Wells wins in her return to mini; KDF races have record turnout

Of the thousands who crossed the finish line along Market Street during the Kentucky Derby Festival’s record-breaking road races today, few made those last strides with the kind of grin that lit Christina Wells’ face.

Always cheery anyway, it seems, Wells just had to smile now.

She hadn’t run in the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon since she won her first Louisville Triple Crown of Running in the days after her father Earnie Brown’s death in 2001.

She hadn’t run in any Kentucky Derby Festival race since she won her third straight Triple Crown in 2003.

She hadn’t run in Kentucky at all since 2004, shortly after she and her husband Bobby moved from Owensboro to Woodbridge, Va.

And she hadn’t run more than 10 miles in a race since her first child, Anna Catherine, was born in 2005.

But none of that could thwart her triumphant return to the miniMarathon this morning. Wells not only won the women’s division of the 33rd annual event but did it overwhelmingly, finishing more than three minutes ahead of her closest challenger.

“It was great to be back in Kentucky and running this race again,” she said - with a smile, of course.

But Wells isn’t the only one who enjoys the event. A record 8,655 people entered the races and a record 7,745 people finished them, with temperatures in the 50s and a steady drizzle making for good running conditions.

A significant - and fitting - change to the course likely attracted some of those runners; the races, which started on Southern Parkway near Iroquois Park, were directed through the Churchill Downs infield for the first time - one week before the Kentucky Derby.

“That was pretty neat,” said Westwood, N.J., resident Matt Downin, who won the men’s division of the miniMarathon. “You go in there, look around and see where all the great horses have run.”

Wells, a two-time Class A state champion in cross country at Owen County High School and a three-time Sun Belt Conference champion in track at Western Kentucky University, won the women’s division with a time of 1:17:48. Michelle Scott, who won four Sun Belt Conference titles at WKU and became an assistant coach there during Wells’ career, was second in 1:20:57. WAVE-3 reporter Anne Marshall was third in 1:24:35.

Downin, one of America’s elite distance runners, had the best overall time of 1:05:44. He finished a disappointing 30th in the USA Men’s 10 Mile Championship in Louisville just two weeks ago; he had been in fifth place at the midpoint of that race but developed a cramp in his side around the seven-mile mark and stopped for more than a minute.

“This was good redemption,” Downin said.

Log Lane Village, Colo., resident Sean Nesbitt was second in 1:07:09 and Boulder, Colo., resident John Supsic was third in 1:07:10.

Another Boulder, Colo., resident, Charles Njeru, won the marathon for the fourth straight year, finishing in 2:18:18. Chicago resident Chris Wehrman was second in 2:25:24 and Sacramento, Calif., resident Chad Worthen was third in 2:28:48 - although those two places could be contested if certain other runners, who have claimed they were misdirected and strayed off the course as a result, file a protest.

Bethesda, Md., resident Katie Nowak was the surprise winner in the women’s division of the marathon. The former Ball State University standout had never run a marathon but won easily in 2:48:43. Oakham, Mass., resident Barbara McManus was second in 2:56:33 and Powell, Ohio, resident Sharon Hathaway was third in 2:57:02.

Highland, Mich, resident Sarah Plaxton was sixth in 3:05:20; she won the marathon in 2004 after finishing second behind Wells in 2003.