Goa River Marathon: Sangamesh wins on debut, Pamela provides cheer for Goa

Panaji:Sangamesh Handi did not have to struggle much while making his debut at the Goa River Marathon.
In fact, taking part in a marathon race – 42 km run – for the first time, the Udupi runner finished ahead of everyone else to grab top honours in Chicalim on Sunday. The 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College student clocked three hours and 13.35 minutes.
"I trained for just one week ahead of the marathon.I won the half-marathon in the Inter-State Collegiate meet in Mudbidri. I never ran 42-km race before, so I am really happy with my win," he said.
Aman Mehla of Mumbai finished second, while Michael Koch from the United States finished third.
In the women's section, Sarah Koch, wife of Michael who finished third in the men’s section, won the title with a timing of 4:15:41. She had a point to prove as she took part in a full marathon after a sabbatical of seven years.
"I last took part in 2012 Washington Marathon. We are avid runners and ever since my husband Michael moved to Delhi, we wanted to take part in Goa. This one was a great opportunity for us," Sarah, a mother of three, said.
For Goa, Pamela Rodrigues Bahel brought much-needed cheers as she finished second.
"I started running in 2017. I was never an athlete, but my passion for running began after I started a weight loss program. Now, I run everyday. This was my second full marathon, following the one in Jaipur," said the Reis Magos resident and a mother of two.
Loretta Henderson from Alaska, US, settled for the third spot.
In the half-marathon, Mahantesh Bingi won the event, while Vinaya Malusare of Pune won the women's race.
Results: Men's 42km: 1 Sangamesh Handi (Udupi) 3:13:35, 2 Aman Mehla (Mumbai) 3:16:52, 3 Michael Koch (US) 3:30:21. Women's 42km: 1 Sarah Koch (US) 4:15:41 2 Pamela Rodrigues Bahel (Goa) 4:29:33, 3 Loretta Henderson (US) 4:40:38.
Men's 21km: 1 Mahantesh Bingi 1:24:50, 2 Niket Kadu 1:24:54, 3 Govind Solanki 1:26:54. Women's 21km: 1 Vinaya Malusare 1:40: 59, 2 Clefa Dias 1:52: 20, 3 Carrie Olsen 1:59:42.