The numbers were up for Saturday’s Blue Ridge Marathon.
Way up.
Attracting 2,000 runners from 47 states, up from around 1,000 from the inaugural event in 2010, Saturday’s runners in the marathon, half-marathon and 10K events took to the streets of Roanoke under favorable conditions. Roanoke and race organizers rolled out the red carpet.
With the help from the Roanoke City Police Department and an estimated 400 volunteers, the runners were virtually escorted through the course.
The race results reflected the picture-perfect atmosphere.
In the grueling 26.2 mile marathon, known for its ascents up Mill Mountain and Peakwood Drive, Masashi Shirotake of Charlottre, North Carolina, was first to cross the finish line in the men’s division with a record time of 2 hours, 49 minutes and 33 seconds. Shirotake’s time shattered the previous record by 3 minutes,.
In the women’s marathon division, Amy Ostrofe of Suffolk broke the tape first at 3 hours, 25 minutes, 19 seconds.
Alexander West captured the men’s 13.1 mile- half-marathon with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, 58 seconds. Roanoker Sarah Glenn won her fourth women’s half-marathon in this event with a time of 1 hour, 34 minutes, 22 seconds.
Matthew Miller of Charlottesville won the men’s 10K with a time of 40 minutes, 42 seconds, while Roanoker Maria Bocanegra was the women’s overall 10K winner at an even 47 minutes.
One of the many highlights of the marathon was the effort of runner Adam Dibble who traversed the 26.2 mile course carrying a 3×5 foot US Flag, completing the run in 5 hours, 31 minutes, 14 seconds.
Race organizers have said since its inception, the Blue Ridge Marathon, dubbed America’s toughest road marathon, has brought over two million dollars to the Roanoke economy.
Bill Turner
