WCTC runs in Presque Isle Half Marathon

Three Wolf Creek Track Club runners participated in the 2016 ERC Presque Isle Half Marathon this morning in Erie, Pa. The race was supposed to start at 6:45am, but after some delays it ended up starting around 7:05am. The weather for this year’s race was much better than last year’s event. It was 62 degrees and sunny at the start of the race. The course was a flat, 13.1 loop around Presque Isle State Park. There were 1,600 total registered participants, however only 1,359 finished the race.

Colton Mack (age 26) of Pittsburgh, won the race in 1:11:10. The first female finisher was Gabrielle Kennelley (age 22) of Waterford, who ran 1:23:33. The standout performance of the day, however, came from 12 year old, Matthew Puleio of Meadville, who completed the course in 1:17:04 an average of 5:53 per mile. Puleio’s performance was record-breaking as he crushed the previous half marathon World Record for a 12 year old. He broke Wesley Paul’s record of 1:19:26, which stood since 1981.

Brandon Wise led the Wolf Creek Track Club, finishing 9th overall in a time of 1:19:21. He placed 2nd in his age group of 20-24. It was Brandon’s 3rd consecutive year of finishing in the top 10 overall at the event and his 4th consecutive year of earning an award in his age group.

Brandon was followed by Andrew Mascio and Ryan Budnik who finished 13th and 14th respectively. Andrew ran a 1:20:55.6, while Ryan ran a 1:20:56.5. Andrew placed 4th in his age group of 20-24, while Ryan placed 3rd in the age category of 1-19. Andrew improved upon his 22nd place finish in the event last year, while this was Ryan’s first time participating in the event.

Overall, it was a great day for the Wolf Creek Track Club with 3 runners placing in the top 15. Congratulations to Matthew Puleio on his world record setting performance.

Click here for full race results