Antonio Marchi turns a 1:08:25 half marathon in Dothan

In 1958, a new road opened in Dothan, Alabama, a highway that went entirely around the city. The "ring road" allowed travelers from any direction to pass by Dothan without getting caught in city traffic. Now called Ross Clark Circle, the road is lined with businesses, encircling Dothan with a permanent traffic jam.


Ross Clark Circle is just over thirteen miles around, which means that two laps is a bit more than a marathon. It seems to have taken six decades for someone to notice this. But instead of a two-lap marathon, Ross Clark Circle was used as the course for a one-lap half marathon. On Saturday morning, 27 October 2018, Antonio Marchi won the inaugural Dothan Half Marathon, looping the city in 1:08:25. Master runner Olga Elliott was the first woman in the race, placing sixteenth overall in 1:42:53.


Marchi finished the race more than two miles ahead of the next runner. Thirty years old, Marchi has already had a long athletic career, running distance at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky then going on to compete on the Berea College cross-country team from 2006 to 2009. After taking a degree at Berea, Marchi earned a masters at Morehead University. In 2015 he joined Glenmary Home Missioners, pursuing brotherhood in the Catholic Church. Earlier in 2018, Marchi raced on Glenmary's winning relay team at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.


Behind Marchi, Daniel Hamilton took second in the Dothan Half Marathon, running 1:22:17. Jason Teitloff placed third in 1:27:14. Scott Bowers was the fastest master runner in the half marathon, finishing seventh overall in 1:33:33.


Dana Cody was second to Elliott in the women's standings, coming in 30th overall in 1:46:59. Master runner Kathy Gannon was the third woman and 31st overall in 1:47:35.


203 athletes finished the 2018 Dothan Half Marathon. Another 148 completed an associated 5K run. Finishers in both races received a peanut medal ("Because Dothan is the Peanut Capital of the World").


Top Ten Men, 2018 Dothan Half Marathon

1. 1:08:25, Antonio Marchi (M, 30)
2. 1:22:17, Daniel Hamilton (M, 30)
3. 1:27:14, Jason Teitloff (M, 37)
4. 1:29:40, Hunter Pugh (M, 29)
5. 1:31:14, Cowdery Merrill (M, 38)
6. 1:33:00, Paul Myers (M, 37)
7. 1:33:33, Scott Bowers (M, 42)
8. 1:33:52, Blake Johnson (M, 28)
9. 1:35:43, Eric Bernard (M, 39)
10. 1:37:41, Julio Garcia (M, 39)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Dothan Half Marathon

1. 1:42:53, Olga Elliott (F, 40)
2. 1:46:59, Dana Cody (F, 38)
3. 1:47:35, Kathy Gannon (F, 54)
4. 1:49:39, Libby Mills (F, 34)
5. 1:50:19, Robin White (F, 38)
6. 1:50:24, Gabriela Garza (F, 40)
7. 1:50:33, Meaghan Newkirk (F, 20)
8. 1:50:42, Lisa Wallace (F, 30)
9. 1:56:25, Wendy Jones (F, 49)
10. 1:57:06, Molly Crawford (F, 27)

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Dothan Half Marathon
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS-x3HWTRliELM8ep7ZISOfi2fzsnIHK3vtPUgCVSReKnhnCMC08APdLrQbbHgpXnk1VarbWU9dg-Wz/pubhtml
  
  
• Dothan Half Marathon
  https://www.runthecircle.com/
  
  
• Dothan Half Marathon Facebook page
  https://www.facebook.com/Dothan.Half.5K/
  
  
• Find your next half marathon in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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