Seth Massot, Anne Schreiber top finishers in Community First Fox Cities Marathon
Seth Massot grew up in Minnesota and has lived in Appleton for only two years, but he felt right at home Sunday morning.
The 25-year-old competed in the Community First Fox Cities Marathon Presented by Miron Construction for the first time and ran away from the pack as the overall top finisher.
Massot ran an unofficial time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 35 seconds to finish almost 10 minutes ahead of Neenah resident and second-place finisher Jace Galley (2:33:54).
“I think today really the goal was to learn because I think the last couple races I’ve done I’ve definitely gone out too fast and really paid the piper around mile 18 or so, and have just kind of fallen apart,” Massot said. “So the goal was to have fun, run really even for the first 20 (miles) or so and then see how I felt and just see if I could pick it up or otherwise just hold even.”
Massot, who competed as a collegiate runner at Wheaton College in Illinois, ran his first marathon last October when he finished seventh in the Twin Cities Marathon.
He sprinted through the finish line Sunday, but said he wasn’t feeling nearly as good as he looked.
“Legs are hurting pretty bad right now. The last couple miles were pretty tough,” he said. “But the last couple marathons I’ve done have just been a sufferfest, so the goal was to avoid that and be even. So I hurt, but not as bad as I’ve hurt before which I think is a sign that it was a well-timed effort.”
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Massot said the support he felt from spectators who lined the 26.2-mile course spanning seven Fox Cities communities helped get him through the race.
“It just gives you an energy boost. It makes it a lot more exciting to be out there,” he said. “It’s fun to connect with the people who are opening their garage doors, in the streets just cheering, even if they have no idea who you are or don’t know anyone running at all. So it’s really fun.”
Galley, 25, was running the Fox Cities Marathon for the first time and only his third marathon overall.
He acknowledged Massot set a pace he couldn’t keep up with, so he was comfortable to run his own race.
“I knew if I stuck with him it would have been a little more crash and burn for me,” Galley said with a smile.
Galley, who ran the 10K during last year’s marathon weekend, said his goal was to feel comfortable at the halfway point and then “ride it out after.”
“I started to feel a little tired around the half marathon point, but that’s where you engage with your mind and just stick to it,” he said.
Cody Arendt of Luxemburg finished third in 2:48:54.
Anne Schreiber wins in homecoming
Anne Schreiber, who has lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, for the last four years returned home with a distinct purpose in mind.
“My goal was to win,” the 25-year-old said.
The 2015 Kimberly High School graduate did just that, becoming the top female finisher in the marathon with an unofficial time of 3:20:16.
Schreiber ran in college at UW-Eau Claire after high school. She competed in the relay event at the Fox Cities Marathon in high school but was competing in the full marathon for the first time.
She finished 31 seconds ahead of Breanna Suess of Luxemburg (3:20:47).
“I could feel her behind me like the last mile,” Schreiber said. “I was going to try to keep a steady pace but I was not having it today. The pace I went out at I was supposed to hold but it just didn’t happen for me. This course is a lot hillier. It’s like a humid day. So it’s just harder than I thought.”
Suess, 27, was also running in the Fox Cities Marathon for the first time. She ran the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon in 2017.
She said she tried to catch Schreiber but didn’t have enough left.
“I tried. My legs were there, but I was running out of energy,” Suess said.
Suess, who is a physical therapist, said her goal Sunday was to requalify for the Boston Marathon, which she accomplished.
“From a motivation perspective, as a physical therapist, you run for the people who can’t, so that’s a great motivation for myself,” she said.
Cheryl Louden of Fond du Lac was the third female finisher in 3:30:56.
Matt Kasten, Kathy Derks top half marathon finishers
Matt Kasten of Harrison was the top finisher in the ThedaCare Half Marathon in 1:11:30 after winning the full marathon last year.
“The full is so much harder. I thought I’d take a break this year,” the 37-year-old said with a laugh.
Kasten went out fast at the start with the goal of making others catch him.
“It kind of worked but I also died a little bit in the second half, so it’s a double-edged sword. Lucky to get away with it,” he said.
Kasten said he was hoping to finish about a minute faster, but he still set his personal record.
“It was a 10-second PR, so I’m beyond happy,” he said.
Derek Johnsrud, 31, of Fall River finished second in 1:13:24. He said he beat his goal by about two minutes.
“Matt was quite a ways ahead. He took off from the start,” Johnsrud said. “I was looking to stay a little more patient the first 8-ish miles, getting closer to like a marathon pace and then trying to move up the last 5. Matt was well ahead of us.”
David Schneekloth of Appleton was third in 1:17:44.
Kathy Derks of Harrison was the top female finisher in the half marathon in 1:18:11.
The 28-year-old Derks, who was the top female finisher in the full marathon in 2018, was happy to win but not thrilled with her time.
“Didn’t have the day that I wanted, but grateful that I was able to finish,” she said. “My goal was to run around 1:11 and I was about 7 minutes off that. So that’s how my day went.”
Derks said her training leading up to the event was “really good” and she couldn’t pinpoint why she was slower Sunday.
“I didn’t think I was mentally in it. I’m getting married in two weeks, so I’ve been a little preoccupied with that,” she said. “No excuses, just didn’t have a good day.”
Marie Peterson, 33, who grew up in Appleton and lives in Colorado Springs, was the second female to finish the half marathon in 1:27:29. It was her second time running her hometown event.
“I was really happy with it,” she said. “The crowd was my favorite. There’s so many people out on the course it’s amazing. I was happy with how it went. I felt smooth and even, so it was a good day.”
Katie Gellings of North Fond du Lac finished third among females in the half marathon in 1:29:01.
Other winners in the Community First Fox Cities Marathon
Watertown D-Force/Kirk Wackett took first place in the Orthopedic & Sports Institute Relay Marathon in 3:00:25. The Hymn Hoppers/Patrick Buffington team finished second in 3:18:54 and Scrambled Legs/Melissa Kelly took third in 3:25:55.
Ryan Eggert of Neenah won the Scheels 10K Run/Walk on Saturday in 38:39. Erin Moldenhauer of Ripon was the top female finisher in 38:42.
Collin Borazo of Omro won the Ascension 5K Run/Walk in 18:22. Katie Heidke of Appleton was the top female finisher in 19:43.
Contact Mike Sherry at msherry@postcrescent.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeSherry14.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Seth Massot, Anne Schreiber top finishers in Fox Cities Marathon
