Parkersburg South High School 12th-grader Josh Gill finishes first in the two-mile race at the Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon on Saturday. Gill finished with a time of 10:13. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

PARKERSBURG – Two high school students crossed the finish line first in the Two Mile Race at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon on Saturday.

Parkersburg South High School senior Josh Gill won the men’s race with a time of 10:13. Gill is part of the PSHS cross country team that competed in the state championships last year. He said that while he has run a two-mile race before, this is his first race on paved surfaces.

“It was much harder on the feet,” said Gill. “But I stuck with it.”

Ashley Pate, a sophomore at Warren High School (WHS), was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 12:53 and 20th overall. She is on the WHS cross country team and says she has been running track since seventh grade. This was her second two-mile race and she finished last year with a time of 13:30. She said she felt much stronger for this year’s race.

“I felt pretty good,” Pate said of her pace during the race: “I was exactly where I wanted to be.”

Ashley Pate, a sophomore at Warren High School, is the first woman to cross the finish line in the two-mile race of the Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon on Saturday. Pate finished with a time of 12:53. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

She said she feels much safer walking on the streets of downtown Parkersburg.

“I don’t have to worry about tripping or running up and down hills,” Said Godfather.

Gill said he also liked that he didn’t have to run up any hills. He said he didn’t set any goals for the race other than to try to stay at the front of the pack.

“You want to try to get a good position in the first corner,” said Gill. “You don’t have time to catch up if you miss it.”

Both runners said it was a good warm-up for their upcoming cross-country season.

Kyle Winland (10:20), Gatlin McLain (10:32), Luke Rettenberger (10:44) and Jackson Wharton (11:15) completed the men’s top 5. Haley Raper (13:02), Jalyn Eddy (13:17), Allyssa McCrady (13:22) and Jordan Delaney (13:32) completed the women’s top 5.

The male winner of the two-mile march was Daniel Stewart of Wheeling with a time of 21:24. The female winner of the two-mile march was Heather Tenney of Parkersburg.