03 Mar 2025 Soltmann, Rodell claim Little Rock Marathon titles
LITTLE ROCK — Aaron Soltmann of Little Rock and Stefanie Rodell of Mount Pleasant, SC, won the 2025 Little Rock Marathon on Saturday, March 2. Soltmann finished the course with an unofficial time of 2:32:20.9. Rodell crossed the finish line at 3:11:09.8.
All times provided in this press release are unofficial as of 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, 2025, and are based on chip times.
This was Soltmann’s first marathon. Originally from The Woodlands, Texas, Soltmann ran indoor track and field for UA-Little Rock. He said that he hit a personal record for the half marathon during the full marathon, but that he paid for it physically over the last four miles. “You tell yourself you want to zone out, and sometimes you can’t,” he said. “At that point, the marathon’s about how much heart you have at the end.”
He applauded the course and the crowd cheering athletes on, even through the tough stretches. “I feel like a lot of time running doesn’t get the attention it deserves aside from the Olympics,” Soltmann said. “I didn’t know many people out here, but having the crowd cheer you on and telling you to keep grinding away — especially in those last couple of miles — is very motivating.”
Soltmann came to the race with a time goal of under 2:30, but came in slightly above it. “The trophy will do for now, but I plan on coming back next year,” he said.
Women’s Marathon winner Rodell said that Little Rock is a tough course and that she feels like the people who medal here have to work hard to do so. “Mentally, that last 10K got tough,” she said. “Then that last 5k — especially around miles 24 and 25 with those hills — that’s where my time plummeted, but I was able to feed off the crowds to help get back into it.”
Little Rock was Rodell’s first marathon win out of 53 marathons and her 30th state. “I feel like I’m on a roll now, getting older and getting better at running. Little Rock is the biggest race I’ve won, so I think it will start to sink in more as the day goes on. This is huge. I feel like I got an extra win with that.”
5K Winners – Male
- Ryan Schaefer (Benton, Ark.) – 17:14.5
- Keith Clements (Mabelvale, Ark.) 18:25.1
- Walker Wood (Hot Springs, Ark.) – 19:45.2
5K Winners – Female
- Selma Kate Grandon (Tulsa, Okla.) – 21:00.9
- Kristen Toppin (Waterloo, Iowa) – 22:24.5
- Natosha Crisco (Sherwood, Ark.) – 22:35.7
10K Winners – Male
Wesley Marsh (Fayetteville, Ark.) – 33:36.5
Kenneth Broyles (Sherwood, Ark.) – 37:56.9
Christian McGill (Mayflower, Ark.) – 38:21.5
10K Winners – Female
- Erika Ashley (Conway, Ark.) – 43:37.5
- Andra Bruce (Mobile, Ala.) – 46:18.4
- Ruthie Sloan (Sturgis, Mich.) – 46:40.0
Half Marathon Winners – Male
- Cameron Beckett (Little Rock, Ark.) – 1:22:55.4
- Drew Wiles (Van Buren, Ark.) – 1:14:19.6
- Hashane Abeyagunawardene (Little Rock, Ark.) – 1:15:34.2
Half Marathon Winners – Female
- Chelsea Smith (Conway, Ark.) – 1:23:19.4
- Anna Groves (Little Rock, Ark.) – 1:27:49.6
- Pauline Allen (Fayetteville, Ark.) – 1:28:02.7
Non-Binary Winner
- Kaelyn Melton (Dover, Ark.) – 1:27:37.2
Marathon Winners – Male
- Aaron Soltmann (Little Rock, Ark. ) – 2:32:20.9
- Derek Berry (Little Rock, Ark.) – 2:33:46.9
- Ryan Hodge (Little Rock, Ark.) – 2:33:53.8
Marathon Winners – Female
- Stefanie Rodell (Mount Pleasant, SC) – 3:11:09.8
- Kristine Delong (Ozark, Mo.) – 3:12:45.3
- Tracey Matuszko (Fort Myers, Fla.) – 3:13:52.4
Handcycle Winner Overall
- Steve Hughes (Little Rock, Ark.) – 2:09:56.2
By the numbers:
- 5k – 1,600
- 10k – 1,079
- Little Rockers Kid’s Mile – 1,400
- Little Rockers Kid’s Mile – Adults participating (team leaders, parents, volunteers) – 825
- Half Marathon – 2,620
- Marathon – 1,371
- Challenge – 800
- Volunteers – 850
Number of athletes on course over the weekend – 8,070. Number of athletes plus the adults participating in the Little Rockers – 8,895. Total number of athletes, participants, and volunteers on course this weekend – 9,745. For more information on the 2025 Little Rock Marathon, go to littlerockmarathon.com.
