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| West Palm Beach, Florida (December 14, 2025) — In the six days before he won the U.S. Polo Assn. Palm Beaches Marathon on Sunday, Ivan Gabriel Mafla Bolanos finished third in a marathon in the Galapagos Islands, didn’t miss a day of work at the university where he teaches in Ecuador, and traveled 15 hours to the start line in West Palm Beach. No big deal. A fresh Bolanos’ cruised home in a Boston Marathon-qualifying time of 2:37:56, five minutes and 20 seconds ahead of Wellington’s Charles Richardson (2:43:16). Simon Boudreau of Quebec, Canada (2:43:59), the 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon winner, was a close third. “I feel really, really great,” the 39-year-old Bolanos said after logging more than 50 competitive miles in those six days. “Even though I’m 39, I’m able to recover so fast. It was not my best time and I wanted to perform better. But it felt good. I like to run and it doesn’t matter where it is. I want to run all the time.” Fellow educator Teresita Granadas Solis, visting from Costa Rica, was the first woman to cross the marathon finish line, chalking up her third career marathon win and her second of 2025. Her time of 3:06:55 easily outpaced Palm Beach Gardens resident Eryn Renehan (3:19:28), who won a sprint to the finish line with Palm Beach resident Alina Morrison (3:19:36). Tyler Bernier of Singer Island (1:18:39) won the men’s half marathon while Emily Paradis of Fort Lauderdale was the top women’s finisher (1:23:55). More than 6,100 runners — an event record—came from 46 states and 29 countries to race on a flat course without hills or bridges that takes runners through the lively West Palm Beach downtown area with its historic sites and quaint neighborhoods. Temperatures were in the low 70s as runners took in the palm tree-lined waterfront and shaded city streets. New title sponsor, U.S. Polo Assn., which has a global reach of 190 countries, was instrumental in the expansion and marketing of the race this year. U.S. Polo Assn. brand products include apparel for men, women, and children, as well as accessories, watches, shoes, home furnishings, and more which are available through independent retail stores, department stores, U.S. Polo Assn. brand stores and e-commerce. “It’s been an honor and a thrill to be part of the U.S. Polo Assn. Marathon as the title sponsor,” said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO, USPA Global/U.S. Polo Assn. “Congratulations to all of the amazing winners and participants!” After his medal finish in the Crusando la-Isla Marathon last Saturday, Bolanos, was in class through Friday afternoon. It took nearly a day for him to reach Miami and jump on the Brightline to West Palm Beach. In 2025, Bolanos has run five marathons and never placed lower than third, including two first-place finishes. “When you win it’s a good feeling,” Bolanos said. “Second or third is not a good feeling. When you win it’s the greatest feeling in the world for me.” Solis was equally thrilled with her performance, flashing a wide grin as she moved around the finish line area. She is on holiday from her job as an elementary physical education teacher in Costa Rica and will be spending the rest of the month in South Florida visiting family as she trains for April’s Boston Marathon. “I feel happy and satisfied,” said Solis, who had her husband cheering her on while their daughter slept. She was making her first appearance in the U.S. Polo Assn. Palm Beaches Marathon. Bernier, a 27-year-old investment analyst who grew up in Massachusetts before moving to Singer Island, has learned to manage the humidity of South Florida. He finished 20th in 2022 in his only other Palm Beaches Marathon appearance. “I tried not to take it out too hard in the beginning and settled into a comfortable pace,” Bernier said. “I really tried to stay hydrated going in. The last couple of miles are always the toughest – I’m really happy with how things turned out. “I started running my freshman year in high school and I always loved to run, but I didn’t run in college in Virginia. Then I took a job down here and I’ve been running a lot since then. Really upped the training in the last couple of years.” Finishing behind Bernier were Daniel Viera (1:20:57) of West Palm Beach and Matthew Roeder (1:21:23) of Berwyn, Illinois. Paradis, 33, took a look at last year’s results and figured she could finish in the top five of the women’s half marathon, so a first-place finish was not a surprise in her first U.S. Polo Assn. Palm Beaches Marathon. “Yeah. My goal was top five, based on the times from last year,” said the former University of Idaho runner who now trains with the Fort Lauderdale’s LRC Club. “The middle section of the race was sorta hard when you have (six) miles to go and it is really a mental battle there.” Paradis and her husband, an American Airlines pilot, are recent transplants from Washington state. Paradis works for the Florida Attorney General’s office where she investigates unfair business practices. Wellington’s Staci Huelat (1:26:24), who led early and was fourth in this race a year ago, fell nearly three minutes off the pace to finish second behind Paradis while Yuliia Moroz (1:27:28) of Sunny Isles was third. “The one thing I appreciated was the course,” said Paradis. “It’s always nice when there’s spectators. There were a lot of people cheering, especially when I crossed the finish line.” In addition to Sunday’s USATF-certified marathon, half-marathon and a marathon relay, the two-day event featured 5K and 10K races on Saturday. Charity partners included The Quantum House, Special Olympics and Palm Beach Road Runners. “The energy and enthusiasm for this great race has been extraordinary, and today’s turnout was a testament of this support by a record number of runners,” said Kenneth R. Kennerly, Managing Director & Owner of the US Polo Assn. Palm Beaches Marathon. “In addition, having US Polo Assn. as our title sponsor has proved to take the marathon weekend to new heights, and I look forward to tremendous growth in the years ahead.” About U.S. Polo Assn. U.S. Polo Assn. is the official sports brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the largest association of polo clubs and polo players in the United States, founded in 1890 and based at the USPA National Polo Center (NPC) in Wellington, Florida. This year, U.S. Polo Assn. celebrates 135 years of sports inspiration alongside the USPA. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,200 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide. The brand sponsors major polo events around the world, including the U.S. Open Polo Championship®, held annually at NPC in The Palm Beaches, the premier polo tournament in the United States. Historic deals with ESPN in the United States, TNT and Eurosport in Europe, and Star Sports in India now broadcast several of the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., making the thrilling sport accessible to millions of sports fans globally for the very first time. U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors in the world alongside the NFL, PGA Tour, and Formula 1, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized internationally with awards for global growth. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other noteworthy media sources around the world. For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn. About The U.S. Polo Assn. Palm Beaches Marathon The U.S. Polo Assn. Palm Beaches Marathon is a premier winter running event held annually in West Palm Beach, which features a range of race distances designed for runners of all abilities, including a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a 4-person marathon relay. Highlighted by a 100% flat, USATF-certified course, the Marathon serves as a Boston Marathon qualifier. The scenic route allows runners to experience West Palm Beach’s vibrant downtown as it winds along palm-lined Flagler Drive, past historic neighborhoods, and features sparkling waterfront views. The event also supports community and charity efforts. Visit palmbeachmarathon.com. |