Thousands hit the streets as Modesto Marathon races heat up a chilly morning

“Shakin’” was playing and people were shivering.

It was a brisk 41 degrees, with a light breeze, as Modesto Marathon participants gathered behind the starting line for the 26.2- and 13.1- mile courses. The hit by Eddie Money, along with other classic rock blasting from a radio station’s booth, had some participants dancing in place a bit until the the races really got them moving.

The chill didn’t appear to dampen the spirits of the 2,100-plus folks of all ages — runners, walkers, wheelchair users — who gathered downtown for the 7 a.m. event start. Rain might have, but marathon organizers lucked into their event falling a few days after the last storm system and a couple before the next is expected.

Michael Mrgudic certainly wasn’t complaining about the weather. The 27-year-old Modesto resident was all smiles after winning the full marathon with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 41 seconds. On the way out, there was a slight headwind, he said, but when the course direction changed, he got the benefit of a tailwind for about half the race and “my mile splits started dropping.”

Between the wind at his back and the flat course that makes Modesto a popular run, “it was just perfect,” said Mrgudic, who was running his second Modesto Marathon and only his third marathon ever.

He said he made a “rookie mistake” last year by not taking any fuel on the course. “Mile 19, I could barely run — I walked into the finish” after being in second much of the race, he said. “This year, fueled right and ran the whole thing strong.”

The first woman to finish the marathon Sunday was Angie Banks, 42, of Morgan Hill, with a time of 2:58:18.

The half-marathon overall winner was Carlos Olivares, 25, of Tulare, with a time of 1:14:15. The top female finisher was Ramona Sanchez, 45, of Sparks, at 1:24:32.

The half marathon was the most popular event, with more than 725 participants, race director Bree Fitzpatrick said Sunday morning. The marathon had nearly 350. Numbers earlier in the week has 5k registration nearing 600 and the 10k nearing 400. A small number of participants were in assisted and virtual events.

Full results for all divisions are at https://results.svetiming.com.

This was Fitzpatrick’s first year as race director, and she said it’s been an “amazing experience, an amazing time.” The Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum has been an “absolute blessing” in hosting Saturday’s pre-race expo and in helping recruit classic-car owners to park their rides along the course to rev up runners’ race experience.

The race is put on by the ShadowChase Running Club and was created to give youth in its Teens Run Modesto training program a local marathon.

Event proceeds benefit TRM, which challenges area youth, especially those at-risk, to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved physical fitness.