Featured Image from left to right: (first image)Tudor Moldovan, Caleb Hershey,  Matt Gillette =, (second image)Olivia Hoeing

Article and photos contributed by: Michael Drabenstott 

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (April 26, 2026) – With temperatures in the low 40s, cloudy skies and light winds, runners had conditions conducive to very fast times at today’s St. Luke’s Half Marathon and 5k. And they did not disappoint.

Caleb Hershey, 22, Lebanon, Pa., crossed the line in 1:07:07, the fastest time in the 22 years of the race’s current course. He bested 2025 champion, Matt Gillette, 34, Allentown, who ran a 1:08:14. Gillette, a 2009 Parkland High School graduate, clocked a 1:07:20 last year, but could not keep pace with Hershey, a student at Colorado Christian College who returned to Pennsylvania to race. Tudor Moldovan, 41, Allentown, finished third in 1:09:05, after being 2025 runner-up only three second behind Gillette.

In the women’s race, Allentown’s Olivia Hoeing, 24, broke the tape in 1:23:27, winning for the second year in a row and taking more than three minutes off her 2025 time of 1:26:32. She was trailed by Olivia Merrill, 22, Wyncote, Pa., 1:24:16, and third-place finisher Nicole Register, 22, Jacobus, Pa., 1:24:46.

The 2020 Salisbury High School alumnus attributed her winning speed to improved form and preparation.

“I’m in physical therapy school (at DeSales University), so I’ve really been more intentional about knowing the biomechanics of running and, just as importantly, resting and fueling. It really paid off,” she said. “I also have an advantage in Lehigh Parkway (miles 6 to 10.5), which is one of my favorite places on the entire Earth.”

Male winner Hershey said the conditions and competition propelled him to victory midway through the 13.1-mile race. “They were perfect — low 40s, a little wind, but not much – almost as good as you could get and ideal for running,” he said. “Three of us were running probably like 5:10/mile at around mile 5.5. I was getting antsy, so I took off and tried to run 5:00/mile flat as long as I could. I just tried to put my head down and hammer it out. I researched my competition, so I knew what I was dealing with when I saw Matt and Tudor on the starting line.”

The 2026 St. Luke’s Half Marathon and companion 5k saw over 1,700 entrants racing through Allentown’s streets and parks. Both races started at 18th and Linden streets near William Allen High School and ended at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Sundays’ races were preceded on Saturday by the St. Luke’s Youth Run, where more than 500 children aged 3-14 braved steady rain during runs in Lehigh Parkway.

“The competition all weekend showed us the joyous spirit of running, whether you’re neck-and-neck with a fellow runner or just pushing yourself beyond what you thought was possible,” said Leslie Billowitch, co-race director and president of the Lehigh Valley Road Runners, which produces the fully volunteer-run event each April. “Regardless of age, size, speed or ability, every runner has a reason to celebrate.”

The 2026 event, the 42nd running of the half marathon, marked the 16th year of title sponsorship for St. Luke’s University Health Network. The event has raised over $800,000 to promote running and fitness programs for youth and adults in the greater Lehigh Valley. “We have an amazing running community here,” Billowitch said. “With the support of St. Luke’s, we’re grateful that we can give back to the sport that gives us so much.”

Top 5 half marathon males 

Caleb Hershey, 22, Lebanon, Pa., 1:07:07

Matt Gillette, 34, Allentown, Pa., 1:08:14

Tudor Moldovan, 41, Allentown, Pa., 1:09:05

John Tolbert, 30, Bethlehem, Pa., 1:13:39

Patrick Broker, 16, Pennington, N.J., 1:16:40

 

Top 5 half marathon females 

Olivia Hoeing, 24, Allentown, Pa., 1:23:27

Olivia Merrill, 22, Wyncote, Pa., 1:24:16

Nicole Register, 22, Jacobus, Pa., 1:24:46

Marissa Martino. 35, Dallas, Pa., 1:24:55

Gabrielle Donchez, 34, Fogelsville, Pa., 1:26:24

A field of 482 racers took part in the St. Luke’s 5K. Danny Lyons, 17, Easton, Pa., won the men’s race in 16:02, taking 90 seconds off his 2025 victory time. Anna Hawk, 15, Lehighton, Pa., was the top female in 20:28.

St. Luke’s 5k overall results: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/11383#resultSetId-646025;perpage:50

One of the oldest half marathons in the country, the St. Luke’s Half Marathon had its origin in 1977 with a full marathon organized by the Lehigh Valley Athletic Association, a predecessor to the Lehigh Valley Road Runners. It was switched to a half marathon in 1984 and has been run continuously every spring except for a canceled race in 1996 and COVID-19 cancelations in 2020 and 2021.