Thor Finishes at the Top of the Podium After Three Showings in the Top 20
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 25, 2021) – Taryn Thor of Kokomo, Indiana won the Indy Women’s Half Marathon on Saturday, Sept. 25 in downtown Indianapolis. Thor, a four-time competitor in the event, took home the trophy in a time of 1:22:20 as well as the top cash prize of $750. Her previous best placing was third, in the 2018 race.
“I was practicing a negative-split strategy tried to stay conservative and practice patience, because that’s what I want to do in a full marathon later this fall.” said Thor. “The last 5K I felt really strong, so I pushed the pace and ended up winning – which was a wonderful surprise after finishing in the top 20 at this race three other times.”
The event recognizes the high caliber of elite women in the race this year by awarding cash prizes to the top 20 finishers in the half marathon, the only women’s-only race to do so in the United States.
Melissa Baranauskas and Anne Clinton, both of Indianapolis, Indiana finished second and third in the race with times of 1:24:06 and 1:24:39, respectively.
The top 10 runners in the half also included:
· Fourth – Cassidy Menard of Carmel, Indiana, 1:25:19
· Fifth – Ashley Blackburn of Indianapolis, Indiana, 1:26:33
· Sixth – Haley Pierson of Round Rock, Texas, 1:26:32
· Seventh – Betsy Neustifter of Middleville, Michigan, 1:27:16
· Eighth – Sarah Berline of Indianapolis, Indiana, 1:30:40
· Ninth – Sarah Weyl of Tucson, Arizona, 1:30:54
· Tenth – Stephanie Hankins of Louisville, Kentucky, 1:31:20
Heather Hunt of Indianapolis won the Indy Women’s 5K in a time of 20:34. This year’s race hosted runners from 20 states, with five states represented in the top 10 finishers.
“We’re so excited that the weather cleared and we had a spectacular day for running at our new home in IUPUI’s Michael Carroll Stadium,” said Race Director Todd Oliver. “We saw so many personal bests and first-time finishers today – witnessing our participants reach their goals and seeing smiling faces come across the finish line is what this event is all about.”
Full results of the 2021 Indy Women’s Half Marathon and 5K can be found at www.indywomenshalfmarathon.com.
About Indy Women’s Half Marathon & 5K
The Indy Women’s Half Marathon was introduced to the central Indiana running community in August 2010 as the first women’s only half marathon in Indiana. In just a few years, it has become the largest women’s running event in the state and the seventh largest women’s half marathon in the country. A women’s-only race offers a unique atmosphere, emotion and camaraderie from women of all ages and abilities. The race is owned and operated by Carmel, Indiana-based CRRG Events. More information can be found at www.indywomenshalfmarathon.com, on Instagram @indywomenshalf and Twitter @CRRGevents.
