To say that Daniel Harkin flew into Saturday’s fifth annual Salina Crossroads Marathon blind would be an understatement.

Not only was it his first-ever marathon, but the first time he had run over 20 miles.

“I didn’t really know what to do,” the 23-year-old Harkin said after looking like anything but a novice in cruising to victory with a time of 2 hours, 35 minutes, 58 seconds, almost 11 minutes ahead of runner-up Tegan Michael. “I’ve never run 26 miles before, not even for practice.”

“So, I was kind of scared. I mean, that’s a long way.”

A long way indeed, but not too much for Harkin, who only entered the Crossroads race in support his father Kenneth’s bid to qualify for the Boston Marathon. For the record, Kenneth, 62, achieved that goal what also was his first marathon, finishing 22nd in the men’s masters division and second in his men’s 60-64 age group.

“I was just going to go with him,” Harkin said. “My dad qualified for Boston today, so I guess I must have. It’s fun.”

Harkin, who trained about four months for the race, said his longest run during that time was 18 miles. He did once run 20 miles in high school.

Marathon winner Daniel Harkin

Before dismissing Harkin as a complete newcomer to the sport, know that he was a highly decorated cross country runner at Manhattan High School, where he won the Class 6A individual titles as a junior in 2019 and again as a senior in 2020. He also was runner-up as a sophomore and took seventh as a freshman.

“I ran for four years in high school and then I didn’t run in college, and now I’m trying to get back into it,” said Harkin, who opted for tennis at Washburn University after also winning a 6A state singles title his senior year at Manhattan. “I was pretty good, but the high school (cross country distance) was only 5K (3.1 miles).

“But man, marathon is a different story.”

Harkin got his degree from Washburn last year, and moved in August moved to Kansas City, where he works as an insurance underwriter. He did dip his beak into road racing this summer with a half-marathon.

“That was also my first half, so I’m kind of new to the longer distances,” he said.

And to think, Harkin almost didn’t make it to Salina for the Crossroads Marathon.

“I was actually really sick yesterday, so I didn’t think I would be able to finish the race,” he said. “I woke up today at like 5 a.m. and I did this race because my dad was trying to qualify (for Boston).

“My knees are kind of shot right now, and I took so many Advil before this race for my cold and my sickness, so I’m gonna get punished for that.”

Once out on the course, Harkin had no inkling that he was in the lead since he was accompanied by numerous half-marathoners. The marathon consists of two identical 13.1-mile loops.

With know prior marathon experience, his race strategy was strictly seat-of-the-pants.

“I was going a little too fast at the beginning, so I was just trying to tell myself4 I have 26 miles to run, so you don’t want to go too fast,” he said. “You just want to be relaxed and try to (figure out) what pace do you hold for a marathon.”

It eventually occurred to him that he was a frontrunner when he was accompanied by a support pedaler on two wheels.

“I was kind of scared that I was going to hit a wall, but I was really appreciative of the guy that was biking with me,” Harkin said. “That was kind of fun having the biker there with you. Then I knew.”

“But then I also love the atmosphere here. Everyone’s very nice and cheering you on. Even other runners that I saw were very supportive, so it was a great environment.”

So, what are Harkin’s future plans now that he’s a marathon champion in his only try so far? Only time will.

“I guess I’ll have to see what other ones I can do,” he said with a smile. “I might as well since this one turned out all right. Maybe I could do another one.”

Then he paused.

“Not any time soon,” he said. “The last thing I want to do right now is run another marathon.”

“I’m going to go home and watch a movie or something now.”

 

Marathon a walk in the park for women’s champ

While the marathon was uncharted territory for overall winner Daniel Harkin, it was just another training run for women’s champion Nicole Laughton.

Laughton, 39, prefers even longer distances.

“This is probably my 20th marathon or so, but I’ve been focused more on the ultras lately,” she said. “Like, 100 (miles) is my favorite distance.”

Laughton, a University of Oklahoma graduate who never ran competitively in either high school or college, made the trip to Salina from Edmond, Oklahoma, with her husband Jason. She ran the Crossroads race despite completing the 100-mile Run Rabbit Run ultra in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, on Sept. 17.

Women’s champion Nicole Laughton

“It’s kind of something to work on speed when there’s not a big ultra coming up,” she said.

Laughton first got serious about running while a student at OU.

“I’ve always enjoyed running, but I started running around in college,” she said. “I didn’t have a car, so it was a good way to get around in town.”

Laughton, who has won what she called “some small marathons,” turned in a personal best Saturday with a winning time of 2:59:03.

“Sub-three (hours) was a goal for me at some point, but I didn’t think this was going to be it,” she said. “But the weather was perfect, so I said, ‘Why not go for it?’ I’m glad I did.

“It’s a PR by like seven minutes for me. It feels great.”

Husband Jason also achieved a marathon goal with his time of 3:58:48.

“He said, ‘I get a sub-four, I’m done with marathons,’ and he did it,” Nicole said.

 

Crossroads races draw nearly 3,000 runners

While the marathon is the marquee event with 481 runners starting and 470 completing the course, it was not the only race Saturday.

The most popular was the half-marathon with 1,277 entries and all but 10 finishing, while the 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) run drew 334 and 329 finishers. Additionally, 729 participants started the 5K run-walk and 119 youngsters the half-mile kids run.

In all, 2,940 runners started and 2,909 crossed the finish line.

The winner of the half-marathon was Tyler Blay from Burlington Junction, Missouri, in 1:06:21, with Junction City’s Mandy Zimmerman the top woman in 1:17:58. Air Force Academy’s Ian Webb claimed the 10K in 32:22, while the women’s winner was Salina’s Abbey Rupe in 45:57.