A pair of race first-timers beat the heat and made it look relatively easy at Sunday’s North Olympic Discovery Marathon.

Thomas Fagin, 28, a newcomer to the Olympic Peninsula, and Sara Otepka, 39, of Bainbridge Island, swept to nine-minute victories in the full marathon, highlighting a whirlwind of road race activities between Blyn, Sequim and Port Angeles last weekend.

“It was the most beautiful marathon I’ve ever raced,” a cool, collected Otepka said following her three-hour, 19-minute race — nine minutes ahead of runner-up Amanda Hoskins of Puyallup.

The winner of the 2005 Seattle Marathon, Otepka gets plenty of training weekly; she runs from her home on Bainbridge to the ferry, does circuits on the boat and then runs to her job at Amazon, where she works in the company’s Prime Now division.

She said she wasn’t aiming for her marathon personal best she set in Seattle (3:07), but rather simply wanted to enjoy the experience in her first North Olympic Discovery Marathon.

“This one feels pretty good,” the nine-time marathoner said. “I think this was my favorite race.”

Sunday’s marathon was simply the capstone for the weekend for the 14th annual North Olympic Discovery Marathon. More than 2,000 runners took part in events of varying lengths: the full marathon saw 264 finishers, more than 60 runners on marathon relay teams, 1,022 in the half marathon, more than 430 in five- and 10-kilometer races, and an untold mass of youths running the 1.2-mile Kids Marathon on June 4.

Fagin finished in one second past 2:55, a nine-minute win over Poulsbo’s Gilbert Ondusko.

For Fagin, a Ledyard, Conn., native who now works as a guide with Port Angeles outfit Adventures Through Kayaking, the key was conquering the undulating course between Blyn’s 7 Cedars Casino starting line and the Port Angeles City Pier 26.2 miles away.

“It was tough — I’d like to think I’d gotten tougher about hills. You’ve got to be ready for those downs (too).”

Fagin’s seventh marathon turned out to be his first win. It also turned out to be quite a challenge for him and others on what turned out to be a sweltering, 87-degree race day.

“I’ve seen what heat can do to runners,” Fagin said. “(My goal was to) stay hydrated, pour water on my head. I was trying to run in the shade when possible.”

The 26.2 miles may not be enough for Fagin, who said he has eyes on an ultra marathon. He placed 10th at the 50-mile Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra last summer, finishing in eight

hours, 19 minutes.

Fagin, Otepka and company started their journey from Blyn’s casino, only the second time the NODM has been a point-to-point race. In 2014, the race started from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center.

Last year, the marathon shifted its course after flooding had damaged the Railroad Bridge Park trestle.

Otepka jumped out to a lead early but had heard she was in second place by race-watchers. It turns out, she said, the woman in front of her was on a relay team.

“You play head games out there,” she joked, grinning. “It was really nice to come along here with the water.”

One of the best parts, Otepka said, was race volunteer Debbie Kirk’s help at the finish line.

“Here I am all sweaty and she hugged me and helped me,” Otepka said.

Other race winners

Port Angeles teen Peter Butler repeated as men’s champion in the half marathon, running nearly three minutes faster (1:14) than his winning time in 2015. Katie Taylor of Poulsbo took the women’s title in 1:28; Sequim native Audrey Lichten was fourth (1:34) and Port Angeles High sophomore Gracie Long was fifth (1:39).

The Fat Cats from Chehalis took the marathon relay title in 3:08, with Olympic Medical Center in second (3:43) and North Olympic Healthcare Network third (3:45).

Sequim’s First Federal team was sixth (4:23).

Teen Liam Byrne of Carlsborg won the 10-kilometer race in 42:10, with Brennan Labrie of Port Townsend (42:22) in second. Christina Wright (48:14) of Portland, Ore., edged Port Angeles teen Lael Butler by four seconds to win the women’s division.

Sequim’s own Miguel Moroles won the five-kilometer race in 21:38; Emilia Long of Port Angeles was the top woman (22:26) and second overall, edging out Sequim’s Julie McCrorie (23:02, fourth overall).

Race director Victoria Jones said participant numbers are up this year, particularly after having last year’s course stunted by the bridge closure.

“Compared to past years, the numbers are up, especially compared to last year,” Jones said. “With the bridge last year, numbers were small. So we’re really excited to have the bridge back.”