Gonzalez, Stamps Mallon Win 13.1 Marathon in Ft. Lauderdale
Second edition draws more than 2,500 under near perfect running conditions in South Florida

E-mail this page  Printer-friendly page

By Gary Ferman, Specialty Sports
Posted Monday, 23 November, 2009

From Ryan Lamppa, Running USA

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - (November 15, 2009) - A perfect South Florida Sunday fall morning presided over the second 13.1 Marathon Ft. Lauderdale and Pedro Gonzalez and Julie Stamps Mallon responded by shattering course records on their way to top finishes in the men's and women's Open divisions.

Gonzalez, a track coach at Coral Glades High School in Coral Springs, FL, crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 12 minutes, 40 seconds, while Miami's Stamps Mallon - 10 months removed from giving birth - clocked a 1:21:12.

What started as a two-man race with Gonzalez and defending race champion Cobi Morales lasted until mile eight where the 30-year-old Gonzalez surged ahead.

"I heard him (Morales) struggling and he was breathing hard so I kicked," Gonzalez said.

Morales, still recovering from a dislocated shoulder after being hit by a taxi on a training run in September, finished runner-up in 1:13:55. The 35-year-old Bay Harbor resident also bettered his year-old course record (1:15:28). Third place went to Jupiter's John Reback, 39, who ran 1:16:30.

The 31-year-old Stamps Mallon lopped more than six minutes off the women's course record and was never challenged as Tami James, 35, of Davie, was a distant second in 1:27:52 and master Caterina Lancia, 44, of Miami third (1:32:23).

Stamps Mallon, who was running her third race since her daughter was born, was also the seventh overall participant to cross the finish line.

"It felt great to be out there and get my racing legs back under me," said the former Stanford All-American. "It's been surprisingly easy to get back in shape."

The half-marathon wound through downtown Fort Lauderdale and its signature Las Olas Boulevard before heading to AIA along the beach and finishing at picturesque South Beach Park. With temperatures at a comfortable 66F degrees at race time, 2,543 runners ranging in age from 13 to 81-years-old participated, including several in a handicapped division. Like the national trend, there were more female runners in the race (53%) than men, and 35 states were represented.

The 13.1 Marathon Series is in its second year after its inaugural race a year ago in Ft. Lauderdale. Miami Beach, Chicago and Atlanta also held 13.1 events, and the series has now expanded to eight cities as Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Minneapolis will also stage 13.1 marathons over the next 11 months.

The 13.1 Fort Lauderdale is also a part of the nine-race Blue Cross Blue Shield Race Series, which includes the ING Miami Marathon coming up on January 31, 2010.

"This has turned out to be a really great event for the running community in South Florida," said Dave Scott, Race Director for US Road Sports & Entertainment of Florida. "The Fort Lauderdale setting provides a unique course that we know runners appreciate based on the growth in participation in the second year. Our post-race party had all the themes representative of the special community we live in - the sun, the water, great weather, beach music. We had it all."

2nd 13.1 Marathon Ft. Lauderdale
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Sunday, November 15, 2009

MEN
1) Pedro Gonzalez (FL), 1:12:40*
2) Cobi Morales (FL), 1:13:55
3) John Reback (FL), 1:16:30
*course record (previous record, Cobi Morales (FL), 1:15:28, 2008)

WOMEN
1) Julia Stamps Mallon (FL), 1:21:12*
2) Tami James (FL), 1:27:52
3) Caterina Lancia, 44, FL, 1:32:23
*course record (previous record, Natasha Yaremczuk (CAN), 1:27:34, 2008)

For complete results, go to: www.131marathon.com

 E-mail this page
 Printer-friendly page