Welch overtakes Houlihan to win women's marathon
By Steven Allspach Journal sports writer | Posted: Sunday, October 21, 2007
Kjersten Welch stayed the course and wound up winning her second straight women's championship in the 2007 Siouxland Lewis & Clark Marathon Saturday.
The 37-year-old caught up to and passed former world class marathoner Connie Prince Houlihan in the late stages of the 26.2-mile test and won in 3 hours, 11 minutes, 34 seconds.
On a gorgeous autumn day made for marathoners, the two Sioux Cityans were the class of the women's field.
"It was a perfect day and I think everyone loved the new course,'' said Welch. "It wasn't quite as hilly. I would have liked to go a little faster, but it is a great feeling to be able to win again.
"With Connie in the race, I had my doubts, I can tell you that.''
Welch's time was a bit slower than her winning clocking of 3:10:21 last year.
Houlihan, who turned 50 on Columbus Day, didn't declare for the full marathon until Friday night and had been contemplating running the half-marathon for a second straight year.
Although still an active participant in 5K and 10K road races, she was making a marathon comeback of sorts and was running in her first marathon since an Olympic qualifying event in 1988.
Her personal best of 2:35.25 came in the Twin Cities Marathon in 1986 when she was the fifth-ranked women's marathoner in the country.
Prince led the race until she began fading at Mile 21 and had to settle for second in 3:18:39.
"It was right there at 21, maybe 22, when I just hit the wall,'' sighed Houlihan. "I wanted to go, go, go, but my legs wouldn't cooperate.
"It was a little disappointing because the race went so well until then. I went though 13 miles in 1:23, which was a record pace for this marathon.''
Welch thought so, too.
"Connie zoomed around me right away and I never saw her again until the end,'' said Welch. "I resigned myself to finishing second after I saw the way she was running at the beginning.''
Welch overtook Houlihan with just over a mile to go.
Nicole Kreber of Kansas City, Mo., was third in 3:27:20.
Welch became the second two-time winner in the Lewis & Clark event. Kate Davis of Woodbury, Minn., won in 2003 and 2004. In the inaugural event in '03, Davis won in 2:55:22, a record time Prince had hope to eclipse.
Last year, just 17 entered the women's event, but Saturday's field numbered 46 and all but one runner finished.
"It was good to see more runners,'' said Welch, who claimed her second title of the year. "It was so bitterly cold last year.''
On May 27, the former Jamestown (N.D.) College athlete won an event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 3:18.18 and she was also fourth in the Lincoln Marathon in 3:12.
Delfina Vilar, second in the half-marathon here last year to Houlihan, claimed the top prize this time, striding home first in 1 hour, 35 minutes and 22 seconds. Her time was four seconds faster than a year ago, when Houlihan won in 1:24:57.
Two weeks ago, Vilar, 40, competed in the Twin Cities Marathon, covering the 26.2 miles in extreme heat and humidity in 3 hours, 43 minutes. "The conditions for the competition here were about as good as a marathoner could ask for,'' said Vilar. "I wasn't ready for another full marathon so soon.''
For the third straight year, the Canadian from Winnipeg, Manitoba, accompanied her marathoning friend, Winnipeg firefighter Bert Moniot, to compete in Sioux City. Moniot was sixth in the men's event in 2:56.14.
Carrie Krohn of Orange City was second and Mary Evans of Lamberton, Minn., third.
The 37-year-old caught up to and passed former world class marathoner Connie Prince Houlihan in the late stages of the 26.2-mile test and won in 3 hours, 11 minutes, 34 seconds.
On a gorgeous autumn day made for marathoners, the two Sioux Cityans were the class of the women's field.
"It was a perfect day and I think everyone loved the new course,'' said Welch. "It wasn't quite as hilly. I would have liked to go a little faster, but it is a great feeling to be able to win again.
"With Connie in the race, I had my doubts, I can tell you that.''
Welch's time was a bit slower than her winning clocking of 3:10:21 last year.
Houlihan, who turned 50 on Columbus Day, didn't declare for the full marathon until Friday night and had been contemplating running the half-marathon for a second straight year.
Although still an active participant in 5K and 10K road races, she was making a marathon comeback of sorts and was running in her first marathon since an Olympic qualifying event in 1988.
Her personal best of 2:35.25 came in the Twin Cities Marathon in 1986 when she was the fifth-ranked women's marathoner in the country.
Prince led the race until she began fading at Mile 21 and had to settle for second in 3:18:39.
"It was right there at 21, maybe 22, when I just hit the wall,'' sighed Houlihan. "I wanted to go, go, go, but my legs wouldn't cooperate.
"It was a little disappointing because the race went so well until then. I went though 13 miles in 1:23, which was a record pace for this marathon.''
Welch thought so, too.
"Connie zoomed around me right away and I never saw her again until the end,'' said Welch. "I resigned myself to finishing second after I saw the way she was running at the beginning.''
Welch overtook Houlihan with just over a mile to go.
Nicole Kreber of Kansas City, Mo., was third in 3:27:20.
Welch became the second two-time winner in the Lewis & Clark event. Kate Davis of Woodbury, Minn., won in 2003 and 2004. In the inaugural event in '03, Davis won in 2:55:22, a record time Prince had hope to eclipse.
Last year, just 17 entered the women's event, but Saturday's field numbered 46 and all but one runner finished.
"It was good to see more runners,'' said Welch, who claimed her second title of the year. "It was so bitterly cold last year.''
On May 27, the former Jamestown (N.D.) College athlete won an event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 3:18.18 and she was also fourth in the Lincoln Marathon in 3:12.
Delfina Vilar, second in the half-marathon here last year to Houlihan, claimed the top prize this time, striding home first in 1 hour, 35 minutes and 22 seconds. Her time was four seconds faster than a year ago, when Houlihan won in 1:24:57.
Two weeks ago, Vilar, 40, competed in the Twin Cities Marathon, covering the 26.2 miles in extreme heat and humidity in 3 hours, 43 minutes. "The conditions for the competition here were about as good as a marathoner could ask for,'' said Vilar. "I wasn't ready for another full marathon so soon.''
For the third straight year, the Canadian from Winnipeg, Manitoba, accompanied her marathoning friend, Winnipeg firefighter Bert Moniot, to compete in Sioux City. Moniot was sixth in the men's event in 2:56.14.
Carrie Krohn of Orange City was second and Mary Evans of Lamberton, Minn., third.
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