More than 7,750 runners participated in the race events at the 2015 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, which took place March 28-29 in Knoxville, Tennessee. In its 11th year, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is the largest competitive road race in East Tennessee.
This year, a Knoxville resident reclaimed the top spot in the men’s full marathon with Ethan Coffey finishing the race in just under 2 hours and 23 minutes. Camille Herron of Oklahoma claimed the women’s title for the second year in a row, with Knoxvillians taking the second- and third-place spots.
“On behalf of Covenant Health, I want to congratulate the winners and all participants for their efforts today,” said Tony Spezia, president and CEO of Covenant Health. “Whether you ran a 5K or walked a half-marathon, completed your first marathon or your 10th, the most important step you took today was one toward a healthier you and therefore a healthier community.”
Race officials have verified the results in various categories, and the winners are as follows:
Men’s full marathon:
1. Ethan Coffey of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:22:58
2. Joseph Amenya of Grand Prairie, Texas, at 2:26:54
3. Stewart Ellington of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:41:02
Coffey placed second in the 2014 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon with a time of 2:27:55. Farragut-resident Ellington placed third in the 2014 men’s half-marathon race, won the full marathon in 2008 and 2009 and placed second in the full marathon in 2012.
Women’s full marathon:
1. Camille Herron of Warr Acres, Oklahoma, at 2:51:28
2. Rebecca McDowell of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:57:52
3. Carolina Grunenwald of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 3:01:57
Herron has won the title of the women’s full marathon race for two years in row, finishing the 2014 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon with a time of 2:44:27. In 2012, McDowell earned third place in the women’s full with a time of 3:10:02.
Men’s half marathon:
1. Patrick Cheptoek of Bowling Green, Kentucky, at 1:10:45
2. Gavin Coombs of Raleigh, North Carolina, at 1:12:22
3. Alan Horton of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 1:12:28
Cheptoek won the men’s half marathon in 2014 with a time of 1:09:12 and in 2013 with a time of 1:06:44. Horton placed second in the men’s half marathon in 2011.
Women’s half marathon:
1. Natasha Yaremczuk of Montverde, Florida, at 1:22:38
2. Jessica Marlier of Chattanooga, Tennessee, at 1:23:12
3. Mario Kandie of Bowling Green, Kentucky, at 1:25:30
In the 2014 women’s half-marathon, Kandie took the top spot with a time of 1:19:09, and Marlier finished second at 1:20:50.
Originally from Canada, Yaremczuk placed second in the women’s half marathon at the 2011 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon with a time of 1:23:27 and placed third in the same race in 2009 with a time of 1:25:47.
Men’s 5K:
1. Zachary Sakacsi of Kodak, Tennessee, at 17:30
2. Nathan Sia of Morristown, Tennessee, at 19:28
3. Bill Beecher of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 19:34
Women’s 5K:
1. Barbara Powers of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 18:59
2. Emily Jones of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 20:45
3. Melissa Bennett of Piney Flats, Tennessee, at 21:21
The race also included eight handcycle competitors. Winners in the handcyclist category for the full marathon are as follows:
Men’s Handcycle Marathon:
1. Dan Pilon of Weaverville, North Carolina, at 1:31:17
2. David Neumer of Kingston, Tennessee, at 1:51:04
3. Thomas Kahler of Clinton, Tennessee, at 2:29:18
In 2014, Neumer finished first in this category with a time of 1:57:12. Kahler finished the race in 2013 with a time of 2:22:49 and in 2012 with a time of 2:12:00.
Women’s Handcycle Marathon:
1. Carly Pearson of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:37:38
2. Tammy Landeen of Milton, Florida, at 2:37:38
Pearson competed in 2013 and finished with a time of 2:19:51.
In addition to individual participants, the race also included a two- and four-person marathon relay, as well as the one-mile Covenant Kids Run.
“As the largest health system in East Tennessee, Covenant Health is committed to improving the quality of life in our region through better health, and that’s why we’ve sponsored and supported this event for 11 years and counting,” Spezia added. “I would also like to express my appreciation to the City of Knoxville and to the hundreds of volunteers who worked to make this entire weekend a resounding success.”
For more information, visit www.knoxvillemarathon.com or call 865-684-4294.
Original:
The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon race weekend is this Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, and a record number of more than 8,000 people are expected to participate in the 2015 event.
The race weekend schedule is as follows:
Saturday, March 28
- 2 p.m. Saturday-2:30 p.m. Sunday – Road Closures: Street and lane closures will occur throughout the center city and surrounding areas during race weekend, March 28-29. All streets are expected to be open by 2:30 p.m. Sunday. For a complete course overview, visit www.knoxvillemarathon.com.
- 9 a.m.-8 p.m. – The Health and Fitness Expo: The Expo is located in Exhibit Halls 1 and 2 at the Knoxville Convention & Exhibition Center, and it’s free and open to the public. All event participants are required to pick up their race packets at the Expo, where last-chance registration will be offered for marathon events, space permitting.
- 6 p.m. – The Covenant Kids Run: The one-mile Covenant Kids Run starts on the Clinch Avenue Bridge overlooking World’s Fair Park and finishes at the 50-yard line in Neyland Stadium. More than 1,300 kids age 12 and under are registered to participate.
- 7-9 p.m. – Pre-Race Pasta Dinner: Girls on the Run Knoxville will host the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon’s Pre-Race Pasta Dinner at the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park. In addition to enjoying an Italian buffet-style dinner, guests will hear from motivational speaker Sterling “Sterl the Pearl” Henton, the official DJ for the University of Tennessee.
Sunday, March 29
- All other Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon race events are scheduled for Sunday, March 29, and start at the Clinch Avenue Bridge overlooking World’s Fair Park and finish on the 50-yard line inside Neyland Stadium:
- 7:25 a.m. – Start time for wheelchair and handcycle participants
- 7:30 a.m. – Start time for marathon, half-marathon and two- and four-person marathon relay races
- 7:45 a.m. – Start time for 5K race
- The Pilot Flying J post-race party will be held at Neyland Stadium outside Gate 21 immediately following the races:
- 10 a.m. – 5K race awards ceremony
- 11 a.m. – Half-marathon awards ceremony
- 12:30 p.m. – Marathon and relays awards ceremony
- The marathon course closes at 2:30 p.m.
Parking will be limited close to the start and finish lines of the race events. There is parking near the Clinch Avenue Bridge start line, but parking will be prohibited on Clinch Avenue between 11th and 16th streets and vehicles parked on the street will be towed Saturday evening. To access Neyland Stadium and the finish line, please enter through Gate 7 (South End Zone along river). The Pilot Flying J post-race party will be held at Gate 21.
