When Norman Mininger woke up Friday morning, he didn't have plans to run the Half on the Fourth race through Monument Valley Park. One hour, 17 minutes, 19 seconds, and a course record later, he crossed the finish line as overall race champion.

"I actually signed up this morning," 29-year-old Mininger said, moments after finishing nearly five minutes ahead of the next fastest runner, Matthew Drake, of Boulder. "It's been a trying time at work the past few weeks and I needed some stress release so I thought maybe I'll come out here, run as I hard as I can and see what happens."

Colorado Springs native Dan Egger set the course record, 1:20:44, last year, the Half on the Fourth's debut year. Mininger finished first ahead of 529 other spirited runners, many of whom were decked out in American flag shorts, patriotic face paint and Stars and Stripes bandannas.

For Mininger, who serves in the Army JAG Corps and is stationed at Fort Carson, winning the race on Independence Day made it all the more meaningful. Mininger was one of many retired and active military who ran the half marathon.

"This meant the world, yeah, that's all I can say," he said, struggling to find words to express his feelings. "It is pretty special."

Clint Knox, owner and organizer of Spree Racing, which also directs the Big Gay 5K and the Colorado Springs Half Marathon said the Half on the Fourth grew by more than 25 percent in runner registration in its second year. Knox said the idea to hold the race on the Fourth of July was a no-brainer.

"There aren't a lot of races on the Fourth and everyone has the day off," Knox said. "It's a great workout before you eat a lot of hot dogs and drink a lot of beer."

Top female finisher Kayla Regulski, visiting from Campbell, Calif., used the race as her workout before a family reunion. Regulski and runner-up Kayla LaPorte stopped to share a laugh together after they crossed the finish line, giggling and chatting as if they had known each other for years. But in reality, the two had only known each other for 13.1 miles.

Regulski, 24, finished first among women with a 1:36:08, three minutes off the record pace. The course record of 1:33:04 belongs to Kelly McCrae of Colorado Springs. Regulski said she didn't expect to be the first female finisher, and was actually slightly behind LaPorte until the very last mile.

"I was just hoping for a PR," Regulski said. "I normally don't run flat courses so I wanted to see what I could do here."

LaPorte, 26, who finished 26 seconds, said it was fun to have a talented runner like Regulski to push her toward the finish in the last mile. "She had an amazing kick at the end," LaPorte said. "It's good to have someone like that to motivate you."

Regulski said that as she passed LaPorte in the last mile, she jokingly said to her, "Come with me!"