Daniel Mesfun And Caroline Rotich were the winners at The 2019 Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon

Over 11,000 registered runners from age 12 to 89 took to the streets on Sunday to participate in the running of the 2019 Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. Giving runners the opportunity to run to the Beat in Their Feet™, the 2019 Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon provided participants great music in a community environment as runners of all athletic levels enjoyed the sights and sounds of Philadelphia.

Daniel Mesfun of Eritrea put forth a dominant showing in the half marathon Sunday morning to win the overall race with an impressive finishing time of 01:02:58. Mesfun separated from the incredibly competitive field of elite runners before hitting the first mile marker, and held onto his lead for the duration of the 13.1-mile race despite the warm and humid conditions on Sunday. American Wilkerson Given (Atlanta, Ga.) came in second with a time of 01:03:29 while Somali born American and four-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) followed in third place finishing in 1:03:32.

2015 Boston Marathon Champion Caroline Rotich of Kenya paced the loaded field of elite women, clocking a time of 1:11:00 to take home the top spot in the women’s half marathon. Becky Wade (Boulder, Colo.) followed in second with a time of 1:12:13 while up-and-comer Jordan Hasay (Portland, Ore.) rounded out the podium with a time of 01:12:35. Hasay has finished third in each of her two appearances at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon.

The best-in-class running event kicked off on Sunday morning with all three distances - the 5K presented by Brooks, 7.6K, and the half marathon- beginning at Eakins Oval. The brand-new 7.6K distance paid homage to the city’s role in American history and the 1776 signing of The Declaration of Independence. Participants of the 5K presented by Brooks departed at 7:00 a.m. while runners of the 7.6K and the half marathon took off at 7:30 a.m. The fast and flat course traversed City Hall, Market Street, the Schuylkill River, Falls Bridge and crossed the finish line in front of the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art back at Eakins Oval.

A deep field of elite runners and fast times aside, Sunday’s race was all about the party atmosphere. Several local bands including The Big Unkle, The Philadelphia Eagles Drumline, The Fabulous Mojo Kings Dance Band, and The Mark Stinger Band performed live on stages along the route, interspersed with cheerleaders and themed water stations. The musically themed road race celebrated the day’s accomplishments with the sounds of exciting cover band Element K as the main act at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series finish line festival.

posted Tuesday September 17th