History of the Governor's Cup Race

HISTORY OF THE GOVERNOR'S CUP: 1973—2014

It is with great pride that the Carolina Marathon Association presents this history of the Governor’s Cup Road Race. The Governor’s Cup, as carefully and thoroughly recorded here, has a long and proud history. Since 1973 this event has served two important purposes. First, it has provided the opportunity for South Carolina’s and the Southeast region’s top distance runners to compete in a race that meets the highest standards for competition and event management. Second, the Governor’s Cup has attracted thousands of participants who have used the event as a means for improving their health and fitness.

This history was written by Larry Hamilton, Ph.D., the gentleman who is clearly the best qualified person for the job! Larry joined the Columbia Running Club in 1976, and at the time of this publication was in the 70+ age category and still running 5K races – slowly and carefully, he notes. He served as Director of the Governor’s Cup Road Race for a four-year period (1986-89) and also as Editor of the Columbia Running Club’s Newsletter. He has written a regular column on running for The State newspaper since 1987. Larry is a veteran of 32 marathons, including 12 finishes at the Grandfather Mountain Marathon.

On behalf of the Carolina Marathon Association, which has managed the Governor’s Cup Road Race since the mid-1990’s, and on behalf of the thousands of runners who have taken part in the Governor’s Cup, I express sincerest thanks to Larry for taking on the demanding task of producing this history. He has approached the job with the skill of an experienced journalist and the persistence of a committed distance runner!

History of the Governor's Cup Road Race 1973—2014 (PDF)

HISTORY OF THE GOVERNOR'S CUP: 2015—PRESENT

The following history has been compiled by Governor’s Cup Committee members.

2015

43rd Governor’s Cup Road Race held a 5-miler. Ricky Flynn was the first-place male with a finishing time of 24:58, leading a field of 266. Nicole Dimercurio was the women’s leader in 27:48. Eric Ashton was the first Master finisher 26:01. Zola Pieterse was the first Master female in 30:34. Geary McAlister was the first male Grand Master in 34:24, and Sarah Allers was the first female Grand Master in 33:42.

2016

This year the Governor’s Cup Road Race switched from the fall to the month of May. In a field of 391, Nicholas Kurgat was the first-place male finisher of the half marathon with a time of 1:07:22. Zipporah Chebet was the first-place female finisher of the half marathon with a time of 1:16:33. Jamie Sires, West Columbia native, was the first-place male finisher of the 5K with a time of 16:23. Yolanda Ngarambe was close behind as first-place female finisher with a time of 16:41, both were in a field of 495.

2017

This was the first year that the Kids Main Street Mile and the Main Street 1-miler took place on Friday evening. Geoffrey Ngetich took the male lead in the half marathon with a finish time of 1:08:10. Zipporah Chebet took first place as the female finisher of the half marathon with a time of 1:22:26, in a field of 367. Eric Ashton took first place as the 5K male finisher with a time of 1:22:40. Kathy Wiegand took the female lead in the 5K at first-place finisher with a time of 1:35:25, in a field of 533. James Dwyer to the male lead in the elite Main Street Mile with a finish time of 4:11. Sophy Jepchirchir took the female lead with a finish time of 4:46 in a field of 28. Derek Hutton took the male lead in the open mile with a finish time of 5:10. Marian Nanney took the female lead with a finish time of 6:19, in a field of 44.

2018

The weekend of May 18-19 marked the 46th Governor’s Cup Road Race which included a Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Main Street Mile and an elite and open 1-miler. Francis Kamiri was the half marathon winner despite his bus not arriving in Columbia until 2am, he ran 1:05:28, beating the 2nd place finisher, another Kenyan, by over 2 minutes. Zipporah Chebet was the half marathon female lead with a time of 1:19:19, in a field of 199. Matt Shock took the lead in the 5K in a field of 195 with a winning time of 16:03. Michele Ziegler wasn’t to far behind Matt as the female lead of the 5K with a time of 18:32. Austin Steagall was the first-place overall finisher in the elite 1-miler with a time of 4:15. Yolanda Ngarambe was the first-place female lead in the elite 1-miler with a time of 4:49. Nate Carracso took the male lead in the Main Street Mile open with a finish time of 5:01. Andee Swann took the female lead with a finish time of 5:52, in a field of 119.

2019

2019 was a record-breaking year for the half marathon. Francis Kamiri led the field of 288 as the Governor’s Cup Half Marathon winner. He ran a blistering course record time of 1:03:38 this year in his return to defend his title. His pace was 4:52 per mile. Susan Jerotich led the women’s field with a time of 1:15:51 and a pace of 5:08 per mile. Matthew Hammersmith took the lead in the 5K with a finish time 16:32. Jennifer Kryzanowsk took the led in the female field with a time of 19:19, in a field of 567. Nathom Soloman took the lead in the elite field for the Main Street Mile with a time of 4:11. Pamela Cherotich was the first-place female finisher in the elite field with a time of 4:54. Heath McDonald took the male lead in the Main Street Mile Open with a finish time of 4:53. Ashley Golbus took the female lead with a finish time of 5:41, in a field of 128. The Kids Main Street Mile had over 800 kids attend.

2020

February 21-22 marked the 48th Governor’s Cup Road Race presented by Lexington Medical Center. This was the first year to begin the event in February after switching from May. Eduardo Garcia first place in the half marathon with a finish time of 1:05:25 Gladys Cheboi took the lead as the first-place female with a finish time of 1:17:01, in a field of 250. Matt Shock was our first place 5K male lead with a 15:42 finish time, in a field of 585. Ivanka Tolan was our first-place female lead and Columbia native with a 18:53 finish time. The open Main Street Mile male lead was Caleb Wilson, Columbia Native, with a finish time of 5:12. Ashley Graham, first-place female with a finish time of 6:19. The elite division of the Main Street Mile where James Dwyer was the male lead with a finish time of 4:24. Annie Rodenfels, female lead took a finish time of 4:54, in a field of 11.