All photos by Steve Disenhof Photography.

One year after making his Dipsea Race debut, Eddie Owens, a San Francisco resident who grew up in Brooklyn and attended Princeton University, covered the 7.5-mile foot race from downtown Mill Valley to Stinson Beach in 48 minutes and 35 seconds. In doing so, Owens became the first Dipsea champion in their 20s since 25-year-old Carl Jensen won it in 1966, according to the Dipsea organization’s website.

Owens was given a one-minute head start in the race, according to the Marin Independent Journal as part of the legendary event’s unique structure in which each of the 1,500 runners are assigned head starts based on age and gender. “When I reached the top, I knew I had the pace and the momentum,” Owens told the IJ. “I just kept ticking people off the list as I passed them on the downhill. I made the last pass on Insult (Hill) and I knew I had it.”

Paddy O’Leary finished second, crossing the finish just over a minute later with a clock time 1:13.52.

“My only previous experience with the Dipsea was last year, and I didn’t realize it was a diminished field then,” Owens, who finished fourth in the delayed edition of the 2021 race, told the IJ. “This year, it was a lot harder to pass people, especially on the stairs. It felt like I was fighting and swimming through people.”

Women made a strong showing, with Clara Peterson third at 1:14.45; Stephanie Howe fourth at 1:14.59; Fiona Lyon fifth at 1:15.03; and Chris Lundy sixth at 1:15.16. Dominic Vogl finished seventh at 1:15.36, narrowly ahead of defending champion Mark Tatum (eighth, 1:15.38), Joannie Siegler (ninth, 1:15.54) and Alex Varner (10th, 1:15.58). Diana Fitzpatrick, who was close behind Siegler most of the race, finished 11th at 9:16.30.

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