Perfect day to set some half-marathon records

For runners chasing personal records, Sunday turned out to be a glorious day.

The mild, dry and — most important — calm weather that greeted runners in the 26th Vancouver Lake Half Marathon presented competitive runners with ideal conditions for running fast and less competitive runners and walkers a welcome respite from a wet winter.

Among those running the fastest 13.1 miles of their life were a trio of Nike runners who set the pace from start to finish and a high school teacher from Roseburg, Ore., who was the fastest woman by almost 10 minutes.

Chris Platano of Portland won the race with a time of 1 hour, 9 minutes and 20 seconds. That is believed to be the fastest time in the history of the event, though slight changes to the course over the years make such designations unofficial. Vancouver resident Jesse McChesney won the 2014 race in 1:09:40.

Amanda Phillips’ time of 1:16:03 was also likely a course record for women. The 29-year-old finished sixth overall and more than nine minutes faster than the second place female.

Both winners were first-time participants in the event, which has been staged by the Clark County Running Club for the last 26 Januarys.

Defending champion Patrick Reaves, who finished second on Sunday, urged training partners Platano and Peter Bromka to run the Vancouver Lake Half, selling them on the opportunity to run personal-best times.

All three did that, with Reaves finishing second in 1:10:13 and Bromka third in 1:10:45. Reaves won the 2015 Vancouver Lake Half Marathon in 1:10:57. Reaves recalled that last year’s race also provided pleasant running conditions, with one exception: fog.

“Last year you couldn’t see anything,” Reaves said.

From the start on Sunday it was clear the three friends from Portland would set the pace. They stuck together for about 9 miles before Platano started to pull into the lead. Platano admitted he had one advantage on Sunday — he didn’t run a competitive 5,000 meters race on Friday night.

Reaves and Bromka did, each posting personal records for the indoor 5K at a High Performance Meet hosted by Portland’s new House of Track.

“That’s pretty impressive on their part,” Platano said.

Platano, who ran in college for Willamette University, was also impressed with the Vancouver Lake course. “Super flat. Perfect conditions. Well marked. It’s beautiful, too, out there with geese flying over. It’s picturesque,” he said.

For Vancouver resident Eric Dolezal, who finished fourth in 1:15:33, this race was another step on his path back to full fitness. A knee injury sidelined the 33-year-old for more than four months following the Boston Marathon last April. Dolezal is preparing for the USATF Cross Country National Championships, which take place on Feb. 6 in Bend, Ore.

“It was a great day. I was thinking I was going to do 1:17, 1:18,” Dolezal said, adding that he and fifth-place finisher Eric Hartmann pushed each other throughout the race.

Phillips, the women’s champion, was on her own except for a couple of miles when a friend joined her. Still, she finished almost a minute faster than her target time. A teacher and running coach at Roseburg High School, she said this race fit her training schedule as she prepares to run her second marathon in March at Hilo, Hawaii.

“I liked that it was in a park and along the trails, so it seemed perfect for my training,” Phillips said. “I decided to just go for it. I didn’t wear a watch or anything” to pace myself.

VANCOUVER LAKE HALF MARATHON

Top 20 finishers

1, Chris Platano, 27, Portland, 1:09:20. 2, Patrick Reaves, 31, Portland, 1:10:13. 3, Peter Bromka, 34, Portland, 1:10:45. 4, Eric Dolezal,33, Vancouver, 1:15:32. 5, Eric Hartmann, 47, Portland, 1:15:33. 6, Amanda Phillips, 29, Roseburg, Ore., 1:16:03. 7, Sam Garvin, 19, 1:17:24. 8, Matthew Wolpert, 39, Ogden, Utah, 1:17:47. 9, Garrett Felber, 30, Portland, 1:19:35. 10, Sam Anderson, 17, Ridgefield, 1:23:29.

11, Jawn Angus, 39, Anacortes, 1:23:40. 12, Shun Yamaguchi, 14, Vancouver, 1:23:52. 13, Kevin Cashatt, 46, Sandy, Ore., 1:23:52. 14, Noel Tavan, 30, Portland, 1:24:41. 15, Carissa Galloway, 25, Portland, 1:25:26. 16, David Hopper, 46, Beaverton, 1:25:35. 17, Ann Davidson, 52, Portland, 1:26:27. 18, Bob Croucher, 51, Brush Prairie, 1:26:27. 19, Brian Davis, 41, Portland, 1:26:33. 20, Michael Allen, 42, Beaverton, 1:26:55.