Braving chilly temperatures, runners took off straight uphill in the Hot Springs Half Marathon Saturday and almost two hours later, spirits were high as the first runners crossed the finish line.
Racers started their 13.1 mile run just above the Mountain Valley Spring Water Visitor's Center at the start of a trail in Hot Springs National Park, and when the horn sounded runners were met with a straight climb for the first couple of minutes of the run.
From there, the half marathoners traversed the terrain of Hot Springs National Park, and 16-year-old Owen Sanders sprinted through the finish line in front of The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa at 1:55:41.97 to capture first place.
"It was a lot of fun," Sanders said. "I thought I did pretty good. I've never run like a half marathon straight before."
Video not playing? Click here https://www.youtube.com/embed/AcOjikVThwo
The Little Rock native competes in Spartan Races and has had great success, but he was excited to run in his first half marathon. His father is from Hot Springs, and Sanders runs through Hot Springs National Park quite a bit.
"I love running around here, it's beautiful," Sanders said. "It's awesome. We have a great community. It's growing bigger and bigger and just the running community is an amazing place. We always get together and better ourselves."
The first female finisher of the half marathon almost missed the path to the finish line. When Blair Dean came running down the final stretch of the race, she ran past the entrance chute to the finish line but was quickly redirected by race organizers.
Even with the initial wrong turn, Dean held her arms in the air and cheered in excitement as she approached the finish line at 2:14:29.14.
"I'm very pleased with my performance," Dean said. "I finished. It's great. It was fun. The people on the trail were so awesome and nice and friendly, which is great. I thought it was a difficult course. I'm pretty new when it comes to trail running. I'm more of an asphalt runner, so I thought it got technical and a little steep for this flat-lander."
Although it was challenging, Dean still enjoyed the course.
"The course as a whole, it was very well maintained and it was great," she said. "I would rate it difficult because of the elevation. Not so much the technical, just the elevation."
Dean is in the middle of a transition from Jonesboro to Hot Springs, and she joined the Spa Pacers Running Club to continue her passion of running in her new home.
The 52-year-old has been running for what she called 'a long time.'
"What got me running was, it was either start running or get a divorce," Dean said. "Because my husband said, 'Get a hobby.' And I didn't know what else to do. So I started running and it's just been a really good fit for me. He's cheered me on along the way along with my two boys. It's a family affair and we love it."
Wolf Creek Race Management hosted the Hot Springs Half Marathon. The company is based in Pennsylvania, and Wolf Creek creates and hosts half marathons around the country.
"We scout out all of our locations," Co-owner Andrew Mascio said. "I've run on trails all across the country. Really it was the uniqueness here of having basically a perfect half marathon trail loop that's in spectacular condition. These trails are far and above the best that I've ever seen in terms of maintenance and also the views from the mountains."
Over 150 runners from 14 different states signed up for the first Wolf Creek half marathon in Hot Springs. In the future, Mascio hopes to grow the event to 500 participants.
Around 30% of the runners were from Hot Springs, and 50% of the participants were from Arkansas.
"I think it's gone really well," Mascio said. "People love the trail system here at Hot Springs National Park. It's one of the best maintained trail systems in the entire country."
From the high school ranks to recreational running around town, there is no doubt Hot Springs boasts a vibrant running community, and Dean ran in the half marathon Saturday to meet new people in her new home.
"I think it's awesome," she said. "The camaraderie and the support, it doesn't matter how fast or how slow you are. Everybody is pulling for everybody and that's what I'm here for."
Wolf Creek plans to bring the Hot Springs Half Marathon back on a yearly basis, and it is clear runners in Hot Springs and from around the region enjoyed the event.
"It's so much fun," Sanders said. "There's always so many people out here no matter the weather. It's always motivating just being around people. They're always so encouraging and just a lot of fun out here. Love being out here."