3,000-plus runners, undaunted by the heat, welcome back 2021 Palm Beaches Marathon

After COVID-19 sent it to the sidelines last year, the Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon returned to downtown West Palm Beach on Sunday morning.

More than 3,000 runners took over parts of Flagler Drive this weekend for two days of races, including Sunday's half and full marathon. Runners took off before the sun rose Sunday, giving them a cool start.

By the time marathon winner Jaelin Funk crossed the finish line before 9 a.m., the temperature had risen to near 80 degrees.

"The heat was a little unexpected, but it started at 6 a.m., so that made it a lot more tolerable," Funk said. This was his first time running the Palm Beach race and his third marathon. He recently moved to Palm Beach from Orlando.

"I was going to try and win," Funk said. "So you know, it feels good. It was a good race."

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Katalin Nagy, the women's winner, crossed the finish line minutes after Funk.

Nagy usually competes in ultramarathons and was a member of the United States 24-hour ultramarathon team. She moved to the U.S. from her native Hungary 16 years ago and started running competitively when she was 32.

Now 42, the personal assistant from Fort Lauderdale says she is training for a 100-mile race in February.

"The first 14 miles were easy," said Nagy, who also said the heat played a factor in her race. "And after that the sun came up and it got hard."

The half-marathon winners were both local student-athletes.

Colton Lawson, 17, finished first in the 13.1-mile race. In November, the King's Academy junior captured the Region 4-2A championship by winning the 5K race in school-record time. This was Lawson's third time running the Palm Beach race.

Madlen Kappeler, 24, was the first woman to cross the finish line for the half-marathon. Kappeler runs track and field and cross-country at Florida Atlantic University, but had never run the Palm Beaches Marathon.

Kappeler, who hails from Germany, studies exercise science at FAU while competing in distance races and triathlons.

"It was amazing. My goal was just to have fun and enjoy the race," said Kappeler, who said she enjoyed the break from competition. "I really like to run without any pressure."

galbert@pbpost.com

@Gerard_Albert3

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beaches marathon returns after coronavirus pandemic cancellation