Bob Adams crossed the finish line calmly, as if returning from a jog around the block.
The 35-year-old Ooltewah resident did have one thing on his mind, though, as fans cheered and rang cowbells around him at the finish line of Sunday morning’s inaugural Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon.
“I just need some ice,” Adams said.
He later explained that he tweaked his foot seven miles into the race. The injury did little to slow him down over the next 19.2 miles.
In his first road marathon since the 2014 Boston Marathon, Adams ran a 5:57-mile pace, finishing the 26.2 mile course in 2:35:38. That gave him top honors in the debut event that attracted close to 3,000 runners across the marathon, half marathon, marathon relay and 5K events.