Sports

Crestline Man Wins OC Marathon

Peter Omae Ayieni, 33, completed the 26.2-mile course in two hours, 22 minutes and 45 seconds.

A Crestline man on Sunday won the OC Marathon, which started in Newport Beach and passed through Irvine and Santa Ana before ending at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa.

Peter Omae Ayieni, 33, completed the 26.2-mile course in two hours, 22 minutes and 45 seconds. Maika Nelson-Carlsen of Brea won the women's race, finishing in three hours and 57 seconds.

The course was changed from last year to be more environmentally friendly. The race began at Newport Center Drive in front of the Newport Beach Marriott, with runners proceeding clockwise around Fashion Island, then turning onto MacArthur Boulevard. The course now includes the bluffs overlooking the Back Back, dropping Back Bay Drive.

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"The OC Marathon is sensitive to environmental concerns about running on Back Bay Drive posed by the U.S. Department of Fish and Game, so we implemented a course change," race director Gary Kutscher said. "The new route is more downhill, the ocean views are better and the course is more welcoming with added neighborhood participation."

— City News Service

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