GAMBIER — It was a happy homecoming for Andrew Welsh-Huggins at Sunday’s third annual Earth Day Marathon at Kenyon College on Sunday. Welsh-Huggins, a native of Rochester, N.Y., is a former cross country runner at Kenyon. He was also the only runner to complete the course in under three hours, posting an impressive 2:56:50.
“I did not expect to win. I was hoping to run around that kind of time, so I’m pleased with my time,” said Welsh-Huggins, 47, who lives in Columbus. “I’m happy to break three hours. That was my goal.”
Lenna Kirby of Dayton was the top female finisher for the day. The 45-year-old Kirby, running her first marathon in four months, posted a time of 3:42:16.
“This was more of a training run for me,” said Kirby, who has run in several Boston Marathons. “I worked out during the winter but not as much as I should. I chose to run this marathon because it is close (to home). I needed to get a training run in before my next marathon.”
It was an impressive experience for both first-time participants in the Earth Day race.
“Beautiful course, beautiful day,” said Welsh-Huggins. “The race was really well organized. They had a biker pacing me the whole time for all 26 miles and that came in really handy. They have water and a sports drink every two miles. They had a lot of volunteers on the course. They were very helpful. For a race this small, it was just wonderful. The trail was very well taken care of — really smooth. There were volunteers at all the road intersections, so there was no concern there.”
Kirby’s first time back in a few months probably benefitted from all the support along the course.
“I was on pace in the beginning, in the first half,” said Kirby, who runs four or five marathons a year. “The second half was a little slow because it got warm, but there was a lot of support and it was a good course.”
The Kokosing Gap Trail, and all of its natural beauty make this an ideal place to hold the Earth Day Marathon. The Kenyon Athletic Center, in front of which the race starts and finishes, makes the place an even more attractive venue.
“It’s very impressive,” said Welsh-Huggins, a 1983 graduate. “When I was here, we had Wertheimer Field House, which had been here 30 or 40 years at that time. It sure got the job done. The Kenyon Athletic Center is unbelieveable. It has to be one of the best sports facilities in the country as far as I’m concerned.”
Welsh-Huggins, who also runs several marathons a year, is hoping to make this a regular event every year.
“My Kenyon College cross country and track coach was Nick Houston, who came down to see me so it was really fun to be here with him. It was a great time and would sure like to come back next year. It’s a really great race.”
