Christopher Brenk, a 26-year-old from Sitka and former St. Olaf College athlete, secured a spot in the top 100 at the Boston Marathon this Monday. Brenk, who moved to Alaska in 2021, crossed the finish line at 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 53 seconds, ranking him 100th overall and 83rd among male participants. This performance comes after his victory at the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage last summer.
Also participating were several other Alaskans. Chris Osiensky was the second fastest from the state, finishing with a time of 2:39:27. He was followed by Wesley McQuillin from Anchorage, who completed the race in 2:47:38. Among the women, 19-year-old Lilian Whittington-Evans from Palmer led with a time of 3:08:49, placing her 467th in the women’s division. Close behind was Melanie Griffiths from Soldotna, who finished in 3:19:09.
In the same event, Todd Jackson from Anchorage, an established triathlete, placed 57th in his age division. Amy Reed, another Anchorage resident, finished 104th in her age division at 45 years old. Highlighting the event, former University of Alaska Anchorage runner and double amputee Marko Cheseto won the para T62/T64/T42/T44 division for runners with lower limb impairments with a time of 2:46:45.
