On a misty but warm morning, 7,781 runners energized the City of Fredericksburg, VA as part of the inaugural Historic 10K, the Semper Fred 5K, and the largest Marine Corps Historic Half to date. Joining them was Actor Sean Astin, star of "Rudy" and "Lord of the Rings," who completed the Marine Corps Historic Half in 2:11:58. Astin served as honorary starter for the thousands of runners who came to Fredericksburg to take on the 13.1 mile challenge highlighted by the steep incline up infamous Hospital Hill, located on the Mary Washington Healthcare campus.

Also serving as honorary starter for the event for six hand cycle and wheelchair participants was NBC4 weatherman Chuck Bell who finished in 1:53:53. Bell conducted his morning weather broadcast from the Historic Half start line before waving the wheeled participants through their start at 6:59 a.m. this morning amid temperatures of about 65 degrees with 70 percent humidity.

An honor guard in the United States Coast Guard, Lt. j.g. Patrick Fernandez, age 26 from Alexandria, VA, represented the Sea Services by winning first place overall posting the fourth fastest finish time in event history finishing in 1:11:05.

"I was a little nervous about Hospital Hill before the race but it really wasn't as bad as I thought," Fernandez said after his Historic Half win. "I saw the Marine Corps Historic Half as a good training run before my next Marine Corps Marathon."

Michael Krisman, 36, of Montclair, VA took second place finishing in 1:14:01, while Ryan Carroll, 30, of Portsmouth, VA with a finish time of 1:15:31, captured third. Carroll won the Marine Corps 17.75K on March 23, which was the first Marine Corps Marathon event held this year.

Finishing first among women was Laura Garrow, 24, of Blacksburg, VA, crossing the line at 1:24:27, the fourth fastest finish time among female participants in the six-year history of the Historic Half. "My time could have been better but it was a really good course and a perfect day for a challenging run," Garrow said just after a U.S. Marine presented her finisher medal. Marine Corps Reservist Capt. Amanda Burke, 28, of Alexandria, VA finished in second place at 1:29:12. Burke and Fernandez also took top active duty military honors with awards presented BAE Systems at today's awards ceremony held at the Historic Half finish. Meg Ashton, 23, of Stafford, VA rounded off the top three women leaders by finishing in 1:29:22.

The Historic Half masters winners were Ret. Marine Lt. Col. Alex Hetherington, 45, of Vienna, VA, a member of the MCM Hall of Fame, and Dolores Ware of Virginia Beach, VA. Hetherington completed the Historic Half in 1:17:52, while Ware was finished in 1:31:52.

The inaugural Historic 10K included 757 total finishers for the event that began just past the sixth mile of the Historic Half course.

Leading the 10K runners was Jack Sutter, 28, a U.S. Marine serving in Dover, DE, who completed the 6.2 mile event in 37:05. Hometown runner Justin Shields, 33, of Fredericksburg finished the Historic 10K in second place in 42:54. Steven Armitage, 43, of Virginia Beach, VA took third place among men finishing in 43:31.

Taking first place for Historic 10K women was Erin Masterson, 29, of Alexandria, VA who finished in 44:34, while Melle Patrick, 29, of Washington, DC finished close behind in 44:42. Fredericksburg runner Michelle Dolby, 45, was the third place female finisher.

The Semper Fred 5K, which began in 2008 in conjunction with the Historic Half, hosted 732 finishers this year, its second-largest participation. A completely new Semper Fred course also took 5K runners for a daunting challenge up Hospital Hill. Leading the charge was Christopher White, 28, of Sneads Ferry, NC, who finished in 17:44. Local runner Bradley Cavedo, 26, of Fredericksburg completed his run in 19:14. Teen runner Andrew Brown, 15, also of Fredericksburg, finished the Semper Fred 5K in third place at 19:29.

Capturing a surprising Semper Fred 5K win was 12-year-old Brenna Kiel, also of Fredericksburg, who wore a patriotic hair ribbon while making her Historic Half debut. Brenna finished in 26:08, with fellow hometown runner Erika Frick, 37, following close behind at 26:17. Placing third in the Semper Fred 5K was Zoe Gobeille, 12, of Spotsylvania, VA, who finished in 26:23.

Complete results are available at www.marinemarathon.com. Finish line video of Historic Half participants will be hosted online by Comcast SportsNet.