The Finish Line: News and Sentinel Half Marathon races through city streets
Runners make their way up Juliana Street in a cool, foggy start to this year’s News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. (Photo by Jay Bennett)
Parkersburg High School’s Ellie Hines was the women’s winner of the Two-Mile Race Saturday, during the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. Hines finished with a time of 12 minutes, 26 seconds. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Josh Park of Athens is first to finish the News and Sentinel Half Marathon Saturday in Parkersburg. Park finished with a time of 1:09:27. (Photo by Jay Bennett)
Jenny Brewer of St. Marys is the first female to cross the finish line during Saturday’s News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. Brewer finished with a time of 1:22:53. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Runner Reed Byers swims up Juliana Street in a shark costume, at the start of the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg Saturday. (Photo by Jay Bennett)
Parkersburg High School’s Jack Mills was the men’s winner of the Two-Mile Race Saturday, during the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. Mills finished with a time of 10 minutes, 11 seconds. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Members of the Parkersburg Fire Department work on raising the American flag over Juliana Street early Saturday morning. Runners and walkers in both The News and Sentinel Half Marathon and the Two-Mile Race passed under the flag near the start of the races. (Photo by Art Smith)
From left, Glenn Mathess and Janet Jochim get the medals ready for the runners and walkers at the finish line on Market Street of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon and Two-Mile races Saturday morning in downtown Parkersburg. The race has been held for 35 years and is the 2023 Road Runners Club of Marietta Half Marathon West Virginia Championship. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Runners make their way up Juliana Street in a cool, foggy start to this year’s News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. (Photo by Jay Bennett)
Parkersburg High School’s Ellie Hines was the women’s winner of the Two-Mile Race Saturday, during the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. Hines finished with a time of 12 minutes, 26 seconds. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Josh Park of Athens is first to finish the News and Sentinel Half Marathon Saturday in Parkersburg. Park finished with a time of 1:09:27. (Photo by Jay Bennett)
Jenny Brewer of St. Marys is the first female to cross the finish line during Saturday’s News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. Brewer finished with a time of 1:22:53. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Runner Reed Byers swims up Juliana Street in a shark costume, at the start of the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg Saturday. (Photo by Jay Bennett)
Parkersburg High School’s Jack Mills was the men’s winner of the Two-Mile Race Saturday, during the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg. Mills finished with a time of 10 minutes, 11 seconds. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Members of the Parkersburg Fire Department work on raising the American flag over Juliana Street early Saturday morning. Runners and walkers in both The News and Sentinel Half Marathon and the Two-Mile Race passed under the flag near the start of the races. (Photo by Art Smith)
From left, Glenn Mathess and Janet Jochim get the medals ready for the runners and walkers at the finish line on Market Street of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon and Two-Mile races Saturday morning in downtown Parkersburg. The race has been held for 35 years and is the 2023 Road Runners Club of Marietta Half Marathon West Virginia Championship. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
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PARKERSBURG -- Over 700 people participated in this year's Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon and 2-Mile Race.
"I definitely made it a priority to put this on the calendar," Athens' Josh Park, winner of the men's half marathon, said. "It's just such an historic race and also you can really feel the community investment around the race. When you are out in south Parkersburg people are out in their front yards cheering you on and you can just feel all the warmth of the community. It's just so cool to be a part of. It's just such an embedded community event and I've been living in Athens since 2015 and I kind of feel like I'm from the area."
Park finished the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 27 seconds to defend his title from a year ago.
Jenny Brewer from St. Marys was the women's half marathon winner with a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes and 53 seconds.
Brewer said she is in the middle of a marathon training block and that the race felt "comfortably hard".
"It was nice to have a lot of people to run with. It wasn't as lonely as it has been in years past," Brewer said.
Katherine Mader of Vienna came in first in the women's walk half marathon with a time of 2:28:40. This was her second consecutive title.
Her husband, Jason Mader, was named the men's walking winner with a time of 2:10:57
Jack Mills and Ellie Hines, a pair of Parkersburg High School students, won the 2-Mile Race this year.
Hines was the women's champion with a time of 12 minutes and 26 seconds. This was her second win in a row.
"I knew I wanted to win again but I didn't know with all the competition," Hines said. "My mind set was 'I want to win it' and I was thinking about crossing the finish line the entire time."
Mills finished with a time of 10 minutes and 11 seconds and was crowned the men's winner. This was Mills' first win after participating in three prior races.
"I definitely wanted to come out and try to get that first (win) this year," Mills said.
This was the first year rucking, running/walking with weights, was added to the 2-Mile race with Tina Merril finishing first with a time of 27 minutes and 42 seconds and Tammy Moore coming in a close second with a time of 27 minutes and 43 seconds.
The winner of the 2-Mile Walk was Forrest Hawkins with a time of 19:28 and the winner of the Male Senior Grand Master, 60 and over, was Harry Deitzler with a time of 24:58 and the Female Senior Grand Master was Nancy Cochran with a time of 25:21.