Congratulations to Winners of Whiskey Row Marathon
More than 1,650 runners from Prescott and across the U.S. ran Saturday, May 2, in the 37th Annual Whiskey Row Marathon. Participants ran in four different races: the marathon, half marathon, 10K and 2-mile Fun Run/Walk. Proceeds benefit the Prescott YMCA's scholarship fund.
The winner of the men's marathon was Adam Folts of Dewey, with a time of 2:48. The winner of the women's marathon was Alyssa Shaw from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, with a time of 3:28. The half marathon was won by Embry Riddle cross country coach Chris Bray at 1:23, and the 10k was won by Ryan Baker in the men's category, from Flagstaff, and Katharine Brownlee in the women's, from Phoenix.
The races began at 6 a.m., and all runners finished the races on the Courthouse Plaza in downtown Prescott, where tables, tents, vendors and other activities were stationed around the finish line.
The race included one participant who went into cardiac arrest. At about 8am, Prescott 911 dispatchers received a call for a man down with CPR in progress on Hassayampa Village Lane and Los Pinons. A Prescott Fire Department engine arrived on scene with Lifeline Ambulance to find a 64 year-old male in cardiac arrest with bystanders doing high quality CPR. The bystanders were also race participants and consisted of nursing students and off-duty firefighters trained in CPR and first aid. The paramedics started advanced cardiac life support and were able to defibrillate the patient back into a normal heartbeat. The patient regained consciousness while still at the scene and was transported to Yavapai Regional Medical Center for evaluation. If it were not for the high quality CPR that the patient was given while in cardiac arrest, the outcome would most likely have been far different.
The Prescott Fire Department says it is critically important for a person who has no pulse and is not breathing to get high quality CPR while paramedics respond. The total time commitment to learn American Heart Association CPR usually runs about 3-4 hours and classes happen several times per month. Please check with your local fire department for times and locations of CPR classes.
The Whiskey Row Marathon is among the toughest races in the country, according to the marathon's website. "Starting at 5,280 feet, the elevation increases to 7,000 feet over the first seven miles, then down to 5,600 feet at the 13-mile turn around. The course is paved road for the first and last five miles, while the rest of the running route is a trail race on a dirt road maintained by the US Forest Service."
Visit the Whiskey Row Marathon website to learn more.