An Ohio runner matched the feat of just three previous racers and did it in his first full marathon.
Vicent Mauri of Warren won Toledo’s Glass City Marathon in 2:05:54:05, making him one of just four Americans to run a marathon in under two hours and six minutes, according to the Toledo Blade.
He also broke the state record by more than 13 minutes. That record had been held by Russian Olympian Pavel Kokin, who set it at the 2000 Cleveland Marathon.
The second-place finisher in this year’s Glass City race finished with a time of 2:21.
Not only had he never run the 26.2-mile race, but Mauri said after his victory that he had never run in a half-marathon. After taking a break from running following his college graduation, the former Notre Dame and Arizona State track and field athlete decided to train for the event at the beginning of the year, he told BCSN Sports.
By eclipsing a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, Mauri also qualifies for the 2028 Olympic Trials.
“I knew on a perfect day I’d have a shot at running under 2:10, not 2:05. But you know, here we are,” Mauri told BCSN Sports. “Things happen, right?”
According to Notre Dame’s website, the longest distance Mauri ever competed in was 10,000 meters, a race more than four times shorter than a marathon.
What shoes were the Toledo Glass City Marathon winner Vincent Mauri wearing?
Mauri appeared to be wearing ASICS running shoes at the finish line, based on an Instagram post.
Two runners at this past weekend’s London Marathon, Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, became the first marathoners to break the two-hour mark in record-eligible conditions, with Sawe setting the new world record at 1:59:30. Both were wearing Adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, which is the lightest supershoe ever made, according to LetsRun.com.
This story was updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio runner’s first marathon sets state record
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
