Fifteen thousand determined runners pounded the pavement Sunday morning for Santa Cruz's 40th Annual Wharf to Wharf road race.
The race is a six mile jaunt from the Boardwalk to Capitola Village, and Patch posted up on East Cliff Drive, at the top of one of the most challenging uphill portions of the race.
But most racers were smiling when they reached the top of the hill right before the three mile mark, where they were greeted by the furious drumming of Micheal Sigmon, owner of the Windmill Cafe. Not only did Sigmon drum furiously for two hours straight while his friend played guitar, he belted out ferocious "Yeeeeaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!"s every few seconds.
Several runners paused to pick up discarded hula hoops and give them a whirl before continuing on toward the finish line in Capitola.
