Nicholas Spector became part of history when he dashed to victory in the San Francisco 8K Double Adventure Run, Sun., June 21, the first Double Adventure Run ever held in the U.S.

It was also the first Double Racing event of any kind ever held in San Francisco.

Doubles are typically held on paved streets or roads, which makes them essentially road races with a halftime.

This new breed of Double, called the Double Adventure Run, is akin to trail and cross-country running – with a halftime! And, as you might imagine, these races will typically be held on trails, dirt roads, natural terrain.

Thus it was that in San Francisco’s scenic Lands End Park, Sun., June 21, with its intriguing trails, complete with earth-and-wood steps in two places, and breathtaking views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco 8K Double Adventure Run was staged – and did participants ever love it! But then again, with a setting and a concept like that, what’s not to love? I mean, we are talking about a race featuring extraordinary terrain, awesome scenic beauty and a rest break built in!

Pushing hard all the way on this varied, hilly course, Nicholas Spector, 23, from Sonoma, Calif., fairly tore through the opening 5K leg in 17:57 (5:47 per mile pace) to give him a 20-second lead over a tenacious Osamu Tada, 34, of Sacramento, Calif., who has run numerous road Doubles and in this first leg of the first ever Double Adventure Run he crossed the finish line in 18:17. Young David Yeshivas, 18, of Dublin, Calif., ran the 5K in 19:08 to place him third after the first stage, and Masters runner Jose Pina, 45, of San Jose, Calif., had the fourth fastest time in the 5k -- 19:42.

Among the women, Bridget Blum, 21, of San Francisco covered the opening 5K leg fastest, running 21 minutes flat – 6:46 pace. Annie Geasa, 19, of Pleasanton, Calif. (that’s where Double Racing officially made its debut on Dec., 23, 2012), ran the 5K leg in 24:26, Quinn Jensen, only 15, of Sonoma, Calif., finished third in 26:59, and Masters runner Rebecca Hernandez, 41, of San Jose, Calif., had the fourth fastest time – 27:12.

After the recovery break, which was an outdoor affair this time in this getting-back-to-nature Double Racing event, Nicholas Spector ran the concluding 3K leg in 10:20 (5:33 per mile pace) with Osamu (Sam) Tada not far behind in 10:24! This was the epitomy of close, exciting competitive running on a challenging course! David Yeshivas ran the concluding 3K leg in 11:02 and Jose Pina covered it in 11:25.

When the aggregate times were calculated, Nicholas Spector was the winner of the San Francisco 8K Double Adventure Run with a combined time of 28:17, Osamu Tada was second, 28:41, David Yeshiwas third, 30:10, and Jose Pina fourth, 31:07.

In the women’s competition, Bridget Blum went into the second leg with a lead of 3:26 and she extended that even further as she ran the 3K in 11:50 (6:21 pace), with Annie Geasa running the 3K in 14:08, Quinn Jensen in 14:19 and Rebecca Hernandez in 15:19.

The final placings on aggregate time, therefore, were – Bridget Blum, first in 32:50, Annie Geasa, second in 38:34, Quinn Jensen,  third in 41:18, and Rebecca Hernandez, fourth in 42:31.

There were 168 finishers in the race and many of them said this was the most fun they’d had in a running competition in a long time. Ironically, it was the challenging, varied nature of the course that made the race so refreshing and enjoyable for the participants. Perhaps equally significant, many of the runners who were participating in a Double event for the first time said they now want to try a regular road Double!

Who knew that transferring the Double Racing concept to a trail race setting would be such a hit! 

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