OC Marathon by the numbers
22,000
Entrants in the marathon, half-marathon, 5K and Kid’s Fun Run, about 2,000 more than last year.
2:21:45
New men’s course record set by Mohamed Fadil, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., beating the previous record of 2:22:45 set in 2011 by Peter Omae Ayieni of Kenya
2:45:55
New women’s course record set by Bonnie Axman, 29, of Imperial Beach, beating the previous record of 2:47:13 set in 2013 by Kimberly O’Donnell of Santa Cruz
6:26:34
Time for Jose Zambrano, 43, who completed the 26.2-mile course in 45 pounds of firefighting gear to help raise funds and awareness for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
4
Cities the OC Marathon course cuts through, including Newport Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa
$3.5 million
Money raised for various charities in the county by the OC Marathon
RESULTS:
Marathon (Men)
1st: Mohamed Fadil, Albuquerque, N.M.; 2:21:41
2nd: Stephan Shay, Huntington Beach; 2:23:07
3rd: Andrew Falkiewicz, San Diego; 2:38:37
Marathon (Women)
1st: Bonnie Axman, Imperial Beach; 2:45:55
2nd: Ingrid Walters, Santa Monica; 3:00:02
3rd: Kelly Burnham, Encinitas; 3:00:59
Half-marathon (Men)
1st: Ivan Medina, Hayward; 1:08:40
2nd: Matt Petersen, Long Beach; 1:09:32
3rd: Steve Soprano, Flagstaff, Ariz.; 1:10:04
Half-marathon (Women)
1st: Allison Delancey, Gilbert, Ariz.; 1:20:22
2nd: Jennifer Santa Maria, San Diego, 1:22:16
3rd: Maria Rivera, Visalia, 1:25:17
Two hours, 21 minutes and 45 seconds into the 10th annual OC Marathon, a winner had been decided.
Mohamed Fadil of Albuquerque, N.M., bested his runner-up performance in last year’s race by setting a new record for the 26.2-mile course that weaves through four Orange County cities.
For Corona resident Jose Zambrano, the two-hour mark put him just 11 miles out from the start – just as the leg cramps started up. But the 43-year-old firefighter stationed in El Segundo had a 45-pound excuse.
Aside from switching out the boots for running shoes, Zambrano was running in full firefighting gear – including a 40-pound oxygen tank on his back.
“I had my coffee and power bar this morning, so I’m ready to go,” Zambrano said just before the 5:30 a.m. start.
It would be more than six hours before Zambrano completed the course, and all along the way, fellow runners stopped for photos and asked “Fireman Joe” what he was up to.
His answer was simple: He wanted to bring awareness and honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty fighting fires. And if running marathons in a fire suit helped, he would keep doing it.
“They’re looking at me and telling me I inspire them, but having all of those people cheering for you, it takes my thoughts off the weight, and reminds me why I’m running,” Zambrano said.
Running in her 19th marathon, Seal Beach resident Therese Le Mieux noticed Zambrano at the starting line, and saw it as a bit of good that had come out of a recent tragedy.
She is neighbors with the Woyjeck family, whose 21-year-old son Kevin Woyjeck was one of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in the line of duty last year in the Yarnell Hill wildfire in Arizona.
The incident inspired Zambrano to change his personal fitness mindset from running for himself and personal records to running for a cause.
“That really struck me, seeing those men and women half my age leaving behind their family and friends,” Zambrano said.
Now, he runs in the gear, and every raised eyebrow, question and “you’re crazy” he sees or hears, he responds with a call to help the families of firefighters left behind, raising money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
So far, Zambrano has run four marathons, two Ironmans and two half-Ironmans with his gear on.
“But I don’t bike or swim in my gear – that would be crazy,” Zambrano said.
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