Jarrod Shoemaker and Melissa White easily won the men and women's divisions, respectively, in the prestigious Walt Disney World Half Marathon this Saturday.

Leading a field of more than 12,500 runners, Shoemaker (24) of Sudbury, MA, ran away from the competition to win the 13.1-mile race in 1:10:28. White (25) of Rochester, MI dominated the women's field, crossing the finish line at 1:15:41 for her second straight Walt Disney World Half Marathon title. Both runners led from start to finish.

Gary Baker (46) of Indianapolis, IN, captured the wheelchair division with a time of 1:10:57. The win by Shoemaker, who crossed the finish line ahead of Robert Winn of Ogunquit, ME (second man, third overall and Robert LaPlante of Brighton, MA third man, fifth overall, provided the perfect start to his Disney Dream vacation. On Monday, Shoemaker plans to get married at Disney's Fairy Tale Wedding Pavilion at Walt Disney World.

White's victory was extra special as well. Not only did she defend the title she won at Disney last year, but she bettered her time (1:18:34) from a year ago. She was the second finisher overall. And, as with last year, White again led a group of fellow Michigan runners who dominated the women's field. Michigan runners - White, Dot McMahan, Desiree Davila, (In photo top three l-r) Kelly Stewart, and Yolanda Flamino - swept the top five finishing positions Saturday. The runners are members of the same Hanson's Brooks Distance Project running club in Rochester.

The Walt Disney World Half Marathon was held separately from the Walt Disney World Marathon for the first time in 2006. The full marathon is scheduled for Sunday, January 7 beginning at 6 a.m. The full marathon, which takes runners on a journey through all four Walt Disney World theme parks, has drawn more than 16,000 entrants, bringing the total number of registered participants for the 14th annual Disney Marathon Weekend to 32,000. The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is one of the largest events of its kind in the country.

Top Five Runners

Men
PL       Name                    Time            Pace 
1	 JARROD SHOEMAKER	 1:10:28	 5:22 
2	 ROBERT WINN	         1:16:48	 5:51
3	 ROBERT LAPLANTE	 1:18:28	 5:59
4	 JEFFRY RIZER	         1:19:19	 6:03
5	 HARRISON FAUSEY	 1:19:38	 6:04
Women
PL       Name                    Time            Pace 
1	 MELISSA WHITE	         1:15:41	 5:46
2	 DOT MCMAHAN	         1:18:22	 5:58
3	 DESIREE DAVILA	         1:18:53	 6:01
4	 KELLY STEWART	         1:20:22	 6:07
5	 YOLANDA FLAMINO	 1:22:15	 6:16

Complete, searchable results from the Disney Half Marathon and Disney Marathon.

Read about the Walt Disney World Marathon and see photos.