Sutton's Day: Devon Sutton wins women's half marathon at Saturday's Festival of Races
Jul. 9—TRAVERSE CITY — The 50th Anniversary of the Festival of Races in Traverse City was the place to be on Saturday.
On the final day of the Cherry Festival, more than 300 runners took over Front Street to run either the 5K, 10K, 15K or half-marathon races. For the female finishers, Devon Sutton, a Colorado resident, finished first, and Abbey Ehlers placed second.
Sutton crossed the finish line at 1:19:25.73, but it would be minutes later until Ehlers, the new Traverse City resident, crossed the finish line at 1:28:10.44.
Sutton has experience in running half marathons. Sutton's boyfriend, Ryan Hofsess, who finished second place in the 5K, and she have trained for events like this.
They both have been coming to the Cherry Festival for years and have always participate in the Festival of Races when they can. Sutton is originally from Ludington and has been running since she was young.
"I've been running since I was 6 years old. I ran throughout high school, college and post-college," Sutton said. "I run competitively still because it's a part of my lifestyle."
Ehlers has a similar background, but Saturday was her first crack at the Festival of Races.
"I've done Bayshore a couple of times, but never this one. So it was great," Ehlers said.
The 36-year-old hasn't rested since running in the Bayshore Marathon at the end of May as she continued her 12-week running program to prepare for the Festival of Races. Using her running program has helped her prepare for Saturday's challenges.
"It was a little hard running through the cherry fields because it was sandy and it wasn't packed, so I wasn't trying to roll an ankle," Ehlers said.
Sutton found this course challenging compared to the other seven half marathons she has done.
"My first year running, they started at the school, so it was cool to have a different start because you're near a winery," Sutton said. "It's more difficult because it's sandy and the tall grass you have to run through."
Sutton pushed through all the challenges and still had a pace of time of 6:04 per mile.
Half marathon runners started at the Old Mission Peninsula School and finished on Front Street in front of the Traverse City Record-Eagle office.
Last year's first-place finisher Maggie Rettelle, placed third with a 1:27:09.92 finish, followed by Lindsey Bachman, a Nashville, Tennessee, resident who placed fourth with a 1:29:32.28 gun time finish. Marisa Kellogg, a northern California resident, finished fifth with a 1:30:10.67 gun time.
The top two finishers have been spending their vacations in Traverse City and have been doing so for years. Sutton and Hofsess have flown from Boulder to Traverse City for years to experience the Cherry Festival.
"We love the Cherry Festival and have been coming here for years," Sutton said. "This weekend is one of our favorite weekends of the summer."
Ehlers' family was off to the side, supporting her as she crossed the finish line. She moved to northern Michigan six months ago from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and has loved her stay in Traverse City.
"We had a mild winter, and we just love the water, so it's been awesome," Ehlers said.
For the final day of Cherry Festival, Ehlers plans to enjoy it as much as possible with her family.
