Local coach runs inspiring race at Bellingham Marathon

| MAX BITTLE THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

• Bellingham Marathon

Not only was Oviatt thrilled to hear the cheers of his athletes on a gorgeous day, but he enjoyed a special treat when his daughter, 10-year-old Rebekah Oviatt, showed him her medal for taking the 5K run award for girls 14 and under.

Oviatt topped the field of 242 men and women in 2 hours, 44 minutes and 7 seconds, nearly six minutes better than runnerup Eric Barten, who recently moved to Beaverton, Ore., after graduating from Kansas State University. It was Barten's first trip to Bellingham for the race, which was a benefit for WFC Rangers soccer and the Bellingham Bay Swim Team.

The women's winner was 36-year-old Burlington resident Shawna Willskey, who began distance running only a year ago. She ran 3:04.26, followed by 38-year-old Jenn Gallant of Bellingham with the best finish of her career.

Bellingham's Marti Riemer-Reiss, 39, who recently qualified for the World Masters Triathlon, won the women's half-marathon in 1:27.56. Robert Durrant 43 of Langley,B.C., won the men's race in 1:17.18.

Oviatt, who was a Division II All-American nearly two decades ago at Humboldt State, took a nasty tumble last year and was unable to finish. Not long after, he endured three months of an irregular heartbeat before undergoing successful treatment.

"I didn't run to set an example (for his team), but I do try to live life as an example of competitiveness, fitness and lifestyle," said Oviatt, who received an endless stream of congratulations.

"It was really neat to hear our athletes cheer me on," he said. "Last year (in heavy rain and wind), I got too comfortable on the trail and I slipped and hit my head. It took me two months to feel like a real person (after his shock therapy).

"But I felt ready today. I ran 2:47 three weeks ago and my goal was to break 2:45 for the first time since 1998. But I'm not going to run 2:20. Those days are behind me."

Barten didn't run at Kansas State and was second in the Class 4A Kansas state meet two-mile his senior year, so he was thrilled with his finish in his fourth marathon overall while preparing for the Portland Marathon Oct. 5.

"Those last six miles were the most difficult I've ever run," he said of the part of the course south of Fairhaven. Being a Kansan, he isn't used to Chuckanut Mountain-type geography.

"It's cool to win the half-marathon again behind a hometown crowd," said Riemer-Reiss, a well-known figure among local triathletes. "It was great to have so much support from family and friends. I'll definitely plan to try to make it three in a row before I compete in the World Master's Triathlon next year in Australia. I'll be thrilled to age up (into a new category) when I turn 40."

Wilskey said she "loved the course" while improving her best time "by a lot."

She credited her club teammates with the Skagit Runners for their support, saying, "They infected me with the running virus and now I just love running."

Bellingham's Daniel Gallant, 48, won the men's masters marthon in 2:58.31, finishing fifth overall. Bellingham's Dave Deschenes, 35, was fourth. In the women's marathon, runnerup Gallant and Bellingham's Carrie Loeb, 34, who was fifth in 3:34.40, were the top Whatcom County finishers.

There were hundreds of volunteers including those from the soccer and swim clubs, coordinated by meet director Aaron Aaron Hakeman, a swim parent.

"We had about 1,500 entries for the day," he said. "The runners were happy with the new course, which shows a lot more of Bellingham. It's cool for everybody."

AA Sports from Oregon announced most of the finishers, thanks to the use of chips and computers to assist the process, so fans had extra opportunities to cheer their favorites.

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