Community notebook: Record field for half marathon

A record 425 runners and walkers completed the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon on Sunday.

The previous record was 407 finishers in 2010, according to race organizer Russ Zornick. Sunday morning’s weather was ideal for running, with temperatures in the low 40s, no wind, and no rain until about two hours after the 10 a.m. start.

The race is limited to 475 entries because of limited parking. This was the 23rd edition of the Clark County Running Club race.

Here are the male age-group champions:

13 and younger: Stephen Kiraly, Vancouver, 1:43:36; 14-19: Aaron Jones, Olympia, 1:14:50; 20-24: Kevin McMahon, Portland, 1:10:41 (overall winner); 25-29: Chris McIsaac, McMinnville, Ore., 1:12:35; 30-34: Eric Dolezal, Vancouver, 1:13:01; 35-39: Filip Schmole, Portland, 1:23:56; 40-44: Bill Aronson, Portland, 1:23:29; 45-49: Pete Carleson, Hillsboro, Ore., 1:19:24; 50-54: Daniel Kearns, Portland, 1:23:21; 55-59: Tim Winestorfer, Vancouver, 1:39:57; 60-64: John Zeier, Vancouver, 1:36:36; 65-69: Robert Fuquay, Tualatin, Ore., 1:44:08; 70-74: Patrick Lenoti, Ridgefield, 2:03:06.

Female age-division winners were:

14-19: Kelsey Newburn, Woodland, 1:51:00; 20-24: Shannon Porter, Washougal, 1:19:58 (overall female winner); 25-29: Megan Lacey, Vancouver, 1:31:21; 30-34: Tiffany Elmer, Sandy, Ore, 1:22:34; 35-39: Brittney VanVleck, Beaverton, 1:29:07; 40-44: Leeann Rice, Portland, 1:26:51; 45-49: Lorinda Limpf, Battle Ground, 1:36:39; 50-54: Nancy Munn, Portland, 1:28:33; 55-59: Bonnie Rosenfeld, Lake Oswego, Ore., 1:44:09; 60-64: Maryn Boess, Portland, 1:58:31.

Blind athletes benefit is on Saturday

Marla Runyan, the first legally blind athlete to compete for the U.S. Olympic team in track and field, will speak on Saturday in Vancouver. Runyan is the keynote speaker for the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes dinner and auction. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Pearson Air Museum.

Based in Vancouver, the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes provides opportunities for blind and visually impaired people to participate in physical activity and sports. Since its founding in 2007, the organization has provided sports opportunities to more than 1,000 individuals in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.

For more information about the organization and the sports it offers, or to reserve tickets for the Feb. 2 fundraising dinner, visit www.nwaba.org or call 360-448-7254.

Little League reminder

Fort Vancouver Little League will hold late registration and tryouts at 11 a.m. on Feb. 2 and on Feb. 9 at the league’s fields on the south side of Mill Plain across from Hudson’s Bay High School.

Time is running out to sign up for spring baseball and softball. Most area Little Leagues hold registration in January and early February. A list of sign-up opportunities is in the Community Sports Scoreboard.

Babe Ruth Baseball — Also on Saturday, Hazel Dell Metro Babe Ruth will hold registration for its 2013 season. The sign-up opportunity at the HDM field at Columbia River High School begins at 10 a.m. Learn more at http://www.hazeldellmetro.com.

The two other Babe Ruth programs in Southwest Washington are Camas Washougal Babe Ruth (online registration at http://www.cwbaberuth.com), and KWRL Babe Ruth, which serves north Clark County and southern Cowlitz County.

Equestrian season starts

The season began over the weekend for several of the area’s high school equestrian teams. Among them was Ridgefield, whose results are listed in the Community Sports Scoreboard.

Nine schools from Southwest Washington have teams this year participating in the Washington High School Equestrian Teams. Each team will participate in three regular-season meets, with top qualifiers advancing to the state championships in May.

Community Sports news is published each Tuesday. To submit items, send email to paul.danzer@columbian.com, or call 360-735-4521.