(Host) Strong winds and some rain added extra challenge to the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon on Sunday. The fourteenth annual race has become a Memorial Day tradition in Burlington. In addition to the individual racers seeking to qualify for the Boston Marathon, relay teams registered to share the 26.2 mile run.
VPR’s Patti Daniels talked spectators and racers, including some who were experiencing pre-race jitters.
(Montage of racers and spectators.) My name is Justin I’m from Starksboro and this point, I don’t know why I’ve entered the marathon(Montage of voice from the event.) My name is Justin Chapman. I’m from Starksboro and I’m not exactly sure at this point why I entered this marathon – I hesitate to call it a race. To finish is to win, and that’s what I’m hoping to do today.
I started seriously training in December. I trained pretty well through March and then slacked off in April, so I’m a little bit out of shape now.
It’s just a bunch of people in the beginning – you feel like you’re in a cattle drive. And then the gun goes off and you stand there and you move a little, and you stand there and then you move a little. It’s just great though ’cause everyone’s so pupmed up to do this. And you’re surrounded by marathoners and people of all ages – it’s just great.
I’m Heather Roberts, I’m from Boston Massachusetts and my husband and two of our friends from college are running in their first marathon. It’s a little stressful – getting everything together, making sure they have their chips and their bibs and getting to the start on time. But everything worked out fine. Yeah, I think they’ll finish. They’ve been training pretty hard for about six months. I’m confident (laughs) and I think they are. They’re nervous, but I think they’ll be fine.
(Clapping) Oh here comes our friend – yay Patsy! Go patsy! Yeah Patsy! Wooooooo!”
My name in Olaf Verdunk, I live in Jericho Center but I grew up in Burlington. My folks actually live right along the race course. So they have a ton of fun, they’ve got the orange slices out there, they’re always cheering everybody on. I’m either running or cheering. It’s a great event for Vermonters, it’s a great event for Vermont in general.
(Host) The top finisher in the women’s race was Veronique Vandersmissen of St. Polycarpe, Quebec who finished with a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes and 20 seconds. The men’s top finisher was Chad Newton of Pisqah Forest, N.C. who completed the marathon in 2 hours, 26 minutes and 27 seconds.