TriColumbia raised $25,000 for cancer research at Howard County General Hospital during its first-ever Iron Girl Half Marathon in downtown Columbia on Sunday.

More than 2,500 runners ages 8-75 participated in the all-female half marathon and coed 5k race, which was held to benefit the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center, according to TriColumbia.

Askale Maerachi, 25, of Washington, D.C., finished first in the half marathon with a time of 1:17:06. Columbia's own Norah MacPhee was the top 5k female finisher. She finished with a time of 22:13.

"The success of this event means so much to Howard County General Hospital and to our cancer patients," said Victor A. Broccolino, president and CEO of Howard County General Hospital.

In addition, local blogger Kristen Ghaffarian participated in the half marathon. She wrote about how despite distractions, she was able to reach her goal of finishing the race in under two hours.

TriColumbia also organizes the Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon, which will take place on Aug. 19. However, due to the popularity of the event, registration is already closed.