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Show P.C. runners log personal bests in St. George Marathon Droste, a sometime local, was the fastest. His time of 2:59:37 was fifth in the 50-54 age group. Also in that group was Herb Ruttenberg at 3:51:15. Rolf Sandberg set out to break the 3:30 barrier, Manning said, and did so, barely, finishing in 3:29: 17. Finally, Mel Leavitt, who splits his time between New York and Park City, raced in the 45-49-year-old group, finishing with a time of 3:29:28. Manning said the St. George Marathon is the last race of the year for many. "It is the culmination of a summer of training," he said. by Randy Hanskat A sprinking of Park City runners were in the mass of 1,900 who took part in the St. George Marathon last Saturday morning in southern Utah. And, according to Pat Manning of the Park City Running Club, some of those locals set personal bests in the race. Manning said it was about 48 degrees at the 7 a.m. start of the race. Clear blue skies contrasted with last year's rainy conditions. As usual, the course dropped 3,000 feet between start and finish. Manning said the participants boarded buses at 5:30 a.m. and were taken to the start area which was in the "upland area" out of town. Bonfires warmed the racers in the chilly pre-dawn darkness. At 7 a.m. the gun went off. Manning said it was an extremely well-run affair. The only real mishap came when a two-year-old child unplugged the race computer at the finish area, causing a delay and a mixup in results. All was straightened out later, however. Crossing the line in first place was Ken Hawk Harper of Orem in 2:22:03. For women it was Coleen Monk, a Salt Lake resident who has won a few Park City road races. Her time was 2:45:54. Neither was a course record. Mannng said the local women who participated in the marathon did quite well. The best time was turned in by Debbie Wagner, a Salt Lake woman who spends a lot of time in Park City. She placed fifth overall in the women's division, second in her age group (30-34) with a time of 2:55:01. Wagner is a regular in the Ride & Tie. Bev Gray set a personal best in the race with a time of 3:00:58. That time was 6th overall for the women, and third in the 30-34-year old bracket. Dorrie Spurlock ran her first marathon last Saturday, Manning said. Her time of 3 : 22 : 42 was sixth in her 35-39 age group. Julie McKay "really did a job," in Manning's words. McKay won the 40-44 bracket with her time of 3:05:44. That time was also a personal best for McKay. Manning didn't run in the marathon, choosing instead to pace Bev Gray for the last 10 miles, but other local men took part. Keith |