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Easton’s Ian Walsh and Bethlehem’s Kathleen Jobes capture
2013 St. Luke’s Half Marathon titles
Running in the shadow of recent Boston tragedy, a record 3,340 finishers cross line on picture perfect day for running in Allentown
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (April 29, 2013) – For the first time since 2009, two Lehigh Valley residents claimed top honors in the region’s largest running event.
Ian Walsh, 27, Easton, Pa., won the 29th annual St. Luke’s Half Marathon, finishing the race with a time of 1:10:14. Kathleen Jobes, 43, Bethlehem, Pa., reclaimed the title of overall female winner with a time of 1:21:02.
A record number of 3,340 runners completed the 13.1-mile race on a warm, sunny day in Allentown. The temperatures rose from 48 degrees at the 8:10 start into the mid 60s later in the morning. Many donned apparel to show their support of the people affected by the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings. Shirts reading “Boston Strong” and “Run for Boston” accompanied black ribbons and red socks as runners paid tribute to the victims and those who rushed to their aid.
“Runners are strong; it’s a strong community,” said Jobes. “You don’t knock us down because we will rise like any American will.”
Walsh, a 2004 graduate of Parkland High School, swam competitively in high school and at Duquesne University. He said he wanted to continue with competitive activities, so he turned to running. He said the win was special because it is his hometown race. “It is the one I’ve been gunning for for four years now” he said. Walsh finished third in 2010 (1:11:46), and sixth in 2012 (1:14:01).
Walsh topped runner-up Matthew Lutcza, 22, Collegeville, Pa., (1:10:59), Ed Sheridan, 23, Phillipsburg, N.J., (1:12:44), and Christopher Wadas, 31, Courtdale, Pa., (1:13:32).
Jobes’ St. Luke’s Half Marathon title is her fifth in the past eight years. Jobes said although she has competed in big races all over the county, there’s something special about racing in her backyard. “This is a real hometown race,” she said. “From the police and volunteers, look at this. It’s a Sunday morning and everyone is out cheering everyone on from the first to the last person.”
The other female top finishers were Jenny Cronin, 23, Lehighton, Pa., (1:24:24), Alexandra Swiatocha, 26, Mahopac, N.Y., (1:25:08), Baloga Katharine, 38, New Windsor, N.Y., (1:25:18), and Sharon Schmidt-Mongrain, 37, Lafayette Hill, Pa., (1:25:33).
Runners from more than 20 states and four countries were represented at the St. Luke’s Half Marathon, the largest single-day athletic event in the Lehigh Valley. The course took runners through areas of Allentown, including the Lehigh Parkway, which has been noted by Runner’s World magazine as one of the top 100 places to run in the country.
The companion St. Luke’s 5k race was won by Phil Rector, 25, Hellertown, Pa., with a time of 17:16, beating out Grey Fry, 15, Allentown, Pa., (17:29), and Steven Dodson, 51, Macungie, Pa., (18:04).
For the second year in a row, Alyssa Repsher, 14, of Easton, Pa., won the female division of the 5k, breaking the tape in 19:26. The second place female runner was Tarah Guida, 32, Nazareth, Pa., (20:09), and third went to Angela Vitale, 36, Breinigsville, Pa., (20:29).
This year was the fourth year that St. Luke’s University Health Network has sponsored the event, which included a family fun walk on Sunday and the St. Luke’s Youth Run on Saturday, April 27. More than 500 children aged 3-14 participated in the free event on Saturday on Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown.