Ethiopians again dominated the Stratton Faxon Half Marathon on Sunday, taking the first four positions in the 31st annual race through Fairfield and Southport.
Kumsa Adugna finished first in a time of 1:04.40, as the 24-year-old crossed the tape 15 seconds ahead of countryman Ketema Nigusse. They were followd by Worku Beyi (1:06.14), last year's runner-up, and Genna Tufa (1:08.11).
The top American finisher was 27-year-old Ridgefielder Lucas Meyer, who placed fifth with a time of 1:09.52. Trumbull's Matt Klein, 17, was ninth (1:13.43), making him the top finisher in his age group.
The first woman across the finish line was Morocco's Malika Mejdoub (1:18.05) while the top American female was West Simsbury's Shannon McHale, who was 38th overall (1:23.48).
More than 4,000 runners participated in the race, which is regarded as one of the top half marathons in the Northeast.
In Saturday's 5-K race, which attracted 1,500 runners for the 3.1 mile course around Jennings Beach, Ansonia's Timothy Milenkevich crossed the finish line first with a time of 16:07. The top female finisher was Darien's Amanda Tripodi with a time of 18:59.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, also participated in the event, running for the John Patrick Flanagan Foundation
