Christian ThompsonFive days after a top-30 finish in the Boston Marathon, Christian Thompson won the Chickamauga Chase 15-kilometer race Saturday morning in the national battlefield park.
Thompson finished the 9.3-mile course in 50 minutes, 55 seconds – well off his 15k-best 46:12 from five years ago in Utica, N.Y., but nearly two minues ahead of second-place Jason Altman of Knoxville, the four-time winner of November’s Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. Altman finished in 52:41.
Former Chickamauga Chase victor Geno Phillips was third overall and the masters winner in 53:41. Last year’s runner-up, Chad Dean (54:44), and Rodney Stoker (54:57) also finished in under 55 minutes.
Rachel Mason of Hixson was the first female finisher and 11th overall in 1:02:42, nearly six minutes faster than in 2016, when she was the Chase women’s runner-up three months after having a baby. Andy Gean and masters winner Dianna Leun were the second and third women to finish Saturday, and they were 14th and 15th overall with Sara Gibson 18th.
Mason, 31, admitted she wanted to break an hour but was happy with the win.