Long Beach Hosts Global Race

Approximately 2,000 participants raced throughout Marina Green Park on Sunday morning for the Global Energy Race, hosted by Bimbo Bakeries USA.

The race included a 10K course that offered views of the Shoreline Marina and Queen Mary, with a loop around Belmont Pier. A family-friendly untimed 5K course was also available, going down Shoreline Drive and offering views of The Pike and Shoreline Village.

All participants received a medal at the finish line where they were greeted by cheerful spectators and supporters.

The male and female first place winners for the 10K were awarded with an all expenses paid trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to take part in the 2018 Global Energy Race. Twenty-four year-old Grace Graham-Zamudo from Newhall, Calif. took first place in the female category with a time of 00:36:23. Twenty-three year-old Ashley Bell from Irvine trailed Graham-Zamudo by 23 seconds, while Lyubov Denisov, 45, from Gainesville, Florida, took third place.

Twenty-seven year-old Juan Paredes from Los Angeles took the grand prize in the mens 10K category, with a time of 00:30:57.

“I’ve been running for about 14 years ever since freshman year of high school. I’ve won a couple races before, but this is definitely one of the toughest ones I’ve done,” Paredes said. “The second place guy was a really good competitor and he pushed me really hard. I’m happy. Me and my girlfriend are going to go to Brazil next year so it’ll be fun.”

Palmdale native Sergio Reyes, 35, trailed Paredes by just six seconds, while 25-year-old Nicholas Spector from Tustin took third place with a time of 00:32:20. 

In the 5K course, 21-year-old Tylor Wallace took first place with a time of 00:17:02. Thirty-five year-old Pepe Rojas was named second place with a time of 00:17:31 and 20-year-old Justin Torres earned third place with a time of 00:17:43.

Violeta Garcia-Pinto, 26, was first among females running the 5K course, with a time of 00:16:58. Cristina Manzo, 13, took second place with a time of 00:20:04 and 12-year-old Chase Koepke took third place with a time of 00:22:11.

For every kilometer that was collectively run by all participants, Bimbo donated two slices of bread to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. This resulted in a total of 3,500 loaves of bread for the establishment.

Fred Penny, president at Bimbo Bakeries USA, stated, “There is a vital role for the food industry in the endeavor of educating the general public about healthy choices and lifestyles. The pursuit of health and well-being is no longer a trend – it has become a social imperative around the world. Small actions such as walking or running can really improve our overall quality of life.”

Long Beach is one of five cities across the U.S. to host the Global Energy Race, joining Orlando, Philadelphia, Dallas and Phoenix. The race is also known worldwide as it hosts events in 21 different countries, including Costa Rica, Portugal, Canada and China.

monica@beachcomber.news