After a one-year hiatus, the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon returned to Excelsior over the weekend and Richfield's Steve Sander was the top overall finisher.

Sander completed the 18-mile course in 1:05:58. Sander, who also won the Lake Minnetonka Triathlon in 2009, recently became a dad for the first time and said Saturday's win would make his first Father's Day all the more memorable. 

"I seem to have a decent swim here every year, and the bike course is hilly enough to give me an advantage," he said. "The course is flat enough on the run so I can at least hold them off. I think the course really works well for me."

Saturday's course, which saw more than 430 athletes from throughout Minnesota and from as far away as California, Virginia and Florida, tested competitors with a half-mile swim, followed by a 14.5-mile bike ride and finally a three-mile sprint.

Congratulations to Steve Sander on his win.