WISH-TV / THE REPORTER
Early April showers left thousands of runners drenched Saturday morning at the ninth annual Carmel Marathon but failed to dampen spirits.
Approximately 6,000 people participated in the marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K.
The Carmel Marathon is the city’s largest running event, one of Indiana’s most renowned races, a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and a training ground for athletes preparing for the 2020 Olympic Trials.
A total of 845 people finished the marathon. Jesse Davis was the men’s winner in a time of 2:23.14, with Laurah Lukin winning the women’s race in 3:02.19. Andrew Norris of Westfield placed 14th in the men’s race, finishing in 2:54.09 and making him the highest placer from Hamilton County. A total of 30 runners finished the marathon in under three hours. The average finishing time was 4:16.42.
Locally, 69 Carmel residents participated in the marathon, according to final results that were posted on onlineraceresults.com. Casey Crouse was the highest finisher from Carmel, taking 27th overall in the men’s race in a time of 2:58.33. There were 18 runners from Fishers, 12 from Westfield, eight from Noblesville and one from Cicero in the marathon.
Elisabeth Hedges of Noblesville was Hamilton County’s highest-placing woman, taking 27th place in a time of 3:27.37.
The half-marathon proved popular, with 1,428 runners finishing that race. Matt Lemon won the men’s competition in a time of 1:08.00, with Pasca Myers finishing first in the women’s race in 1:16.19.
Fishers’ Bridget Jensen was the highest county placer, taking 26th in the women’s race with a time of 1:32.14. Noblesville’s Zach Engle finished the highest among county men, 27th in a time of 1:21.58.
Evan Gaynor won the men’s 10K race in 31:53, with Anna Farello the women’s winner in 36:07. Fishers’ Andrew Cartwright took second in the men’s race (32:52), while Westfield’s Lucie Sukewski was third among the women (40:27).
In the 5K race, Mike Cole was first in the men’s race in 16:27, with Audrey Ptacek winning the women’s race in 20:05. Also in the men’s race, Fishers’ Robert Newman placed third (20:02) while Noblesville’s Scott Kelly took fifth (21:01). Carmel’s Claire Henderson placed sixth (23:42) in the women’s race.
Rain didn’t stop these runners who participated in the Carmel Marathon on Saturday morning. Approximately 6,000 people ran in the marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K race. A total of 845 people finished the marathon, with 1,428 runners completing the half-marathon. (Richie Hall)