MB Runners Help Raise $40,000 for Autism

Manhattan Beach runners and volunteers helped raise approximately $40,000 for autism charities by participating in and staging the 2nd Annual Operation Jack Marathon and Half Marathon on Monday, Dec. 26.

Julie Hansen of Manhattan Beach took 68th place overall in the marathon, the best position of any MB marathon entrant. The 53-year-old ran 11-minute miles, achieving a time of 4:48:17.7.

In the half marathon, 11 MB residents finished in the top 212 places, most of them in the top 25.

Powerhouse Patrick Sweeney, 32, of Manhattan Beach, took first place in 1:18:39.0, which amounted to a 6-minute mile. MBers Dirk De Waart, 44, and John Batter, 48, ran the half marathon in 1:38:45.8 and 1:39:40.8, respectively, taking the 14th and 15th place finishes. Doug Bond, 46, and JD Roth, 43, both from MB, took 18th and 19th place, respectively in 1:41:22.0 and 1:41:23.8. 

In the marathon, David James, 33, of Scottsdale, AZ, claimed first place in a time of 2:48:44.3, a 6:26-mile pace. He was followed by 50-year-old Christopher Mitchell of Cape Town, who ran the course in 2:51:43.0. Third place went to Dan Kuch, 37, of Lake Havasu City, in 2:52:35.1.

Said James, "The Operation Jack Marathon was a tough race on a hard surface without any hills, but I was happy that I could win at a distance that I do not consider my specialty, and even more happy that we could all do it for a great cause, for Operation Jack!"

In addition to Hansen, locals who recorded times in the marathon included: Matthew Banfield, 33, of Torrance, in ninth place in 3:24:36.0; Daniel Bies, 22, of Palos Verdes Estates, in 24th place in 3:49:49.6; Sidney Shibata, 53, of Rolling Hills Estates, in 34th place in 4:07:47.4; Michelle Daley, 27, of Redondo Beach, in 38th place in 4:13:22.1; Kirk Budds, 49, of El Segundo, in 40th place in 4:13:30.3; Roger Teska, 26, of Marina del Rey, in 42nd place in 4:14:58.8; Adam Daley, 32, of Torrance, in 49th place in 4:24:56.9; Barbara Campbell, 41, of Redondo Beach, in 95th place in 5:36:58.4; and Lawrence Schneider, 73, of Torrance, in 101st place in 6:10:52.0. 

Jake Rome, a Manhattan Beach resident, became involved in Sam Felsenfeld's effort to run 61 marathons in 2010 to honor his autistic son Jack and raise money for autism charities after meeting him on the Runner's World online California message board.

"I wanted to do what I could to help him out," Rome told Manhattan Beach Patch. "I fund raised while running a few races, then noticed that he needed an event for the last weekend of the year. I suggested that he run along the bike path starting and finishing in Manhattan Beach."

Felsenfeld finished the marathon this year in 3:29:38.4, earning the Foothill Ranch resident 11th place.

The inaugural Operation Jack races in MB were so successful that Rome and other members of Citizens for Outdoor Recreation and Exercise (CORE) worked with Train 4 Autism and Felsenfeld to obtain the county permit to hold the race and to order gear for the race, including shirts, bibs and medals.

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