Alumna Sarah Porter places 22nd at NYC Marathon

Former Western Washington University runner Sarah Porter placed 22nd in the women's division of the New York City Marathon on Sunday. The 22-year-old Porter completed the 26-mile, 385-yard course through the city's five boroughs in 2:44.25. In all, more than 47,000 runners competed in all divisions of the marathon. Firehiwot Dado was the first to cross the finish line in the women's race with a time of 2:23.15. The 27-year-old Ethiopian went past favorite Mary Keitany in the last two miles of the race. Keitany held a two-and-a-half minute lead at the halfway mark. Keitany, this year's London Marathon winner, passed the halfway mark at 1:07.56, a record-setting pace, but was unable to sustain that. She repeated her 2010 performance, placing third just 23 seconds behind Dado. Fellow Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba came in second. A beautiful fall day with temperatures in the low 40s brought spectators to all corners of the course to cheer on runners Porter was a 12-time All-American at Western, being the NCAA Division II national champion in the 10,000 meters last spring, posting the fastest time of any NCAA division in 2011. She also was a two-time national runner-up in cross country. The 5-foot-3 Porter is now training in Bowling Rock, North Carolina. A three-time WWU Female Athlete of the Year, she is a graduate of Hockinson High School near Vancouver, Wash. Porter's goal is to qualify for the U.S. Olympic track and field trials next year in the 10,000.