Jan. 9, 2013
For immediate release
Former Case Roble standout ran eight sub-2:15 marathons
(Second in a series highlighting the eight members of the Sacramento Running Association’s inaugural Hall of Fame class. Today: Dennis Rinde).
Dennis Rinde can look back on his running career and take great pride in an impressive number of significant accomplishments.
The former Casa Roble High School and Sacramento State standout ran eight marathons under 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a 2:12:01 effort in finishing seventh at the 1981 Boston Marathon, a performance that remains the fastest time recorded by a home-grown marathoner.
Rinde ran in three U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, lowering his personal best with a 2:14:22 effort and a 10th-place finish in 1980. He won the Manitoba Marathon seven times and recorded a 2:14:13 clocking in the 1984 California International Marathon, still the fastest time ever recorded in the race by a local runner.
Ask him what he’s most proud of about his running days, though, and he points to the present.
“Well, probably that I’m still sticking with it,” said the 54-year-old Rinde, who runs 6-8 hours a week.
“I’m still running.”
Rinde’s efforts have earned him a spot in the Sacramento Running Association’s inaugural Hall of Fame class. He’s scheduled to be inducted with Rae Clark, Eileen Claugus, Christine Iwahashi, Helen Klein, Billy Mills, Paul Reese and Linda Somers on Jan. 26 during a dinner at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento.
“It’s quite an honor to be recognized and be up there with Billy Mills and some other Olympians like Linda Somers,” Rinde said. “It’s really an honor to be inducted.”
Rinde recalls his seventh-place Boston Marathon finish in a race that included Bill Rodgers and Craig Virgin as another highlight.
“It was a good day,” he said. “I kind of started off a little slow against a really stellar field.
“I was just kind of picking people off and got into the top 10. I ran out of yardage. Another 200-300 yards, I would have finished in the top five.”
Rinde ran in several CIMs, noting he enjoyed the 26.2-mile journey from Folsom to the state Capitol.
“I enjoy the (Sacramento) community,” said Rinde, who lives in Davenport near Santa Cruz.
“It was a really competitive running community.”
Rinde went on to win three World Championships in Ride-and-Tie, a sport that pairs a horse with two runners who cover a set distance alternating running and riding. He teamed with Jim Howard, a former Western States Endurance Run champion and sub-2:20 marathoner.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are $50. Group and table of 10 reservations are welcome and can be made at www.runsra.org.
The dinner, which begins at 6 p.m. and includes a no-host cocktail hour, will also feature the presentation of Annual Achievement Awards to the Sacramento area’s top runners in track, road racing, cross country and ultra running.
High school honorees include Trent Brendel, boys cross country athlete; Maggie Bell, girls cross country athlete; Bob King, boys cross country coach; John DuCray, girls cross country coach; Edixon Puglisi, boys track athlete; Madeleine Ankhelyi, girls track athlete; and Donene Vukovich, girls track coach.
Brendan Gregg will receive the men’s college track athlete of the year, with Deborah Maier earning the women’s track athlete honor. Other college honorees include Trevor Halsted, men’s cross country athlete; Sarah Sumpter, women’s cross country athlete; Rick Anderson, men’s cross country coach; and Drew Wartenberg, women’s cross country and track coach.
Olympian Kim Conley, the women’s track athlete of the year, heads the open division. Other honorees include German Fernandez, men’s track athlete; Lindsay Tollefson, women’s cross country, road racing and marathon athlete; Kevin Pool, men’s cross country and road racing athlete; Tim Tollefson, men’s marathon athlete; Jacob Rydman, men’s ultra athlete; and Rory Bosio, women’s ultra athlete.
Masters honorees include Marcelo Lerda, men’s cross country athlete; Karen Jeffers, women’s cross country athlete; Chris Knorzer, men’s road racing and marathon athlete; Midori Sperandeo, women’s road racing athlete; Mary Coordt, women’s marathon athlete; Rich Hanna, men’s ultra athlete; and Jennifer Pfeifer, women’s ultra athlete.
Seniors honorees include Kevin Ostenberg, men’s cross country athlete; Sara Freitas, women’s cross country athlete; Iain Mickle, men’s road racing athlete; Janice Kesterson, women’s road racing athlete; Jacob Nur, men’s marathon athlete; Rena Lantz, women’s marathon athlete; Lee McKinley, men’s ultra athlete; and Karen Bonnett, women’s ultra athlete.
The SRA will also honor several super seniors: Adam Ferreira, men’s cross country athlete; Yvonne Nickel, women’s road racing athlete; Richard Powers, men’s marathon athlete; Nancy March, women’s marathon athlete; Larry Cawthon, men’s ultra athlete; and Barbara Ashe, women’s ultra athlete.
Men’s cross country athlete Robert Seldner and men’s road racing athlete Ronald Gross are the veterans honorees.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.
SRA events include the recently concluded California International Marathon, the Super Bowl Sunday 10k Run on Feb. 3, the Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run on April 7 and the Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon on Oct. 27.
SRA beneficiaries include the American River Parkway, youth fitness programs, local running venues and aspiring young runners.