The 21st annual the Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon served as the Road Runner Club of America Half Marathon Championships for the third year in a row. With excellent weather, the top nine men broke five minutes a mile and the top six women ran under six minutes a mile for the 13.1 mile course. Ethiopia's Alene Reta (1:02:39) pulled away from Kenya's Reuben Chebil (1:02:51) just after the ten-mile mark to take home the top prize of $3,000. Reta missed Steve Kogo 1990 course record of 1:02:25. Chebil took home $2,000. Ethiopia's Mesfin Hailu (1:03:20-$1,500) held off Kenya's Girma Tolla (1:03:33 - $1,000) and Nicholas Kamakya (1:03:49-$500) for the bronze.

Kenya's Sharon Cherop (1:12:26) ran the final half of the race unchallenged as she took home the top prize money. Ethiopia's Belainesh Gerbe (1:20) held off Kenya's Maria Busienei (1:13:46) for runner up honors. Russia's Galina Aleksandrova (1:14:05) and Kenya's Florence Jepkosagei (1:15:59) rounded out the top five prize money spots.

Columbus Running Company teammates Fairborn, Ohio's Josh Ordway and Columbus, Ohio's Jim Jurcevich ran much of the race together before Ordway (1:07:07) pulled away to take home the $1,000 top American prize while Jurcevich (1:07:53) captured the $500 runner up American money. Indianapolis, Indiana's Gary Baker was the third American to finish but he captured the $1,000 top master prize money. Maryland's Jaron Hawkins (1:11:32) and Belpre, Ohio's Brian Woodyard (1:12:34) were the next American to finish.

Rebecca Michaels (1:20:32) took home the overall American women prize money. Monroeville, Pennsylvania's master Tammy Slusser (1:23:47) was the second American women to cross the line while Latrobe, Pennsylvania's master Gina McGee (1:26:26) was third. Marietta, Ohio's Katie Wieferich (1:26:56) and Hudson, Ohio's Eva Miller (1:27:43) finished next.

Virginia's John Piggott (1:14:2) took home the $500 runner up master money.

Indianapolis' Gary Romesser (1:20:34) and Parkersburg's Cynthia Gibbs (1:45:25) went home with the $1,000 grand master top prize. Jackson, Ohio's George Sellers (1:12:27) and Parkersburg's Connie Hurst (1:18:09) captured the $500 runner up grand master money.

Age group winners received $60, $40 and $20 making this one of the top prize money races in the area.

Complete results listed under the Results section on www.runohio.com

Race photos to be posted later on the RUNOHIO web site.

Top 25 Men
Runners

1 Alene Reta, 25, Ethiopia 29:47 1:02:39 4:47
2 Reuben ChebiI, 24, Kenya 29:46 1:02:51 4:48
3 Mesfin Hailu, 25, Ethiopia 29:46 1:03:20 4:50
4 Girma Tolla, 31, Kenya 29:47 1:03:33 4:51
5 Nicholas Kamakya, 22, Kenya 29:46 1:03:49 4:52
6 1 David Langat, 33, Kenya 29:54 1:05:04 4:58
7 1 Ernest Kimeli, 22, Kenya 29:55 1:05:08 4:58
8 1 Richard Korir, 25, Kenya 29:54 1:05:10 4:58
9 2 Jynocel Basweti, 20, Kenya 30:22 1:05:20 4:59
10 2 Mario Macias, 26, Mexico 30:31 1:06:15 5:03
11 3 John Gathoga, 27, Kenya 31:10 1:06:54 5:06
12 4 Josh Ordway, 27, Fairborn, OH 31:50 1:07:07 5:07
13 2 James Jurcevich, 31, Columbus, OH 31:50 1:07:53 5:11
14 3 Joseph Sitienei, 32, Kenya 31:27 1:08:22 5:13
15 5 Samuel Rotich, 25, Kenya 31:28 1:08:56 5:16
16 4 Sammy Nyamongo, 31, Kenya 32:10 1:09:18 5:17
17 1 Wegayehu Tefera, 18, Ethiopia 31:27 1:09:41 5:19
18 5 Orinthal Striggles, 31, Elgin, SC 32:26 1:09:46 5:19
19 3 Jaron Hawkins, 24, Frostburg, MD 32:40 1:11:32 5:28
20 6 Richard Ondimu, 27, Kenya 33:52 1:11:50 5:29
21 Sharon Cherop, 23*, Kenya 34:33 1:12:26 5:32
22 4 John Davis, 23, Huntington, WV 33:52 1:12:37 5:33
23 6 Jason Gish, 32, Camp Hill, PA 34:45 1:13:04 5:35
25 2 Ezkyas Sisay, 18, Ethiopia 34:35 1:13:21 5:
28 John Piggott, 42, Williamsburg, VA 34:36 1:14:20 5:40

Top 25 Women

24 Belainesh Gebre, 19*, Ethiopia 34:33 1:13:20 5:36
26 Maria Busienei, 22*, Kenya 34:33 1:13:46 5:38
27 Galina Aleksandrova, 31*, Russia 34:33 1:14:05 5:39
33 Florence Jepkosgei, 23*, Kenya 34:36 1:15:59 5:48
34 1 Maryna Dubrova, 28*, Ukraine 35:26 1:16:50 5:52
37 1 Teyba Naser, 20*, Ethiopia 37:09 1:18:45 6:01
40 2 Rebecca Michael, 24*, UsA 38:25 1:20:32 6:09
45 Tatiana Titova, 42*, Russia 38:04 1:22:18 6:17
49 Tammy Slusser, 42*, Monroeville, PA 39:33 1:23:47 6:24
57 1 Gina McGee, 42*, Latrobe, PA 40:10 1:26:26 6:36
61 3 Katie Wieferich, 22*, Marietta, OH 41:39 1:26:56 6:38
64 2 Eva Miller, 27*, Hudson, OH 40:57 1:27:43 6:42
66 2 Jackie Horvath, 43*, Ligonier, PA 41:06 1:28:15 6:44
69 4 Jen Gwin, 24*, Vienna, WV 41:07 1:28:42 6:46
96 3 Julie Black, 41*, Parkersburg, WV 43:59 1:31:53 7:01
107 3 Mary Westbrook, 28*, Parkersburg, WV 43:12 1:33:17 7:07
109 4 Susanne Ebersbach, 42*, Lewis Center, OH 44:02 1:33:29 7:08
111 1 Rachel Leier, 36*, Worthington, OH 45:04 1:33:33 7:08
118 1 Jessica Wright, 31*, Columbia, MD 45:02 1:34:35 7:13
123 5 Amy Singer, 22*, Vienna, WV 45:04 1:35:12 7:16
126 2 Cathy Borich, 39*, Beverly, OH 45:52 1:36:15 7:21
134 4 Yvonne Gilders, 29*, Athens, OH 45:31 1:37:10 7:25
138 2 Lauren Thomas, 31*, Columbus, OH 45:54 1:37:21 7:26
159 1 Mariann Tullius, 47*, Wexford, PA 47:41 1:39:25 7:35
163 3 Becky Elliott, 32*, Columbus, OH 47:26 1:40:12 7:39
168 3 Cassandra McCune, 38*, Nashport, OH 45:21 1:40:45 7:41