The race occurred Sunday morning.
Frederick, Md (KM). The weather was cool and somewhat cloudy with some scatter light rain, but that’s considered the perfect weather for runners. Organizers say about 5500 people took part in the Frederick Marathon on Sunday morning.
The race kicked off in front of the Fairgrounds on East Patrick Street when Mayor Randy McClement sounded the horn, and race announcer Ken Berger encouraged the runners to “wave you hands in the air like you don’t care.”
The half marathon, a distance of 13.1 miles, took participants through the downtown, Baker Park, Hood College, near Frederick Memorial Hospital, through the eastern half of the city and ended at the finish line at the Fairgrounds in front of the grandstand.
The winner was Dan Jacobs of Silver Spring. “It was a good race. I love this course. Actually, I ran it last year, and I had to come back. It was good course. I love it Actually, I even went to school here in Frederick. I went to Hood College,” he said
Jacobs says he enjoys the crowds cheering on he and other runners. “The crowd support’s fantastic. It kinda like motivates you to push it a little bit more. It’s a good run,” he says.
The top female finisher was Stephanie Reich of Frederick, who was the top female finisher in last year’s Frederick Marathon. “I definitely went into it wanting to defend my title. But there’s some tough competition. I’m really, really happy I was able to pull it off,” she said.
Reich says she does have a secret to winning. “I kind go into these long distance races without really any expectations. Just listen to my body early on. Not worry about pace too much. Just feel comfortable, and in the second half, start competing,” she says.
Organizers says participants in the race come from 31 states, the District of Columbia, France, Canada and Uruguay.
The Half Marathon was part of the 2017 Frederick Running Festival, which the city says brings in $3.5-million in economic activity as runners and other visitors stay in local hotels, eat at local restaurants, shop in local stores and fill up their vehicles in local gas stations.
By Kevin McManus