BAA’s Moulton & Seckinger Win SunTrust Marathon

By Steve
Nearman, Running USA wire

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (March 21, 2009) – Not long into the
SunTrust National Marathon, Patrick Moulton realized it was going
to be a long morning.

“In the beginning, my girlfriend could see that I wasn’t
feeling so well,” said Moulton, a 27-year-old Providence College graduate still
residing in Providence whose twin brother Casey also is a national-class
marathoner. “I never gave up.”

He lost contact with the leaders at 11 miles and again a few
times after the half-marathon mark, each time pulling himself back into the mix.
By 19 miles, Moulton, a 2:15 marathoner who placed 28th at the 2008 U.S. Olympic
Marathon Trials in New York City, was more than a minute behind in fifth.

But he came storming back, thrusting himself past Kenyans
David Cheromei and David Mosop into the lead shortly before the
23-mile mark and to victory in the fourth running of the SunTrust National
Marathon & Half Marathon Saturday at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C.

Moulton’s time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, 18 seconds under cool,
calm, sunny conditions eclipsed the previous event record of 2:24:59, set by
Michael Wardian last year.

Jeannette Seckinger, one of Moulton’s Boston Athletic
Association teammates, completed the BAA sweep by capturing the women’s title in
2:48:39. Seckinger, 26, said it was nearly a six-minute personal best, but it
took all the energy she had to overhaul 39-year-old Elena Orlova of
Russia in the last 200 meters. Orlova crossed the finish line just five seconds
behind.

It was first-time National triumphs for Seckinger and
Moulton, and second marathon victories for both as well, hers at the 2007 Reggae
Marathon in Jamaica and his at the ING Hartford Marathon last fall.

Before Moulton, the only male marathon champion here has been
Wardian, a 34-year-old jack of all trades who will run from five kilometers to
100K, nearly all quality times. And it was Wardian who shouted encouragement to
Moulton after a turnaround at 22.5 miles, telling him that Mosop and Cheromei
were dying.

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Wardian was right. The Kenyans had covered the first half of
the race in 1:09:44, but were slowing. Wardian was able to catch Cheromei in the
last half mile for second in 2:22:15 with the Kenyan following 10 seconds back.

In the accompanying half-marathon, Demesse Tefera
broke up a pack of five on the uphills of Adams Morgan after five miles to lower
the event record by 62 seconds in 1:05:15.

“After five miles, I was feeling pretty easy,” said the
26-year-old Ethiopian with a 1:02 personal best at the 2007 3M Half Marathon in
Austin. Like a fine-tuned watch, he rattled off near-exact five-minute miles for
all but one mile – the 10th downhill one on North Capital Street where he poured
on a 4:45.

Washington resident Christopher Raabe also ran under
the event record with a 1:06:07, while Ethiopian Hirut Mandefro took the
women’s half-marathon in 1:15:36, also a new event record, by 55 seconds.

Registration for the half closed out at 5,000, while the
marathon nearly filled with 3,000 entries – an event record total. Finishers for
the half totaled 4,151 and the marathon 2,094.

4th SunTrust National
Marathon
Washington, DC, Saturday, March 21, 2009

MEN
1) Patrick Moulton (USA / RI), 2:21:18*, $2000 +
Fashion Time Watch
2) Michael Wardian (USA / VA), 2:22:15, $800
3) David
Cheromei (KEN), 2:22:25, $700
4) Solomon Too (KEN), 2:23:40, $500
5)
Charles Bedley (CAN), 2:24:03, $300
*event record (previous record, 2:24:59,
Michael Wardian, 2008)

MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) David Principe, 42, RI, 2:47:17, $250
+ Fashion Time Watch
2) Matt Wilson, 46, PA, 2:52:18, $150
3) Joerg
Schroeder, 41, GER / MD, 2:55:37, $100

WOMEN
1) Jeannette Seckinger (USA / MA), 2:48:39, $2000 +
Fashion Time Watch
2) Elena Orlova (RUS), 2:48:44, $800
3) Miluye Gurma
(ETH), 2:49:25, $700
4) Michaela Driscoll (USA / RI), 2:53:13, $500
5)
Michelle McCreary (USA / MA), 2:54:23, $300

MASTERS WOMEN (40+)
1) Laura Skolozdra, 42, NJ, 3:09:34,
$250 + Fashion Time Watch
2) Diana Widdowson, 42, PA, 3:25:44, $150
3)
Ellen Komesarook, 45, MD, 3:25:48, $100

4th SunTrust
Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Demesse Tefera (ETH), 1:05:15*, $1000 +
Fashion Time Watch
2) Christopher Raabe (USA / DC), 1:06:07, $500
3) Luke
Watson (USA / PA), 1:07:11, $250
4) John Henwood (NZL), 1:07:12, $200
5)
Cesar Lizano (CRC), 1:09:13, $100
*event record (previous record, 1:06:17,
Ezkyas Sisay (ETH), 2008)

WOMEN
1) Hirut Mandefro (ETH), 1:15:36*, $1000 + Fashion
Time Watch
2) Carolyne Komen (KEN), 1:16:10, $500
3) Katarina Janosikova
(SVK), 1:16:21, $250
4) Phebe Ko (USA / MD), 1:17:09, $200
5) Michelle
Fowler (USA / MD), 1:18:19, $100
*event record (previous record, 1:16:31,
Samia Akbar (USA / VA), 2008)

Complete results at: NationalMarathon.com