Sports
Fredericksburg Embraces Historic Half with Hospitality, Record Turnout
Wyatt Boyd claims first with a time of 1:13:53; Drew Carey outruns his "wildest dreams."
Wyatt Boyd ran like there was somebody chasing him, and oh, there was. Try 5,679 somebodies.
Boyd, last year's runner-up, pulled ahead early and held off the field to become the champion of the 2011 Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon. The 26-year old D.C. native completed the scenic 13.1 mile course in 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 53 seconds, at a blistering pace of 5:35/per mile for all the math majors out there.
"I’ve never heard a louder crowd," said Boyd about the final mile of his triumphant trot. "The American flag was waving, and it was just amazing."
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Boyd, who broke out to an early lead, admitted that took him a bit off his gameplan.
“I thought it was a mistake actually. That’s usually not how I run. I wanted to kick later, but I thought the pace was a little slow early on. The whole way I thought there was someone like ten feet behind me, so it was nerve-racking.”
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While Boyd was conquering the field, another man was focused on conquering his inner-demons. To comedian Drew Carey, the Historic Half was a benchmark in his quest for physical fitness. Carey, who has lost over 80 pounds in the past year, finished with an impressive final mark of 1:57:02, attaining his ambitious goal of a sub two-hour tally.
"You have to rename your hill 'Drew Carey Hill' because I owned it," said Carey, referencing the toughest uphill climb featured on the course. "I just bought your hill. I felt good; I didn't think in my wildest dreams that I'd finish in under two hours. That's pretty amazing. I couldn't believe I did it."
An estimated 5,679 finishers, an all-time high for the event, is a reflection of the thriving relationship between the Marine Corps and the city of Fredericksburg. Throngs of fans lined streets, causeways, and sidewalks up and down the course, with the largest group of spectators congregating at the finish line. Runners, digging deep and riding the final coattails of their energy, were encouraged on to the finish by music, roaring fans, and Marine personnel.
At 9:30 A.M., an awards ceremony was hosted in the Expo center.
Top Local Fredericksburg Finishers (Courtesy marinemarathon.com)
First Name Last Name Division Age Sex Chip Time Overall PlacePlace Within Sex
Place within Division CHRISTOPHER PIRCH MALES 30-34 31 M 1:22:01 15 14 5 RYAN GORMAN MALES 30-34 30 M 1:23:03 20 19 7 RICHARD SHAW MALES 50-54 52 M 1:23:42 24 23 1 NICHOLAS DUNFORD MALES 25-29 28 M 1:24:09 26 25 8 MATT BOYD MALES 40-44 41 M 1:24:30 27 26 4 BERT JACOBY MALES 25-29 28 M 1:24:32 28 27 9 DANIEL FOSTER MALES 10-14 14 M 1:24:43 29 28 1 PAUL MASON MALES 15-19 18 M 1:26:53 43 40 1 JUSTIN NEIBAUER MALES 30-34 30 M 1:27:24 47 44 15 ROBERT CALLOWAY MALES 20-24 23 M 1:27:52 50 47 7 ZACH WHALEN MALES 30-34 31 M 1:29:12 62 59 21 JUSTIN COPPAGE MALES 20-24 23 M 1:29:14 63 60 9 MASON MCMAHON MALES 15-19 16 M 1:30:39 76 70 3 JEFF BRANSCOME MALES 25-29 29 M 1:30:47 79 72 16 DAVID LOVEGROVE MALES 50-54 54 M 1:32:43 96 87 4 SERGE HEDLUND MALES 25-29 29 M 1:33:17 106 96 18 RYAN FULWIDER MALES 35-39 35 M 1:34:01 115 104 12 SARAH WARD FEMALES 25-29 28 F 1:34:03 116 12 3 GEORGE SNEAD MALES 40-44 42 M 1:34:06 117 105 14
