Peoria Marathon 2015 Results: Run River City Men's and Women's Top Finishers

Francesco Arato led the field today at the Peoria Marathon, coming in with a time of 2:37:54, over two minutes ahead of runner-up Jake Gillette, who turned in a time of 2:40:16. Third place went to Guillermo Rolon at 2:41:31. 

On the women's side, Corrin Tanking eclipsed the three-hour mark to place first at 2:57:01. Jamie Vaughn was second at 3:01:49, nearly 20 minutes in front of third-place finisher Jayza Riley, who came across the finish line at 3:20:35. 

The top five finishers for both men and women were as follows (courtesy of the race website):

1. Francesco Arato	2:37:54
2. Jake Gillette	2:40:16
3. Guillermo Rolon	2:41:31
4. Jeff King	2:46:56
5. Brian Mateas	2:54:10

1. Corrin Tanking	2:57:01
2. Jamie Vaughn	3:01:49
3. Jayza Riley	3:20:35
4. Julia Adams	3:23:41
5. Sarah Carlson	3:27:54

The Peoria is a USA Track and Field certified course, an important distinction for serious amateur racers looking to achieve national rankings and legitimate personal-best times. Parts of the course run along the scenic Illinois River. 

While Peoria is only a medium-sized city, at just over 115,000 residents, it is truly one of the more historically significant cities in the United States. It is one of the oldest inhabited municipalities in the state of Illinois. 

According to the Fort Crevecoeur Historical site, the first European settlement was established in Peoria in 1680 by French explorers, who had travelled up the Illinois river from the Mississippi. In order to form an alliance with the local Peoria tribe, they built Fort Crevecoeur, to help the Peoria defend against the Iroquois federation. However, the fort was destroyed soon after by an invading Iroquois force. 

Today, Peoria remains one of the most important metro regions in the state outside of the Chicago hub. It's the location for the headquarters of Caterpillar, Inc., one of the 30 major corporations that comprise the Dow-Jones Average. 

Like so many similar-sized running and marathon events, the Run River City festival provides a huge civic boost during the autumn months.