Saturday, May 30, 2026 

Pete Wilson, MWTR Director -Photo by Dirk Bolle 


2026 MT. WILSON TRAIL RACE RESULTS 

FIRST PLACE OVERALL MALE & FEMALE RUNNERS 

First place male runner overall – James Timphony (La Canada Flintridge) – 1:03:43, an average 
pace of 7:25 minutes per mile. Also 1st Place Males 30 – 39. James has won the MWTR a record seven 
times. 

First place female runner overall – Susie Watkins (Alpine, CA) – 1:17:27, an average pace of 

9:01 minutes per mile. Also 1st Place Females 30 – 39. Susie is the daughter of former City of Sierra 
Madre Mayor John Capoccia and his lovely wife Marta. 
TOP SIERRA MADRE MALE RUNNERS 

1. Peter Siberell – 1:07:49 (2nd Place Males 30-39) – son of Pete Siberell, MWTR Director 
2. Duncan Gillis – 1:10:26 (3rd Place Males 30-39) 
3. Jack Freiberger – 1:20:34 
4. Adam Schneider – 1:21:50 
5. Andre Walsh – 1:26:15 
6. Max Romaniw – 1:26:37 
7. Judd Bruzgul – 1:28:26 (3rd Place Males 50-59) 
TOP SIERRA MADRE FEMALE RUNNERS 

1. Daniela Pomalaza – 1:25:03 (1st Place Females 20-29) 
2. Danica Shair – 1:28:07 (3rd Place Females 20-29) 
3. Cory Schillerstrom – 1:34:20 (2nd Place Females 30-39) 
4. Jana Lopez – 1:37:33 (3rd Place Females 40-49) 
5. Melody Donnelly – 1:42:07 
About 100 excited children participated in the MWTR Kids’ Fun Run (Ages 3 – 13). All Kids’ Fun 
Run participants received a lovely finishers ribbon and a T-shirt designed by Phoebe Del Rosario, 4th 
Grade student at Sierra Madre Elementary School. From Kersting Court, the children ran up Baldwin 
Avenue to the turnarounds at either Mira Monte Ave. (ages 8 – 12) or Highland Ave. (ages 3 – 7) and 
back. 

The MWTR is a City of Sierra Madre sponsored event that is planned, organized, and delivered by 
the City of Sierra Madre’s Community Services Department staff and the all-volunteer Mount Wilson 
Trail Race Committee, led by Pete Siberell, Race Director. Both groups work year-round to deliver a 
winning MWTR every year. It takes a village to be this successful and everyone came together to make 
this year’s MWTR one for the record books. 

Set your calendars now because the 2027 Mount Wilson Trail Race is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, 
2027. Check the Mt. Wilson Trail Race website for information as it is posted toward the beginning 
of January 2027. 

The Kersting Court Booth Expo that day featured the following groups/organizations/services. We are 

grateful for their participation and support.

355 Burger – Yummy Breakfast burritos 

Adam’s Pack Station - Maggie Moran – National Anthem

Arcadia Association of Realtors – Booth 

Bob O’Keefe – Finish line bagels

Boy Scout Troop 1 – Altadena – Water @ First Water

Boy Scout Troop 110 – Sierra Madre – Water @ Orchard Camp

Cub Scout Troop 110 – Sierra Madre – Water @ First Water

Christ Church Sierra Madre – Drop Bag Station 

E-Z-Hook – Beer Garden Sponsor

Fletcher Trail Maintenance Fund & Trail Crew Volunteers – Booth 

Java Madre Roasting Company – Awards

LA County Sheriff ’s Department Temple City Hamwatch – Booth

Leonora Moss Florist – Awards 

Mountain Views News – Media Sponsor – Publicity

MWTR Committee – Planning/Logistics

MWTR Merchandise/swag for sale – Heidi Hartman

New Balance Running Shoes – Booth

Pasadena Humane – Wiggle Waggle Wagon - Pet adoptions

Photo Booth – Sponsored by SM Community Foundation

RT Rogers Brewing Company – Beer Garden Sponsor

Run With Us - Pasadena - Title Sponsor – Booth

San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District – Water

Santa Anita Park – Sponsor

Scott Stolarz – Photographer

SM CERT – Booth 

SM Civic Club – Registration & volunteers

SM Community Foundation – Booth & Kids’ Fun Run Sponsor

SM Community Services Department – Planning/Logistics

SM Events Committee – Booth 

SM Fire Department – Public Safety

SM Historical Preservation Society – Booth

SM Interact Club of SM Rotary – Volunteers

SM Police Department – Public Safety

SM Public Library & Friends of SM Library – Booth

SM Public Works Department – Logistics support

SM Rotary Club – Booth

SM Search & Rescue – Trail Safety Monitors

SM Woman’s Club – Finish line oranges

Spectrum Sports – MWTR Timing

Starbucks Sierra Madre – Booth 

Trader Joe’s – Hastings – Finish line bananas

USC Arcadia Hospital – Blood Pressure Screening Booth

VFW Post 3208 – Posting of Colors

Village Vine - Interviews – Booth

Vision for Enrichment - Pasadena – Massage Booth

YMCA - Pasadena/Sierra Madre – Booth

Sierra Madre’s Boy Scout Troop 110 – Ready to provide water to the runners at the Orchard Camp

turnaround point (4.3 miles up) Photo Courtesy Sue Spears 


James Timphony – 1st Place Male Runner Overall 
Susie Watkins – 1st Place Female Runner Overall 
Runners Photos by Dirk Bolle 

REFLECTING ON MT. WILSON TRAIL RACE POST 
EATON FIRE AND IT’S RETURN 

By Mandy Tzoc Rodriguez 

Amid a cloudy and heartfelt morning, Kersting Court was filled with spectators cheering 
for runners competing in the 2026 Mount Wilson Trail Race (MWTR) on Saturday, May 

23. After the Eaton Fire damaged the trail, the race has made its return to Memorial Dayweekend after a two-year hiatus. An event filled with warmth, support and unity fromcommunity and spectators alike, the return of the MWTR marked a new phase of recovery. 
The MWTR is one of the oldest races in California, beginning in 1908, and has become a 
stable within the Sierra Madre community. Runners venture through an 8.6 mile course from 
Kersting Court to Orchard Camp with an elevation gain of over 2,160 feet. Foundational to 
the community, it was with a heavy heart to see the trail damaged by the Eaton Fire and 
subsequent rains. Thus, leading the pause of the race as the trail was temporarily closed. 

“If you somehow were able to get up on what used to be a trail after the Eaton Fire and 
subsequent heavy rains in January of 2025, there would be no way to think that there would 
be a trail or trail race, just 16 months later. It was a hellscape for 3.5 miles from Mt. Wilson 
trailhead all the way up to the turnaround at Orchard Camp,” says Siberell. 

In the midst of devastation, the Sierra Madre community banded together to support the 
repair and restoration of the Mount Wilson and Bailey Canyon Trail. The Fletcher Trail 
Maintenance Fund supports the Trail Maintenance Crew volunteers with supplies to help 
repair the trails to make them safe and open to the public. Siberell noted that around 200 
volunteers worked four to five days a week digging to find the trail and re-engineering, 
“more than 30 sections of the trail that were burned and washed out completely.” 

To continue to bring awareness to the volunteer effort, hundreds of runners participated in 
the 5K Recovery Run in October 2025. As a way to bring the community together amidst 
tragedy, Sierra Madre-ians were able to keep the tradition going and spotlight the volunteer 
efforts. In time, the trail was able to be fully restored to the observatory and came back in 
full swing this past weekend. 

“There would be no Mt. Wilson Trail Race without a trail. I am in awe of the work our 
selfless volunteers have done so we could re-open the trail not only for the race but for the 
enjoyment of so many people who hike and run the Mt. Wilson Trail,” says Siberell. “The 
heavy traffic we see each weekend now is testimony to the tremendous work and love that 
has been put into it. This year’s MWTR reflected in so many ways the volunteerism and 
community spirit for which Sierra Madre is famous [for].We are so happy to be back!” 

If you’d like to support and help preserve Sierra Madre’s trails, please donate to the Fletcher 
Trail Maintenance Fund via the MWTR website. Donations help provide the “necessary 
equipment, materials, supplies and tools used by volunteers,” to maintain the trails, and 
continue to keep them safe and open for public use. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com