Winner does not win

Rikki Hacker ran all 26.2 miles of the Chamber Country Classic faster than anyone else Saturday ... but he didn't win.

That's because Hacker signed up for the half marathon at the seventh annual Maryville Chamber event.

After completing the half marathon, also the marathon halfway point, Hacker asked if he could go ahead and run the whole thing, which race officials allowed. Hacker finished the full marathon nearly 20 minutes ahead of his closest competitor (no official time was kept). However, Hacker was ineligable to win the marathon and the $600 prize because he had signed up for the half marathon.

Hacker didn't walk away empty handed. He earned $150 for finishing second in the half marathon, just seven seconds behind winner Julius Rotich (1:15:57).

The marathon's official winner was Todd Nott, a track coach from Plattsmouth, Neb. Nott found out about the race that rolls through the town of Maryville from the internet. Looking to get some extra training in for another event, Nott decided to give the Classic a go, against the advice of his friend.
With another race coming up in a week, Nott said he didn't push himself as hard as he could finishing in 3:04:09 and winning came as a surprise.

"I had a friend. She had done it and said 'Don't go there. It's hot an hilly,'" Nott said. "I'm like 'Well I need a hot and hilly run anyway.' I just wanted to run around three hours and didn't know I could win a race with it."

While it wasn't hot, temperatures stayed in the lower 60s with a slight breeze, the Classic's notorious hills still gave runners plenty of trouble.

"It is a very tough course," Nott said. "I could see where it would be tougher if it was hot and stronger winds or something."

Nott said he didn't have much trouble keeping a steady pace until the final three miles. Then he started having some problems with cramping. Despite it's challenges, Nott said he enjoyed the race.

"It's pretty," Nott said. "I run in rural areas. So, I love it."

Nott apparently isn't the only one who likes the Classic, which is a certified Boston Marathon qualifier. Race organizer Matt Gaarder said the event continued to flourish in its seventh year.
"We had another great turnout for the Classic this year," Gaarder said. "We ended up with 204 runners that finished one of the four races and we had another 10 or so that were unable to complete the course, but were a part of the event."

Then there were those that finished faster than everyone else. The 5K run held simultaneously to the marathon was won by Maryville's Derrick Schluter (20:41). He was followed closely by Shelley Lorek (20:58). The 10K was won by Terry Seiter. Seiter was the only runner to break 40 minutes finishing in 39:35.

With numbers remaining high, race organizers are already confident there will be an eighth Chamber Country Classic. Gaarder said it isn't just the scenery or the chance to qualify for the Boston Marathon that keeps runners coming back. It's the first-class treatment they get when they're there.

"Once again we got so many compliments from runners about our volunteers," Gaarder said. "It takes a tremendous amount of work from a lot of people to pull a race day like this off. Every job done by a volunteer, before, during and after the race means so much and the runners again shared their appreciation for that work with me and that is why we will be working on the eighth Annual Maryville Chamber Country Classic for next year."