The weather was nearly perfect as some of the usual suspects took home first-place trophies Tuesday at 88th running of the Butte Veterans Day Race. (Results)

Spencer Fehr, Nicole Murray, Bently DeTonacour and Kherington Adams won overall titles in the 5-mile and 2.5-mile races that started and finished at the American Legion Hall. DeTonacour, a seventh grader at East Middle School, is the only first-time winner of the bunch.

Fehr, 33, from Anaconda, won the men’s overall title in the long race for the third straight year. He finished the 5-mile course in 28 minutes, 24.2 seconds.

Past champion Michael LaForest, 45, of Missoula took second in 29:22. LaForest was followed by Butte High seniors Lincoln Zell and Chales Killebrew followed at 31:23 and 31:43.

On the women’s side, Whitehall’s Nicole Murray, 55, won the race for the eighth time in nine years with a time of 31:50. That marked the 18th time Murray won the Veterans Day Race. No runner has won more titles in the race. Step Kirtley, 35, placed second at 36:02.

DeTonacour, 13, who runs cross country and plays basketball at East, won the men’s 2.5 mile race with an impressive time of 15:57. Adrian Kien, 48, took second at 19:49, and Josh Real, 25, finished third at 22:12.

Adams, 15, won the women’s 2.5-mile race for the third straight year. A sophomore who runs for Butte High, Adams finished the race in 20:42. Butte running legend Suzie Kaluza, 66, placed second at 21:14. Butte’s Amanda Casagranda, 29, took third in 23:55.

In all, 45 runners competed in Montana’s oldest road race, which was created in 1934 by two World War I veterans, C. Owen Smithers and Charlie McAuliffe. Since then, the race has been held every Veterans Day except during the World War II years between 1942-45. The event is one of the oldest races held annually in the west.

For many years, the event was started and finished in the uptown business district.

The race was primarily between athletes from the three high schools in the area, the two Butte schools and Anaconda. The start/finish line venue was changed to Naranche Stadium in 1967. It remained at this location until 1975.

The next year, in 1976, the race was opened to all runners and moved to the Flats.

The race started at Stodden Park and ended at the American Legion Hall near the Copper King Inn from 1985 through 2017.The race moved to its current location in 2018.