COLUMBIA RESIDENT WINS: Marathon run in Karen Kahler's honor

COLUMBIA, 12/10/09 (Beat Byte) --  Columbia resident and ARC aficionado Keith Fernandez ran the St. Jude Memphis Marathon last Saturday in honor of Karen Kahler, her daughters, and grandmother slain over the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Trained by Kahler at the ARC, Fernandez placed near the top 10% of runners, #293 of 2,445.  

 

But a different Columbia resident -- Kipruto Rotich, 29 -- has been declared the new winner after the original 2009 winner shattered the previous course record, only to have race officials overturn the results. 

 

Traffic cones inadvertently left after the Memphis Grizzlies House 5K sent previous winner Jynocel Basweti and the next three runners the wrong way, running a distance 647 feet short of the required 26.2 miles.  Following USA Track and Field Rules of Competition, race officials disqualified the group.  To make things fair, however, they will still be awarded prize money of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

 

The disqualifications left Rotich the new marathon winner -- who, with the other new top 3 winners, will also receive the prize money.

 

Karen Kahler was the estranged wife of former Columbia City and Light director Kraig Kahler, who is being held in the homicides.