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West Jefferson man wins men's race in record field of 10,000 participants; two Olympic Trials qualifiers
From Sarah Irvin
COLUMBUS, Ohio - (October 21, 2007) - Robb Kestner gave folks in his hometown another reason to talk about him.
Kestner took the lead for good at the 24-mile mark and won Sunday's 28th Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 48 seconds.
His win marked the first time a central Ohio resident claimed the Columbus Marathon title. The 32-year old resides in West Jefferson, Ohio, about 15 miles west of Columbus.
"What's funny about being from West Jeff is that I'm the only one that runs out there," Kestner said. "All my neighbors think I'm nuts."
Only Jim Jurcevich previously had placed higher for a Columbus-area native. Jurcevich finished runner-up in 2002-03.
"More people will be talking about how our high school football team is 9-0 and for good reason," Kestner said. "But this is really nice to win it in Columbus."
Kestner led an Ohio-dominated top 10. Chuck Engle of nearby Dublin, Ohio finished second in 2:33:41 as nine of the top 10 finishers were residents of the Buckeye State.
A crowd of tens of thousands of spectators was treated to a record field of 10,000 participants. For the first time ever in race history, there was no race weekend registration as all spots were filled in the week leading up to the event.
A pair of women from neighboring states dominated the women's field as both qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston next April.
Kelly Stewart of Rochester Hills, Mich. won the women's division in 2:43:28 in just her third-ever marathon. Jessica Gall, 23, of Bloomington, Ind. followed closely behind at 2:44:38.
Stewart, 26, credited the course's flat terrain for her time.
"I actually feel halfway decent right now," Stewart said a moment after her win. "Compared to Boston and Chicago, this is paradise."
Columbus' Melinda Keesee, 22, led the Ohio delegation with her third place (2:51:33).
Ohio road race veteran Thomas "T.J." Lentz, 40, led all runners after five miles and the Cincinnati native cruised to the Nationwide Better Health Columbus ˝ Marathon title in a course record time of 1:09:32. Jill Scully, 24, of Valparaiso, Ind. also broke the Columbus record in the women's half-marathon. She crossed the finish line at 1:20:27.
Sunshine and a start-time temperature in the low 50s greeted the capacity field.
The 29th Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon and ˝ Marathon will take place Sunday, October 19, 2008. The Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon is one of the 25 largest marathons in the United States.
28th Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon - Columbus, OH, Sunday, October 21, 2007
MEN
1) Robb Kestner (OH), 2:31:48
2) Chuck Engle (OH), 2:33:41
3) James Sjostrom (OH), 2:37:39
WOMEN
1) Kelly Stewart (MI), 2:43:28
2) Jessica Gall (IN), 2:44:38
3) Melissa Keesee (OH), 2:51:33
2nd Nationwide Better Health Half-Marathon
MEN
1) T.J. Lentz (OH), 1:09:32*
2) Matt DeLeon (OH), 1:10:48
3) Troy Harrison (PA), 1:11:09
*course record (previous record, 1:10:41, Mike Greiwe, 2006)
WOMEN
1) Jill Scully (IN) 1:20:27*
2) Erin Vickery-Swalley (IN), 1:22:48
3) Leah Peelman (OH), 1:22:57
*course record (previous record, 1:22:28, P.J. Ball, 2006)
Full results at: .
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.
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