2025 Pacific Association Awards Banquet: quite a honoree roll!

A few hours before the year closes, better rush that one. A recognition event I was supposed to officiate at but couldn't as I was abroad, celebrating special birthday milestones with friends, in the Caribbean (a few tips about running on Saint Lucia, or not). Thankfully, I could count on and delegate to our most solid MUT community pillar, Shiran (Kochavi). And there were a few pictures which, as we know, are worth thousand words, when not more! (Picures gleaned on Facebook from various feeds including Christine Velasquez, Sylvie Abel and Carl Jacob.)

Thankfully, there is also a wealth of information recorded in the on-line program on the PA website. While the LDR (Long Distance Running committee) had run awards banquets for decades, the PA leadership changed the format to a pan-association one, hoping that will get the youths excited to join the party. 5 okay years in, we'll return to an LDR-focused event in 2026 (in a few weeks since I write this 10 months later...).

As you can see, I don't think Shiran regretted the MUT emcee responsibility, in such entertaining and well-dressed company... ;-) But, still, sincere thanks for stepping up, Shiran, you saved the night!

The event was held at the Foster City Recreational Center’s Vibe Teen Center, on February 8.

After working in 2017 with Nakia, our MUT scorer back then, on the idea to include Trail and Mountain races to make our Grand Prix more about MUT, and not just U (as in Ultra), 2004 marked the first year we scored the sub-ultra trail races in a separate and additional series, at the individual level. That led us to the following two lists of awardees.

The Age Group Champions in that inaugural Short/Sub-Ultra Trail Series:

• M30: Richard Skogsberg (West Valley Track Club)
• M40: Bjorn Monteen (Quicksilver Running Club of San Jose)
• M50 Jonah Backstrom (West Valley Track Club)
• M60: Keith Lubliner (Quicksilver Running Club of San Jose)
• M70: Carl Jacob (Tamalpa Runners, Inc)
• W30: Sylvie Abel (Quicksilver Running Club of San Jose)
• W40: Shana O'Shea (Pamakids)
• W50: Jennifer Hoogesteger (Impala Racing Team)
• W60: Denise Williams (Silver State Striders)

And the Champions in the Long/Full MUT Series:

• M20: Victor Skorapa IV (Excelsior Running Club)
• M30: William Nguyen (Pamakids)
• M40: Stuart Taylor (Quicksilver Running Club of San Jose)
• M50: Shiran Kochavi (Pamakids)
• M60: Charles Blakeney (Quicksilver Running Club of San Jose)
• M70: Carl Jacob (Tamalpa Runners, Inc.)
• W30: Brianna Santos (Pamakids)
• W40: Shana O'Shea (Pamakids)
• W50: Verity Breen (Tamalpa Runners, Inc.)
• W60: Denise Williams (Silver State Striders)
• W70: Kat Powell (Pamakids)

On the teams side, for the full MUT series, it was yet another repeat from Pamakids, claiming a Grand Slam for the third time in a row (1st place in Men, Women, Mixed and Overall), wow, what a domination by showing up in large numbers at almost every event and logging points at 13 of 14 scoring opportunities!

As for the major and coveted "of the Year" awards, the honors went to... (these were the words I had prepared for Shiran to make his job easier, I'm sure he found his own better words):

• Ladies first! In the Women division we had 4 Pacific Association contenders in consideration at the National level by Ultrarunning Magazine: Sylvie Abel (San Jose), Jade Blezberg (San Luis Obispo), Laura Hansen (Mill Valley), Bev Abbs-Anderson from Sacramento, and Emily Sullivan (Reno). 3rd at Javalina 100K, 2nd at the 50K Trail Nationals and 1st at Quad Dipsea 2023, our 2024 MUT Female Runner of the Year is...... Sylvie Abel, from Quicksilver of San Jose! Unfortunately not here tonight because racing the Black Canyon 100K as we speak...
• In the Men division, it was down to another tight choice between previous RoY Rajpaul Pannu, living in Colorado but still running under the Aggies flag, a remarkable Masters in the Men 50-54, James scanlan, and another frequent awardee, Chikara Omine from Excelsior. Now, how often do we have a PA member placing at a World Championships...? It is our honor to recognize with this 2024 MUT Male Runner of the Year plaque, his 6th place at the World 100K road in India, and first place on Team USA, I present you....... Chikara Omine from Excelsior!

As it tuned out, Sylvie had a bad fall just before flying to Black Canyon so she could attend and receive her award on that special night!

For the Volunteer of the Year, I let Shiran come with his own words as Charlene Liebes is from his Pamakids club and he knew her the best.

And our MUT group was recognized at the PA level with one more plaque, a Service Award to... me! How embarrassing I wasn't even attending that function, for once... A month later, I received the special plaque from the hands of Ryan who, among many duties and volunteering activities within our association, chairs this yearly celebration.

Again, I wrote this so late in the year, just 3 weeks from our upcoming 2026 banquet, but will update the post date to February so it shows in the right month in the blog timeline in the right margin. And cheers to the next season around the corner then!