Sarah Treschl, center, was motivated to run in the American Discovery Trail Marathon by her 17-year-old son, Hunter, who lost his arm in a shark attack last year. Sarah's fiancee Kyle Turke is on the left.

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Video: Marathon start ** Half start ** 10K start

The name of the race is the American Discovery Trail Marathon.

Awet Beraki, an 18-year-old Palmer High School student from Eritrea, made some discoveries there on Monday, winning the marathon in central Colorado Springs in 2 hours, 38 minutes, 18 seconds.

“It was a good race, and I’m happy to win,” Beraki said.

Though he started running seriously just two years ago, Beraki loped into America the Beautiful Park with a fresh stride and youthful bounce to his step. He is just getting started.

He clocked about 21 minutes in his first 5K, but now boasts a personal best of 17:03.

His story is unique, though he can’t recall the exact details of growing up in a country rocked by violence as soldiers there routinely battle Ethiopian forces. He says he and his family were kidnapped, though he doesn’t know by whom, and he spent much of his youth as a refugee, traveling from Eritrea to Sudan. From there he landed in Egypt before being sent to Ethiopia where he began a process for relocation and chose to come to the United States.

He said he plans to run cross country this season at Palmer High School.

Seth Kolosso, running his third marathon in as many weeks, placed second in 2:51:53. “I think it’s time to call it a season,” he said.

David Martinez, 43, of Colorado Springs, finished third 3:04:55.

Running in her first marathon, Jenae Curley, 24, of Fort Collins, took the win in 3:27:52.

“I’d done a couple of pretty strong long runs leading up to this, and I just tried to mirror those, so I started kind of conservative,” she said. “I think I passed the girl who was in first around 12 1/2 (miles.) And then I was just feeling good and keeping up my pace.”

With about eight miles to run, she knew this would be her day. “In previous runs, that has been the breaking point,” she said. “But I felt good and I ran to the finish.”

Anita Fromm, 45, of Louisville, finished second in 3:49:48, followed by Judy Flaherty, 52, of Colorado Springs in 3:50:06.

The event is a fund raiser for the Trails and Open Space Coalition, a nonprofit organization that is works to preserve open space and maintain and create trails in the region. More than 900 runners registered to participate in the marathon, half marathon and the 10K race, which was added this year.

Steve Chu, 34, Colorado Springs was untouchable in the half marathon. He hit the line in 1:22:25 with David Proffitt, 23, of Denver rolling in at 1:22:25 for second place. Kevin Ellis (29, Highlands Ranch, 1:22:42) was third.

Jen Osler, 39, Colorado Springs, captured the women’s half marathon title with a time of 1:31:17. Lauren Puretz (33, Colorado Springs, 1:31:34) and Honna Swanson (19, Lyons, 1:35:09.)

Toby Lefere and Tracy Thelen captured the wins in the 10K. Lefere (45, Colorado Springs) clocked 36:54, with Nichols Parton (30, Colorado Springs, 37:14), and Michael Moore (34, Colorado Springs, 38:22) rounding out the podium.

Thelen 37, Colorado Springs, clocked in at 42:31. Melissa Bay (40, Colorado Springs, 43:08) was second, with Amber Tong (37, Colorado Springs, 45:38) finishing third.

The event wasn’t all about running for the win. Sarah Treschl, 40, of Colorado Springs, had a better motivation. She ran the marathon for her son, Hunter, 17, who lost his arm in a shark attack in June 2015.

“This race was just one big, long prayer for him,” Sarah Treschl said. “He’s going off to college next year, so I just held him in my heart the whole way.”

Hunter, a student at Thomas MacLaren Charter School, was on vacation in North Carolina when the attack occurred. A Bull shark estimated to be about 8-feet long bit his left arm off just below his shoulder while he swam in waste-deep water about 15 yards off shore. His cousin dragged him to safety, where other beach visitors applied a tourniquet. He said he remained conscious but does not remember all that happened.

The last year has been a lesson in persistence and resiliency, Sarah said, with Hunter showing the way forward.

“Hunter has been a good role model for me,” she said. “Every time I went out for a long run, I thought of him.”