Speed and Halloween Spirit Take to the Streets at Pali Tri

The race results roster was packed with Palisadians following the first annual , hosted by the Rotary Club of Pacific Palisades on Oct. 23.

Out of the 47 names listed on the 5K run results, 30 of the runners were from Pacific Palisades. Palisadian Bill Scott took top honors for the 5K run, with Nadia Tyson, of Venice, nailing the winning women's time.

The reverse sprint triathlon consisted of a 5K run on closed streets, a 10K bike ride and a 150-meter swim at Pali High's Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center. Out of the 116 triathlon participants, Oscar Gamboa of Los Angeles had the best time of 38 minutes, 57.9 seconds. Amy Croger of Sherman Oaks was the top female triathlete with a time of 49 minutes, 10 seconds, finishing 13th overall. It was a tight race for second place. Matthew Kahrs of Los Angeles passed Babs Bukunola of the United Kingdom in the last few seconds of the race, according to , president of the Rotary Club of Pacific Palisades.

One of the most notable triathletes was 11-year-old Zane Grenoble of Playa Del Rey. Spectators and organizers were impressed with his finishing time of 46 minutes, 20.6 seconds, earning him 7th place over all.

"[It's] quite amazing for such a young person," remarked Card.

Card said aside from the excitement of the races, the day had such a festive atmosphere. He said the vendors and sponsors added great energy to the registration area at and that the national anthem was sung beautifully by student Korinna Kaplanas that morning.

Triathlon and 5K participants were encouraged to run and bike in Halloween garb, as long as it didn't interfere with their speed and safety. But it seemed even the volunteers got in the spirit. Palisadian George Wolfberg was out on the course at Erskine Drive, wearing a full wizard costume while directing traffic.

"The Rotary Club of Pacific Palisades put on Pali Tri with the help of many volunteers and the assistance of W2 Promotions and Prime Time," said Card, who also noted that the event would benefit community youth programs including the , scout troops and scholarship programs.

The Rotary Club is a community service group that meets most Thursdays for breakfast at 7:15 a.m. at on Haverford Avenue. 

• For more information, about the Rotary Club, click here.
• For the results from the 5K run, click here.
• For resutls from the Palisades Triathlon, click here.

Photos are courtesy of Palisades Rotary member Neil Godsey and Palisadian Norman Kulla.