Eugene Marathon, Half and 5k

Posted by Kelly Johnson

The Inaugural Eugene Marathon is off and running (pardon the horrible pun!) with about a zillion people on the streets of Eugene. The full and half marathoners were off just a little late but they were off as I expected--real fast; the 5kers got off about on time.

--
Well, it's a bit later now...there was no wireless at the finish so I took a ton of photos instead, which I'll get posted later on in a gallery.

Kelly Johnson - The race had many experienced cyclists to guide the runners.

Kelly Johnson - The crowd at the start of the marathon.

Kelly Johnson - The 5k field before the gun.

Kelly Johnson - The lead pack just after the start of the marathon.

Kelly Johnson - Mel Preedy, Marathon Maniac is well into the 300's for his marathon tally.

Kelly Johnson - One of the elite women prepares for her race.

So...the race. Was great. There were a few logistical issues...I don't live in Eugene but I'm sure that the race was very well promoted (look at the participation numbers--1,496 in the marathon, 1,984 in the half and 573 in the 5k); even so, there were a number of people that seemed surprised to find out that Franklin Blvd was closed. There were also a few athletes that didn't catch the final start time announcements. But, aside from those people who apparently don't receive the paper, watch the news or ever go online, it was great. The weather could not have been better for an April 29th race in Oregon, calm with just a few sections of the course in Springfield a little breezy.

In the marathon, there were a number of athletes attempting to qualify for the Olympic Trials. The race provided pacers for the B standard for both men (sub 2:22) and women (sub 2:47), but only one man and three women qualified. James Nielson won the men's marathon with a time of 2:21:01, followed in by Daniel Hughes in 2:23:21 and Eric Lavigne in 2:23:26. Meredith Lambert, looking incredibly strong at the finish, took the women's title in 2:44:39. Earning their spot at the Trials in Boston next year were second and third place finishers Stephanie Dueringer in 2:45:25 and Susan Empey in 2:46:27.

READ MORE