By all accounts, the inaugural One City Marathon, which took exactly 2600 runners on a north-to-south route of Newport News, was a rousing success!
The best part of the One City Marathon came in the form of four separate races. You didn't have to be a marathoner to be part of the experience. Five hundred athletes were selected to run the 26.2 mile race, but there was also a marathon relay, a Maritime 8K (five miles), and also a Nautical Mile. Slightly overweight joggers could join in the fun.
Eric Rasmussen was the overall winner of the full marathon with a time of 2:39:14, while local favorite Sika Henry of Newport News took the women's crown in 3:11:17. Full results can be found by clicking the link below.
http://www.onecitymarathon.com/results/
For a first time race with thousands of runners, there were almost no logistical problems, much to the delight of city manager Jim Bourey, who conceived the idea of this hometown marathon, and Jason Todd, owner and director of FlatOut Events, the group which planned the course and handled all of the race details.
Here is Dave Johnson's article in the Daily Press giving more detail to the final analysis:
http://www.dailypress.com/news/newport-news/dp-nws-marathon-race-0316-20150315-story.html
There was one hitch - a backup on the four mile long James River Bridge which intersects the marathon course on its north end. While organizers thought there would be breaks between runners to allow cars through, there was no such luck, and some motorists were held up for as many as 90 minutes. This is certainly a detail which can be fixed for next year, when I predict the number of participants will be closer to 5,000. In all, this is a great race for the City of Newport News, and in spite of its detractors, an idea that promotes, as well as salutes the city in which it is run.
The best part of the One City Marathon came in the form of four separate races. You didn't have to be a marathoner to be part of the experience. Five hundred athletes were selected to run the 26.2 mile race, but there was also a marathon relay, a Maritime 8K (five miles), and also a Nautical Mile. Slightly overweight joggers could join in the fun.Eric Rasmussen was the overall winner of the full marathon with a time of 2:39:14, while local favorite Sika Henry of Newport News took the women's crown in 3:11:17. Full results can be found by clicking the link below.
http://www.onecitymarathon.com/results/
For a first time race with thousands of runners, there were almost no logistical problems, much to the delight of city manager Jim Bourey, who conceived the idea of this hometown marathon, and Jason Todd, owner and director of FlatOut Events, the group which planned the course and handled all of the race details.
Here is Dave Johnson's article in the Daily Press giving more detail to the final analysis:
http://www.dailypress.com/news/newport-news/dp-nws-marathon-race-0316-20150315-story.html
There was one hitch - a backup on the four mile long James River Bridge which intersects the marathon course on its north end. While organizers thought there would be breaks between runners to allow cars through, there was no such luck, and some motorists were held up for as many as 90 minutes. This is certainly a detail which can be fixed for next year, when I predict the number of participants will be closer to 5,000. In all, this is a great race for the City of Newport News, and in spite of its detractors, an idea that promotes, as well as salutes the city in which it is run.
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