Spirit of education

Walking from the finish line with a respectable time of about 35 minutes, Sidney Grace held a soft smile after supporting her school, Harbor View, at the Spirit Run fundraiser Sunday at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

But 11-year-old Sidney wasn’t smiling just because she had run well, or for the support she was showing.

She was also smiling up at her dad, Lew, who had run the whole race with her.

“I like running with my dad,” Sidney said.

That family atmosphere is the focus of the Spirit Run.

The 5K/10K run raises funds for local schools, mainly for Anderson, Harbor View, Eastbluff, Newport Coast and Lincoln elementary schools who put on the event.

For every person who registers to run, $5 is donated to the school they list.

This year, the race allowed for participants to put any Newport-Mesa Unified School District school they choose to receive that money.

Hesperia resident and high school athlete Kyle Gallagher, 18, took home the award for the best time in the 10K run with a time of 33 minutes and 11 seconds, but the win was bittersweet. Gallagher was trying to qualify for the Jr. Nationals in Ohio, but just fell seconds short needing a time under 33 minutes.

“The rain kept me going way faster than I expected,” Gallagher said. “It was exciting.”

About 4,000 people participated on the wet Newport Beach day. Before this year, the event had raised about $1.5 million for local schools.

This year’s event raised about $80,000 from registration money, corporate sponsorship, and private donations of up to $500, according to event officials.

Juan Ramirez helps with Eastbluff Elementary and ran both the 5K and 10K runs Sunday, placing third and fifth, respectively.

He knows some of the children competing and likes to see how they do.

“I like to come and support them,” Ramirez said. “We cheer each other on.”

The event offered an open 10K run and 5K, as well as a youth 5K, a 5K family walk, a 1-mile run for 11- to 12-year-olds, 9- to 10-year-olds, 8-year-olds, and 7-year-olds. Those younger than 7 could take part in half-mile runs.

One of the big surprises of the day was young Constantine Yap, an 8-year-old Alhambra resident who won the 8-year-old 1-mile race with a time of 6 minutes and 13 seconds, almost a full minute ahead of the pack.

Constantine has won more than 40 races by his own account since he started running at 6 years old. He practices four days a week for an hour a day, running more than 3 miles each day.

Conner Garcia, an Isaac Sowers Middle School student in Huntington Beach, won the 5K Youth Run with a time of 17 minutes and 52 seconds.

“It feels good,” said 14-year-old Conner. “I was just thinking about wanting to give it my all.”

Jessica Selby, 12, from Artesia, was disappointed with her performance but still had a good time.

“It’s really good,” Jessica said. “I like the competition.”

10K run: Males

1. Kyle Gallagher, 18, Hesperia, 33:11

2. Gus Quinonez, 42, Huntington Beach, 33:29

3. Juan Ramirez, 39, Santa Ana, 33:52

10K run: Females

1. Cheryl Smith, 27, Aliso Viejo, 35:25

2. Julie Ertel, 35, Irvine, 35:52

3. Aymee Robles, 34, Irvine, 43:03

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected].