Ben Garner of Colorado and Lizzie Gleason of Ohio scorched the Rocket City Marathon Front Half Marathon course Sunday morning to take top honors in the men’s and womens’ divisions.
Garner, of Boulder, won the overall title with a sizzling time of 1:10, a 5:22-per-mile pace. The 25-year-old won by six minutes over Samuel Ongaki, 39, of Birmingham, who crossed in 1:16:23.
Gleason, of Dayton, was third overall in 1:21, setting the tone for family success Sunday. Gleason won the women’s front half title, while her sister-in-law, Maura Lemon of Dayton, won the women’s marathon title. Maura’s brother, Chris Lemon, of Dayton, was third in the marathon.
Azariah Kapelkach, of Birmingham, was third in the men’s division and fourth overall in 1:22. Patrick Mills of Huntsville was the top local finisher, in fifth place, in 1:22:44.
Anna Tellefesen of Spartanburg, S.C., was second in the women’s division and sixth overall in 1:27. Meredith Heiser of Nashville was third (9th) in 1:31:42. Emma Burnley of Huntsville was the top local finisher, in 32nd, in 1:46.
Jody Cardwell of Knoxville won the Men’s Masters title in 1:31. Ami Weems of Birmingham took the Women’s Masters honor in 1:36.
The field had 312 finishers, including 177 female (average pace 10:59) and 135 male (average pace 9:54). The weekend kicked off Saturday morning with the 10K.
The RCM is put on by the Huntsville Track Club and presented by the Huntsville Sports Commission.
See all of the results of the Rocket City Marathon Front Half Marathon here, and age group results here.
