No Beginner’s Luck At The A1A Marathon

Like most marathon debutants, the winner hit “the wall” at the 20-mile mark.

Before Sunday’s Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon, 27-year-old Jonathan Volpi had never run 26.2 miles.

However, that didn’t stop him from winning the race. Volpi broke the tape with a 2:36:35–nearly six minutes ahead of second-place finisher Mark Godale of Aurora, Ohio.

“I figured I should try a marathon and see what happens,” said Volpi afterwards. “I was real nervous coming into this, because 26 miles is a long way.” Vopli admitted he hit the “wall” with the last 5K to go and that he was “just trying to stay alive.”

Carrie Pustilnik from Delray Beach, Florida won the women’s race in 3:00:11.

A total of 4,350 runners took part in the marathon and half marathon–a new record.

In the half marathon, Anton Van Zyl successfully defended his title, completing the 13.1-mile course in 1:13:30. A Fort Lauderdale resident, Van Zyl, 37 years old, was proud of his win. “There’s nothing like winning in your hometown,” he said. “It’s getting more difficult with age. I can feel the legs are not 20 years old.”

For More: Sun Sentinel