James Pearce won the half marathon. (Bill Giduz photo)
James Pearce of Durham ran away with the Run for Green Half Marathon Saturday morning in Davidson, finishing the rolling 13.1-mile greenway and road course in 1 hour, 17 minutes, 1 second. He beat 331 other runners to the finish line on a crisp, clear morning that raised money for Davidson Lands Conservancy.
Kathy Rink, 42, of Davidson won the women’s division in 1:25:52, and finished 15th overall. A total of 800 runners turned out for the half-marathon, 5k and a fun run.
Runners who won awards but did not get them on race day are invited to pick them up any weekday, 9-5, at the Davidson Lands Conservancy office, 120 S. Main St., second floor.
Mr. Pearce, 28, was more than three minutes ahead of the next finishers, 41-year-old Andrew Lee of Christiansburg, Va., and 29-year-old Nathan Stanford of Huntersville, who crossed the line 2nd and 3rd in the identical times of 1:20:19.
Michael Priestley (left) and Megan Endersby near the finish of the 5k. Endersby was the third woman overall. Michael, 12, won a third-place prize in the 14 and under boys. (Bill Giduz photo)
Matthew Salerno, 27, was the first Davidson resident to finish the half marathon, placing sixth in 1:22:12.
In the women’s race, Gayle Smith took second (1:35:56) and and Erica Walker was third (1:38:25).
The race started and finished near McEver Fields and Mimosa Cemetery, at the end of South Street. It followed the Southeast Greenway to Robert Walker Drive and the River Run neighborhood, where runners turned around and headed back.
“We had fabulous water stops, fabulous volunteers, and fabulous sponsors and supporters,” Astri Kollme, the race director and a conservancy board member said in a .
5K WINNERS
The day’s events also included a fun run and a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) race along the Southeast Greenway to Avinger Lane and Pine Road and back.
Daniel Matena of Charlotte, the 25-year-old cross country coach at Davidson Day School, captured the 5k in 15:56. About 250 runners took part.
He outran Greg Kielar, a 16-year-old from Stanley, who finished second in 17:16, and Tim Gruber, 14, of Huntersville, who was third in 17:33.
Melissa Burrows, 27, of Charlotte, won the women’s division in 21:15, followed by Kaycee Gass, 13, of Cornelius (21:46) and Megan Endersby, 19, of Davidson (22:04).
COMPLETE RESULTS
Top 3 in the men's 5k were first place Daniel Matena (right), second Greg Kielar, and third Tim Gruber. (Bill Giduz photo)
