15-year-old runs 2:40:03, finishes sixth at Twin Cities Marathon

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Woodbury, Minnesota’s Tierney Wolfgram, 15, set a new international age group record with a top-10 finish in 2:40:03 at the Twin Cities Marathon yesterday. The grade 10 student took down Jung-Sook Lee’s international age record of 2:40:48, set in 1986, while falling short of Mei-yu Shen’s 2002 single-age record for a girl aged 15 years, 213 days of 2:29:41 (according to the ARRS) and the American junior record.

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A two-time state cross country champion as well as holding numerous track titles, Wolfgram went out fast, leading the pack through the first 10K, then dropping to sixth and holding by the halfway mark, according to local media.

The course, which is sometimes referred to as “the most beautiful urban marathon in America,” starts in downtown Minneapolis and finishes at the State Capitol in St. Paul. The Boston-qualifying course is one of the 10 largest marathons in the U.S., with 7,159 finishers yesterday.

In the women’s race, Sinke Biyadgilgn, 23, of Ethiopia, won her first marathon victory, in 2:33:04. Serkalem Abrha finished second, in 2:33:10, and Sarah Kiptoo was third, in 2:33:15.  

In the men’s race, Kenya’s Elisha Barno finally won a Minnesota double, winning the marathon in 2:11:58. Barno has won Grandma’s marathon in Duluth four times and finished second here in the twin cities for the past three years, behind Dominic Ondoro, who did not race this year. Barno’s countryman, Boniface Kongin, was 14 seconds behind him in 2:12:12, with Birhanu Kemal finishing third, in 2:14:47.

Grateful to defend my US 10 mile championship yesterday!

Last stop before @ffm_marathon , counting down the days til the taper- 6️⃣! pic.twitter.com/qXTGPav02U

— Sara Hall (@SaraHall3) October 8, 2018

The Twin Cities Marathon was also the site of the USATF 10-mile championships yesterday, in which Sara Hall managed to outrun Molly Huddle for the victory, in 52:47. Huddle finished in 52:48, and Emma Bates was third, in 52:51. In the men’s race, Shadrack Kipchirchir was first, 46:32, with Leonard Korir second in 46:35 and Stanley Kebenei third, in 46:39.