FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Benjamin Ludovici and Heidi Bretscher place first
in men's and women's marathon
Raleigh, NC – April 12, 2015 – Even though it's one of the largest cities
in North Carolina, Raleigh still has all the heart, soul, and down-home
hospitality of a small Southern town. This was evidenced today at the Rock
‘n' Roll Raleigh Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by WRAL benefiting The V
Foundation for Cancer Research. And to make things even more ideal, the
weather for this annual event could not have been better with brilliant
sunshine and temperatures in the mid 50s—perfect for many a PR out there on
the roads of this scenic capital city.
A hometown favorite, Bobby Mack was the first runner to cross the finish in
the men's half-marathon race. The 30-year-old clocked one hour, 5 minutes,
and 44 seconds. "I didn't run exactly what I was shooting for time wise,"
admitted Mack, who works at a running store in the city. "Those last two
miles get tough in any race." Mack, a U.S. Champion on the roads and in
cross-country, said he was thankful he could race in his hometown since he
had been injured in 2014. "The whole community gets behind this race," he
said. "The cheer sections were great, the bands were great. I tried to wave
to the fans along the way. It was nice for me to show them that I
appreciated them being out on the course."
Second place in the half marathon went to 27-year-old Stevven Anderson who
was well behind Mack in 1:12:12. Third place was awarded to Brad Pehr
(1:18:33).
Kenya's Salome Kosgei won the women's half marathon in 1:18:13. "I didn't
expect to win today," she said afterwards. "I was feeling great." Kosgei
shared a similar sentiment towards the crowd's energy as the men's winner,
Bobby Mack. "I found them motivating," she admitted. Second and third
place went to Kimberly Mueller (1:21:14) and Kayla Holder (1:24:21)
respectively.
Benjamin Ludovici of Cicero, New York won the men's marathon in 2:41:37.
His win was a close one as second-place finisher Michael O'Brian was a mere
24 seconds behind in 2:42:01. Third place was awarded to 23-year-old
Clement O'Reilly (3:06:24).
The women's marathon was less of a tactical race with Durham, North
Carolina resident Heidi Bretscher clocking 3:06:59—dusting her nearest
competition (Amanda Knapp) who finished nearly 9 minutes behind her in
3:15:34. Rounding out the podium was Melissa Jansen in third (3:21:10).
Raleigh has been called the "city of oaks" for all the gorgeous and tall
trees that line its streets. The runners in today's races were afforded
plenty of scenic views like these along the new marathon course and half
marathon course, which wound through North Carolina's capital city. The ska
and surf rock band Smash Mouth jammed for elated runners at the finish-line
festival, which was held at Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater.
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