John Mering, 1st place, mile 10
Winner John Mering w/ a 1 mile lead, mile 10

Winner John Mering w/ a 1 mile lead, mile 10. He wiped out at mile 3 and ran the rest of the race with a broken wrist.

The second Annual Griffith Park Half Marathon was held Nov 17, the same day as Chimera 100m (which I’d registered for but ended up transferring my registration).

Race Director Keira Henninger is a top ultra runner, and she’s put together a tough, tough course: 13 miles of hard hills, not a flat stretch until after you cross the finish line.

The weather was almost perfect – a light misting rain, cool, thick, mysterious fog, a short stretch of wind just below the uppermost point. Unfortunately the combination of rain and dirt proved difficult for men’s winner John Mering, who wore racing flats with no tread and wiped out at mile 3, apparently breaking his wrist in the fall. When we saw him at mile 8, the dirt from the wipeout was thick on his right side. Nevertheless, he had about a one mile lead on the second place runner, and held on easily to win.

Kista Cook and I saw the start and then headed out onto the course for a short run and to cheer on friends and fellow runners. Here are a few shots