Florida man wins Half-Marathon

Published 9:22 pm Tuesday, April 17, 2012

CHRIS LAKE, the winner of Saturday’s first-annual Memorial Hospital and Manor’s 13.1-mile Half-Marathon, crosses the finish line.|Joe Crine

Chris Lake, a member of the Gulf Winds Track Club in Tallahassee, Fla., and a first-year medical student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, won Saturday’s first annual Bainbridge Memorial Hospital and Manor 13.1-mile Half-Marathon in a time of 1 hour, 12 minutes, 42.3 seconds.

The event was directed by Andy Payne. Lake, who topped a field of 193 runners, said the course was fairly smooth most of the way, but there were a couple of hills.

Coming in second was Bainbridge High School teacher and former BHS tennis coach Pauncho Hufstetler, who finished in a time of 1:21:50.5. Kyle Harris, a senior with the Grace Christian Academy cross-country team, who plans to run for Berry College in Rome, Ga., was third, with a time of 1:25:43.8.

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Greg Waddell of Bainbridge, who is a volunteer coach with the BHS cross country team, and Richard Wilson of Panama City, Fla., were the top two men’s Masters (over 40 years old) finishers.

Waddell was fifth overall, with a time of 1:29:45.9, and Wilson was seventh overall, with a time of 1:32:25.1.

Kristi Wilhem of Thomasville, Ga., who finished 36th overall with a time 1:46:58.3, was the first female Masters finisher.

Melissa Thompson of Thomasville was the top female finisher. She was 16th overall, with a time of 1:41:00.8. Deborah Wittmer of Blakely, Ga., was the second-place female finisher. She was 18th overall, with a time of 1:41:24.0.

Proceeds from Saturday’s half-marathon will help the hospital purchase a digital mammography unit for the Kirbo Women’s Center, and help remodel the center’s suite.