Posted: October 16, 2006

Athletics: Franke, Price Capture Columbus Marathon Titles

More than 7,700 participated in the 27th Columbus Marathon and inaugural 1/2 Marathon COLUMBUS, Ohio - (October 15, 2006) - Cecil Franke didn't need to take many glances at his watch to gauge his progress Sunday at the 27th running of the Columbus Marathon. Good thing he didn't count on his timepiece. It malfunctioned midway through the race. No big deal. The lack of faces around him let him know he held a comfortable lead throughout. Franke, 38, broke away from the competition about five miles in and cruised to an easy win in a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 13 seconds. The time qualified the Dublin, Ind. native for the "A" standard to qualify him to participate in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in New York. The "A" standard means the host will pay for his trip to New York next November. Brendon Moody of Van Wert, Ohio finished second in a time of 2:24:07 and said, "I had no idea where [Franke] was after about four miles." Brian List of Milford, Ohio finished third in 2:29:28. Female champion Kristin Price one-upped Franke. The former North Carolina State cross country runner won in her debut marathon (2:44:09) and qualified for the "B" standard to participate in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston. "I made the decision to run in it on Friday," she said. "I had a friend coming up [from Raleigh, N.C.] and decided to tag along with him." Phyllis Parker of Carmel, Ind. finished second in 2:50:17 and Concord, Ohio's Tara Gruskiewicz finished third in 2:53:52. Cincinnati's Mike Greiwe claimed the inaugural Columbus 1/2 Marathon in 1:10:41. He edged Dave Johnston of Xenia, Ohio (1:13:21) for the title. P.J. Ball of Norwood, Ohio won the women's half-marathon in 1:22:28, outlasting Upper Arlington, Ohio's Nancy Jeggle (1:28.13). A field of 3,000 runners competed in the half-marathon. Sunshine and a start-time temperature in the low 40s greeted the more than 7,700 participants in the event. The 28th Columbus Marathon and second Columbus 1/2 Marathon will take place Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007. Full results at: ColumbusMarathon.com.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.

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