Saturday morning was a gorgeous day in Cullowhee for the Valley of the Lilies half marathon and 5k. At 8 a.m., runners lined up to start the half marathon, with the 5k following shortly after.
Start of the 5k. Photo by: Sam Cook
“It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten out and raced so it will be nice to see what I can do even if it’s slower than normal,” said Billy Simpson, a senior at WCU who ran the 5k.
“I’m most excited about finishing,” said Brooke Hungerford, a student at WCU who successfully completed the half marathon.
Everyone gathered at the fountain waiting for the runners to finish, cheering on every person who came through the blowup catamount finish line.
The overall winner for the half marathon was Ben Stephenson, with a time of 1:24:19.7. David Chandler came in second and Desmond Cariveau in third.
The overall winner for the 5k was Victor Jones, with a time of 19:38. Kye Grooms came in second, and Jacob Deal in third.
Individual results for the half marathon and 5k are posted on www.runsignup.com.
Billy Simpson pretending to be Usain Bolt. Photo by: Sam Cook
Employees from the Campus Recreation Center dedicated their morning to the race, waking up at the crack of dawn to get everything set up, and did an excellent job of organizing the race.
“I ran exactly what I wanted to which I didn’t expect so I’m happy with it overall,” said Simpson after his 5k.
The Valley of the Lilies half marathon and 5k will be held again next year, in case you missed out on this years race.
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