Minnesotan Joel Reichow claims top U.S. men’s finish at New York City Marathon

Runner Joel Reichow was a surprise victor in June at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth — the first Minnesota man to win it since 2009.

Turns out, Reichow is full of surprises.

On Sunday, the St. Paul man was the top U.S. men’s finisher in the prestigious New York City Marathon. Averaging 4 minutes, 58 seconds per mile, Reichow crossed the line in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 56 seconds, good for sixth place overall. It was the best finish by a Minnesotan in race history.

“Everything played out right,” Reichow, 32, told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Monday.

Joe Klecker, a Minnetonka native and former Olympic middle-distance runner, finished 10th (2:10:37) in New York, his first marathon.

Reichow said his steady approach to racing paid off on the streets of New York City. He has a good feel for other runners’ tactics and what his body can handle, he added. When leaders began to slow and fade Sunday, Reichow attacked.

“All of the sudden [my thought was], ‘I am taking over this race,’” said Reichow, who also ran the marathon last year and finished in the top 20. “I tried to put pressure on and get to the finish line.”

“It’s huge,” he said. “I really appreciate everything [the team] does for me.”

Top finishers among the women Sunday are his teammates.

Annie Frisbie, 28, of Edina was the second-fastest U.S. woman (2:24:12) and fifth overall. Another teammate, Elena Hayday of Minneapolis, finished 12th among women in 2:31:22.

Frisbie met her goal and said temperatures in the 50s and mild winds energized the field.

“When you get weather like this, you don’t want to pass that up,” she said. “I was really happy with my race.”

Still, Reichow didn’t sound starstruck. His voice reflected a poise and low-key demeanor that he channeled to the top of the field Sunday. “I’m going to keep doing what I am doing. Keep getting stronger.”

Minnesota Distance Elite head coach Chris Lundstrom was happy for his athletes but not surprised.

He said that while Reichow’s victory at Grandma’s won him a lot of local recognition, he remained little known nationally.

Without a sponsor or an agent, “Joel is like the best runner that no one has ever heard of,” his coach said.