Two seconds separate top finishers in 13th annual Snickers Marathon in Albany

ALBANY — With cloudy skies, a cool breeze and random sprinkles of rain, more than 1,300 runners lined up behind the Albany Civic Center down next to the rushing Flint River for the 13th annual Snickers Marathon. In the end, a new face and a familiar face started the race right next to each other and crossed the finish line within two seconds of each other.

Eulid Ngetich, 25, a native of Kenya who now lives in Jacksonville, Fla., finished the 26.2-mile race in two hours and 20 minutes, two seconds ahead of Sergei Zyrianov. Zyrianov had won the previous two Snickers Marathons, winning last year in a time of 2:23:48.

Ngetich made a last-second decision to come to the Albany race.

“I just signed up yesterday,” he said. “I thought it would be good preparation for me.”

Ngetich is preparing for a marathon he will run later in Chile.

“It was a nice, long run,” he said. “It is the first time I have run this race and I am really happy to be here. But it is really humid here.”

Zyrianov, a native of Russia who now lives in Gainesville, Fla., finished the race more than three-and-one-half minutes quicker than he did a year ago.

“It was a fast race,” he said.

The women’s winner of the marathon was Stephanie Pezzullo of Ocala, Fla. She too said she made a last- minute decision to come to the Albany race. “This was a good workout for me,” Pezzullo said. “I’m training for a marathon in New York at the Armory. It is an indoor marathon, but I am hoping this helps me beat some people.” She also commented on the humidity.

This was Pezzullo’s first race in Albany and he was thankful for the help she got.

“I am so grateful for the people on the bikes in front of me. With them I knew where to go, otherwise, I would have gotten lost like 5,000 times.”

Pezzullo was greeted at the finish line by her dog, Santos. Santos usually runs with her, Pezzullo said, but most marathons do not allow dogs to run. Pezzullo said she found Santos about three months ago on a trail where she was running and adopted her.

The race started right next to the Flint River and traveled through the city of Albany as well as through the streets of Albany State’s East and West Campuses. While the leading runners finished in less than two-and-one-half hours, runners were allowed up to seven hours to finish the course.

About half of the runners competed in the half marathon race, a 13.1-mile trek through the city. Jose’ Diaz of Commerce, finished the half-marathon first with a time of 1:13:09. Diaz said he enjoyed the race, but wished he had someone to run with. “I ran the entire time by myself,” Diaz said. “It would have been better if I had someone to run with me.”

The winner of the women’s half marathon was Katia Blunden of Destin, Fla. Blunden, who will celebrate her 40th birthday next week, said her time of 1:26:11 was a personal best for her. The native of Finland said she had been running her entire life, but really got serious about running at the age of 25.

The wheelchair marathon was completed first by Rich Enners and his son Kevin Enners, from Marietta. They have been running for about 15 years and this is their time in the Albany race.

File PhotoAlanMauldin[email protected]