While rain was less welcome in the parts of The Valley that flooded last week, the 1,300 runners who participated in the third annual Mad Marathon on Sunday, July 7, appreciated the slight cool-down.
In the marathon, Andrew Peters of Boston, Massachusetts, finished first for men with a time of 2:55:10, Lyle Ressler of Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, finished second with a time of 2:56:21 and Cooper Linde of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, finished third with a time of 2:59:42. Megan Call of Wilmot, New Hampshire, finished first for women with a time of 3:25:36, Pierrette Gauthier of Montreal, Canada, finished second with a time of 3:30:01 and Emily Eros of Cambridge, Massachusetts, finished third with a time of 3:30:58.
In the half marathon, Brian Keefe of Medford, Massachusetts, finished first for men and set a new course record of 1:16:01. Dan Greenburg of Williamstown, Massachusetts, finished second with a time of 1:26:39 and Ryan Thompson of Cambridge, Massachusetts, finished third with a time of 1:29:52. Sybil Shapiro of Clinton, Connecticut, finished first for women and set a new course record of 1:29:04. Karen Ruhland of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, finished second for women with a time of 1:32:29 and Harriet Fox of Canton, New York, came in third with a time of 1:36:53.
While runners came from all over, locals had some impressive finishes. In the marathon, Jesse Phillips of Warren came in 10th for women with a time of 3:51:33. In the half marathon, Kate Williams of Waitsfield came in eighth for women with a time of 1:46:10.
New this year, the Mad Marathon's race organizers partnered with 1% for the Planet, a Waitsfield-based business that encourages companies to donate a small part of profits to environmental organizations. Through this partnership, the race helped to raise awareness about sustainability.
