More than 3,400 runners filled the streets of Wichita on Sunday, Oct. 11, for the fall Prairie Fire Marathon, the race's largest turnout in a decade, according to race officials.

The field spread across a full marathon, half marathon and 5K, all starting and finishing at Equity Bank Park in downtown Wichita. Runners came from as far as New York and California, KWCH reports.

Two Wichita athletes turned in performances that could land in the Kansas record books, according to the Wichita Eagle.

Kaylee Finley, a 15-year-old who runs for the Wichita Defenders homeschool program, finished 50th overall in the half marathon in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 9 seconds. That was 17 seconds faster than the Kansas record for girls ages 13-15 she set at the Prairie Fire spring half marathon in May. Finley also holds the Kansas marathon record for her age group after completing last October's Prairie Fire Marathon in 3:54:09 at age 14.

Rebecca Steven, 65, finished the full marathon in 4:08:34, a time 12 minutes, 44 seconds faster than the Kansas resident marathon record for women ages 65-69 set by Marie Hampton in 2019. Steven already holds the state record for women 60–64 is 3:54:17, set at Prairie Fire in October 2024. If her Sunday performance is officially verified, she would hold state marathon records in consecutive age divisions. She also ran 17 minutes, 25 seconds faster than her time at last year's race.

Gage Garcia, 32, head cross country coach at Kapaun Mt. Carmel and a former Wichita State runner, won the half marathon in 1:08:01 at a 5:11-per-mile pace. He finished 1 minute, 22 seconds ahead of Topeka native Robbie Schmidt, a former All-American at Fort Hays State. The result flipped the 2024 Prairie Fire Half Marathon, when Schmidt won in 1:06:45 and Garcia placed second. Garcia led by 19 seconds at the 10K checkpoint and stretched his advantage from there. Former Wichita Collegiate standout Lakelin Conrad finished third in 1:10:45.

Newton's Kayla Straub, 37, won the women's marathon in 3:21:28, finishing nearly six minutes ahead of runner-up Aria Sheldon of Maize. Straub had placed third in last year's race. Oklahoma City's Dustin Mettler, 36, defended his men's marathon title in 2:30:28, edging Aaron Sherf of Norman, Oklahoma, by five seconds in one of the day's closest finishes.

Derby's Bob Hornung, 56, earned the men's masters half-marathon championship, finishing 28th overall in 1:26:42.

"We have a record number of spectators and visitors from out of town, and so it just makes for an awesome weekend," Prairie Fire Race Director Angela Stateler told KWCH on Sunday, Oct. 11.