November 1, 2009

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Hundreds of runners braved a chilly start Sunday for Augusta's half marathon.

The second year of the annual race took people out of downtown, along Walton Way, around Lake Olmsted and then back into town on the Calhoun Expressway.

Cory Baumann won the 13.1-mile race with a time of an hour and 12 minutes. Sarah Madebach was the first woman to cross the finish line, with a time of an hour and 18 minutes, according to the race's results website.

New runners praised the environment of the race.

"This was my first time running with a lot of people and that actually helps a lot. When you have people along the sidelines encouraging you, that's great too and it was a beautiful course too," said Abigail Peed.

A total of 690 people participated in the race, with an average time of two hours and three minutes, according to the website.