Southern Californians, Frenchman Win 29th Surf City Marathon

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — Antoine Puglisi recorded his first career marathon victory in the 29th Surf City Marathon Sunday in Huntington Beach while Stefanie Cullingford was the women's winner, slightly more than a year after winning the Carlsbad Marathon.

Puglisi, a 32-year-old Frenchman who lives in Los Angeles and is a second-grade teacher, completed the 26-mile, 385-yard course in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 22 seconds, finishing 46 seconds ahead of Zach Eustance of Apple Valley.

"I started too fast, so I was very exhausted at the end," Puglisi said. "I laid down on the ground at the finish. It took me some time to recover. Now I'm great. My legs are fine."

Cullingford, a 36-year-old from Temecula, was timed in 2:58:27. She won the Carlsbad marathon on Jan. 14, 2024. Meredith Steely of Santa Monica was second Sunday in 3:07:18.

Before the marathon's start, runners honored Huntington Beach Fire Department personnel for their bravery in battling Southern California's recent wildfires.

"Our firefighters are the backbone of this community, and their selflessness extends far beyond city limits," race director Julie Coleman said before the race's 6:30 a.m. start. "Honoring them at the start line is our way of showing gratitude for their sacrifice and unwavering commitment to protecting others."

The marathon started on Pacific Coast Highway between the Pacific Ocean and the Waterfront Beach Hotel. The course then quickly passed the Huntington Beach Pier. Miles two through nine go went Huntington Beach's Central Park and miles 9 through 15 through the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

Miles 16 through 25 were on a beachfront running path paved over the sand. The final mile took runners along Pacific Coast Highway to the finish line, also near the Waterfront Beach Resort.

The marathon, half-marathon and 5K all drew capacity fields of 2,000, 9,300 and 4,500, just like they did last year, race publicist Dan Cruz said.

Dorothy Strand maintained her streak of finishing a race in every edition, the only runner to have accomplished the feat. The 85-year-old retired nurse from Orange ran the 5K in 57:42, third among women 80 and older behind Carole Pedriana Spinak of Huntington Beach in 42:01 and Jean Gardner of Anaheim in 45:19.

Pedriana Spinak also won the division last year.

Strand became a runner in her late 40s. Her sons were running cross- country at Orange Lutheran High School when her husband, John, decided to join them in road races.

"I thought, `Heck, I need to join in on this,"' she said.

Huntington Beach City Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark was the pusher for a wheelchair racer with special needs in the 5K. She was part of Ainsley's Angels of America, a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based charity which aims to build awareness about America's special needs community through inclusion in all aspects of life.

"I got into politics to fight and protect children and see them smile," explained Van Der Mark, who said she was inspired after seeing Ainsley's Angels participants at past Surf City Marathons and felt compelled to get involved.

"Our disabled children go through so much. This makes them feel free and included. It's wonderful. I spoke to one mother, and she said, `For just a moment, you forget some of the struggles."'

All proceeds from the postrace festival and beer garden are donated to the Southern California chapter of Ainsley's Angels.

"This is hands down our biggest fundraiser," said Tricia Benton, an ambassador for Ainsley's Angels' Southern California chapter.

Wheelchairs used for Ainsley's Angels participants cost between $1,600 and $6,000. In the past four years, funds raised through the Surf City Marathon have allowed the organization to purchase four chairs, according to Cruz.

Benton's 15-year-old daughter, Bailey, was among Sunday's wheelchair racers, completing the 5K in 44:57. The teen was born with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy and is nonverbal.

"At these races, when she's in that chair and running, her hands are flapping, and her legs are up in the air," Benton said before the race. "She's smiling, she's giggling. Even though she doesn't have the words to convey it, I know she loves it. It's the one thing we have for her."

The charity is named for Ainsley Rossiter, who was born in 2003 and was diagnosed with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy, an extremely rare terminal illness slowly causes global paralysis, just before she turned 4 years old.

When Ainsley went for her first jog during a local road race in 2008, she gave a radiant wind-induced smile. Running provided the family with a way to fight the pain of having a daughter with a terminal illness. She died at age 12 in 2016.

Ainsley's Angels was founded by her father, Kim `Rooster' Rossiter, a professor of disability culture at Old Dominion University and a retired Marine Corps major.