Nothing beats a home game
Juliana DePietro cruises through mile 20 of the Portland Marathon on the way to a new PR. Photo by Meagan Wakefield.
Written by Karl Dickman, edited by Chris Smith
The Portland Marathon is always one of the most popular events on Rose City’s race calendar. The attraction of racing at home on a beautiful fall morning always draws a crowd. Twenty-four Rose City athletes raced this October. While many of them had personal accomplishments to be proud of, nearly all spoke of their joy at running here in Portland and being cheered by their teammates and neighbors.
Marathon
Four Rose City members raced in the marathon. Juliana De Pietro made a registration switch from the St. George Marathon in Utah because of the forecasted 90-degree temperatures. On a more temperate morning in Portland she ran 3:43:58. This time was an eleven minute improvement on her previous PR, set in 2018 at the Mesa-Phoenix Marathon. Juliana wrote, “[S]o much I can celebrate about yesterday, especially the incredible RCTC cheer squads throughout the course 🥹” She hadn’t run a marathon in so long she forgot her old PR.
Arjun Viray was hoping to beat their personal best of 3:19:41, set in the 2022 Portland Marathon. Arjun says, “I trained with the goal end time of 3:15 but pretty early on realized that maybe this wasn’t the race to do that. While this wasn’t the race I had hoped for, I had a blast seeing teammates cheering throughout the course—from the Rose City cheer squad in Sellwood to Lauren and Kirk on Burnside bridge and Rachel in front of Water Ave Coffee. Seeing familiar faces and hearing encouraging words really helped me along.” Arjun’s brother Xander came up from Los Angeles to cheer for them and the rest of the Rose City squad racing that day.
Siblings Xander and Arjun Viray share a high five at mile 20. Photo by Meagan Wakefield.
Art Avitia made a last-minute decision to race. Art says, “I decided to run… the night before the race…. I signed up at 5pm at the expo (because the race was officially sold out) and I’m so glad I did…. Rose City turned up and Portland Marathon turned out. 📣🌹💛“
Ozo Rojas was making his debut in the distance. Ozo says, “Thank you to the whole RCTC fam for being the loudest squad out there today!! This was my first go at the distance so definitely got carried away at the beginning of the race. Sub 3 was the goal today, but really just finishing my first was good enough for me to walk away happy. I'll be back for another go! Also just so happy to have done my first in PDX on home turf! Nothing beats a home game! Thanks again to the RCTC FAM!!”
Art was erroneously omitted from the team score. Had been included, the four marathoners would have averaged 3:22:58, good enough for 4th place of 43 teams, for whatever that’s worth.
Half marathon
Sixteen Rose City members raced in the half marathon. Roza Barrera ran her second Portland Half with Rose City. Roza says, “SHOUT OUT to the RCTC cheer squad along the course!! Y’all killed it at every turn 📣 It was so awesome to hear my name being shouted throughout the race. Love my team 🌹💛♥️”
Kevin Ward ran a strong race two weeks after his 10k at MLK dream run. Kevin says, “Seeing the team today, cheering teamies and accomplishing their personal goals was a great reminder of the running community I’ve had the blessing to be a part of the last few years. Spotting the gold on course was instrumental in maintaining my mantras of ‘stay relaxed,’ ‘make it fun,’ ‘put in the work,’ and when things got tough, knowing that my teammates around me are likely experiencing something similar and ‘to stay strong.’”
Kevin Ward rounds the corner at mile 7 of the half marathon. Photo by Meagan Wakefield.
Eric Laurel and Alejandro Fallas celebrated their ten year friendship anniversary by running the half together, finishing one second apart. Eric says:
[Alejandro and I] met during the Portland marathon in 2015. At the time I was with the Red Lizards and he was with PRC. Fionna Fallon told me to look for him in the race as we were around the same pace. But we had never met or run together yet.
Around the industrial district (on the old course) is when Alejandro and I found each other. He PRed that day, and we’ve been sharing miles ever since. To share the full 13.1 side by side and finish together on our ten year anniversary was very special. I’ll remember this one for a long time.
Carlie Penning had run a trail half before, but this was her first road half. Carlie says, “This was my first time ever racing a half marathon distance, and having that be in Portland was such a special experience! Most of my races have been trail races that I travel to and run alone, so it was really sweet having a whole crew to warm up with and race with and share in the highs and lows. I didn’t think I had much in me today after getting sick this week, but the energy of the whole morning and all the friendly faces cheering somehow got me there!”
Emma Wolcott ran a new personal record of 1:23:17. Emma says, “I was very excited before the race to see a group of Rose City teammates around me in the starting corral and I had at least one teammate in my sight for the entire race. In the end, I PR'ed by about 4 minutes and exceeded my own expectations.”
Kaylee Wessel succeeded in her goal of running the half at her marathon goal pace. Kaylee says, “My favorite part of the race was getting to run with a strong group of girls. My second favorite part was the cheering squads at miles 7, 9, 11 and the finish line. It was awesome having so many people cheering us on. The other thing I really loved was the sunrise behind [Mt.] Hood—epic.”
Roza Barrera was all smiles while running past the Rose City cheer station near Westmoreland Park. Photo by Meagan Wakefield.
Cortney Berling, who joined Rose City this summer, says, “It was my first big race as a member of RCTC and it was so fun lining up with the team on the starting line! Kaylee, Abby, and I ran the first 7 miles together. Having that support meant so much to me. They are so inspiring! I loved seeing so many people cheering on the sidelines. I felt the RCTC love all over the course!”
David Clark ran 1:11:56, setting a new masters team record and the #2 all-ages time. Dave says:
For all the racing I’ve done, the half is a distance I’ve rarely attempted. Perhaps just one other time, far enough in the past it was a different era in my running career. Between the inexperience and uncertainty about the bod[y], I came into the race with no real plan…. Pace wise I went on vibes. Having spent ample time in training on effort, I was confident enough on that front. One quick glance at the watch early in the race, but otherwise I didn’t even look at splits.
It was fun to see so many friends cheering along the way. Cowbells and megaphones and the bubble gun crew ushering us across the Burnside Bridge.
The top four Rose City runners in the half marathon averaged 1:18:43, earning them second place out of 209 teams, behind only Bowerman Track Club.
10k
Rose City had five athletes in the 10k. This distance is a recent addition to the Portland Marathon, only in its second year. Rose City won the inaugural team trophy in 2024, now on display at Water Avenue Coffee.
Bryce Doehne was rounding into shape after some time out with injury earlier this year. Bryce says “I just ran this as a workout and signed up last minute. I was 5 minutes slower than last year, and getting back to running, I knew it would help to have the atmosphere to assist with running hard. I was glad to see teammates, and that we had 4 teammates to take the team win for the 10k for the second year in a row!”
Kirk Sutherland was going for an early-build marathon-pace effort. Kirk says, “The energy at the starting line was electric and getting to kick the race off with my teammates gave me the moral boost I needed to get in the zone…. Coming in 3rd in my age group while not pushing myself to my limit is a fantastic result, especially for this early on in my block. Everyone’s performances were so impressive and inspiring, and I cannot wait to see all the accomplishments this group of athletes will bring in this season.”
Rahul Marathe ran a PR of 39:22. Rahul says, “It was my second ever official 10k, I had never done a sub 40 10k before and given the setbacks this year, I had my eye on this goal for a while. Looking back at the race, I think I could have done better but still incredibly happy with the PR.”
Carsen Moon, left, biked down to the Westmoreland Park cheer station after running a good race in the 10k. Photo by Meagan Wakefield.
Rose City’s top four 10k runners averaged 39:29, repeating as champions out of 60 teams. Kirk says, “Being part of the winning 10k team on Sunday felt amazing.”
Closing thoughts
The team cheer station was set up at the corner of Westmoreland Park, giving the Rose City cheer squad a chance to catch the half marathon at mile 7 and the full marathon at miles 15 and 20. Stephen Gilkey brought banana bread, Laura Thomas brought cookies, Supreeth Mannava brought mimosas, and Kayla Richardson brought a camp stove and brewed coffee with her French press. Fortified with snacks and equipped with cowbells and megaphones, Rose City made noise for everyone in the race, and especially for their teammates.
This year’s Portland Marathon saw many great performances from Rose City athletes. While those performances were the culmination of many miles, early morning track intervals, and reps in the weight room, the racers often spoke of the love and encouragement they felt from their community out on the course. The mutual support was something to behold.
Past coverage: Kelly Gallagher, 2021 | Rahul Marathe, 2021 | Portlandathon 2018