Encinitas resident sets new record at Montana Marathon

Encinitas resident Patrick Hutton won the Montana Marathon Sept. 20 and set a new course record, crossing the finish line at two hours, 31 minutes and 48 seconds.

“I was in complete tunnel vision because I was going as hard as I could,” said Hutton, 28, who went to Torrey Pines High School. “I wasn’t looking at my clock, I was going as fast as I could.”

He ran the 26.2-mile race at a pace of five minutes and 48 seconds per mile. As he neared the finish line, he said he noticed he had a shot at breaking the course record. After crossing the finish, race staff told him he had accomplished that goal.

Hutton’s record-setting time follows a “breakthrough race” in Utah last fall, when he completed a half marathon in a little over one hour and six minutes, a pace of five minutes and six seconds per mile. That’s when he knew he wanted to make a career out of running.

Hutton said his running coach pointed out to him that he was closing in on Olympic trial times.

“He said we should definitely start focusing on running every single day and making this your main priority because you’ve got a shot at it,” said Hutton, who also coaches runners. “My eyes opened up that day at that half marathon.”

He added that his coach told him “you need to focus in and make this a priority and doors will start opening.”

“It’s definitely happening,” Hutton said.

His goal is to make the Olympic trials in the marathon.

Hutton said he started running and training consistently seven years ago while he was a student at the University of Montana, where he earned a degree in communications. He ran his first ever races in Montana as well.

Previous races he’s run include the Boston Marathon, which he completed twice, and the California International Marathon.

He runs 15 to 18 miles per day, except for Sunday, for his training regime, which includes eight to 10 miles in the morning and six to eight miles at night. He logs about 100 to 110 miles every week.

Hutton said he’s currently training for the Surfers Point Marathon in Ventura and the Boise Marathon.