Not Perfect Day, By A Long Run Soggy First Running Of Spokane Marathon Ends With Temporary Cloud Of Controversy

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray … especially if Mother Nature has any say in the matter.

Just ask Dean Sprague, organizer of the revived Spokane Marathon.

“The weather was the one thing I couldn’t do anything about,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been as bad if it was just cold out, but with all the raining and snowing, it made for some miserable running conditions.”

No winner was declared immediately in the men’s marathon race. Missoula’s Robert Sowers was the apparent winner in 2 hours, 40 minutes, 49 seconds, but someone claimed that Sowers might have run onto the course at a place other than the starting line.

However, after Sprague checked with several of the runners, Sowers was declared the winner later in the day.

“We had to check it out,” said Sprague on Saturday evening from home. “I even called the second-place runner (Alan Gay) and he said (Sowers) won it fair and square.”

Immediately after the race, Sowers expressed disbelief at the controversy.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” he said. “I was right behind the guy for most of the race. I don’t see why they think I jumped on the course.”

Gay, 34, of Spokane was impressed with the quality of the course.

“It was tough,” he said. “The hills were pretty challenging. I like running in cooler weather, but my calves were cramping for the last 10 miles, so it maybe was a little too cold today.”

Colville’s Angie Jones was the first woman across the finish line in the 26.3-mile marathon in 3:11:15. It was her first win in only her third marathon race.

“It was a really good course, very hilly,” said Jones. “The weather didn’t bother me once I got out there.”

Men who finished the race in under 3 hours, 10 minutes qualified to run in the Boston Marathon. The cutoff time for women qualifiers is 3:40.

A pair of Spokane residents won the 13.1-mile half-marathon race.

Corey Brantley, 24, a graduate of Shadle Park High School and Eastern Washington University, topped the men with a time of 1:14.16.

“That was not fun out there,” laughed Brantley, who started running half-marathons just last year. “The weather got to me at about the 4-mile mark when it started snowing.”

Jan Janke, 35, who teaches and coaches cross country and track at North Central High, took first in the women’s race with a time of 1:23.29.

“That was kinda fun,” she noted. “The snow made for a nice change of pace. This was my fourth half-marathon and I really like this distance.”

It was the first victory for both runners.

Rathdrum’s Suzanne Burnside was runner-up for the women, while Pat O’Connor of West Richland was second for the men.

Jonathan Murray, of Lakewood, Wash., won the men’s 10-kilometer race with a time of 32:37. Spokane’s Dick Leland was second at 34:56.

Mary Thane of Missoula won the women’s 10K in 39:50 with Karen Kinzer-Byrd of Spokane second in 41:36.

Sprague was pleased with the turnout for the races.

“We had hoped for at least 1,200 entrants and we got just under 1,300,” he said, though the number that actually ran was put at 1,075. “Except for the weather, everything went pretty well. There were a few first-year glitches, but we’ll get them ironed out by next year.”

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