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Oakland Marathon returning after 25 year hiatus

on October 29, 2009

It has been 25 years, but it’s coming back.

San Francisco has one. San Jose has one. Sacramento has one. And when Gene Brtalik, who happens to work for an extreme sports event planning company, moved to Concord last January, he saw both a void and an opportunity. “Oakland is the only major city in the Bay Area that currently doesn’t do marathons,” he says.

Brtalik works for Corrigan Sports, which is based in Maryland and is now the official organizer of the 2010 Oakland Marathon–the city’s first marathon in a quarter century.

Since his idea in January, he has been busy. It took four months for the city of Oakland to approve the event proposal, and then with the help of Oakland’s running community, Brtalik created the running courses and is now pulling together sponsors.

The 26.2-mile marathon, one of several races scheduled for March 27 and 28 in a weekend event called the Oakland Running Festival, follows a course that begins on Broadway outside City Hall.  It winds through North Oakland for a while, eventually heading out Moraga Avenue to Lincoln, down to East, and then back around Lake Merritt before ending up again at City Hall.

“We want to show off the entire city,” Brtalik said. “Some areas are hilly, but that’s a part of Oakland.”

But the course is a little different than it was 25 years ago. There was only one peak of elevation in the course then, the Hegenberger freeway overpass, crossing over Alameda to San Leandro Bay.  Runners ran through a maze of left and right turns near the Oakland Coliseum before returning the other direction on the overpass. They then followed half of the perimeter of Lake Merritt on Lakeshore and Grand Avenue, past 20th Street, down Adeline and finishing on 11th Street and Broadway.

Michael Pinocci, 54, of Las Vegas, ran the marathon course in 1982.

“I can still visualize the finish,” he said. He said he could remember his mother and father on the sideline, cheering him on as he ran an uphill grade to the finish line. He and a Canadian runner were neck and neck. Obviously, he was trying to win. He finished second, missing first place by 35 seconds, but his second-place finish qualified him to run the marathon in Fukuoka, Japan shortly afterward. Pinocci, who grew up in Fremont, said he remembered the weather was beautiful in Oakland the day  he ran. “I remember I ran my personal best,” he said. “ It will always be at the top of my list.”

Len Goldman, president of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders Running Club, said he remembers reading about the marathon 25 years ago and its successful turnout.  The Joggers and Striders club is the oldest and largest running club in the East Bay, with 250 members. Goldman estimated that 50 of them plan to run the marathon.

Goldman, who is originally from Indiana, has lived in Oakland since 1968 and said he partnered with Brtalik, as well as the East Bay Front Runners and Walkers, to design the course.  The goal: to show off the city. He said most marathon courses are “more forgiving,” with less elevation, but that Oakland is unique.

Goldman is 65, and said he has been training to run the half-marathon. He runs at least 35 miles a week to reach his goal of running it in 90 minutes. “I find it therapeutic,” he said. “I forget about everything, and enjoy being outside and running.”

He said he hopes the returning marathon will bring positive news to the city and attract people from all over the Bay Area. “People have the image of Oakland as gangs and sideshows, but the marathon will show a side of Oakland that doesn’t make the headlines,” he said.

Kei Kodani, manager of the College Avenue running and swimming apparel store Transports, agrees that the Oakland Running Festival, which is currently only sponsored by Geico, will bring positive attention to the city as well as to the running community. “It’ll bring the focus to Oakland as a running city,” he said. “A place for runners.” The event might also bring prestige, he said, if elite runners perform. He said is undecided about whether he will participate. “There are some parts of the course that have me uncertain,” he said. There is a steep downhill run on Lincoln Avenue which Kodani said, “Would be nearly impossible.” He said the hill is very difficult to just walk and after running many miles before, running downhill can be more difficult than running uphill.

But Kodani said he may run the half-marathon — he has some time to think. Participate registration begins Nov. 1 and continues up until the event day.

Brtalik said the Oakland Running Festival is doing things a little differently by also offering four-person relays and children’s races. “Not everybody can do a marathon,” he said. “Not everybody can do a half-marathon.”

He said the main purpose of the event is to bring out the community, but that it’s also a good marketing move for the city of Oakland. Brtalik has set a turnout goal of 7,000-8,000 participants across all five races — the marathon, half-marathon, four-person relay, 5K and kids’ fun run.   There will be awards given for each age group of each race and cash prizes for winners of the marathon race. “When mom and dad go home with a medal, they can be like mom and dad and go home with a medal too,” Brtalik said.

Pinocci, who has run 40 marathons–18 with a time under 2:20, which makes him a very speedy distance runner–said he believes the event will draw many first-time marathon runners. “Its amazing what the human body can do,” he said. “Some people have goals to break. Everyone has a goal and it may be just to finish.”

11 Comments

  1. I Tribuzio on October 30, 2009 at 8:58 pm

    This is a great article.. Hats off to Mr. Brtalik for bringing a marathon back to Oakland.



  2. Bob Roberts on October 31, 2009 at 5:56 am

    “Kudos” to Mr. Brtalik…Oakland needs this event…The people need this event…Thank you Oakland North for getting the “word out” to the people…..



  3. Jeff Rapson on November 25, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Sounds like a great event that Oakland desrves. Looking forward to it.



  4. Lloyd on December 9, 2009 at 2:47 pm

    Wow kudos to oakland, I may run it, I live in LA for now, but I would rather run Oakland’s marathon plus I am a native, I was born in oakland! Rock on!



  5. Mortimer Landsberg on January 19, 2010 at 10:58 pm

    A Marathon is a feat to complete, I intend to do just that. Finish another marathon. Some believe that winning is the reason to do a marathon, I have done over ten and I know that at my age or any age the feat is to “finish”.
    Living in Oakland for over 25 years, I have done marathons in other cities now Oakland, my home town.



  6. Lahairoi Carlisle on February 8, 2010 at 11:03 pm

    My first marathon. I can’t wait. I was born and raised in Oakland and people indeed view the city in a negative way. I’m glad we will raise awareness!



  7. Beth on February 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    I am happy to see a healthy activity in Oakland, but am disgusted by the huge costs of entry. Over $100 for entry fees? $15 for a kids race? This is not helpful to make the city healthier. Moreover, I find it sad and ironic that so much of the course goes through parts of East and West Oakland, with entry fees being so high. I understand there is overhead in a race, but this seems excessive, consider there is an expo and barely any prize money, and corporate sponsors.



  8. Erin on February 26, 2010 at 1:18 pm

    Our ski club from San Jose is planning on participating in the half-marathon. We have registered 35 to date and hope to reach 40 in time for the run. Having been born and raised in Oakland, I’m looking forward to showing my friends from San Jose the highlights of this great city.



  9. […] to cover the races, and we’ll also bring you a very special preview treat this week. For some history about the marathon’s return to Oakland, check out this story by Oakland North reporter Paige Ricks, who got the scoop when the […]



  10. Tom Walsh on April 7, 2010 at 1:47 pm

    Noting that there are no comments by marathon participants following the experience, I am impelled to write.

    I ran the 1984 Oakland Marathon and also completed this one. I love Oakland, have lived here since the 1950’s. The experience of running this marathon only confirmed my belief that Oakland is truly a great place to live.

    I agree with the previous post that the entry fee was excessive. I am sure that many fit and able Oaklanders were unable to enter for that reason. However, the organizers did a great job- and when a port-a-potty wasn’t there when I needed it, an alert Taqueria proprietor waved me in his front door.

    The exciting course was filled with beautiful views and beautiful people cheering us on. Of the 34 marathons I have run, this was the most enjoyable. The icing on the cake was a first place finish among the 70 and over contingent.

    I hope we can all do it again next year.



  11. deanne on June 1, 2011 at 8:22 pm

    I hear a news report about one of Oakland’s Marathons proceeds funding the city’s public works for the year. Can I get more information on how it was put on and who funded it?



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