Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon winner Will Cadwell forgot he signed up for the race
Will Cadwell didn't like admitting it, but the 2021 St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon was kind of an afterthought for him.
The 20-year-old South Haven, Michigan, native, who now lives in Cincinnati, signed up for the event in 2020 and after it was canceled because of COVID-19 eventually forgot about it. The 2021 edition was moved from April.
"I was supposed to do this in 2020 and it kept getting canceled and canceled and I just kind of forgot about it," Cadwell said. "Then like a couple of months ago I saw something about it and was like, 'Oh yeah, I was signed up for that.'"
The recent Kentucky graduate crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 45 seconds and became the first winner of the Nashville Marathon other than Scott Wietecha in eight years. Wietecha did not run this year.
Giving up his crown: Why 7-time Nashville Rock 'n' Roll Marathon champ Scott Wietecha won't run Saturday
Top female finisher: Nashville resident Gisela Olalde top female finisher at 2021 Nashville Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
Derek Stone, 33, of Nashville was runner-up (2:28:00) and Cody Poskin, 20, from Cedar Hill, Missouri, was third (2:35:43) in the race, which began under clear skies and 36 degrees.
The top female finisher was Gisela Olalde, 36, a Nashville resident originally from Mexico (2:46:11).
Nearly 12,000 runners participated in the marathon, half-marathon, 6.15-mile run and 5K run.
Fortunately for Cadwell, he was in peak condition when he realized the Nashville Marathon was coming up. He had trained for the Nov. 6 Indianapolis Half-Marathon but got sick the week before and finished 50th.
"That did not go quite as well as I'd hoped so I decided to come out here and try to redeem myself," Cadwell said. "And I'm really happy with the performance."
Cadwell thought he started fast but realized early in the race a group was ahead of him. He stayed behind the lead pack conserving his energy until Mile 18, when he took the lead and remained there the rest of the way.
"Me and (Poskin) led the first 13 miles and then I finally saw (Cadwell) around Mile 15 but I still thought I was in the clear," Stone said. "Then a mile later he was right next to me. We ran together for a few miles and then he pulled away."
The farthest Cadwell fell back was at about 1 minute, 30 seconds at the 10-mile mark, but said even then he still felt good about his chances.
"I could see the leaders but they were way off in the distance," Cadwell said. "They would go around the corner and I'd lose them for a second but I had them in my sights most of the race."
Cadwell learned about Wietecha after reading a story about him earlier this week. He would have liked to have challenged Wietecha.
"It's too bad he wasn't out here; I'd have loved to duke it out with him," Cadwell said.
Cadwell has not decided whether he will run again when the Nashville Marathon moves back to its normal time on April 23, 2022.
Olalde was the top female finisher in the half-marathon in 2013 and 2018. Saturday was her first time in the full marathon.
"I kind of wanted to try something different this year," she said. "Actually I don't like the cold weather. I always struggle with the cold so today it was a little rough for me. I like it better when it's in April. I like the heat."
Nick French, 27, from Nashville was the half-marathon winner (1:10:18) and Ken Rideout from Brentwood was second (1:10:55). Meg Murphy, 30, from Nashville, was the top female finisher in the half-marathon (1:23:38).
For the complete results visit https://bit.ly/3x6HFGB.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Marathon winner Will Cadwell forgot he signed up for race
