ELY – Cool temperatures greeted the 583 participants in the fourth annual Ely Marathon and Boundary Waters Bank Half Marathon, last weekend, and several hundred more spectators at the edge of the wilderness. 

According to race organizers, just over 60 percent of the racers were women and just under 40 percent of the runners were men.

The premier event this year, the Ely Full Marathon Portage Division, was won by Daniel Drehmel who ran the 26.2-mile course in 5:23:48. “This is the first official race of its kind and is now registered with the Guinness Book of World Records,” said event organizer Wendy Lindsay. 

The other top finishers, and their times, in the Full Portage Division included: Benjamin Gardner, 5:48:39; Brian Bittner, 5:53:30; and Edward Sandor, 7:27:28.

The top four 2018 Half Marathon Portage finishers who ran the 13.1-mile course included: Chris Johnson, 2:39:00; Dana Gilbertson, 3:04:12; Craig Sinclair, 3:25:48; and Kristy Goetsch, 4:28:13.

The idea of portaging a canoe in the race took off a couple of years ago, according to Lindsay, after a few participants focused in on the race’s marketing pitch for the full marathon as an “8,390-rod portage,” a reference to the number of rods in 26.2 miles. Portages in the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where canoes and camping gear are transported between lakes, are measured in rods.

A total of 97 racers participated in the full marathon and 88 runners finished the course. The top three winners in the men’s division, and their times include: Russell Groebner, 3:13:49; Dane Rauschenberg, 3:18:02, and Cameron Wing, 3:23:10. The top three women’s division winners and their times include: Shaelin Lekatz, 3:43:37; Kristin Hiettich, 3:51:00; and Megan Gornick, 3:58:40.

There were 382 participants and 313 finishers in the Boundary Waters Bank Half Marathon. The top three winners in the men’s division, and their times include: Hudson Kingston, 1:20:56; Charles Biberg, 1:22:33; and Christopher Wilson, 1:22:45. The top three winners, and their times, in the women’s division include: Lisa Smith, 1:25:23(course record); Laura Macdonald, 1:32:37; and Allison Downing, 1:38:14.

The 1.2-mile kids marathon, coined the Dorothy Molter Root Beer Run, included kids who ran 25 miles prior to race day and finished out the last 1.2 miles of the marathon route to reach the official marathon finish line. Of the 89 participants, Otto Devine crossed the finish line first with a time of 08:42, followed by Owen DeYoung, 08:44, and Dylan Durkin, 09:03.

Additional race information can be found at elymarathon.com.