CLEVELAND — After being postponed from its original May date, Sunday's 44th annual Union Home Mortgage Cleveland Marathon turned out to be a rousing success, and a local runner reached the finish line as the ultimate winner!
Twenty-five-year-old Jeremiah Fitzgerald, of Lakewood, won the race with a time of 2:25:53. It was a dominant performance as he finished more than six minutes ahead of the second-place finisher, New Jersey's Fabián Daza.
In the female race, Ana Maria Villegas of Miami, Florida, came in first with a time of 2:49:00, more than nine minutes ahead of second. She was one of just two women and 26 runners overall to finish the full 26.2 miles in less than three hours.
The University Hospitals Half Marathon also took place during the same time, and several members of the WKYC Studios team took part! Of our in-house runners, meteorologist Matt Wintz had the best time of 1:39:54, while "What's Next" producer Paige Katrinchak, reporter Marisa Saenz, and digital content producer Hope Sloop also finished the 13.1-mile stretch.
2021 marked the official return of the Cleveland Marathon after last year's event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to all of those who competed today!