Knoxvillian Gina Rouse ‘three-peats’ as women’s champion at Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon

March 25, 2018

Participants of the 2018 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon take off from the start line on the Clinch Avenue Viaduct in Knoxville, Tennessee, on the morning of March 25. Marathon, half marathon and relay race participants competed and finished the race at the 50-yard line in Neyland Stadium.

The 2018 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, which took place March 24-25 in Knoxville, continued its reign as the largest competitive road race in East Tennessee. Now in its 14th year, the 2018 race had more than 8,300 registrants.

“Congratulations to all the winners and participants in the 14th annual Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon,” Covenant Health President and CEO Jim VanderSteeg said. “Every person who crossed the finish line today should be very proud of the steps they have taken today toward leading a healthy and active lifestyle. That’s what the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is all about.”

Gina Rouse of Knoxville won the women’s marathon for the third year in a row with a time of 2:56:33. The 38-year-old had winning times of 2:52:06 in 2017 and 2:53:16 in 2016. Bryan Morseman of Bath, New York, won the men’s marathon with a time of 2:27:11. He also won the race in 2016 with a time of 2:25:01.

Gina Rouse of Knoxville crosses the finish line as the women’s full marathon winner at the 2018 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon on March 25. Rouse has won the event for three consecutive years.

“While inclement weather affected our total number of participants, it did not dampen the spirit of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon,” said Jason Altman, executive director of the race. “The runners were enthusiastic, whether running or walking a 5K in the rain on Saturday night or finishing a grueling 26.2 miles on Sunday. The spectators were unbelievable, cheering on friends, family and visitors to Knoxville along the course. The volunteers, City of Knoxville, Knoxville Police and Fire departments, Covenant Health first-aid team and everyone involved were passionate about serving our mission. We couldn’t have asked for a better race weekend.”

Race officials have verified the results in various categories, and the winners are as follows:

Men’s full marathon:

  1. Bryan Morseman of Bath, New York, at 2:27:11
  2. Ethan Coffey of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:29:19
  3. Lachlan Dickie of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:34:57

Women’s full marathon:

  1. Gina Rouse of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:56:33
  2. Missy Showers of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 3:04:55
  3. Johanna Butler of Miami, Florida, at 3:05:43

Men’s half marathon:

  1. Christian Thompson of Ooltewah, Tennessee, at 1:09:48
  2. Jason McLeod of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 1:10:12
  3. Benjamin Tuttle of Cookeville, Tennessee, at 1:12:02

Women’s half marathon:

  1. Stephanie Cloutier of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, at 1:23:07
  2. Andee Swann of Morristown, Tennessee, at 1:28:31
  3. Eliza Dickenson of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 1:32:04

Men’s 5K:

  1. Travis Wilson of Friendsville, Tennessee, at 17:41
  2. Preston Ruth of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 17:55
  3. AJ Haynes of Alcoa, Tennessee, at 18:11

Women’s 5K:

  1. Whitney Heins of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 19:07
  2. Kathy Wolski of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 20:28
  3. Katie Smock of Kodak, Tennessee, at 21:57

The race also included several handcyclists and wheelchair competitors. Winners in these categories are as follows:

Men’s handcycle marathon:

  1. David Cunningham of Wildwood, Georgia, at 2:26:35
  2. Dennis Clark of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, at 3:21:07

Women’s handcycle marathon:

  1. Carly Pearson of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 2:25:24

Men’s push rim wheelchair marathon:

  1. Matthew Porterfield of Knoxville, Tennessee, at 1:22:56

Women’s handcycle half marathon:

  1. Sharon Stolberg of Cleveland, Tennessee, at 1:42:48

Following the start of the 2018 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon on March 25, race officials gather for a photo. Pictured from left: Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and four-time winner of the New York City Marathon; Covenant Health CEO Jim VanderSteeg; Emily Ann Roberts, runner-up on season 9 of NBC’s “The Voice,” who performed the national anthem at the start line; and Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Executive Director Jason Altman.

In addition to individual races, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon also includes a two- and four-person marathon relay. The men’s and women’s 5K and one-mile Covenant Kids Run were held Saturday, March 24.

“Thank you and congratulations to the City of Knoxville, Knoxville Track Club, the community and the hundreds of volunteers for again making this event a success,” VanderSteeg added. “As the largest health system in East Tennessee, Covenant Health is committed to improving the quality of life in our region through better health, and that is why we sponsor the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. We look forward to seeing everyone back – and many new faces – in 2019.”

For more information, visit www.knoxvillemarathon.com.

About Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon
The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the encouragement of physical well being through running, jogging, competitive road racing, race-walking, fun runs, cross-country and track and field.