HELENA — The Governor’s Cup saw another massive turnout last weekend in downtown Helena, as Layne Ryerson and Alison Fitzsimmons each defended their titles.
“I’m feeling good, I’m sore, but it’s a beautiful day out here, I ran my PR, which I’m really excited about,” Ryerson said on Saturday after crossing the finish line in 2:34:09.
Fitzsimmons, from Canyon Creek, finished as the top woman runner in the marathon with a time of 3:16:26, narrowly beating her time from last year by approximately 10 seconds.
Cody Moore, a track and field coach for Kalispell Glacier finished second in the marathon just under two minutes after Layne Ryerson, while current Carroll College cross-country runner, Clayton Ryerson finished third overall.
Will McGonigal from Hailey, Idaho, won the men's half marathon with the quickest time of 1:13:26.
"You know, just keeping it light and fun, and just realizing that your potential is way more than what you think. Realizing that you're much more than what you think you are and just moving forward and never being satisfied, and just following the journey," said McGonigal.
Mandy Fellenz, from Helena, took first in the women's half marathon with a time of 1:39:46.
Carter Heggem, a 15-year-old from Sidney, took the top spot in the 10K race with a time of 37:33, while Abby Rodseth, a police officer in Great Falls, took the top spot in the Women's 10K with a time of 38:35.
"People told me it was going to be a hilly course, but I think I greatly underestimated the amount of hills. I just came out of doing Boston in April, so I was just wanting a solid, shorter, fast race before I do the Missoula half," said Rodseth.
Rodseth noted she was hit by a drunk driver in 2020, and required surgery on both of her hips after the accident. Rodseth hopes to hit the Marathon qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic trials.
"For me, it's just a blessing to be able to run, it's humbling," added Rodseth.
Luke Mest, a Jefferson High School junior from Clancy won the 5K at 17:54. Rachael Robnett from Henderson, NV won the women's 5K at 19:53.
Full results from the 2023 Governor's Cup, and years prior, can be found on the Governor's Cup website.
