CAPITOLA — Distance runner Arturs Medveds, who won the Western Athletic Conference’s individual cross country title as a standout grad student for Cal Baptist University in 2023, took the Wharf to Wharf by storm on Sunday.
He left defending champion Evert Silva, 25, of Fresno, in his wake. He did the same to American distance running legend Galen Rupp, of Oregon, a 10-time national champion, four-time Olympian, and two-time Olympic medalist — and the rest of the field of 16,000 runners.
Medveds completed the course — which began on Portola Drive and ended 5.91 miles later in Capitola Village — in a record 27 minutes and 3 seconds. It was the first time the new layout was used, a late change to accommodate the recent closure of the Murray Street Bridge for seismic retrofitting.
Silva took second in 27:16, and San Mateo’s Robert Miranda, 24, took third in 27:23. Mammoth Lakes’ Anthony Raftis, 27, was fourth in 27:58, and Rupp, 39, rounded out the top five in 2:59.
“It means a lot to win this race, especially with a guy like Rupp here,” said Medveds, who flew from Aizpute, Latvia, to compete in the Central Valley on Saturday, followed by the Wharf to Wharf. “It was a amazing to run with him, and amazing to win.”
Race winners earned $1,200. Second place paid $600, and third paid $300.
Silva took first in a race in Fresno on Saturday and Medveds was second, so it was a sweet finish for Medveds, who also bettered his fifth-place finish at the 2024 Wharf to Wharf.
The initial lead pack featured roughly 20 runners over the opening mile, but it quickly trimmed to five — the top five finishers. The top three finishers all said it was a slow start.
“I guess you see Galen Rupp in there, and when he doesn’t go to the front and you don’t want to have an (Olympic) silver medalist behind you, so everyone was kinda waiting to see who was going to go,” Silva said. “People got tired and just decided to take it for themselves.”
Medveds and Miranda were out front from Miles 2 to 4. Medveds made his move entering the fourth mile. He ran alone remainder of the race.
“I didn’t want to look back,” Medveds said. “I usually do, but this time, I was like, ‘ I need to go,’ because I know there are other guys who can catch me easily.”
Medveds tried to figure out how close others were by listening to the spectators’ applause.
“The goal was to beat everyone, Rupp included,” Miranda said. “I thought my best shot to do that was to make it honest from the start, and try to pin a move. It worked on everybody but two guys, so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Silva said Medveds and Miranda took off at 3.5 miles.
“They made a hard surge and I didn’t go with it initially because I thought it was a little too ambitious,” Silva said. “And then you realize, guys at this level, you give them too much room, it’s going to be hard to make it up.”
Ethiopia’s Atsede Bayisa Tesema, 38, the 2016 Boston Marathon winner and fourth-place finisher at last year’s Wharf to Wharf, was the top female. She finished in a record 31:01. Gillian Meeks of Davis took second in 32:03 and Hanne Thomsen of Santa Rosa was third in a photo finish. Lindsey Adams (33:42) of Cool and Yuzki Oey (33:56) of Princeton Junction, N.J., rounded out the top five.
The slightly hilly final four miles of the course were the same as last year, and treated runners to plenty of ocean views.
Tesema, who had hip surgery after the 2024 Wharf to Wharf, didn’t have any other females to push her, so she hung with some of the top men and enjoyed the scenery.
“This year’s change? Not bad. Very nice,” she said. “The course was not so different for me. … I followed the boys today. I didn’t see any girls.”
Felton’s Azalea Groleau, a former San Lorenzo Valley High standout who now compete in cross country and track at Seattle Pacific, edged Santa Cruz’s Isabel Sanchez, a former standout at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, for top local female honors. Groleau took sixth among the women in 34:08 and Sanchez took seventh in 34:11.
“I was just happy to be on the starting line and having the opportunity to race today,” Groleau said. “I’ve always loved the Wharf to Wharf and feel that it brings together the Santa Cruz community in a special way.”
Groleau said she’s already looking forward to next year’s race.
UC Santa Cruz grad student Sean Riedel, 26, who grew up in Boulder, Colorado, was the top local male in 29:35.
“It’s really cool to get top local in a race that means so much to this town and me,” said Riedel, who made up a conservative start with a late surge. “I knew a bunch of people in the race; I kept trying to pick people off.”
As good as the top runners were, there were plenty others who wanted to be Mirna Martinez’s shoes.
The Watsonville resident won $1,000 for winning the golden bib drawing. It was a nice way to finish her run.
“I literally opened my envelope this morning,” Martinez said. “I was like, ‘Ok, I’ll see if I’m going to be the winner. I kinda manifested it and it happened.”
Martinez didn’t know how she was going to spend the money. But she knew where to start.
“I’m going to get a drink afterwards,” she said.
TOP FINISHERS
Men
1, Arturs Medved, Aizpute, Latvia, 27:03
2, Evert Silva, Fresno, 27:16
3, Robert Miranda, San Mateo, 27:23
Top local: Sean Riedel, Santa Cruz, 29:35
Women
1, Atsede Bayisa Tesema, Ethiopia, 31:01
2, Gillian Meeks, Davis, 32:03
3, Hanne Thomsen, Santa Rosa, 32:03
Top local: Azalea Groleau, Felton, 34:08