MISSOULA — The Missoula Half-Marathon attracts runners from across the country, and Sunday’s male and female winners were representative of the race’s wide reach.
Zach Perrin, who grew up in Kalispell and lives in Bozeman, won the men’s race, while Anna Gevirtz of Glen Mills, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia, won the women’s race.
“This is my first time in Missoula,” said Gevirtz, who finished in 1 hour, 17 minutes, 30 seconds. “It’s just an incredible race, great time of year. The weather is gorgeous. Pennsylvania is really hot right now, so it just works out really well in my training (to run the Missoula Half-Marathon). Also, just a trip out to Montana, which is awesome.”
Gevirtz said she wanted to start the race relaxed and “keep it really smooth” and fall into a strong, steady pace. She led much of the way, but Leanne Klassen and Erin Forde were never far behind.
Klassen, from Calgary, placed second with a time of 1:18:50, and Forde, a Missoulian, was third at 1:19:21.
“I heard that the other woman was like 100 meters behind me about halfway, and I was like, ‘Oh wow, that’s really close,’” Gevirtz said. “So I just tried to keep pushing and keep pushing and just make it all the way as fast as I could.”
Perrin, similarly, led for much of the men’s race after getting out to a fast start. He took a more aggressive than expected approach, which helped him build an early lead.
But Noah Hasselblad caught Perrin midway through the race and pushed him in the back half.
“We worked together for a few miles,” Perrin said. “I was kind of having a rough patch there, and I thought that he was probably going to pull away, but I was able to get him at the end. So, it was kind of an interesting race. I’ve never really had that happen before.”
Perrin was the first runner of the day to cross the finish line, breaking the tape in 1:06:50. Hasselblad, of Cheney, Wash., was second in 1:08:56, and Ronan’s Jackson Duffey placed third with a time of 1:09:27.
“It’s my favorite running event that I have ever done,” Perrin said. “Every year I look forward to this event. It’s great to be back and be part of the Missoula community. Obviously the running community here is amazing, and it’s also really cool because it brings a lot of people from the entire running community in Montana to this race.”
The community left an impression on Gevirtz, too. Spectators lined the course with signs to encourage the runners, and hundreds of people greeted them at the finish line.
Gevirtz wore a beaming smile as she broke the tape.
“That energy, you feel that when you’re running and you take that energy from them,” she said. “They’re here for no reason other than just to be happy and cheer and be out in the community and outside, and I think that’s such a beautiful thing about running and the sport in general. It’s just the best thing ever.”
