CARLSBAD — Drew Hunter entered the Carlsbad 5000 on a visit with his brother-in-law who lives in town.
Simone Plourde traveled to the race with the support of her boyfriend and his family in Del Mar.
The two visitors were greeted by a rainy day, the first at the Carlsbad 5000 since the early 1990s.
Yet, after the rain stopped just ahead of their respective elite races, the occasion turned extra bright for them.
Hunter, originally from Purcellville, Va., pulled away from a leading five-pack to take control over the final mile of the men’s elite race. He prevailed in 13 minutes, 46.97 seconds over the 3.1-mile mostly coastal course. Then Plourde, from Montreal, used a final push to finish first (15:30) with only one second separating the top three in the women’s elite field.
When last in the spotlight in these parts, Hunter won the 2015 boys’ Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship at Morley Field in Balboa Park.
However, there was no nostalgia in the mind of the runner who turned pro following high school in favor of an offer from the University of Oregon.
“I’m a forward-thinking person, so I just try to look to the future,” said Hunter, 28. “It’s obviously been great to come back. I went to Balboa Park last time I was here. I just walked around with my family, but nothing crazy.”
Drew Hunter crosses the finish line during the Men’s Elite catagory during the Carlsbad 5000 on Sunday, April 12, 2026. The race is celebrating it’s 40th year and is one of the county’s most popular. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
His family is due to grow, with a third child due this summer. Meanwhile, Hunter has taken up college studies while training in Boulder, Colo.
Here, he employed his typical race strategy.
“I don’t love front-running from the start,” Hunter said. “That’s just not my style. I have a pretty solid kick, so I like to conserve energy and do that.”
Gabriel Planty, of Mammoth Lakes, finished second (13:51.80), and Derek Johnson, of Flagstaff, Ariz., took third (13:53.08).
“We were all in the same boat (with the wet conditions),” Hunter said. “That’s what’s beautiful about running. It doesn’t matter what the conditions are.”
Plourde opted to compete in her first road race in more than six years on the trip recommended by her boyfriend, Theo Russell. She has competed in track at the University of Utah and represented Canada in the 1,500-meter run at the 2023 World Track Championships.
“I love how you just feel the energy of the crowd here,” said Plourde, 25. “And just seeing the view of the ocean just made me feel so, like, at calm. It was amazing.”
The final stretch, though, was less soothing as Plourde nudged ahead to stay.
“When we hit 4K, my watch beeped. Yeah, my watch is in kilometers, because I’m Canadian,” Plourde said. “Then I knew it was only 1K left, and that’s when I decided to make my move. Over the last 100 meters, we (all three) kicked it up until the end.”
Second place (15:31) went to Katherine Wasserman, a New Jersey native now training in Boulder, Colo., and third in the same time to Eleanor Fulton, a native of Lone Tree, Colo.
Each of the elite winners received $5,000 from the $25,000 prize purse. The day’s schedule of nine races included seven legacy runners, who have competed in each edition of the event.
“It’s just nice to start the race … and finish,” said Howard Duncan, a legacy runner and Oceanside resident, who once lived just blocks from the race course.
Deena Kastor, a two-time Olympian who acts as a race ambassador, ran in stride with her 15-year-old daughter, Piper, in the People’s Race, which occurred during the day’s heaviest rain.