Inaugural Winterfest Benefit Run in Sausalito

SAUSALITO – Scott Shapiro was walking through downtown Sausalito last month when he stumbled across a flyer promoting the inaugural Winterfest Benefit Run on December 14. It advertised an 8-kilometer race and he decided to enter it on a whim.

“Five miles? I can do that. But I never expected to win,” the 31-year-old Shapiro quipped Sunday after he crossed the finish line first in the first-time event. “This is great!”

Shapiro was among more than 250 runners and volunteers who participated in either an 8K, 5K or a 1K “Kids Fun Run” race on a sunny day along a scenic course in a festive atmosphere. Co-sponsored by the Dipsea Race Foundation and the Sausalito On The Waterfront Foundation, proceeds from the inaugural event benefit the Dipsea Kidz and Youth Waterfront programs and at-risk youth in Marin County.

Zevan Solomon, a 15-year-old Tamalpais High School sophomore from Mill Valley, topped the 108-runner field in the 5K race with a winning time of 18:25. He finished in front of 15-year-old James Conant while Zevan’s father, Howard, and 12-year-old sister, Summer, placed third and fourth, respectively.

“I just like to have fun and this was perfect,” Zevan said. “It’s pretty cool to be out here. It’s awesome.”

Bella Anderson, 14, and 15-year-old Ana Levaggi were second and third in the female division in the 5K race while Ellen Mercado, 33, 29-year-old Katie Mahoney and Kyra Sikora, 22, were the top three female finishers in the 8K race.

Fourteen year old Matthew Phipps and 37-year-old Kevin Wong placed behind Shapiro in the men’s 8K field. Shapiro’s winning time was 33:43.

Everyone in the race won a medal and everyone was treated to a post-race pancake breakfast sponsored by the Sausalito Lions Club.