On Sunday, Sept. 27, the Clarence DeMar Marathon was held for the 48th consecutive year since 1978.
The race was held in poor conditions, as a nor’easter swept through the Northeast and poured heavy rain on the contestants racing in Keene. Temperatures remained a steady 50 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day.
Before the race, a keynote speech was delivered by Jack Fultz, the winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon, nicknamed the “race for the hoses.” Fultz won the race despite sweltering 100-degree Fahrenheit starting temperatures. Fultz raced in five Boston Marathons, setting a personal best time of 2:11 in the 1978 Boston Marathon.
Tom Amend, a competitor who previously ran the Boston Marathon and won the senior division with a time of 3:23:50, said the DeMar Marathon was his 30th marathon and a course he has run before. “I ran the course in 2019, and I like it. It’s a nice course,” Amend said. “[Keene] is a fun place, I like the town.”
Supporter Jeff Lyne watched the marathon to support his daughter, Linda Tupper. “I run [half marathons] myself,” Lyne said. “But I’m here rooting for my daughter, Linda. It’s her first time running a marathon.”
The full marathon was won by Nic Aubert of Woodbury, Minnesota, who finished with a time of 2:39:30. The podium was rounded out by Marc Lennon of Southington, Connecticut with a time of 2:42:25 and Christian Wetzel with a time of 2:44:08. Monadnock area local Anna Zilinski of Swanzey, New Hampshire had the strongest time among women, finishing with a mark of 2:55:09. Lisa Levin of Gaithersburg, Connecticut finished second among the women with a time of 3:05:15.
The half marathon was won by Keene State Cross Country alum Jake Velasquez, who finished with a time of 1:12:42 to pick up gold. Silver was snatched by Kai Renshaw of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who finished with a time of 1:15:12. The podium for the half marathon was rounded out by Gavin Ketola of Rindge, New Hampshire, who finished with a time of 1:16:14. Abby Levine of Dublin, New Hampshire earned the fastest time between the women, finishing just behind Ketola at 1:19:25.
Alex Ezzy of Caribou, Maine mentioned that the poor weather did not affect him negatively. “It was great,” Ezzy said. “[The rain] cooled me off a little bit during the race.”
The DeMar Marathon was Ezzy’s second marathon, and said that he finished about 25 minutes faster than his previous marathon. “I think it’s [a great race],” Ezzy said. “Everyone I met was really nice and supportive. It was a great marathon, I’d definitely run it again.”
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
