FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Barno, Taylor Claim Victories at Grandma's Marathon
Barno is the first 4 time consecutive Men's Grandma's Marathon Champion
Taylor is the first American Champion since 2009
(Duluth, Minn.) - Kenya's Elisha Barno successfully defended his title and
became the first four-time consecutive Grandma's Marathon champion by
claiming victory in the 42nd annual Grandma's Marathon. Barno finished the
course with a time of 2:10:06. Coming in second was Birhanu Dare Kemal, 31,
from Ethiopia, who finished in 2:12:21. Christopher Kipyego, 44, of Kenya,
won the masters men's division for the second consecutive year crossing the
finish line in 2:22:56.
In the women's division, American Kellyn Taylor, claimed the women's
championship title and set a new event record. Taylor, 31, of Arizona,
cruised to an easy victory in 2:24:28 ahead of Askale Merachi, 31, of
Ethiopia, with a time of 2:30:18. Ramona Sanchez, 40, of Nevada, finished
in 2:49:52 and earned the female masters title.
Barno earned $10,000 for the victory plus a $1,500 time bonus for finishing
in under 2:13:00. Taylor earned $10,000 for the victory plus a $10,000 time
bonus for finishing in under 2:29:00. She also set an event record on the
modified race course, which earned her the opportunity to accept a new
Toyota vehicle or the cash alternative of $16,000. Taylor ran the fastest
women's marathon in Grandma's Marathon history. The accomplishment is
classified as an event record due to the 2018-2020 course being a different
USATF certified route.
Aaron Pike 32, of Illinois, repeated his victory for the second consecutive
year with a time of 1:26:48 in the men's wheelchair division. He beat Juan
Ram N Valladares Hern Ndez, 40, of Venezuela, who finished in 1:28:04.
Susannah Scaroni, 27, of Illinois, won the women's wheelchair division and
set a new PR with a time of 1:37:32. She is now an eight-time Grandma's
Marathon Champion. Katrina Gerhard, 21, of Massachusetts, came in second
place at 1:44:44.
There were 8,217 people registered for the 2018 Grandma's Marathon. There
were 6,294 participants that started the race in Two Harbors, Minn. and of
those participants, there were 6,103 runners that finished by 3:30 p.m.
In the 28th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, Panuel Mkungo, 24, of
Kenya, won with a time of 1:02:50. Monicah Ngige, 24, of Kenya claimed the
women's title in 1:09:55 setting a new PR. Duluth Native, Kara Goucher, 39,
finished in 1:18:15.
There were 9,272 people registered for the 2018 Garry Bjorklund Half
Marathon with 7,627 starters and 7,584 finishers.
For complete results, log on to www.grandmasmarathon.com. All results are
unofficial.
Grandma's Marathon weekend was presented by Toyota and Members Cooperative
Credit Union. The 43rd annual Grandma's Marathon is scheduled for Saturday,
June 22, 2019.
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