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Paige Nelson, of Alpine, gives two thumbs up as she nears the tape to win the full marathon race during the 25th Ogden Marathon on Saturday in Ogden.

Brian Wolfer, Special to the Herald

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Ben Berlin, of Orem, lifts the finish tape above his head after winning the full marathon race of the 25th Ogden Marathon on Saturday in Ogden.

Brian Wolfer, Special to the Herald

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OGDEN — On the silver anniversary of the Ogden Marathon, Paige Nelson had a gold medal performance.

Nelson, 37, a stay-at-home mom of five, traversed the 26.2-mile course in a women’s record time of 2:38:28 during the 25th running of the race with the finish line at historic 25th Street and Grant Avenue on Saturday.

She smashed the previous mark of 2:42:40, set by Sariah Long in 2017, by more than 4 minutes.

“I knew the course record was 2:42 and thought, maybe … tried to keep it conservative in the beginning, then the second half in the canyon push it as much as I could,” Nelson said.

This was Nelson’s second Ogden Marathon run, the other coming in 2023 when she ran a time around 2:51, so Saturday was a huge step up from there.

“I get up really early — 4:30 or 5 in the morning — to get my runs in before my kids wake up,” Nelson, an Alpine resident, said. “Working with a coach helps; then, consistency. I had a baby a year ago and wanted to prove to myself that I could do a marathon a year after her, and I accomplished it.”

In a coincidental play of numbers, where Nelson’s two marathons have been in 2023 and 2026, her bib number happened to be 2326.

First in the women’s class, Nelson finished seventh overall at a pace of 6:02 per mile.

Jennifer Smith, 48, ran second for the women at 2:52:21 (27th overall) and Leslie Smith, 44, was third at 2:53:57 (35th).

On the men’s side, Ben Berlin of Orem had a compelling numbers storyline involving family and friends, as he ran in his first-ever marathon on his 26th birthday.

“Once I found out it was on the 16th of May, I had to do it. It was one of those bucket list items and it just so happened that Ogden lined up well,” Berlin said. “It’s my birthday today, and also my older brother’s birthday. I have him, a younger brother, my dad and a couple of cousins running as well.”

Berlin ran a 2:25:35 race (5:33 per mile), besting Braden Perry, 33, by a mere 22 seconds (2:25:57). Tyler Lyon, 32, placed third at 2:27:01.

“In the canyon, it got close between me and a guy in a blue tank … got nervous and had to dig in a lot. He pushed me. The goal was 2:30, so I’m really happy to do that; pretty exciting for me,” Berlin, a Utah State economics major, said. “A collegiate friend who took second here last year gave me some good pointers of where to push it and be more aggressive.

“I did most of the work in the first half, then tried to close it out downhill in the second half,” Berlin said.

Berlin’s father is from Ogden and has deep roots in the Weber County community, he said.

“My fourth great-grandfather and third great-grandfather helped settle Huntsville. As I ran by there, I thought about them,” Berlin said. “My wife has been supportive since my family started training for this race last November.”

As if he needed any more inspiration, Berlin had yet another reason to bring home the gold.

“I have a good high school friend whose wife gave birth to their second child 10 weeks early … crazy experience for him and his family,” Berlin said. “I kind of wanted to dedicate the race to him and his family.”