With rain subsiding and cloudy skies making way for sunshine, eight brave athletes toed the line to attempt the Thoreson 30 –completing all 10 decathlon events in 30 minutes on Saturday at Westmont College.
Five generations of multi-event athletes came out to celebrate the life of decathlete and La Colina Junior High School teacher, Dave Thoreson, and support the day’s competitors who participated in an event he created in the 1970s.
Curtis Beach, a 2012 NCAA Champion and Duke alum, who boasts an 8,084-point personal best in the traditional two-day decathlon, won the event with 6,242 points. He surpassed 700 points in three events, including the 100 meters (11.54 seconds), long jump (21-11.75) and 1500m (4:34.04) to help get him over the 6,000 barrier and better runner-up, Santa Barbara Track Club coach Tom FitzSimons who finished with 5,824 points.
Two-time U.S. Olympian Sharon Day-Monroe finished in third with 4,860 points. Day-Monroe, who was competing in her first decathlon, had the event’s only 800-plus point performance throwing the shot put (47-6.5) for 827 points.
Evan Weinstock, a 2018 U.S. Olympic bobsledder returned to his track & field roots and scored 4,452 points for fourth place in the competition. He had the day’s best 100m, using his bobsled speed and power to cover the distance in 11.38 seconds.
Also scoring over 4,000 points was Westmont alum Travis Smelley who scored 4,051 points, obtaining the day’s best 30 minute personal best decathlon (4,978) point differential.
The SBTC also welcomed local youth athletes to compete in the Youth Triple, trying their hand at a three-event, 30-minute event. The SBTC Youth program kicks off in February with a 12-week Winter/Spring season.