ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — More than 800 runners filled the streets of downtown St. Augustine Saturday morning for the 42nd annual Matanzas 5k. History was made when the first person to cross the finish line set a new record for the course.
Elite runners and casual joggers took to this 3.1-mile course in St Augustine, winding through historic downtown.
“The history and everything, being right on the water, I felt good energy today," said Natasha Rogers, with the Hansons Original Distance Project.
Natasha Rogers was the fastest female runner to cross the line with a time of 15:51. But just minutes before a new record was set for the course, when David Brett finished the race at 13:59, beating the previous record of 14:06.
“I felt very good, very nice course very flat… I enjoyed the race," said David Bett, a Matanzas 5k runner.
Every runner to cross the line received a medal, but there were special awards for specific categories like the fastest male, fastest female, and oldest runner. Results are posted online.
The race is organized by the ‘Ancient City Road Runners’, a group formed with the goal to encourage long-distance running and to spread education on the health benefits of the sport.
“It’s a unique opportunity to run through the oldest city in America," saidChip Gusler, a race director.
Donations from the race benefit youth running programs in St. John’s County middle and high schools.
“As a running club one of our missions is to promote running as a healthy activity. So we’ve raised, in the past 42 years the race has been held, close to 300,00 dollars," said Gusler.