Thursday, March 26, 2015

Savannah Marathon winners

There hasn't been a Tybee Marathon since 2008, seven years ago. It's always possible that the race will return from the dead, but the existence of the Savannah Rock and Roll Marathon makes in less likely that there will be another marathon in the Savannah, Georgia, area. The descendant of the Tybee Marathon, The Critz Tybee Run Fest, is a fine event, but it isn't a marathon.


So lest we forget, here are the winners of the Tybee Marathon and its ancestors, the Savannah Marathon and the March Of Dimes Marathon.


Savannah Marathon winners, 1978 - 2008
DateDistanceMenWomenFinishers
11 March 1978Marathon2:46:09, Brian Davis5:08:02, Debra Goldsmith
½-MarathonSteve LynnGloria Clayton
6 January 1979Marathon2:16:29.6, Bob Varsha3:18:56, Nancy Evans
½-Marathon1:05:57.9, Jeremy Odlin1:24:29.5, Deb Barber
5 January 1980Marathon2:16:11, Barry Brown2:59:49.9, Patt Sher
½-Marathon1:07:19.8, David Cushman1:31:08.1, Lila Basher
10 January 1981Marathon2:17:11.8, Herb Wills3:00:48, Patt Sher
½-Marathon1:05:57.9, Benji Durden1:22:29.2, Colleen Joyner
9 January 1982Marathon2:15:50, Herb Wills2:57:16, Patt Sher
½-Marathon1:03:10.5, Benji Durden1:18:35.9, Sallie Driggers
8 January 1983Marathon2:24:58, Aregha Abraha2:50:45.2, Colleen Joiner
½-Marathon1:04:47.6, Bruce Teague1:20:47, Lucia Geraci
14 January 1984Marathon2:21:05.1, Todd Eldredge2:51:06, Roxanne Polo
½-Marathon1:03:52.9, Mark Stickley1:15:03.5, Katy Schilly
12 January 1985Marathon2:22:19.6, Kevin Moats2:58:16.4, Patt (Sher) Houseworth
½-Marathon1:04:33.9, Dave Geer1:15:42.8, Roxanne Polo
11 January 1986Marathon2:29:31.8, Sean McCormack3:03:11.2, Nancy Grayson
½-Marathon1:04:53, Steve Taylor1:19:29.7, Cheryl Tuosto
17 January 1987Marathon2:24:53, Kevin Moats2:59:01, Debbie Forrester
½-Marathon1:07:05, John Barber1:17:53, Nancy Kubasek
1988MarathonNo marathon held
½-Marathon1:08:38.12, William Black1:24:26.68, Elaine McClarnand
1989MarathonNo marathon held
½-Marathon1:07:51, James Vargo1:22:35, Jenny Kyle
1990MarathonNo marathon held
½-Marathon1:08:35, James Vargo1:22:36, Jenny Kyle
9 February 1991Marathon2:26:19, Shelly Cranford3:03:14, Doll Miller
½-Marathon1:10:39, Ric Banning1:24:13, Jean Long
8 February 1992Marathon2:32:49, Shelly Cranford3:16:19, Doll Miller
½-Marathon1:14:15.5, Dan Lasseter1:23:35, Jean Long
6 February 1993Marathon2:29:23, James Keady3:09:58, Meg Grantham
½-Marathon1:11:20, Richard Ferguson1:25:13, Jenny Kyle
5 February 1994Marathon2:34:11, David Audet3:14:15, Jenny Kyle
½-Marathon1:07:11, Arega Abraha1:26:55, Elaine McClarnand
4 February 1995Marathon2:43:50, Steven Anderson3:23:00, Laurie Sperry
½-Marathon1:10:49, Bill Stewart1:19:43, Mary Ellen Kelly
3 February 1996Marathon2:37:37, Keith Hurley3:22:00, LeAnn Myhre47
½-Marathon1:10:59, Brian Brodrick1:25:09, Gabi Hauck236
8 February 1997Marathon2:30:44, Paul Deaton3:19:44, Sally Brooking117
½-Marathon1:09:37, Brian Brodrick1:22:28.1, Connie Lee Robertson514
7 February 1998Marathon2:35:50.2, Javier Jimenez3:17:27.4, Brenna Willis161
½-Marathon1:12:26.9, Paul Deaton1:22:16.2, Maggie Visser582
13 February 1999Marathon2:42:56.7, Andrew Keel3:05:40.8, Stacey McDonald180
½-Marathon1:07:36.7, Samuel Mangusho1:20:01.3, Maggie Visser683
5 February 2000Marathon2:39:03, Andrew Keel3:18:59, Valerie Reed169
½-Marathon1:07:27, Samuel Mangusho1:15:57, Michelle LaFleur654
3 February 2001Marathon2:47:25, Anson Clapcott3:05:45, Gabriele Hauck203
½-Marathon1:09:49, Jesse Blanton1:16:52, Michelle LaFleur645
2 February 2002Marathon2:43:59, Michael Raymond3:09:18, Stacey Bartos238
½-Marathon1:07:45, Samuel Mangusho1:18:33, Michelle LaFleur799
1 February 2003Marathon2:36:52, Chuck Engle3:17:53, Heather Smith328
½-Marathon1:15:49, David Giangrande1:17:39, Donna Garcia806
7 February 2004Marathon2:48:50, Jim Bates2:55:05, Michelle LaFleur267
½-Marathon1:12:28, Jeffery Boyd1:27:25, Gabrielle Hauck952
5 February 2005Marathon2:51:30, Tom Estka3:10:47, Tamara Whitten309
½-Marathon1:10:54, David Kawa1:19:11, Michelle LaFleur1045
4 February 2006Marathon2:41:08, Chuck Engle3:03:30, Lisa Menninger334
½-Marathon1:16:40, Morgan Thompson1:31:13, Jen Daniels972
3 February 2007Marathon2:29:48, Michael Aldrink2:55:24, Leah Moore Thomas273
½-Marathon1:12:40, Scott Mindel1:30:43, Kristel Maes964
2 February 2008Marathon2:41:26, Jeffrey Kosiorek3:03:19, Kristina Ty Yanosek323
½-Marathon1:12:13, Scott Mindel1:17:38, Michelle LaFleur1056
The race started as the March of Dimes Marathon in 1978 at Hunter Army Airfield.

The race became the Savannah Marathon in 1979.

Only a half marathon was held from 1988 to 1990.

Dr. Cedric Stratton moved the marathon to Tybee Island in 1994, where it became the Tybee Marathon.

Savannah Marathon courses have included GA84036WN, GA93001WN, GA01011WC, GA94004WC,
GA99001WC, GA01011WC, GA04005WC, and GA05002WC

Savannah Marathon
I've taken the liberty of labeling this as winners of the Savannah Marathon, because that's how I first came to know the race. I ran the race four times from 1979 to 1982, during the period when the Savannah Striders staged the race on the two-loop course around Hunter Army Air Field. It was still the Savannah Marathon in 1991 when I drove down from Walterboro, South Carolina, to run the half marathon through the Savannah suburbs. Opinions may differ, but in my mind it will always be the Savannah Marathon.


Links
#1352

4 comments:

  1. I too ran the race in 1979 & 1980. Are the finish records from those early years online digitally anywhere? Rob Fritz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I doubt it. It is possible that the Savannah paper ran the results, and that there's a digitized copy of that edition online, but it would most likely be behind a paywall.

      I'm pretty sure that I have a hard copy of the results for several years. 1979-1982 are the most likely.

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    2. I ran this race when it was the two-loop course at Hunter Army Air Field. I believe it was in 1981 or 1982. I ran with the Beaufort Running Club in Beaufort, SC. I seem to remember Bob Varsha finishing under duress but qualifying for the 1984 Olympics. Anyone else remember that?

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    3. It's possible that you're recalling the 1980 race, where Barry Brown edged Bob Varsha 2:16:11 to 2:16:27. The first three finisher qualified for the 1980 US Olympic Trials in that race.

      Judging from the winning times in 1983 and 1984, there were no qualifying times at Savannah for the 1984 US Olympic Trials men's marathon.

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