HILL SETS NEW RECORD TO WIN 41st GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN MARATHON
PATRICK TAKES TWO VISTORY LAPS IN THREE DAYS
Garrick
Hill from Winston-Salem, NC, won the Grandfather Mountain Marathon on
Saturday and Betsy Patrick from Banner Elk, NC won the women's division.
Both are past winners of the Grandfather Marathon and Hill broke his
own record to set a new fastest time for one of America's toughest marathons.
The 41st annual running of the marathon had a field of 366 contestants from 33 states plus Canada. They ranged in age from 18 to 72. Approximately ten percent of the field were women.
Hill, who bested his own record time of 2:42.11 set in 2004, finished with a new record time of 2 hours, 41 minutes and 38 seconds. Hill has run in a total of eight marathons with the largest being the Chicago Marathon.
Said Hill, "the weather started out warm but seemed cooler when we got to the Blue Ridge Parkway."
The 26.2-mile race begins in Boone, climbs to the Blue Ridge Parkway and ends at MacRae Meadows, site of the ongoing Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Over the course of the race, runners have to climb over 3,000 feet in elevation on the uphill and downhill course. The net elevation gain is 946 feet overall.
Second overall was Ben Corona, 29, from Atlanta, Georgia, with a time of 2 hours and 45 minutes and 48 seconds. This is Corona’s sixth time running at Grandfather, taking first place in 2001 and finishing second in 2003 and 2006.
“I have run in other marathons,” said Corona, “but this is the BIG ONE.”
Third place went to Glen Mays, 37, from Little Rock, AK with a time of 2 hours, 47 minutes and 22 seconds. It was the second time running at Grandfather for Mays, who won the event in 2007.
Betsy
Patrick, 30, of Banner Elk, NC, was the first woman to complete the
26.2-mile challenge Saturday after being the first woman to finish in
a five-mile hillclimb called “The Bear” held on Thursday
night. Patrick, who has run in the Grandfather Marathon twice, won the
women's division in the each time; first in 2007 and now in 2008. Her
time in this year’s marathon was 3:14.19.
Patrick credits her victory in the marathon to tough love from her sister. "It was so hot and I wanted to give up," Patrick said. "I tried to get in my sister’s car a few times, but she wouldn’t let me stop. She pushed me and was so hard on me. She’s awesome. She believed in me."
The second woman to finish was Jen Gapin, 26, of Greensboro, NC, with a time of 3 hours, 23 minutes and 34 seconds. Gapin, who has competed in five other marathons, finished third at Grandfather in 2007. “It’s a beautiful run. I loved the scenery,” said Gapin. “It’s a nice run but a nice challenge at the same time.”
Third with a 3 hour, 26 minute and 14 second time was Dulce Ntabella, 36, of Cary, NC. She has competed in Boston, Chicago and New York City but this was her first time at Grandfather.
The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games continue Sunday with a Scottish worship service, the Parade of Tartans and children’s competition in track and field.
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