BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) –36-year-old Joseph Amenya crossed the finish line to win the 2015 Mercedes Marathon on Sunday morning. Amenya, a native Kenyan who now resides in Grand Prairie, Texas, finished the race with a time of 2:19:09.
“I feel happy,” said Amenya, after finishing the race and taking a moment to catch his breath. When asked about the course, he said, “The course was okay, despite the weather. I have never run in this weather,” referring to the rainy conditions.
Sarah Overpeck was the women’s winner for the full marathon. She crossed the finish line with a time of 2:52:28.
David Marley and Melissa Johnson-White crossed the finish line as winners of the 2015 Mercedes Half-Marathon.
Marley’s time on the half-marathon was 1:08:02. Johnson-White’s time on the half-marathon was 1:15:57.
There was a bit of confusion at the end of the men’s half-marathon. Three runners who were ahead of Marley followed the pace car instead of making the correct turn to go to the finish line.
The gun to begin the 2015 Mercedes Marathon was fired at 7:03 a.m. on the rainy Sunday morning.
The Mercedes Marathon is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. Thousands of runners from around the world were in Birmingham for the event, which also included the children’s run and 5K run on Saturday.
