Nick and Jake Carter couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run on their hometown streets and trails during the Lacamas Lake Half Marathon and 5K Sunday.
Sixteen-year-old Nick Carter finished his first half marathon in third place with a time of one hour, 25 minutes, 55 seconds.
“It’s an accomplishment. This is the longest race I’ve ever done,” he said. “It feels good getting milage under your feet. To do that for 13 miles is not an easy thing to do. You just got to keep running.”
Nick Carter tackled the hills on Dallas Street with ease. Running around Lacamas Lake took his breath away, and so did the downhill finish to downtown Camas.
“Camas has a lot of hills. You know it’s coming, you just have to power up it, get to the top and then you can cool down,” Nick Carter said. “The lake is incredible. It’s such a cool place to run.
“Coming back down is tougher, in my opinion. Your feet are on fire because you’re hitting the ground so fast,” he added. “It’s something to run down this street and have the small town of Camas all around you. There’s no place like home.”
Fourteen-year-old Jake Carter took seventh place in the 5K with a time of 25:14.
“The hill was something,” he said. “On the way down, I felt like I was gliding. It was fun. I’m glad I did it.”
Nick Carter will be a junior at Camas High School this fall, while Jake will be walking through the halls for the first time as a freshman.
“We’re both doing cross country, and it’s going to be fun,” Jake said.
Aaron Coe, of Portland, won the half marathon with a time of 1:17:42. Andi Camp, also from Portland, was the top female finisher in 1:29:24.
Camas runner Tallen Wallace beat 125 competitors for first place in the 5K run with a time of 21:18.
