Hundreds run along El Paso streets for annual marathon

The El Paso Marathon went off without a hitch Saturday morning.

Participants for the marathon, half-marathon, and 5K run/walk were at the starting line at seven in the morning. The marathon began at Transmountain and ran through Railroad Dr. before hitting the streets of downtown. The 5K and half-marathon began and ended in downtown El Paso.

Bashrar Ibrahim was the winner of the El Paso marathon with a total time of two hours and 44 minutes. Ibrahim said, “It was pretty good. I felt much better than last year.”

Larisa Pitchkolan was the female winner. She crossed the finish line at exactly at three hours and 14 minutes.

Kenyan runner George Yator won first place in the 5K. Yator said he trained one year in Kenya and five months in El Paso. He added, “it was good practice and I hope to do it again next time.”

Dorota Gruca, an Olympic runner was the first female to cross the finish line in the 5K Saturday morning. Gruca told ABC-7, “I am happy I won.” She mentioned, “There was no competition for me.”

According to organizers, “The El Paso Marathon Foundation’s mission is to organize a first class marathon that promotes health and fitness in the community, brings tourism to the region of El Paso and provides support to local and national non-profit organizations.”