Weasler Two-Peats at Door County

As you might know by now, I ran in one of my favorite races Saturday up at the Door County Half Marathon. The beautiful course in Peninsula State Park has a little bit of everything. The hills are rough but the scenery is spectacular. From a Chicago point of view, Annie Weasler of the Windy City won the women's title for the second year in a row with a 1:32:34. Also, Nancy Rollins, 65, of Evanston, won her age group by close to an hour with a great 1:40:09. Here is the official press release recap of the race.
First-time half marathoner torches course for Door County title
Brian Finnel of Forestville became the first Door County native to win the Door County Half Marathon May 5, finishing in 1:09:07 to out-pace last year’s winner, Dominick Meyer, who finished in 1:10:19. Finnel led three UW – Stevens Point grads at the top of the finishers list. This was Finnel’s first attempt at the half-marathon distance, one he is obviously suited for. His time was just 20 seconds off the course record set in 2008 by Oshkosh’s Jason Ryf, a qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials. Finnel’s time was the third fastest in race history. Meyer, of Beloit, improved on his 2011 time of 1:12:25, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Finnel.
Annie Weasler repeated as the women’s champion. The Chicago resident crossed the finish line in 1:32:34, a bit off of her 2011 pace but still good enough to win handily.
Ben Schmitt of Burlington raced to a new Nicolet Bay 5k course record in the fifth running of the race Saturday. Schmitt’s time of 16:31 topped the record of 17:30 set by Joseph Guenther in 2008 by nearly a minute. On the women’s side, Hannah Lyons of Whitefish Bay posted the second fastest time ever on the course, finishing in 21:00, a time beat only by Bailey Wolf, who posted a time of 19:44 in 2011.
More than 1650 people registered for the half marathon, while another 580 registered for the 5k, a total increase of 230 participants over last year’s event.
Next year’s Door County Half Marathon will be run May 4, 2013.
For complete results, visit: http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=24682 - racetop

Door County Half Marathon Top 5 Men
1. Brian Finnel, Forestville, Wis., 1:09:07
2. Dominick Meyer, Beloit, Wis., 1:10:19
3. Brad Seeley, Weston, Wis., 1:11:44
4. Rodee Schneider, Madison, Wis., 1:14:35
5. Tony Steeno, Traverse City, Mich., 1:21:10
Door County Half Marathon Top 5 Women
1. Annie Weasler, Chicago, 1:32:34
2. Mary Bolich, Plymouth, Wis., 1:33:22
3. Tammy W., De Pere, Wis., 1:35:16
4. Emily Bowles, Appleton, Wis., 1:35:35
5. Dawn Boynton, Rochester, Minn., 1:36:43