Cannon, Nelson win 54th Paavo

By JASON JUNO

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Hurley - The three H's are what make the Paavo Nurmi Marathon so difficult.

Heat. Humidity. Hills.

But sometimes runners catch a break from two of them. On a fall-like day when spectators donned hoodies, the 54th Paavo proved fast with none of the heat and humidity, even as midday approached.

"While it may not have been the best weather for spectators, it was fantastic for runners," race director Derek Lindstrom said. "The runners ran so well."

Six runners cleared the three-hour mark, led by Ethan Cannon's 2:27:20, the fastest Paavo finish in 31 years.

"It was that kind of day," Lindstrom said. "Fast weather, but that's a fast time, that's fast running."

The women's winner, Sarah Nelson, finished in 3:18:49, about a half an hour faster than last year's first-place finisher.

Cannon, 27, of Minneapolis was the favorite coming in, Lindstrom said. He lived up to it with the Paavo's fastest time since four-time winner Todd Sperling ran it in 2:27:00 in 1993. The only other runner to clear 2:30 since then was Ironwood graduate Alan Peterson, who won it in 2018 with a time of 2:28:12. Most of the other winners have been in the 2:33 to 2:46 range.

The fastest finish all-time happened all the way back in 1978 when Richard Wilde ran the course in 2:19:11.

Cannon was looking for another marathon to get under his belt, he had only done one before. He found the Paavo online - it's not too far from Minneapolis and he was just up here.

He ran track and cross country at the University of Minnesota in the 2021-22 school year as a graduate transfer from BYU. After finishing that, he moved on to road races - 10K, half-marathons - for the last couple of years.

"Kind of a natural step up would be to do the marathon," he said. "I did my first one last fall."

He made the transition seem pretty easy with his super fast time in the Paavo.

"Running a marathon is like a whole different sport, it feels like almost," Cannon said, "because there's different considerations you have to make in terms of fueling. It definitely is good to have the background. It's very normal for me to run 18 miles on a Saturday morning, but definitely it is an adjustment. It's unlike any race I've run before, for sure."

He looks to keep running marathons - and see some new places while doing it. He also hopes to come back to the Paavo someday, too.

Winning the race felt good, he said.

"You get a lot of support from the other runners because you end up passing a lot of people in the half-marathon. In fact, I was able to run with some of the relay teams, I was able to keep up with those teams as they were running the marathon relay," Cannon said. "There was just a lot of support on the course for me from the fellow people who recognized I was in front of the marathon race and they were cheering me on. That definitely felt good and helped me to keep pushing and try to win and get a good time."

And, of course, the conditions were great.

"The weather was perfect. I'm actually a sucker for cloudy days anyway. It was dry, so not even wet at all, so just perfect," Cannon said. "The course was just fantastic, so beautiful out there. Like the first 10 miles or so, I was just kind of sightseeing, so that was very enjoyable. Of course, later on, the pain sets in."

Brad Vaara of Hurley was one of the six runners to finish in under three hours. He placed fourth in 2:54:10.

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Nelson, 25, of Chicago, finished the fastest since Emily Jaehnig's 3:15:45 in 2016. The last three winners were all over 3:40, but Nelson finished in 3:18:49.

That compares more favorably to other finishing times over the years. Six-time winner Candace Schneider finished between 3:10 and 3:16 in five of those wins and eight-time champion Ann Heastlett was between 3:05 and 3:21. (Heaslett ran this year and finished in 10th place.)

"I'm really proud of myself," Nelson said of getting the win. "I know it's really hard for me, there are no pacers for me or anything. Whenever I see a person whether it's a half or full marathon, I tried to pass them. That gets me more motivated."

She flew from Chicago to Ironwood and was happy to get the chance to run the Paavo for the first time.

Her cross country coach when she was at Harper community college (in suburban Palatine), James MacNider, won the Paavo in 1979, and speaking of fast finishers, his time is the second fastest on record at 2:20:05.

"I was like, 'Oh maybe I should try out this race,'" Nelson said.

MacNider has five national coach of the year awards in cross country and one in track-and-field along with many other honors.

"I'm very privileged to run with him. He actually understands my pace and workout and all that stuff," Nelson said. "He really made me really love the long-distance running because I started out as a swimming and basketball player. I went out for cross country in community college for the first time. I really enjoy running with the people around me, that gets me to push a little bit faster."

She kept running at Loyola University Chicago in intramural cross country and track.

Nelson's runs in Chicago have been limited to 20 miles because of the heat. There was no heat here Saturday.

"The weather was perfect," she said. "I asked the recruiter, how hilly is this. They were like, it's smooth and hilly, it's just different kind of courses. I felt a little bit tired when we had to turn around from the 20th mile all the way down there (on County C). I knew I had to push myself the last 5K and I actually PR'd nine minute-ish, so I was really proud."

She's training for the Chicago Marathon and the New York City Marathon three weeks after that.

"I'm pretty excited for both of them," Nelson said.

It was exciting for her to win the Paavo as well. She waved to the crowd on Silver Street and blew kisses to them as well.

"I felt very, very proud," Nelson said. "Even though I was really tired. At like the 24th mile, I thought to myself I wanted to give up. But I knew I had this long two-mile stretch to go. I really did push my legs to the limit and everybody was cheering for me. It felt very good to finish. It didn't matter I was first or last place, it just feels good to finish the race, that's all that matters for me - and have fun, of course."

That's not an easy feat at the Paavo. Even without the heat, the hills didn't go anywhere.

"This is really great training, I always like to challenge myself," she said. "I'm really terrible at uphills, but I actually did uphill training with some of my racing team that I'm at."

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Dean Juntunen, 64, of Mass City won the hand cycle marathon in 2:27:07.

Gina Sereno, 29, of Boulder, Colorado, won the overall half-marathon in 1:26:14, which was just a half-second ahead of four-time champion Anna (Pasternak) Pappas.

Jordan Machesky, 37, of Beaufort, South Carolina, led the men with a time of 1:32:30. Jason Slining of Ironwood was third in the men's race and Abby Samardich of Bessemer was third in the women's event.

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Some 127 people registered for the full marathon with 90 finishing, up from 71 finishers last year. People came from all over the country with approximately two dozen states represented.

Lindstrom said it was a nice increase. The tradtional Paavo wasn't held in 2020 or 2021 and it's been slowly building back since then.

"We just had a nice bump last year and again this year," he said. "We're excited about next year, it'll be the 55th annual, which will be pretty cool."

With the year also being 2025, Lindstrom said he's got to find a way to play on all those 5s while promoting the race.

The faster times this year will help market it for next year as well. Runners often look for faster average finishing times when looking for races to run. The Paavo isn't an easy sell - it's hard, it's in the summer and runners are after races with faster times.

They also want to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Last year, 12.9% of Paavo finishers did that; this year Lindstrom expects that number will hit 20%.

As mentioned, they caught a break with the weather this year, and they also got to keep their traditional Silver Street finish, which has always been a big part of the day. The road has been a detour for U.S. 51 all summer and the state didn't agree to close Silver Street until the race approached. Organizers had a backup plan of using Copper Street to finish the race; detoured traffic went there instead.

"It was night and day," Lindstrom said.

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Results

Men's Marathon

1. Ethan Cannon, 27, Minneapolis, 2:27:20.1; 2. Sam Anderson, 30, St. Paul, 2:47:39.1; 3. Robert Duncan, 41,Plainfield, Illinois, 2:52:51.3; 4. Brad Vaara, 28, Hurley, 2:54:10.1; 5. Mike Treder, 39, Belleville, Wisconsin, 2:55:21.6; 6. Nate Hoffman, 41, South Haven, Minnesota, 2:58:59.3; 7. Scott Allen, 37, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin; 3:03:11.8; 8. Kacper Wiszowaty, 29, Park Ridge, Illinois, 3:07:08.9; 9. Eric Pool, 48, Rochester, Minnesota, 3:28:44.9; 10. Erik Reineke, 19, Alexandria, Minnesota, 3:37:34.8.

11. Kevin Sweeney, 51, Rockford, Illinois, 3:41:52.6; 12. Aidan Nancarrow, 35, Minneapolis, 3:52:48.4; 13. Tim Choronzy, 38, Neenah, Wisconsin, 3:58:54.4; 14. Wayne Gardner, 57, Glorieta, New Mexico, 4:06:48.1; 15. Wayne Komsi, 26, North Vernon, Indiana, 4:07:03.7; 16. John Schupp, Saint Clair, Missouri, 4:09:08.7; 17. Thomas Soltis, 66, Hurley, 4:16:38.1; 18. Jacob Bonacci, 41, Hurley, 4:19:51.6; 19. Eric Fink, 48, Kimball, Minnesota, 4:28:04.6; 20. Joseph Donohoe, 50, Chicago, 4:28:12.0.

21. Ted Jindrich, 66, Chicago, 4:29:05.5; 22. Paul Saari, 29, Franklin, Wisconsin, 4:32:50.6; 23. Michael Manley, 27, Medina, Ohio, 4:34:52.5; 24. Tim Roe, 44, Menomonie, Wisconsin, 4:36:11.1; 25. Markus Goetsch, 47, Dietach, 4:37:32.4; 26. John Coons, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 4:38:22.0; 27. Riley Benicke, Slinger, Wisconsin, 4:39:17.1; 28. Brad Bulkow, 49, Oostburg, Wisconsin, 4:41:18.5; 29. Bill Zander, 49, Milwaukee, 4:41:26.7; 30. Nick Stroshane, 24, Osceola, Wisconsin, 4:44:37.1.

31. Niko Molzahn, 24, Oregon, Wisconsin, 4:47:28.3; 32. Jacob Roller, 35, Belgium, Wisconsin, 4:48:16.6; 33. Finn O'Neill, 27, Marshfield, Wisconsin, 4:19:16.3; 34. Keith Borland, 39, Tucson, Arizona, 4:50:01.3; 35. Daryl Saari, 61, Maple, Wisconsin, 4:59:07.8; 36. Robert Weeks, 56, Harrisburg, North Carolina, 5:00:50.4; 37. James Engel, 69, Wakefield, 5:00:50.9; 38. Larry Hawley, 44, Chicago, 5:03:36.2; 39. Patrick Sink, 31, Maplewood, Minnesota, 5:07:07.6; 40. Matthew Dornbach, 26, Iron River, Michigan, 5:08:08.3.

41. Elliot Shambeau, 26, West Bend, Wisconsin, 5:12:55.9; 42. Bill Sved, 76, Marquette, 5:41:33.6; 43. Bill McKinney, 55, Dedham, Massachusetts; 44. Thomas Stokes, 75, Melbourne, Florida, 5:55:28.2; 45. Robert Grimm, 60, Saint Clair, Missouri, 5:27:22.1; 46. Nathan Gobell, 25, Nevada, Iowa, 5:59:40.4; 47. David Schaaf, 38, Hurley, 6:03:59.2; 48. Rick Strand, 70, Marcell, Minnesota, 6:08:19.9; 49. John Barnett, 57, Nesconset, New York, 6:19:23.7; 50. Bill Hoffman, 56, Barrington Hills, Illinois, 6:19:24.3.

51. John Stanfield, 71, Springfield, Illinois, 6:21:47.8; 52. Michael Swanson, 72, Minneapolis, 6:24:08.8; 53. Michael Gibbons, 29, Cleveland, Ohio, 6:24:29.9; 54. Mark Stodghill, 76, Duluth, Minnesota, 6:38:41; 55. Ryan Angelo, 29, Warren, Ohio, 6:52:03.1; 56. Edward Rousseau, 84, Park Rapids, Minnesota, 7:14:31.0.

Women's Marathon

1. Sarah Nelson, 25, Chicago, 3:18:49.3; 2. Julie Roller, 30, Belgium, Wisconsin, 3:33:56.3; 3. Jessica Bolsenga, 31, Willernie, Minnesota, 3:35:10.2; 4. Cecylee Pierre, 47, Conroe, Texas, 3:42:07.9; 45. Stefanie Hardy, 48, Fargo, North Dakota, 3:43:16.6; 6. Rachel Rodriguez, 48, Northridge, California, 3:55:49.5; 7. Andrea Mueller, 33, West Salem, Wisconsin, 4:02:10.2; 8. Anna Tart, Kalamazoo, 4:13:24.5; 9. Terra Torres, Appleton, Wisconsin, 4:14:41.2; 10. Ann Heaslett, 60, Madison, Wisconsin, 4:15:30.1.

11. Emma Reineke, 21, Minneapolis, 4:17:51.6; 12. Becky Schupp, Saint Clair, Missouri, 4:21:16.4; 13. Makayla Hansen, 21, Tomah, Wisconsin, 4:21:44.4; 14. Elaina Fink, 16, Kimball, Minnesota, 4:24:28.1; 15. Vanessa Falbo, 52, Indian Trail, North Carolina, 4:35:59.4; 16. Kelly Flynn, 48, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 4:38:22.0; 17. Kay Drew, 61, Madison, 4:38:35.0; 18. Megan Schmelling, 35, Newald, Wisconsin, 4:47:12.9; 19. Nicole Maney, 36, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, 4:47:12.9; 20. Brittany Vore, 38, Cary, Illinois, 4:50:30.4.

21. June Norman, 60, Brookfield, Wisconsin, 4:52:14.5; 22. Christina Sink, 26, St. Paul, 5:01:21.4; 23. Jamie Blumentritt, 36, Silver Bay, Minnesota, 5:04:40.2; 24. Karin Vukich, 58, Lindstrom, Minnesota, 5:08:43.6; 25. Aprill Tompkins, 37, Ironwood, 5:11:49.2; 26. Ericka Simpson, 45, Chattaroy, Washington, 5:16:02.0; 27. Kayla Williams, 32, Upson, Wisconsin, 5:21:33.0; 28. Lynn Saari, 58, Maple, Wisconsin, 5:25:05.6; 29. Donna Thackwray, 65, Marquette, 5:26:09.2; 30. Dawn Richter, 62, Shell Lake, Wisconsin, 5:28:42.5.

31. Margaret Hoffman, 24. Barrington, Illinois, 5:40:10.6; 32. Patricia Bridges, 71, Mercer, Wisconsin, 5:42:25.1; 33. Joyce Gayan, 72, Gile, Wisconsin, 5:42:39.5; 34. Juliette Brown, 33, Bettendorf, Iowa,, 5:57:11.7; 35. Serena Tauer, 18, Hurley, 5:59:02.5.

Men's Half-Marathon

1. Jordan Machesky, 37, Beaufort, S.C., 1:32:30.5; 2. Duane Oftedahl, 43, Rice Lake, Wisconsin, 1:35:07.1; 3. Jason Slining, 52, Ironwood, 1:35:09.1; 4. Mark Clary, Elroy, Wisconsin, 1:35:40.1; 5. Benjamin Brusch, 36, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, 1:36:28.3; 6. Jeff Harding, 44, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1:45:13.7; 7. Nicholas Marchese, 35, Lisle, Illinois, 1:46:43.8; 8. Steve Slade, 55, Menasha, Wisconsin, 1:47:46.6; 9. Jamie Klein, 38, Platteville, Wisconsin, 1:48:04.4; 10. Jonny BeBeau, 36, Ashland, Wisconsin, 1:49:42.4.

11. David Sereno, 67, Madison, 1:50:17.2; 12. Brian DeGennaro, 22, Minneapolis, 1:52:10.5; 13. Jon Labyak, 48, Ontonagon, 1:58:26.6; 14. Mike O'Callaghan, 70, Camp Verde, Arizona, 1:58:49.5; 15. Randy Reed, 53, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1:59:14.3; 16. Anthony Nicholson, 60, Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 2:02:48.5; 17. Josie Alleva, 34, Red Wing, Minnesota, 2:05:21.8; 18. Brad Hill, 68, Cohasset, Minnesota, 2:05:45.6; 19. Frank Marchese, 72, Lisle, 2:06:36.8; 20. Thor Stolen, 45, Milwaukee, 2:12:51.1.

21. Jeff Ehren, 51, Milwaukee, 2:12:51.4; 22. Tom Marthaler, 64, LaGrange, Illinois, 2:14:28.9; 23. Michael Finn, 39, Evergreen, Illinois, 2:15:18.0; 24. Josh Vander Velden, 43, Mercer, Wisconsin, 2:19:49.5; 25. Richard Plett, 83, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, 2:44:37.6; 26. Robert Crawford, 61, Cromwell, Minnesota, 2:47:21.9; 27. Doug Leppanen, 68, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 2:49;47.0; 28. Richard Olson, 78, Neenah, Wisconsin, 3:17:27.0; 29. Brian Lintonen, 51, Ashland, Wisconsin, 3:29:38.4.

Women's Half-Marathon

1. Gina Sereno, 29, Boulder, Colorado, 1:26:14.9; 2. Anna (Pasternak) Pappas, 31, San Diego, California, 1:26:15.14; 3. Abby Samardich, 30, Bessemer, 1:37:38.5; 4. Cicily Fortin, 45, Negaunee, 1:46:37.1; 5. Dorothy Hedican, 40, Mason, Wisconsin, 1:46:56.2; 6. Ingrid Hoenke, 35, Marquette, 1:51:27.5; 7. Sarah Elmore, 47, Madison, 1:52:25.4; 8. Kelsae Ruppe, 35, Ironwood, 1:52:58.3; 9. Whitney Ciatti, 37, Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, 1:55:11.3; 10. Lilly DeGennaro, 24, Minneapolis, 1:55:19.1.

11. Kristie Johnson, 39, Ashland, Wisconsin, 1:55:43.6; 12. Jillian Vielgut, 39, Slinger, Wisconsin, 1:56:45.2; 13. Tina Newton, 64, Laona, Wisconsin, 1:57:25.8; 14. Kerry Harding, 40, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1:58:49.2; 15. Jennifer Sereno, 61, Madison, 1:59:03.0; 16. Heidi Vineyard, 26, Bessemer, 1:59:25.6; 17. Barbara Trudeau, 65, Marquette, 2:01:20.1; 18. Hannah Bailey, 27, Cameron, Wisconsin, 2:03:46.8; 19. Mary Plisch, 62, Tucson, Arizona, 2:05:01.8; 20. Debra Minkin, 70, Bessemer, 2:08:30.4.

21. Jeanelle Stoneburner, 36, Lisle, Illinois, 2:09:15.7; 22. Maria Colianni, 38, Minneapolis, 2:10:45.9; 23. Ava Houser, 22, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2:12:24.9; 24. Tessa Houser, 20, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2:12:25.1; 25. Jennifer Stevens, 57, Marengo, Wisconsin, 2:13:39.8; 26. Lindsay Schade, 42, Menomonie, Wisconsin, 2:13:42.7; 27. Francesca Grimes, 23, Park Falls, Wisconsin, 2:14:54.2; 28. Carolyn Jacobson, Hartford, Wisconsin, 2:15:20.6; 29. Kristin Smith, 27, Hurley, 2:15:55.8; 30. Hadley Stuehrenberg, 22, Saint Peter, Minnesota, 2:16:10.8.

31. Debra Stokes, 68, Melbourne, Florida, 2:19:10.3; 32. Jeaneen Marchese, 30, Norman, Oklahoma, 2:21:36.1; 33. Kenzie Steinborn, 18, Kasota, Minnesota, 2:22:49.2; 34. Diana Choronzy, 40, Sherwood, Wisconsin, 2:23:20.3; 35. Susan Crawford, 61, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, 2:23:38.7; 36. Cathy Moore, 61, Marquette, 2:25:30.9; 37. Amy Ganser, 37, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 2:28:51.6; 38. Kara Riddle, 45, Mount Shasta, California, 2:29:38.0; 39. Emily Kallunki-Pasternak, 62, Brighton, 2:30:28.5; 40. Selin Baker, 21, Grovetown, Georgia, 2:33:58.6.

41. Laure Kline, 62, Appleton, Wisconsin, 2:37:33.6; 42. Jenni Seibel, 52, Wausau, Wisconsin, 2:39:45.3; 43. Paula Scholten, 51, Freeport, Illinois, 2:38:36.0; 44. Lora Kuismi, 56, Kimball, Minnesota, 2:51:16.2; 45. Bethany Rodenhuis, 54, Manhattan Beach, California, 3:11:54.9; 46. Bliss Packer, 73, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, 4:04:24.9.

Men's Hand Cycle

1. Dean Juntunen, 64, Mass City, 2:27:07.9; 2. Dale Grubba, 83, Westfield, Wisconsin, 3:18:42.6.

Men's Five-Person Relay

1. Pools of Fun, 2:30;47.3; 2. Norrie Amateur Sports Club, 2:33:53.4; 3. Paavo Big Daddies 3:08:59.0; 4. Hurley CC, 3:23:38.7.

Women's Five-Person Relay

1. Lake OBrien Running Club, 3:10:26.8; 2. Dr Pepper Demons, 3:41:33.9; 3. Mind Over Miles, 3:50:44.9; 4. Swartz Trucking Excavating, 3:51:35.0; 5. Down Bad, 4:02:51.9; 6. Tator Trots, 4:24:30.1; 7. United Snails of America, 4:37:52.4; 8. Bumbling Bulkows, 4:44:09.1.

Twilight 5K

Top 10

Men

1. Andrew Kangas, Quinnesec, 17:11.0; 2. Damien Moore, Pittsville, Wisconsin, 18:07.5; 3. Don Peterson, Ironwood, 21:02.6; 4. Drew Johnson, Bessemer, 22:02.9; 5. James Magnuson, Ashland, Wisconsin, 22:10.0; 6. Jake Rice, Iron Mountain, 22:38.9; 7. Isaac Granroth, Ironwood, 23:28.5; 8. Will Andresen, Ironwood, 23:37.2; 9. Kevin Somero, Ironwood, 23:59.8; 10. Anthony Nicholson, Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 24:01.8.

Women

1. Ingrid Hoenke, Marquette, 22:12.9; 2. Krista Granroth, Ironwood, 23:24.1; 3. Jillian Vielgut, Slinger, Wisconsin, 23:46.6; 4. Alexandra Johnson, Kimberly, Wisconsin, 24:07.7; 5. BB Hoffman, South Haven, Minnesota, 24:12.0; 6. Danielle Colby, Ashland, Wisconsin, 24:18.4; 7. Siri Jacobson, Wakefield, 25:34.0; 8. Brooke DeRosso, Hurley, 25:51.6; 9. Juniper Hoffman, South Haven, Minnesota, 26:06.0; 10. Jessica Danielson, Ironwood, 26:30.9.