Torchlight Run | Hunter, Currell first to finish Seafair run

It was quite the homecoming for Vanessa Hunter.

Every summer as a child, Hunter ran the 8-kilometer Seafair race with her family. She remembers the animated crowds and the blistering heat along the downtown Seattle course.

After years away in graduate school and living abroad, Hunter returned to her hometown race for the first time in 20 years. This year one thing was remarkably different: her time.

With a 28:04 winning mark, over two minutes faster than her nearest competitor, Hunter changed her back-of-the-pack memories as a preteen to an impressive victory Saturday in front of an estimated crowd of 250,000 at the Wells Fargo Torchlight Run.

"It's such a great experience. With a lot of the races in the area you don't get that kind of fan support. It's really nice to have all the people out cheering," said Hunter, a Garfield High School graduate who played soccer for the University of Washington and professionally in Germany.

Earlier this year Hunter, 32, ran the marathon at the Olympic trials. After battling through a hamstring injury and a thyroid condition, Hunter said she was just happy to have fun.

"I had no expectations coming in," she said. "I'm just enjoying myself and feeling healthy again."

Liz Wilson was second at 30:08, and Karen Steen placed third at 31:34.

On the men's side, Mark Currell of Selah led from start to finish in the near-5-mile race. His winning time of 24:30 was nine seconds faster than Mike Sayenko. Sean Sundwall finished third at 25:03.

"I took over from the start, I just ran as hard as I could," Currell said. "I find that that's the best strategy for me to get a good race in."

Currell, 24, was two seconds short of the course record: 24:28, set by Nick Rogers in 2005. Currell recently ran the 5,000 meters for Southern Utah at the NCAA track and field championships.

In the 5-kilometer races, Brandon Kier won the male division at 18:09, and Gretchen Walla was the top female at 19:02.

Notes

• For the first time in event history, a torch was carried throughout the course. The honor went to Kent-Meridian High School, which had the race's largest team at 45 members.

• The Torchlight Run is the only local race of the year broadcast on television (by KIRO-TV Ch. 7).

• The race was followed by a pirate-themed costume contest, and many of the race's participants dressed the part.