By George Banker

“The main thing is putting on something good for the people,” stated Charlie Reynolds, past Race Director and BRRC President 1977-98. “If you don’t like potholes, car exhaust and large crowds and you do like small-town marathons, a scenic tree-lined course and a friendly atmosphere.”

“I don’t like big marathons. I enjoy the small ones. This was so well organized. Before the halfway point, I knew I was in the lead. I didn’t come to win today, so it was me and the watch. My goal was to break three hours. If there was another woman in front of me, my goal would still have been to break three hours,” said Angela Plamondon of Ottawa, Canada, 2001 winner in 2:58:58 (the 9th fastest female winning time).

Saturday, November 29, 2025, was the 36^th Northern Central Trail Marathon and the 9^th half-marathon. The Baltimore Road Runners Club presents the event. The race is rich in history and attracts runners of all abilities.

The Northern Central Railroad Trail, officially known as the Torrey C. Brown Trail, covers 20 miles in Maryland, stretching from Hunt Valley to the Mason-Dixon Line. The out and back marathon course offers a scenic wooded run on a crushed gravel and dirt trail alongside the waters of Big Gunpowder Falls—an idyllic setting to cruise 26.2 miles.

                                                            Half-Marathon

Two-time winner Jeremy Ardanuy of Baltimore set the open record for the men in 2023 with 1:08:33. Melissa Tanner set the women’s record in 2019 with 1:18:24. S

cott Wallace of New Market set the master’s record with a time of 1:14:43. Hyunsun Reilly of Bel Air, a three-time master’s winner, set the record of 1:27:47 in 2023.

The start moved to the Old Fields School in 2017. The opening course was downhill to reach the trail. Once on the trail, the runners thinned out.

 Going through the 10K, John Lobo of Santa Monica, CA, crossed with 35:36 and Clark Ridge of College Park, MD, followed him, with 36:01. In close third with 36:02 was Peyton Dill of Sykesville, MD.

The winning master was Ridge. The runner-up master was Tanka Magar of Nottingham, MD, with a time of 1:19:03. Joshua Chang of Timonium, MD, was third with a time of 1:23:03 (6^th place).

Hannah Betman of Baltimore led the women through the 10K mark in 37:06. Following in second place was Isabelle Pardew of Towson, MD, with a 39:34. Trailing in third was Erin Dewalt of Easton, PA, with a 41:31.

Lobo withheld all competitors to capture the win with a time of 1:16:29 (8^th fastest winning time). The runner-up was Dill with a time of 1:16:58. Ridge faded back to third place with a 1:17:22.

Betman ran unchallenged to set a record with 1:18:05. Pardew was runner-up with a time of 1:23:31. The third finisher was Dewalt with a time of 1:29:32.

The winning master was Dewalt followed by Carly Dillen of Baltimore with a time of 1:30:51. The third place was Christina Brace of Westminster, MD, with a time of 1:31:15.

                                                Marathon

Robert Mario of Annapolis set the oldest record for the marathon in 1995 with 2:25:18. Triathlete Joanna Zeiger of Baltimore set the second-oldest record in 1998 with 2:47:25. Marino and Zeiger are both two-time winners.

Patrick Blair of Catonsville, MD, set the master’s record in 2024 with a 2:34:00. Tracy Dzibel of Fredericksburg, VA, set the record in 2019 with 3:02:02.

Leading out small group was Hayden Schindler of Baltimore, who went through 10K in 35:32 and followed closely by Paul Hugus of Columbia, MD, in 35:57. Trailing in third was Michael Mbagu of Baltimore in 36:10.

In going through the half-marathon, Schindler crossed in 1:15:57, followed by Hugus with 1:16:54. Mbagu maintained his third position with a 1:20:30.

After the turnaround, the runners could gauge the positions of the trailing runners. The return was a gradual downgrade along the trail. The pace was being picked up as runners changed positions.

In the closing miles, Hugus took control of the lead and captured first place with a time of 2:34:39 (11^th fastest winning time). Torres moved from fourth to second with a time of 2:44:20. Michael Bray of Baltimore moved up from sixth to third place with s time of 2:44:22.

Mbagu faded to fourth place with a time of 2:46:46. Alessio Pignatelli of Baltimore captured fifth place with a time of 2:49:12.

The top master was Hugus with the second fastest winning time of 2:34:39. Torres was the second master (2:44:20). The third master was Mbagu (2:46:46).

Samantha Merkel of Laurel, MD, was the leading female through the 10K in 41:15. Merkel was the 2023 winner with a 3:04:57 (18^th fastest winning time). Trailing behind were sisters Sylvia and Estelle Snider from Sparks Glencoe with a time of 43:16. In fourth position was Sydney Koons of Downingtown, PA, with a time of 43:59.

In going through the half-marathon, Merkel crossed in 1:28:38. The Sniders were holding fast with a 1:31:55. Emily Jo Yeterian was in fourth with 1:33:33 and followed closely by Koons in 1:33:33.

On the return, Merkel was running unchecked and took first place with a time of 2:57:31 (7^th fastest winning time). Sylvia Snider was runner-up with 3:02:36, followed by Estelle in 3:02:36.

Holding fourth place was Yveterian with 3:05:30. Koons was fifth with a time of 3:09:07.

The winning master was Allison Powell of Parkville, MD, with a time of 3:33:11 (31^st fastest winning time). Maria Stidham of Silver Spring, MD, was second with a time of 3:39:46. In third was Caitlin Kelley of Owings Mills, MD, with a time of 3:42:57.

Half Marathon Women

1. 1:18:05 Hannah Betman, 34, Baltimore, MD
2. 1:23:31 Isabelle Pardew, 27, Towson, MD
3. 1:29:32 Erin Dewalt, 45, Easton, PA (1st master)
4. 1:30:08 Olivia Sobkowicz, 18, Phoenix, MD
5. 1:30:51 Carly Dillen, 40, Baltimore, MD (2nd master)
6. 1:31:15 Christina Brace, 41, Westminster, MD (3rd master)
7. 1:31:51 Bethany Neri, 28, Baltimore, MD
8. 1:32:54 Erin Hayes ,35, Glenelg, MD
9. 1:33:57 Jennifer Harrera-Mullar, 42, Parkton, MD (4th master)
10. 11:35:37 Rui Li, 37, Virginia Beach, VA

1:39:39 Sherry Stick, 47, Sykesville, MD (5th master)

Half Marathon Men

1. 1:16:29 John Lobo, 34, Santa Monica, CA
2. 1:16:58 Peyton Dill, 21, Sykesville, MD
3. 1:17:22 Clark Ridge, 45, College Park, MD (1st master)
4. 1:19:03 Tanka Magar, 43. Nottingham, MD (2nd master)
5. 1:20:33 Kevin Ford, 38, Baltimore, MD
6. 1:23:03 Joshua Chang, 40, Timonium, MD (3rd master)
7. 1:23:25 Jason Tripp, 53, Washington, DC (4th master)
8. 1:24:49 Chad Crummel, 35, Washington, DC
9. 1:24:53 Dan McNeely, 34, Nutley, NJ
10. 1:26:23 Connor Pencek, 34, Sparks, MD

1:31:12 Luke Smith, 42, Parkville, MD (5th Master)

Marathon Women

1. 2:57:31 Samantha Merkel, 28, Laurel, MD
2. 3:02:36 Sylvia Snider, 18, Sparks, MD
3. 3:02:36 Estelle Snider, 20, Sparks, MD
4. 3:05:30 Emily Jo Yeterian, 32, Washington, DC
5. 3:09:07 Sydney Koons, 24, Downingtown, PA
6. 3:10:49 Mary Pomilla, 34, Brooklyn, NY
7. 3:13:08 Leah Kate Atkinson, 39, Newark, DE
8. 3:15:04 Callie Ferguson, 32, Lutherville, MD
9. 3:15:35 Julia Zwierzynski, 27, Boone, NC
10. 3:17:26 Rachel Krug, 24, Phoenix, MA

Marathon Men

1. 2:34:39 Paul Hugus, 41, Columbia, MD (1st master)
2. 2:44:20 Michael Torres, 43, Washington, DC (2nd master)
3. 2:44:22 Michael Bray, 32, Baltimore, MD
4. 2:46:46 Michael Mbagu, 47, Baltimore, MD (3rd master)
5. 2:49:12 Alessio Pignatelli, 25, Baltimore, MD
6. 2:52:13 Hayden Schindler, 23, Baltimore, MD
7. 2:52:33 Todd Shifflett, 22, Seven, MD
8. 2:56:40 Jeff Richards, 29, Rockville, MD
9. 2:57:29 Carson Redmon, 19, Vienna, VA
10. 2:58:17 Ben Breschi, 24, Minneapolis, MN

Categories: Race Coverage

Tags: 2025, featured, NCR Trail, NCR Trail Half Marathon, NCR Trail Marathon