Hoover runners among top finishers for 2015 Magic City Half-marathon

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Three men from Hoover placed in the top 10 in the 2015 Magic City Half-Marathon, held Sunday morning in Birmingham.

  • Kenneth Stoltzfus, 43, came in fifth, finishing the 13.1-mile race with a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes and 15 seconds.
  • Ieden Leckenby, 21, came in sixth with a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes and 55 seconds.
  • Brad Clay, 44, finished seventh with a time of 1 hour, 23 minutes and 13 seconds.

Two Hoover women placed in the top 10 among female runners:

  • Hannah Cutshall, 19, was fourth among the women, with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 19 seconds.
  • Debi Secor, 48, placed ninth among the women, with a time of 1 hour, 39 minutes and 51 seconds.

There were 868 runners who finished the half-marathon, including 504 females and 364 males. The winner of the race was Scott Fuqua, 32, of Birmingham, with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 40 seconds. The first-place woman was Sarah Kluth, 32, of Birmingham, with a time of 1 hour, 26 minutes, and 45 seconds.

Another 628 runners completed the 5K (3.1-mile race), including 487 females and 141 males.

Two men from Hoover placed in the top 10 in the 5K. Gerald Johnson, 44, placed third with a time of 20 minutes and 53 seconds, while Matthew Sheffield, 29, placed sixth with a time of 22 minutes and 59 seconds.

Three females from Hoover placed among the top 10 females in the 5K. Shelly Johnson, 45, placed fifth among females with a time of 24 minutes and 43 seconds, while Marli West, 11,  placed ninth with a time of 25 minutes and 43 seconds and Isabella Guenster, 10, finished 10th with a time of 26 minutes and 15 seconds.

The overall 5K winner was Gideon Waithera, 35, of Bessemer, with a time of 19 minutes and 19 seconds. The top female finisher in the 5K was Sarah Kemper, 10, of Homewood, with at time of 23 minutes and 36 seconds.

Profits from the event benefited the Ruben Studdard Foundation for the Advancement of Children in the Music Arts.