This is an edition of the Surf City 10 Miler from longtime PR god Dan Cruz.
Local runners celebrate victory in Orange County’s oldest race
Fountain Valley grads Esteban Prado and Madeline Jahshan win Surf City 10
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – Esteban Prado and: Madeline Jahshan share more than a passion for running far and fast. Both are graduates Fountain Valley High School— Prado graduated in 2018, and Jahshan in 2020.
Along a cloudy Sunday morning Huntington Beach on the oceanfront, they shared something else, standing atop podium 68 Surf City 10:00. Prado won the men’s 10-mile race in 50 minutes 55 seconds, while Jahshan broke the tape first in the women’s 10-mile race, finishing in 1 hour 1 minute 20 seconds.
The Surf City 10 is Orange County’s oldest road race of any distance and the nation’s oldest 10 miler. The win was a memorable one for Jahshan, who was running 10 miles for the first time.
“I definitely want to do more races like this,” Jahshan said. “I like double digits.”
Prado is more used to long journeys. He used racing as a tune California International Marathon in December.
“This gives me confidence for December,” Prado said. “Especially because I did it myself. At CIM, I’ll have a package to work with.”
Prado won by over a minute, back Angel Aguirre taking second place with a score of 52:14. Jahshan’s speech was even more dominant. Brett Chody finished second with 1:03:22. He was enthralled by the race day atmosphere along the beach.
“The biggest thing that really surprised me was how supportive everyone was,” said Jahshan, who ran the 5K and 10K. Concordia University. “Everybody works hard too, but they still cheer everyone on. I felt so supported. The atmosphere is amazing.”
Prado praised the organizers of the famous event.
“It’s a perfect race,” he said. “It’s on the beach. It’s early in the morning and you get that marathon environment at the start of the fall racing season.”
The 10K winners also had interesting stories. Yilin Wurunning only her third road race ever and first 10K, won the women’s division by more than three and a half minutes in 37:17. The San Marino native didn’t start running seriously until last summer, when she started training at the Pasadena Running Club. He ran in high school as a freshman, then ran for medical reasons during the pandemic.
“It was a great way to relieve my anxiety and stress,” Wu said. “Plus it kept me in shape.”
Men’s 10K Winner, Harvey Chilcottat 33:00. Australian by the way TasmaniaChilcot was far from home.
“Seeing 5,000 people on race day is amazing,” Chilcott said. “Sometimes it feels like you don’t see many people in Tasmania.”
In the Women’s 5K, Paloma Buhler Norco finished third in 20:21. It was a special day for Buehler, whose 16-year-old son also ran in the race.
With the picturesque ocean providing a stunning backdrop, runners enjoyed the refreshing sea breeze and panoramic views as they ran along the coast. Many participants used Surf City 10 as a training run for the following month’s consumption Long Beach Marathon and Half Marathonwhich will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Sunday, October 6.
The 69th edition of the Surf City 10 Miler will be back Pacific Coast Highway 2025 on Sunday, September 14, and runners can take advantage of a special pre-sale registration offer at the lowest price of the year.
For full results, photos and more, visit www.SurfCity10.com.
