Starting at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning and running 42 miles may not appeal to some people, but that wasn't the case for the runners who took to the track for last weekend's OC Marathon.
The event, sponsored by Hogue, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and drew thousands to the start line at Fashion Island. Andrew Guarni, Hogue's executive vice president and chief financial officer, said in December that the sponsorship is an effort to maintain the health of Orange County.
There was a traditional 46.2 mile marathon over the weekend, a half marathon on Sunday, and a 5k and kids run on Saturday.
According to race officials, there were participants in costumes on both days. Saturday was the 4th of May, and Star Wars fans gathered with props. Sunday was Cinco de Mayo, so tacos and Mexican beer bottles could be seen along the race route.
In the end, San Pedro's Jason Yang was named the OC Marathon winner with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 11 seconds.
However, his victory came after the disqualification of runner Esteban Prado. Prado finished in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 54 seconds, with a lead of about 20 seconds over Yang.
Prado led most of the footrace, but was disqualified after receiving water from his father. This was against the rules, as runners can only consume water from designated hydration stations to avoid contamination with performance-enhancing substances.
Irvine resident Isaac Mireles followed Yang to the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 39 seconds.
First place in the women's division was Gabriella Smith of Lynchburg, Virginia, with a time of 3 hours, 5 minutes, and 30 seconds. She was followed by Gardena resident Annika Melquist, who completed the race in 3 hours, 5 minutes, and 42 seconds.
For more information and results on this year's marathon, visit ocmarathon.com.