Hillier, Mostatabi win Vancouver USA Marathon

Their college careers recently concluded, a group of runners from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps University in California figured that Sunday’s Vancouver USA Marathon was a perfect opportunity to give 26.2 miles the old college try.

It was a good decision.

Sara Mostatabi, a 21-year-old from Moraga, Calif., turned her first marathon into a winning one.

Meanwhile, a couple of her college teammates were in the thick of the men’s race until a more experienced marathoner pulled away for his first victory.

Andrew Hillier, a 43-year-old a native of Great Britain who lives in Olympia, won the fifth edition of the Vancouver USA Marathon. Pulling away from 21-year-olds Alex Mauro and Matt Cook over the final seven miles, Hillier won the race by more than a minute with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 52 seconds.

Defending champion Wynston Alberts from Japan finished fourth in 2:37. Alberts, 44, set the pace early and led through about 15 miles. Hillier worked with college friends Mauro and Cook, and by taking turns at the front of their pack every half mile they were able to reel in and pass Alberts.

With seven miles left Hillier started to pull away from first-time marathoner Mauro.

“I was hoping he’d stay with me a bit longer because he’d worked really hard,” Hillier said. “But at that point (Mauro) started to drop off and then it was just a matter of trying to stay ahead.”

He did that, and finished with a personal-best marathon time. It was the second fastest time in the five-year history of the Vancouver race.

“It’s a good course because there aren’t any major hills — they can really put a dent in your time,” Hillier said. Runners were also thankful that skies remained overcast through the morning.

Hillier has lived in Washington for a dozen years, but said this was his first visit to Vancouver. He chose to enter this race because an injury forced him to back out of the May 17 Capital City Marathon in Olympia.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Vancouver,” Hillier said. “It lived up to expectations. It was a lovely course, lovely race.”

One surprise along the road was the sight of his wife and three young daughters, who drove from Olympia on Sunday to provide support.

“It was a lovely surprise to see them on the course,” he said.

Mauro, a Eugene native who ran cross country and track at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, said he enjoyed running with Hillier over the first 20 miles.

“The last five (miles) were terrible, but my time was faster than I was expecting,” he said.

Mostatabi, who recently placed seventh in the 10,000 meters and 16th in the 5,000 at the NCAA Division III nationals, met her goal of finishing her first marathon in under 2:50. Her time of 2:48:58 was more than 23 minutes faster than runner-up Melissa Bell from Charlotte, N.C. Mostatabi said it helped that her boyfriend, Brian Sutter, ran with her for about 12 miles.

Eventually Mostatabi wants to run in major marathons. Sunday was about getting one in before starting her career.

“I just wanted to run a marathon while I was still in pretty good shape before I started full time work,” she said. “The weather was beautiful. This town is adorable. It was just a good time, with great energy.”

The fastest local runner in the marathon was Dave Caldwell. The 40-year-old Clark College instructor ran the VUM for the second time. He wasn’t as fast as in the 2011 inaugural race, but was glad to finish in under three hours. His time of 2:59:50 was fifth best among runners 40 and older, and 15th overall.

“The perfect race eludes me, and that’s OK,” Caldwell said. “That’s why you stay after it.”

The first local woman to finish the marathon was 19-year-old Lana Ferris of Vancouver. She was the eighth-place woman, finishing in 3:27:52.

VANCOUVER USA MARATHON

Sunday

26.2 miles

Unofficial results

Top 10 men

1, Andrew Hillier, 43, Olympia, 2:33:52. 2, Alex Mauro, 21, Eugene, Ore., 2:35:05. 3, Mathew Cook, 21, Azusa, Calif., 2:35:24. 4, Wynston Alberts, 44, Shibuya-ku, Japan, 2:37:00. 5, Victor Mier, 27, San Francisco, 2:40:37. 6, Tyler Sugai, 20, Beaverton, 2:42:54. 7, Troy Hall, 35, Portland, 2:52:45. 8, Eric Hartmann, 47, Portland, 2:52:52. 9, Micharl Lifson, 25, Downers Grove, Ill., 2:53:56. 10, Alex Payne, Franklin, Tenn., 2:54:27.

Top 10 women

1, Sara Mostatbabi, 21, Moraga, Calif., 2:48:58. 2, Melissa Bell, 34, Charlotte, N.C., 3:12:16. 3, Karina Sterrett, 26, San Francisco, 3:18:02. 4, Caroline Conner, 23, Cincinnati, 3:20:13. 5, Katharine Reilly, 38, Bethlahem, Pa., 3:20:37. 6, Katherine Robinson, 28, Seattle, 3:26:10. 7, Claire Giuliano, 28, Mercer Island, 3:26:11. 8, Lana Ferris, 19, Vancouver, 3:27:52. 9, Annemarie Hutson, 40, Seattle, 3:28:07. 10, Stephanie Burnham, 34, Hudson, N.H., 3:38:11.

Breen, Crouch win half marathon

Sure, Sarah Crouch was pleased to be the first woman to finish Sunday’s Vancouver USA Half Marathon. But the one time Hockinson High standout turned professional runner and coach was hoping for something better.

“I absolutely came here to win. But to tell you the truth, I wanted to beat all the guys so I’m a little disappointed,” she said.

Crouch settled for fourth overall with a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes and 11 seconds for the 13.1 miles. The victory went to 19-year-old James Breen of Vancouver. The Clark College runner and Heritage High School graduate won the race with a time of 1:12:53, finishing almost two minutes ahead of runner-up Johnson Lee of Vancouver.

“I was thinking I’d get beat by (Lee),” Breen said. “But I kicked at the end and the last 3 miles he couldn’t keep up.”

Breen said he has completed other half marathons, but never seriously raced one until Sunday. The win will help him heading into his sophomore season running for Clark.

“It gives me confidence. I feel a lot better about myself,” he said. “And people push me during a race. I don’t get that during training so I love to race.”

So does Crouch. As Sarah Porter, she was a successful runner at Hockinson High School and Western Washington University. She has been competing professionally since 2011 and now lives in Chicopee, Mass. She finished seventh in the Chicago Marathon last fall and is hoping to run well there again in 2015. She entered Sunday’s race after a disappointing seventh-place finish at last week’s Portland Track Festival, a race she was tripped and bloodied during.

There was no blood on Sunday, though Crouch found the course more challenging than expected.

“But it was great. It was so much fun,” she said. “And Vancouver is very dear to my heart so I love racing here.”

VANCOUVER USA HALF MARATHON

Sunday

13.1 miles

Unofficial results

Note: Some times might be adjusted for train delays.

Top 10 men

1, James Breen, 19, Vancouver, 1:12:53. 2, Johnson Lee, 29, Vancouver, 1:14:41. 3, Connor Branick, 21, Sioux Falls, S.D., 1:15:40. 4, Jake Stout, 33, Portland, 1:18:51. 5, Daniel Luchkin, 21, Vancouver, 1:20:38. 6, Cullen McEachern, 16, Mukilteo, 1:22:31. 7, Jonathan Grace, 24, Vancouver, 1:23:05. 8, Justin Ashworth, 37, Battle Ground, 1:23:26. 9, Cade Wiger, 17, Vancouver, 1:24:35. 10, David Watson, 32, Portland, 1:27:12.

Top 10 women

1, Sarah Crouch, 25, Chicopee, Mass., 1:16:11. 2, Christina Overbeck-Crawford, 29, Portland, 1:22:42. 3, Marla Smith, 31, Portland, 1:24:51. 4, Jenna Grossenburg, 21, Yankton, S.D., 1:31:04. 5, Nicole Watson, 31, Portland, 1:33:35. 6, Shelby Wilkerson, 24, La Center, 1:33:49. 7, Kelly Chang, 41, Portland, 1:34:25. 8, Jenelle Ralph, 33, Vancouver, 1:34:26. 9, Allison Wrightson, 24, Brush Prairie, 1:34:45. 10, Jessica Eibs, 20, Henderson, Minn., 1:35:13.