The 2nd Annual Louisville Trail Half Marathon and 10K kicked off under cloudy skies Sunday morning at Louisville Community Park. The cloudy skies did not, however, match the energy of the event, as excited participants and spectators alike bundled up in the cool air as almost 400 runners and walkers took to the Coal Creek Trail.
The race course for both the half marathon and 10K are unlike any other – the half marathon follows a figure eight style course where runners are able to see their competition not once – but twice along the course. The 10K follows the second “figure eight” of the course, allowing both half marathon and 10K participants to get a glimpse of one another. Not only is the course exciting and fun, but it is also relatively fast, save for one good hill.
In the men’s half marathon, youngster Jackson Friesth led wire-to-wire winning the race in 1:11:25. The 20-year old from Louisville actually lives near the course, proving that home field advantage actually works. 24-year old Taylor Garrett of Denver finished up in second in 1:16:27, with 37-year old Ross Bryant grabbing third in 1:19:43.
The women’s half marathon saw Denver’s Sarah Bay not only take top honors for the women, but also finish up fifth overall in 1:25:54. 29-year old Jessamyn Lockhart finished up in second in 1:29:59, and Boulder’s Lindsay Borden rounded out the top three in 1:30:49.
In the men’s 10K race, Tobias Albrigtsen crossed the line first in 37:37, with Boulder’s Daniel Phillips finishing second in 41:03. Third place finisher Jeremy Hendricks finished up with a time of 42:04.
Masters female Raili Filion, 42, grabbed first place honors in the women’s 10K race with a finishing time of 45:08. 35-year old Elena Alarcon finished second in 48:56, and rounding out the top three was 50-year old Lakewood resident Karen Sommer in 49:18.