Salt Lake Marathon: Kenyan finishes first in annual race

SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of runners took on mile after mile of downtown pavement Saturday for the annual Salt Lake City Marathon.

The race kicked off at 7 a.m. and was over by 9:30 a.m. for at least one runner, Jonathan Ndambuki of Kenya, who finished in first place with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 56 seconds.

Once he broke through the ribbon, he offered some advice for fellow runners.

"Just stay strong and finish strong," he said.

Some of the runners weren't just going for good times, they were also going for style. People in costumes kept pace with runners in more traditional running apparel.

Many runners set personal goals, beating a previous time or even just finishing their first 26.2-mile race. For one father-son duo, they were completing a half-marathon together.

At 15, Aaron Papst was the youngest runner to enter the Salt Lake Marathon this year. He finished the race in under four hours.

"It's just my idea of fun I guess," he said.

"He's trained faithfully for the last three months, doing all his long runs," said his dad.

Papst got his start when his school's cross country team was a couple of kids short. He says he was kind of forced into it.

"Turns out, I liked it," he said.

Last year, he announced to his mother that, at 14, he was ready to run his first marathon.

"He told me he was going to and I was so skeptical," said Linda Papst. "I thought, 'Yeah right. He'll get up for a few days and drop out.' "

It was tough, but he stuck with it — finishing in just over five hours. This year, his goal was to shave an entire hour off that time.

With the help of his Five for Five Fingers shoes — they're like gloves for your feet — Papst met that goal.

"I feel so good," he said. "I feel so good right now."

Linda Papst says she's in awe of her son's self-motivation and dedication. She wasn't alone.

Friends and family members packed the finish line at the Gateway, shouting encouragement to all the passing runners.

Along with the marathon and half-marathon, people could participate in a 5K, a bike tour and a kids' 1K run.

Email: sdallof@ksl.com