Izewski Conquers New Scranton Half Marathon Course for Record Win

Josh Izewski made the new Scranton Half Marathon course look like old hat.

The 35-year-old runner from Durham, North Carolina, captured the 13th annual race Sunday morning, finishing the 13.1-mile course through Scranton streets and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 58 seconds. The time nearly matched the pace Izewski had set as his target throughout training.

We were out in about a five-minute pace or so, Izewski said. That was basically my goal for the race, so I probably just maintained the pace we were running moreso than surging. Every mile is different on this course. Uphills and downhills, a little bit all over the place. Those little punchy hills take a lot out of your legs, break your momentum.

Hunter Brignall of Seneca Falls, New York, pushed hard through the early miles before settling for second place in 1:06:40. Dunmore resident Greg Jaindl rounded out the podium in 1:08:07.

Izewski, Brignall and Jaindl broke away from the main pack right at the start and ran together for roughly the first three miles. By Mile 5, Izewski had built a decisive advantage and never looked back.

My goal was to see what Josh was doing, Brignall said. If he was going to rip it, I was probably going to let him go. If he was going to do something where I could hang possibly, I was going to try to do that. Maybe put little surges in there and try to wear him down. But he definitely had the legs today. It was a little bit lonely after about three or four miles, but a lot of fun.

Ciaran Fisher of Danbury, Connecticut, took fourth in 1:10:51, with Cody Hodgins of Arlington, Virginia, rounding out the top five in 1:11:40.

On the women's side, Rachel Schilkowsky from Providence, Rhode Island, successfully defended her title. The ninth runner overall to cross the finish line inside Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium, she completed the course in 1:12:40. Heidi Peoples of Clarks Summit was the second female and 20th overall in 1:18:35, while Honeoye Falls, New York's Trisha Byler claimed third female honors in 1:19:12.

The revamped course featured the traditional city street sections combined with the scenic Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, creating a mix of urban and natural terrain that challenged runners throughout the distance.