FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2019
Contact: Hillary Fujii, Marketing Communications Manager
831-625-6226 / hillary@bsim.org
First-Timers Win Men’s and Women’s Races
Top podium spots occupied by medical doctors
CARMEL, CA – For the first time in seven years, the male champion of the Big Sur International Marathon is not Adam Roach or Michael Wardian. As the 34th presentation of the Big Sur International Marathon began on Sunday morning, 27-year-old Jordan Tropf from Silver Springs, MD made a clear break from his competition and maintained a healthy lead for the 26.2-mile journey from Big Sur to Carmel. Tropf, a Navy doctor, set a personal best and took the top podium spot in a brisk 2:25:21, beating out five-time BSIM champion Adam Roach, 35, by roughly seven minutes. Tropf was also a participant in the marathon’s Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge.
“This race has been on my bucket list for a while now, and it really is as beautiful as they say it is,” said Tropf. “When it got hard, I would look out at the water and feed off the support of the runners from the shorter distances cheering me on.”
The women’s race followed a similar storyline as D’Ann Arthur, a 31-year-old orthopedic surgery resident from Redondo Beach, CA took the top women’s spot in 2:48:39, finishing with an eight-minute lead over 41-year-old Tyler Stewart. Arthur, who attended a friend’s wedding on the Peninsula the night before the race, slept for only three hours before attempting her first Big Sur Marathon.
“I set out to run my own race and enjoy the incredible scenery – you just look out and think ‘wow!’” recalled Arthur. “It was a great course and I loved every minute, but the climbs made it way tougher than any other marathon I’ve run.”
Runners were met with overcast skies and temperatures in the low 60s as over 8,000 participants set out along California’s scenic Highway 1. Over 400 runners completed the marathon as part of the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge, in which runners are ranked by combined times of both events.
