Dickman, edited by Chris Smith
This holiday weekend Rose City athletes rose early hoping to beat the heat. From Champoeg Park to Sauvie Island, from the 5k to the half marathon, they earned PRs, podium finishes, age group wins, and great experiences. Some put themselves out there even though they were unsure of how the race would go. Some overcame doubts and challenges during their races. All were happy for the chance to do it beside their friends.
Juliana DePietro and Pat Liu ran the Independence Day 10k together at Champoeg State Park. Just a month after a massive 10k PR at Helvetia, Pat came close to that time and finished second in her age group, running 46:42. Juliana won her age group and was the fifth female finisher, setting a new PR of 46:10 in the process. Says Juliana: “I had a blast racing in Champoeg State Park with Pat! We kept it low stress on a beautiful morning for a run. I wasn’t sure what the day would bring since I hadn’t raced in a few months, but I was able to work hard and get a solid PR.”
On the other side of the Portland metro area, teammates were lining up to race the Foot Traffic Flat on Sauvie Island. The Flat has been an RCTC summer race since 2018. In the 5k, Alex Rudd was the second female finisher, running 19:55. Supreeth Mannava ran 18:41, a PR for the distance. Carsen Moon ran a 5k PR as well, leading the race wire to wire and finishing in 15:51. Carsen says, “[I] lost momentum at the hairpin turn. Came through 2 miles perfectly paced again, but was worried I overcorrected at the turn and that I might fade soon, especially since I was leading alone. I shouted ‘wake up’ with about a mile left…. Finding that ‘other gear’ was a huge confidence boost and I’m really looking forward to being aggressive in a track 5k later this month.”
“Sauvie Steve” Hallstone was in the 5k as well. He was the third male finisher at 17:47. Steve says, “[I]t was fun beforehand catching up with teammates I hadn’t seen in a while and doing a cool down with them. All in all a good day!”
In the half marathon, middle-distance runner Val Weilert moved up to practice for her first Ironman 70.3 later this summer. Val ran 1:26:06, right around her goal pace for the running leg of the triathlon. Kasey Geller ran 1:19:44 and finished second in his age group.
Cameron Peshon was the fifth man and first in his age group, racing his first half since the 2024 Shamrock Run. Cameron had some pacing challenges, “But,” he says, “through focusing on self-talk, arm swing, and breathing, I was able to hold on when my legs wanted to give up.” His techniques paid off. His finish time was 1:15:47 vaulting him to #5 on the RCTC all-time list in the distance.
Kyla Becker continued her march through the record books, lowering the RCTC women’s half marathon record by over a minute. Kyla says, “I started off conservatively and I was able to gradually pick up the pace and finish strong, which I was really proud of.” Kyla was first woman and fifth overall in 1:14:53.
Catch RCTC again on Thursday, July 10 at Roosevelt High School for the third Portland Track Summer Series meet.
Results
Independence Day 10k
Foot Traffic Flat 5k | half marathon