Levi Ashley of Lincoln wins the Lincoln National Guard Marathon this morning in his first attempt at running the 26.2-mile distance.

The former Nebraska Wesleyan runner finished in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 55 seconds on a sun-splashed morning. Ashley had won the event's half-marathon in 2006 and 2007.

Valerie Gortmaker of Lincoln won the women's race in 2:59:27. Gortmaker was coming off an injury that prevented her from participating in last month's women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston.