Sue Dispensa, 43, credits a strong support system for seeing her through her first marathon in Saturday morning’s Portland Alley Marathon. FOR THOSE inspired to get moving, Chanute will have a 5K Turkey Trot run/walk at 9 a.m. Saturday. Signup begins at 8:30 a.m. Call 620-432-5379 for more information.
Dispensa, Chanute, ran the hilly backroads from Chanute to Iola in 3 hours, 56 minutes, making her the first female to complete the marathon.
“I couldn’t have done it without my crew,” she said of friends of family who were placed along the 26.2-mile course, cheering her on.
Meanwhile for Dann Fisher of Manhattan, the race was old hat. It was Fisher’s 150th “or so,” marathon. Fisher, 49, completed the course in 3 hours, 20 minutes.
“I loved the course,” he said. “It was beautiful running along the country roads.”
Runners braved the chilly north winds to run either individually or as part of teams in the first ever Portland Alley Marathon, organized by Thrive Allen County.
A dozen runners ran the race individually to make it a full marathon.
Chandler Summers, 15, of Chanute, was the youngest marathoner. He came in second place with a time of three hours, 25 minutes.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ross Abbuehl, 61, also of Chanute, ran the full marathon with a time of 4 hours, 13 minutes.
Anita Cooper, 51, of Chanute, was the oldest female marathoner, completing the run in four hours, 53 minutes.
The bulk of the 80-plus runners competed as teams. An all-women’s team from Chanute placed first.
Strong debut for Iola-to-Chanute race
