Ryan Kramer of Des Moines, Iowa, won the overall title again Sunday at the second annual tri-state Mother Road Marathon, reported the Joplin Globe.
Kramer finished the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 53 minutes, 46 seconds. That was 51 seconds faster than runner-up Kevin Doyle of Kansas City, Mo. Gary Krugger of Tempe, Ariz., finished third.
The Mother Road Marathon started in Commerce, Okla., winded through 13 miles of Route 66 in Kansas, and finished on the west edge of Joplin, Mo.
The top women’s finisher was Karen Plucinski of Carl Junction, Mo., completing the 26.2 miles in 3:29:41.
The Globe reported that more than 600 runners competed in the race. That was way down from more than 1,700 that competed in the inaugural race. The lower turnout was attributed to concerns about the availability of lodging after the May 22 tornado that ravaged Joplin and a record heat wave during the summer.
Joplin also had a long dispute with the race’s first organizer, which may have confused or discouraged runners from entering.