2nd Annual Star Wars Half Marathon conquered by Brazilian runner

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Samuel Souza Do Nascimento of Limeira, Brazil, conquered the Dark Side by winning all three events at runDisney's second largest half-marathon race weekend, titled: the 2nd Annual Star Wars Half Marathon  -- The Dark Side.

Nascimento, 28, channeled the Force to run the half marathon through Disney's Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios in just 1:07:14, crushing last year's race record of 1:13:39.  Tyler Andrews of Arlington, Va. was second (1:09:40) and Sam Montclair of Durham, N.C. was third (1:13:07).

"The thing that impressed me about this race is the overall energy of the run," said Nascimento. "Other races I have run in the past, there have been one or two people on the sideline cheering and here there is a whole different energy to it, which helped me perform at an entirely different level."

Earlier in the race weekend, Nascimento won the Stars Wars 5K and the Star Wars 10K before taking on Sunday's half marathon. When asked about winning the weekend's three racing events, Nascimento simply replied, "Mission accomplished."

Sydney Devore, 25, of Lakeland, Fla. was the first female finisher of the 13.1-mile race, setting the race record with a winning time of 1:20:15. The second-place female finisher was Jacki Wachtel of New Port Richey, Fla. (1:22:29) and third-place finisher was Georganne Watson of Gainesville, Fla. (1:25:44).

"This was a bucket list race for me, and I PR'd (set a personal record) by five minutes so I couldn't be happier with how it turned out," stated Devore. "It's a dream come true, really."

The 2nd annual Star Wars Half Marathon -- The Dark Side included a weekend of galactic family-friendly events, including the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo and the runDisney Kids Races, in addition to the Star Wars 5K, Star Wars 10K, and half marathon. The weekend also included the 19.3-mile Star Wars Dark Side challenge, completing both the Star Wars 10K and half marathon in back-to-back days.

The Star Wars Half Marathon - The Dark Side is the fourth race in runDisney's nine-race series that encompasses Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris. Next month, runners can take flight with Tinker Bell and her friends during the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend presented by PANDORA Jewelry, taking place May 11-14.