Santiago, Reed Win Titles at Rescheduled Rose Bowl Half Marathon

Alejandra Santiago of Inglewood and Tim Reed of Irvine captured top honors Sunday at the ninth Rose Bowl Half Marathon, an event that drew nearly 10,000 entrants after being postponed from its original January date due to devastating wildfires.

Santiago, competing in the race for the third time, completed a personal progression from third place to second place to finally claiming victory with a time of 1:21:31, besting Chicago’s Alyssa Jonanik by 45 seconds.

“I wanted to finish first,” Santiago said, referring to her goal after her previous attempts.

“When I saw Alyssa near the end I was like, ‘Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!’,” Santiago said. “I was scrambling at the end.”

As for her progression from third to second to first, Santiago said, “It feels great.”

The race was rescheduled following fires that forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate and destroyed over 18,000 homes in the Los Angeles area.

“January was rough for everyone,” Santiago said. “Regardless of where you lived, you got ash. That was a reminder of what was going on. I think it was great that the race was put on. I do hope that people remember to go back to Pasadena and Altadena and the Palisades to help out. The recovery’s going to go on for years.”

Reed, a former Cal State Fullerton runner who works for ASICS, is accustomed to running longer distances, having completed a 50K and a 100K ultramarathon last year. He has also run the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon twice. On Sunday, he tackled his first half marathon with a goal of breaking 1:10.

Reed almost accomplished his goal, winning the men’s half marathon in 1:11:07, finishing 32 seconds ahead of Michael Nakahara of Torrance. The victory was particularly meaningful for Reed, who became a father six and a half months ago and was awakened multiple times the night before the race by his infant daughter.

“The 4 a.m. wake-up call was nothing for us,” Reed said.

Reed noted he had little competition during the race. “It was me and the (lead) motorcycle guy the whole time,” Reed said. “It was motivating running away from people instead of having people right next to me.”

Reed said the company values work-life balance, which helps him juggle running and fatherhood.

In the 5K races, Olivia Ruiz of San Marino claimed the women’s title in 20:18, running the race for the first time.

“It was so much fun,” Ruiz said. “Everyone is cheering each other on. It’s a nice, sunny day and everyone is here for the fire relief.”

Los Angeles resident Chandler Gorham, who grew up in Orange County, works in downtown Los Angeles and ran club track at the University of Oregon, won the men’s division with a time of 17:36, winning by a convincing 37 seconds.

“I think it’s particularly special (winning) this year with the race being postponed,” Gorham said. “This is a good chance for the city to come together, and it’s such a historic venue that means so much to the city and a lot to me.”

The 10th Rose Bowl Half Marathon and 5K will return to its traditional January date next year, scheduled for Jan. 18, 2026. The event is organized by The McCourt Foundation, which strives to cure neurological diseases while empowering communities to build a healthier world.

A limited number of presale entries for 2026 are available online now, offering runners the lowest price of the year. For complete results, photos and more, visit www.RoseBowlHalf.com.