The reason? Most of the top dogs won't register for the event until the 11th hour.
Take last year's overall winner, Missoula personal trainer Kiefer Hahn, who broke the tape of the Garden City's inaugural 26.2-mile gallop in two hours, 43 minutes, 30 seconds. He said he was undecided as to whether or not to compete until late the evening before. As of late Friday afternoon, Hahn had yet to sign on to defend his title and couldn't be reached by the Missoulian.
“Rumor has it that Kiefer Hahn said he was going to try for a 2:30 time,” Mortimer said of the 35-year-old. “But we won't know for sure if he's running until he registers and last year he signed up about a half hour before we closed.”
Zack Strong, winner of this year's YMCA Riverbank Run's trifecta, could be considered an early favorite. The Great Falls native and Dartmouth graduate who now calls Missoula home has also taken home a title in the Seeley Lake Challenge Biathlon, a 6.5-kilometer ski-and-shoot event in January, as well as finishing third in the Governor's Cup marathon in Helena with a time of 2:49.47 on June 7.
Look for Brandon Fuller to be at his best when he attempts to earn his second half-marathon championship after taking last year's race in 1:17.42. A top challenger for Fuller's crown is Casey Jermyn, a 2005 graduate of Montana State.
One thing is certain in the women's competition. A new champion will be crowned as 2007 winner Jenny Newton of Missoula will not run this year's race. After that it's anyone's guess as the top returnee from the 2007 race is Shirley Zylstra, who placed 11th in the overall women's event at the age of 42.
Yet Mortimer believes more top competitors will sign on the dotted line by Saturday's 6 p.m. deadline.
“Not too many names stick out right now, but we're expecting a good deal more to register Saturday,” he said.
The full marathon begins in Frenchtown while the half marathon just outside the Blue Mountain Recreation Area at 6 a.m. With the help of a minor tweak to both courses, this year's finish line will be on the Higgins Avenue Bridge rather than the Orange Street Bridge like last year. A post-race party and awards ceremony will be held at Caras Park to cap the event.
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