Tri State
Oates, Ramos claim half marathon titles
Results Photos
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
HANCOCK – Don’t blame Doug Oates if he becomes a road-racing whore over the next few months.
His average of more than one race every weekend of the past few weeks isn’t recommended, but it doesn’t appear to have slowed him down.
The 30-year-old Hagerstown resident cruised to victory on Saturday at the inaugural Western Maryland Half Marathon, which started on Main Street in Hancock. The bulk of the 13.1-mile race was contested on the paved, pancake-flat Western Maryland Rail Trail.
Oates, a Boonsboro High School graduate, led the 136-runner field to the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes and 51 seconds. He easily outdistanced runner-up Aaron McGray, 24, of Cumberland, who finished in 1:22:51.
Scott Silliman, 48, of Olney, was third overall in 1:24:33 and Les Kirkegaard, 42, of Mount Airy, was the first masters male and fifth overall in 1:33:26.
North Bethesda resident Laura Ramos, 29, was the top women’s finisher in 1:28:20, good for fourth overall. Tonya Stotler, 42, of Leesburg, Va., was second in 1:41:47 and Karen Abbamonte, 50, of Boonsboro, was third in 1:42:11.
The race was contested to benefit the Habitat for Humanity of Washington County. The half marathon and 5K walk raised more than $7,500 for the local chapter to open up a ReStore shop in the former Coca-Cola Building on Charles Street in downtown Hagerstown.
A ReStore is a retail store that accepts donations of overstocked, new or used home improvement products donated by businesses or individuals. The Habitat re-sells those products to the general public at a substantially reduced cost.
Tara Horst, race director, was “thrilled” with the turnout for the first-year event, which saw competitors travel from the four-state area and the District of Columbia. The turnout, she said, was “more than I could have hoped for.”
Horst said competitors loved the runner-friendly out-and-back course on the Rail Trail, which offered flat terrain, scenic view of Western Maryland’s famed fall foliage and more than adequate course support aided by a small army of dedicated volunteers.
After the race, though, Horst – a Shippensburg University instructor by day and a volunteer with the ReStore task force during any down time – turned her thoughts back to the beneficiary of the funds raised from Saturday’s event.
“There are no Habitat houses in the western part of the county,” Horst said. “We wanted to bring a little bit of attention to a very depressed part of the county. Habitat would like to get some homes out there.”
Complete results and race-day photos are available online at www.tristaterunnur.com.
Contact Kevin Spradlin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
Results Photos
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
HANCOCK – Don’t blame Doug Oates if he becomes a road-racing whore over the next few months.
His average of more than one race every weekend of the past few weeks isn’t recommended, but it doesn’t appear to have slowed him down.
The 30-year-old Hagerstown resident cruised to victory on Saturday at the inaugural Western Maryland Half Marathon, which started on Main Street in Hancock. The bulk of the 13.1-mile race was contested on the paved, pancake-flat Western Maryland Rail Trail.
Oates, a Boonsboro High School graduate, led the 136-runner field to the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes and 51 seconds. He easily outdistanced runner-up Aaron McGray, 24, of Cumberland, who finished in 1:22:51.
Scott Silliman, 48, of Olney, was third overall in 1:24:33 and Les Kirkegaard, 42, of Mount Airy, was the first masters male and fifth overall in 1:33:26.
North Bethesda resident Laura Ramos, 29, was the top women’s finisher in 1:28:20, good for fourth overall. Tonya Stotler, 42, of Leesburg, Va., was second in 1:41:47 and Karen Abbamonte, 50, of Boonsboro, was third in 1:42:11.
The race was contested to benefit the Habitat for Humanity of Washington County. The half marathon and 5K walk raised more than $7,500 for the local chapter to open up a ReStore shop in the former Coca-Cola Building on Charles Street in downtown Hagerstown.
A ReStore is a retail store that accepts donations of overstocked, new or used home improvement products donated by businesses or individuals. The Habitat re-sells those products to the general public at a substantially reduced cost.
Tara Horst, race director, was “thrilled” with the turnout for the first-year event, which saw competitors travel from the four-state area and the District of Columbia. The turnout, she said, was “more than I could have hoped for.”
Horst said competitors loved the runner-friendly out-and-back course on the Rail Trail, which offered flat terrain, scenic view of Western Maryland’s famed fall foliage and more than adequate course support aided by a small army of dedicated volunteers.
After the race, though, Horst – a Shippensburg University instructor by day and a volunteer with the ReStore task force during any down time – turned her thoughts back to the beneficiary of the funds raised from Saturday’s event.
“There are no Habitat houses in the western part of the county,” Horst said. “We wanted to bring a little bit of attention to a very depressed part of the county. Habitat would like to get some homes out there.”
Complete results and race-day photos are available online at www.tristaterunnur.com.
Contact Kevin Spradlin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
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