麻豆社区

All's fair in love and racing.

Whitehorse runner Tom Ullyett is sticking to that motto after eking out a win in the Skagway half marathon Saturday morning.

After matching fellow Yukoner Maura Sullivan step for step for the majority of the 21.09 kilometres, Ullyett emptied the tank in the home stretch, passing Sullivan for the first time to finish first.

Ullyett's 1:31:14 bested Sullivan's time by only 12 seconds.

"After she crossed the line, I thanked her for pacing me throughout the race,鈥� Ullyett said. "Some runners would not have made the move that I did at the end, but a race is a competitive event where each athlete is trying to do the best they can.

"To paraphrase an English novelist of almost 200 years ago, all is fair in love, war and racing.鈥�

Sullivan's pace (1:31:26) earned her first place among women.

The third annual Skagway Marathon was held at the Alaskan city's ferry terminal on Saturday morning in near-perfect running conditions.

David Golden of Ashburn, Virginia won the full marathon 鈥� his first ever 鈥� in a time of 3:29:20.

Approximately 110 runners took part in the Skagway event, including a strong Yukon contingent. It marked a 30 percent increase in runners over last year.

Of those runners, just 22 ran the full 42-kilometre marathon.

The race was another brainwave of Skagway folklorist Buckwheat Donahue's and is known to be "one of the hardest and most rewarding鈥� marathons in North America, covering 42 kilometres of climbing hills along the Alaskan coast.

"For a road course, it's very tough,鈥� Ullyett told the Skagway 麻豆社区. "Skagway proved once again it punches far more than its weight. It's as scenic as North America could provide.鈥�

While the scenery along the Dyea Road is stunning, Ullyett said it is easily the toughest road half marathon he's ever run, and he has run many. He likened it to the difficulty of the Yukon River Trail's half marathon.

Ullyett ran the majority of the race with Sullivan, who set a fast pace during the first three kilometres, which he described as pancake flat.

"I was just trying to hang on to her until we got to the hills on the Dyea Road,鈥� he admitted. "Maura hammered down all the descents 鈥� and I just went for the ride. It was clear to me that we were both determined to push each other right to the finish line.鈥�

With just two kilometres to go, Sullivan started to suffer, Ullyett said, so he picked up the pace and pulled away.

He admitted Whitehorse runner Matt Ordish should have taken the half marathon crown, but he ran past a turn and wasn't able to make up the time.

Other notable race times from Whitehorse runners included:

鈥� Jen King, third in women's full marathon (4:18:49);

鈥� Matt Ordish, third in men's half marathon (1:34:47);

鈥� Laura Daley, third in women's half marathon (1:43:02);

鈥� Bonnie Love, first in half marathon walking (2:31:13).

With files by Elise Giordano, Skagway 麻豆社区