MISSOULA – For the fifth consecutive time, former Montana Grizzly Mark Messmer has proven himself to be a Missoula Marathon icon, finishing with a time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, 32.88 seconds. This time was even better than his previous year’s winning time and only slightly off the record of 2:20:27.
“I never thought I would achieve this level of success,” said the 31-year-old Sentinel graduate. “I wasn’t exceptional in high school, and even in college, I was average at best, especially for a DI athlete. There are thousands of DI athletes who are better than me.”
“Winning multiple times and competing in the Olympic Trials (in June) is something I couldn’t have imagined five years ago.”
Messmer elevated his running career after college by challenging himself to push harder.
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“When I was younger, I didn’t take running as seriously as I should have,” he explained. “You’re naive and unsure of what you’re doing. As I started stacking consistent training blocks on top of each other, I saw improvements. Higher mileage has always worked better for me. It’s a challenge, but it has been the key to my success.”
Currently residing in Castle Rock, Colorado, Messmer never takes his victories for granted, appreciating them more with each passing year.
“I know my time as a competitive runner is limited. I would love to continue for another five years, but you never know,” said Messmer, who aims to qualify for the Olympic Trials once again in four years.
“In the past year, I’ve experienced more aches and pains than in the previous 30 years combined. Taking care of your body is crucial. Fortunately, I’ve been fortunate to have good health.”
Mariah Bredal, a former professional cross-country skier from Bozeman, set a new record in the women’s race with a time of 2:43:29.98. The 26-year-old outperformed the previous record set by Bonnie Keating.
“I had my eye on the record and thought it would be cool to break it,” said Bredal, who previously skied for the Utah Utes. “But my main goal was to beat my personal best. I knew the course from last year, and it turned out to be a great race day.”
Bredal praised the Missoula Marathon organizers for their support and hospitality.
“The event coordinators were fantastic and even provided me with a hotel. They are amazing people,” she said. “After speaking with them, I knew I had to come back.”
Habtamu Cheney of Provo, Utah, set a record in the men’s half marathon with a time of 1:05:12.38. Hannah Branch of Orem, Utah, won the women’s division with a time of 1:16:00.30.
Cheney expressed his enjoyment of the race and the opportunity to compete in a flat course.
“This race was a stop on my road trip to Glacier National Park,” said the 25-year-old. “I loved running in this race, as I don’t often get to run on flat courses. The neighborhood atmosphere, with people watching from their porches, was really cool.”
Branch, an assistant track & field coach at Utah Valley, was ecstatic about her victory and the experience of running in Montana.
“I missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials by just a few seconds,” she said. “I was tapered for this race and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to race when I was in top form. The community support and atmosphere during the race were unlike any I’ve experienced before.”
Isaac Morris of Spokane and Nicole Murray of Whitehall won the Tony Banovich 5K races. The total prize money for the marathon and half marathon was $6,150, with additional bonus incentives. The 5K prize money totaled $1,350.
For complete results, visit competitivetiming.com/missoula-marathon/#unique-id-2024.
Bill Speltz is Missoulian Sports Editor. Email Bill at bill.speltz@missoulian.com.
