Schioberg earns first marathon win

COEUR d'ALENE - Hamburg, Germany, native Kjell Schioberg hammered home his first-ever marathon win on Sunday.

"It's amazing to have won the marathon in my new home," said Schioberg, 32, following the 33rd Coeur d'Alene Marathon.

Schioberg currently is living in Moscow until his fiancee, Blake Linde, finishes college at the University of Idaho, and then they plan to move to Coeur d'Alene.

Schioberg won in a time of 2 hours, 44 minutes, 47 seconds over the 26.2-mile course that primarily follows the Centennial Trail, provides views of the Spokane River and Lake Coeur d'Alene and starts and ends at Riverstone.

Schioberg's time would have been faster, but he stopped short of the finish line to share the winning moment with his future wife.

"That's my tradition, the kiss before the finish line," he said.

Schioberg, a professional triathlete, has run more than 50 marathons, including about 20 as part of triathlons. Schioberg outran Jackson Johnson, 29, of Lincoln, Ill., who finished in 2:45:54; and Patrick Murphy, 28, of St. Ignatius, Mont., who ran the course in 2:52:00.

Jody Aslett, 41, of Sandpoint, topped the women's field, finishing in 3:06:32. She said she's run the Coeur d'Alene Marathon before, but she felt more prepared this time.

"I have a little more training under my belt this year," Aslett said. "It's really exciting. I've never placed so well at a big race."

She is using the race as part of her training for some upcoming 100-mile ultramarathons in Wyoming and Montana.

She said the win gives her back some confidence.

"I thought I'd lost all my speed, and thought I was over my peak," Aslett said. "I'm finding some speed I didn't know I had, so I'm pretty excited about that."

Aslett beat Debbie Gibson, 45, of Helena, Mont., who ran 3:16:46; and Meredith Leva, 23, of Glendale, Ariz., who finished in 3:17:26.

Nearly 500 runners registered for the marathon.

Some top local finishers for men were Kip Sharbono, 28, of Coeur d'Alene, in 3:01:19; Jeff Lien, 36, of Post Falls, in 3:03:21; and Matthew Davis, 39, of Coeur d'Alene, in 3:10:29.

Some top local finishers for women were Jennifer Rea, 32, of Coeur d'Alene, in 3:20:01; Christine Gwin, 38, of Hayden Lake, in 3:23:24; and Kai Sharbono, 26, of Coeur d'Alene, in 3:35:58.

Some official placings weren't immediately available, but were expected to be posted later Sunday at www.cdamarathon.com.

The race's oldest marathoner, 83-year-old Bob Hayes of Missoula, said he's run about a dozen marathons and 30 ultramarathons over the years.

"I didn't run it today as fast as I wanted to, but you never do," said Hayes, who finished in 5 hours, 30 minutes. "There're enough hills in the course, so I feel them. They aren't very big hills, so a good runner wouldn't even notice them. But when you get to be my age it doesn't take much."

A record 1,500 runners registered for the 19th half-marathon, and about 200 for the 5K fun run.

Bryan Glass, 36, of Springfield, Ill., won the half-marathon in 1:10:34; ahead of Philip Keller, 29, of Missoula, in 1:11:11; and Evan Sims, 32, of Spokane Valley, in 1:11:46.

Victoria Russell, 38, of Spokane, won the women's half-marathon, in 1:26:02.

The top local runners in the women's half-marathon were Kellie Wheelan, 35, of Coeur d'Alene, in 1:36:18; Nicolle Baune, 27, of Coeur d'Alene, in 1:41:09; and Debbi Hahn, 38, of Coeur d'Alene, in 1:46:14.

The best local racers in the half-marathon were Nick Buley, 24, of Coeur d'Alene, in 1:29:26; Bill Buley, 50, of Coeur d'Alene, in 1:31:27; and Jon Garrett, 28, of Post Falls, in 1:33:47.

Coeur d'Alene woman Alyssa Shaw, 32, was the overall winner in the 5K race in 18:11. Beau Lee, 19, of Coeur d'Alene, finish in fourth overall in 19:43.