The 51st annual Mt. Baldy Run-to-the-Top was held on Labor Day on the slopes of Mount San Antonio.

Four-hundred and seventy-five people participated in the 7.1-mile trail run through the Angeles National Forest, which begins at the entrance to the Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts parking lot, at 6,000 feet, and finishes on the summit of Mt. Baldy, at 10,064 feet.

The top three men were Lucas Matison at 1:05:26, followed by Derek Alcorn at 1:09:23 and Jon Clark at 1:14:49. Top female finishers were Mary Colburn at 1:26:28, Mary Jones at 1:34:01 and Rhoda Shaver at 1:38:15.

The fastest Claremont resident was 48-year-old John Trafeconty at 1:17:33, who was also first in his age group.

Also in the race was 66-year-old Ed Powlesson, who put in an impressive time of 2:13:08, which was good enough for fourth place in his age group. Mr. Powlesson, a 1968 CHS graduate, also participated in the first Run-to-the-Top as a 16-year-old in 1966.

Olympian Mary Decker was the very first winner for “First Overall Female” in 1971. A note on the results sheet that year read, “Mary Decker 1:34:02 marathon wonder at age 12 years old set a record for others to shoot at in the years ahead.”

Funds from the race allow the Mt. Baldy Town Hall to make donations to the all-volunteer Mt. Baldy Fire Department and West Valley Search and Rescue, and to maintain an emergency fund for disaster relief in Mt. Baldy.