ALTON – Alton's own Dave Janet emerged the winner of the Alton Half Marathon, 13.1-mile race on Saturday morning with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 9 seconds, while Justin Lochmann won the 5K in 23:19.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Maureen Conley, 32 (VALLEY PARK, MO) won the women's half marathon in a time of 01:27:27.
The overall top five in the half marathon were: Janet, then Rene Geisen, 1:13.56; Will Mclemore, 1:14.12; Chris Sandefar, 1:14.18; and Paco Rosales, 1:14.18. In the 5K the top five included: Lochmann, then Tom Gusewell, 23:50; Patrick Held, 23:58; Anna Albrecht, 24:02; and Donnell Bryant, 24:22.
Janet is a dental student at Southern Ilinois University-Edwardsville in Alton. He said he was told right before the last mile he needed to run a 6:50 to tie the course record, so he poured it on.
"It is a nice, smooth course," he said. "I was happy with my time. It will give me something to build on for next year."
Barbara Horstman, race spokesperson, said the race featured participants from all over the country and has continued to grow each year.
"It is a flat, fast course and draws a lot of people for it," she said. "I want to thank all of our sponsors and vlolunteers and the participants who come out."
On this brisk Saturday morning, runners of all ages and skill ranges lined up at the Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater for the Sixth Annual Alton Half Marathon and 5K.
Anticipation was rising throughout the morning as participants stretched by the starting line and prepared themselves for the 13.1-mile half marathon or the 5K.
Isaac Childers has run the Alton Half Marathon for the past two years and absolutely loves to run.
“It’s a great course with wonderful people,” Childers said. “Everyone’s very friendly. It’s a lot of fun being able to go across the bridge and back.”
Although the weather was a bit chilly, Childers’ anticipation for the race still grew.
“It’s not bad,” he said. “It’s great running weather. I’ll take this over the heat any day.”
This half marathon was not Anna Gilkison’s first rodeo. This particular race was Gilkison’s seventh race over all and was her first time participating in the Alton Half Marathon.
“It’s my first time here and I lived here for over 16 years before I moved to St. Louis,” Gilkison said. “I’m doing this kind of as a training run as I am leaving for Paris in two weeks to do the Paris Marathon.”
Like Gilkison and many of the other runners at the starting line today, the sense of community stands out over all.
“Runners are a very welcoming group,” she said. “That’s what I enjoy about it the most.”
Runners started their race at the Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater. Then, they traveled onto the Clark Bridge and ran on the bike lane and the outer traffic lane. From there, they circled around the gas station in West Alton to Riverlands Way. Runners turned around, headed down the “Berm” Highway 143 and turned around at the Melvin Price Lock & Dam entrance then headed to the finish.
For a full list of results for both races, please visit Big River Race Management's website for the event.
SEE RACE VIDEO BELOW:
HALF MARATHON RESULTS:
OVERALL:
1st - Dave Janet, Male, 24 (ALTON, IL) - 01:13:09
2nd - Rene Geisen, Male, 22 (BELLEVILLE, IL) - 01:13:56
3rd - Will McLemore, Male, 21 (BELLEVILLE, IL) - 01:14:12
4th - Chris Standefar, Male, 29 (BELLEVILLE, IL) - 01:14:18
5th - Paso Rosales, Male, 17 (BELLEVILLE, IL) - 01:14:18
WOMEN:
1st - Maureen Conley, 32 (VALLEY PARK, MO) - 01:27:27
2nd - Amy Natalini, 34 (BELLEVILLE, IL) - 01:29:42
3rd - Kathy Pearman, 40 (ST. LOUIS, MO) - 01:30:26
4th - Angela Reckelhoff, 35 (EVANSVILLE, IN) - 01:31:51
5th - Judith Havlicek, 44 (URBANA, IL) - 01:38:26
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
More like this:
