Anchorage couple John and Jana Cole crossed the finish line together on Sunday in one of the world's most grueling distance runs, the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. The Coles, members of the Anchorage's Skinny Raven Sports running club, finished in 11 hours, 43 minutes -- just 17 minutes before the 12-hour cutoff in the event that attracted 23,000 entrants.
About 16,500 of them completed the course before the cutoff, finishing in Kingsmead Sahara Stadium before an estimated 50,000 spectators.
Stephen Muzhingi of Zimbabwa emerged victorious for the second consecutive year, winning in 5:29:01.
Russia's Elena Nurgalieva finished a second faster than her twin sister, Olesya, in a time of 6:13:04.
Anchorage Daily News sports@adn.com