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WHEELING -- If your body is supposed to slow down as you get older, no one has told that to Lee Stough.
The Glassport, Pennsylvania, native turned 40 years old in February, yet ran a personal best time while winning Saturday's Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic walk in downtown Wheeling.
"It's special to win this course because of how difficult it is and because it draws good competitors," said Stough, a repeat winner of the race. "Sometimes I make the mistake of coming out too fast and then the hills beat me up, but I did my fastest time (Saturday) by keeping a pretty steady pace the whole way through."
Stough cleared the course in 2:05.59 Saturday, more than 13 minutes faster than Barnesville's Carl Kondrach in second place.
"(Saturday) there was a good field (of runners) but no one was right with me but I could still race against the clock and against my previous performances," Stough said. "I compete as much against myself as against the people here. To have my best time right after turning 40 makes me feel a little better."
In third place was Denise Williams, who won the women's division with a time of 2:33.15. An injury has limited Williams to race walking for the time being, but it certainly hasn't slowed her down all that much.
"It was very exciting. I'm from Massillon, Ohio, so we drive two hours this morning just because this race had a walking division," Williams said. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have come."
This was Williams's first time competing in the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon and the race, and Wheeling itself, made a good first impression.
"The volunteers and the crowds in Wheeling were just awesome," Williams said. "It's one of the best races I've done.
"I've done a lot of half marathons and I would say that the excitement and the way it's set up is the tops. They're all run well, but this one is right up there with the best."
The course's hills caught Williams a bit by surprise, however.
"It is very hilly," she said with a laugh. "From miles three to five is all uphill and you're thinking 'at least that's over' and then there are like three more hills throughout the race.
"I purposefully didn't look (at the hills beforehand) because I didn't want to psych myself out."
James Lapinski, Don Slusser and Ryan Popovich rounded out the top five men behind Stough and Kondrach.
Behind Williams for the women were Sarah Donley, Kim Norman, Karen Matusic and Megan Phillips.