Hebron KY runners Kogo and Stepanova take Albany Marathon titles

A month after finishing third in the 2014 Tallahassee Marathon, Abraham Kogo was back in the south for the eighth annual Albany Marathon on Saturday morning, 1 March 2014. This time around Kogo was two minutes faster and two places better as he won the 26.2-mile race through Albany, Georgia, in 2:34:33. Wesley Ochoro finished runner-up, just over 300 meters back in 2:35:47. Kogo and Ochoro both train out of Hebron, Kentucky, home of the notorious long-distance running training colony of Larisa Mikhaylova. Coach Mikhaylova's athlete Liudmila Stepanova won the Albany Marathon women's title, placing third overall in 2:38:44. The 2012 Albany Marathon women's champ, Mackenzie Howe of Athens, Georgia, was second in the women's division this year, fourth overall in 2:43:33.


For a while it looked like the ladies would dominate the top ten. After Stepanova and Howe, the next two places also went to female athletes. Bridget Lyons of Augusta, Georgia, was fifth in 2:44:12, and Milton, Florida, athlete Tammy Landeen was sixth in 2:44:36. The next male finisher was Tim Hawkins of Kennesaw, Georgia, running 2:48:15 for seventh overall and third in the men's standings. Eighth place also belonged to the men with Eight also belonged to the men with Emmanuel College cross-country runner Ryan Rosbury at 2:48:38. But then Yolimar Pineda took ninth for the women with a 2:52:18. Finally, Andrew Littlefield of Charleston, South Carolina, grabbed tenth for the men in 2:54:12, making it five men and five women in the top ten. If you had scored it cross-country style, though, the women would have won 27 to 28.


The women also had the fastest master runner in the race. Athens, Georgia, athlete Andrea Cook was the first master finisher, coming in 15th overall in 2:58:34. The first male master was Jerry White of Bogart, Georgia, 19th overall in 3:02:54.


The men did end up with the edge in total finishers, though. Of 610 athletes who completed the marathon, 331 were men and 279 were women.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Albany Marathon

1. 2:34:33 ~ Abraham Kogo (M, 34) Hebron, KY
2. 2:35:47 ~ Wesley Ochoro (M, 35) Hebron, KY
3. 2:48:15 ~ Tim Hawkins (M, 22) Kennesaw, GA
4. 2:48:37 ~ Ryan Rosbury (M, 21) Franklin Springs, GA
5. 2:54:11 ~ Andrew Littlefield (M, 22) Charleston, SC
6. 2:57:44 ~ Christopher Arsenault (M, 27) Woodstock, GA
7. 2:58:04 ~ Lucas Stocks (M, 23) Chattanooga, TN
8. 2:58:40 ~ Benjamin Stoner (M, 22) Charleston, SC
9. 2:59:25 ~ Johnathan Roberts (M, 32) St. Simons, GA
10. 3:02:51 ~ Samuel McGuire (M, 29) Athens, GA

Top Ten Women, 2014 Albany Marathon

1. 2:38:44 ~ Liudmila Stepanova (F, 30) Hebron, KY
2. 2:43:33 ~ Mackenzie Howe (F, 25) Athens, GA
3. 2:44:11 ~ Bridget Lyons (F, 26) Augusta, GA
4. 2:44:35 ~ Tammy Landeen (F, 37) Milton, FL
5. 2:52:17 ~ Yolimar Pineda (F, 28) Valencia, CA
6. 2:56:23 ~ Lauren Blankenship (F, 29) Smyrna, GA
7. 2:58:33 ~ Taylor Stephens (F, 23) Savannah, GA
8. 2:58:33 ~ Andrea Cook (F, 55) Athens, GA
9. 3:05:33 ~ Laura Roberts (F, 38) St Simons Isl, GA
10. 3:09:12 ~ Jennifer Stocks (F, 23) Chattanooga, TN

Austin Duckworth of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, won the half marathon, running 1:10:33. Dunwoody, Georgia, athlete Christopher Wise was the top master in the shorter race, placing eighth overall in 1:18:26. Elena Linn of Vestavia, Alabama, claimed the women's title in the half marathon, finishing eleventh overall in 1:19:15. Amy Boyer was the first woman master and ninth female finisher; the Forsyth, Georgia athlete was 55th overall in 1:37:43. 670 athletes finished the half marathon.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Albany Half Marathon

1. 1:10:32 ~ Austin Duckworth (M, 24) Vestavia Hills, AL
2. 1:12:17 ~ Brian Morenus (M, 23) Fort Rucker, AL
3. 1:13:23 ~ Winston Rheinbolt (M, 22) Montreat, NC
4. 1:15:26 ~ Wes Hargrove (M, 32) Columbus, GA
5. 1:16:27 ~ Dougie Coffed (M, 27) Atlanta, GA
6. 1:16:38 ~ Dillan Brinlee (M, 23) Savannah, GA
7. 1:18:07 ~ Juan Soto (M, 28) Gainesville, GA
8. 1:18:25 ~ Christopher Wise (M, 47) Dunwoody, GA
9. 1:19:01 ~ David Seymour (M, 26) Enterprise, AL
10. 1:19:07 ~ Austin Jones (M, 22) Athens, GA

Top Ten Women, 2014 Albany Half Marathon

1. 1:19:14 ~ Elena Linn (F, 28) Vestavia, AL
2. 1:20:25 ~ Kate Papenberg (F, 27) Syracuse, UT
3. 1:28:22 ~ Patricia Coppel (F, 30) Atlanta, GA
4. 1:28:48 ~ Alicia Millman (F, 21) Savannah, GA
5. 1:30:15 ~ Maurya Lacey (F, 31) Alpharetta, GA
6. 1:33:11 ~ Elena Oslund (F, 21) Albany, GA
7. 1:35:06 ~ Phaelen French (F, 23) Warner Robins, GA
8. 1:37:42 ~ Catherine McNair (F, 27) Newtown Square, PA
9. 1:37:42 ~ Amy Boyer (F, 41) Forsyth, GA
10. 1:37:45 ~ Argelia Lincoln-Velez (F, 36) Auburn, AL

Albany Marathon Champions, 2007-2014
Date	Men	Women
3 March 2007	2:30:56, Jared Nyamboki	3:32:41, Wendy Donnan
1 March 2008	2:27:44, Simon Sawe	2:37:26, Janet Cherobon
7 March 2009	2:19:01, James Boitt	2:52:55, Kelly Williamson
6 March 2010	2:20:55, Jynocel Basweti	2:37:57, Janet Cherobon
5 March 2011	2:17:10, Tesfaye Alemayehu	2:43:15, Ludmila Stepanova
3 March 2012	2:23:50, Mutuku P Muas	2:54:32, Mackenzie Howe
2 March 2013	2:21:04, Edward Tabut	2:58:14, Taylor G. Stephens
1 March 2014	2:34:34, Abraham Kogo	2:38:45, Liudmila Stepanova

Links

• Complete results of the 2014 Albany Marathon and Half Marathon at active.com
  http://results.active.com/events/albany-marathon-and-half-marathon--3
  
  
• 2013 story, “Tabut edges Zablocki in Albany Marathon”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/03/albany-marathon-2013.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “The best bar none at the 2011 Snickers Marathon”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/03/albany-marathon-2011.html
  
  
• Albany, Georgia's Edwardian-Era Marathon
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/07/herald-local-marathon.html
  
  
• Marathons and longer and shorter upcoming races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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