Jose de Morias will return home with a souvenir from his first half marathon in the United States: a first-place medal.
De Morias, who hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil, finished first in the Disney Half Marathon on Saturday. He completed the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 10 minutes, 15 seconds.
“It is a dream come true to win,” de Morias said through a translator.
Rosa Chacha, 29, of Quito, Ecuador, was the top women’s finisher in 1:16:43.
De Morias, 32, was one of a record 26,500 runners participating in the half marathon, which began and ended in Epcot and took runners through the Magic Kingdom.
More than 16,000 people are expected to run in the Disney Marathon on Sunday.
Mauricio Mendez, 16, of Mexico City finished less than a minute behind de Morias in 1:11:03. St. Louis’ Cody Martin took third in 1:13:50.
Chacha outlasted runner-up Jenny Scherer, who fell short in her bid to repeat.
“I feel good, happy, for participating in Orlando for the first time,” Chacha said through a translator.
Scherer won the women’s division last year with a 1:17:35 finish. This year, she finished in 1:20:09.
“I was injured for two months this past year, moved to a new place, changed coaches. I’ve done a lot of transitioning,” Scherer said. “That’s been maybe tough mentally, tough all around. I may have taken a step back this year, but in the long run, it’s going to really help me.”
Julie Northrup rounded out the top three with a 1:21:45 finish.
Orlando’s Heather Schulz was the top Centra Florida finisher. She finished in 1:23:36, placing fifth in the women’s division.
Disney Half Marathon
Overall finishers
1. Jose de Morais, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1:10:15; 2. Mauricio Mendez, Mexico City, 1:11:03; 3. Cody Martin, St. Louis, 1:13:50; 4. Travis Adams, Redmond, Wash., 1:13:58; 5. Anthony Giuliano, Albany, N.Y., 1:14:22; 6. Alan Piggford, Hartlepool, United Kingdom, 1:14:25; 7. James Fisher, Millersville, Md., 1:15:06; 8. John Reback, Jupiter,1:16:11; 9. Patrick Schuster, Arlington, Va., 1:16:16; 10. Kent Vasko, Newbury, Ohio,1:16:19.
Division winners
Men
14-17: Mauricio Mendez, Mexico City, 1:11:03; 18-24: Cody Martin, St. Louis, 1:13:50; 25-29: Kent Vasko, Newbury, Ohio, 1:16:19; 30-34: Jose de Morais, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1:10:13; 35-39: Travis Adams, Redmond, Wash., 1:13:58; 40-44: John Reback, Jupiter, 1:16:11;45-49: Darcy Ready, Winnipeg, 1:16:38; 50-54: Rui dos Santos, Maringa, Brazil, 1:20:46; 55-59: Richard Staback, Chicago, 1:24:53; 60-64: John Moore, Milton, Pa., 1:27:32; 65-69: Richard Jones, San Antonio, 1:43:33; 70-74:Volkert Bobeldijk, Pembroke, Canada, 1:50:07; 75-79: Harold Smith, Sebring, 2:14:56
Women
14-17: Carlie Snoap, Wyoming, 1:34:14; 18-24: Jenny Scherer, Rochester Hills, Mich., 1:20:09; 25-29: Rosa Chacha, Quito, Ecuador, 1:16:43; 30-34: Colleen Tate, Akron, Ohio, 1:23:52; 35-39: Suzanne Huelster, Riverton, N.H., 1:22:55; 40-44: Dede Griesbauer, Boston, 1:25:47; 45-49: Connie Gardner, Medina, Ohio, 1:33:10; 50-54: Barbara Gubbins, Southampton, N.Y., 1:29:18; 55-59: Betty Floyd, Marion, S.C., 1:48:16; 60-64: Heather Allen, Fleet, UK, 1:50:58; 65-69: Susan Reinhardt, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., 2:12:54; 75-79: Gwen McFarlan, Richmond, British Columbia, 2:23:59
Wheelchair
Men’s 44-49: David Viola, Heathrow, 1:55:30; women’s 14-17: Emily Brust, Mastic, N.Y., 1:39:60
Handcrank
Men
18-24: John Curtin, Bethesda, Md., 55:02; 25-29: Bill Longwell, Bethesda, Md., 47:06; 30-34: David Nickelson, Winter Garden, 51:28; 35-39: Steve Bush, Deltona, 1:15:34; 40-44: John Keith, Pearland, Texas, 1:36:01; 50-54: Rory Cooper, Gibsonia, Pa., 55:04; 55-59: Mackey Tyndall, Panama City, 1:23:15.
Women
40-44: Monica Szymanski, Cheyenne, Wyo., 1:11:05
via South Americans win 2012 Disney Half Marathon – OrlandoSentinel.com.
