Promote Your Event Here in 2006!

How about your event having "top billing" right here at Houston Running?

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We'll build a banner ad, such as the one above (but make it a little bigger), and leave it at the top of this blog for the month preceding your event. (Therefore, this opportunity is limited to one event per month, doesn't involve your event expending any hard dollar and will potentially engage the readers of this blog on a monthly basis!)
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Race directors, every day there is an average of 177 visitors to this blog! To those of you who visit regularly, thank you for your loyalty! (You can click on the Site Meter icon below to see the stats for yourself!) E-mail me at walksports(at)aol.com to find out how!

Quiet in Canada; On To New Orleans

It is Tuesday morning, January 31st here in Vancouver, British Columbia. Our team flew in yesterday to begin doing work here on a 20-month project (well, for a couple of us!) However, we learned yesterday afternoon upon arrival that a workplan won't be done for a little bit and we'll be home office for a few more weeks than probably start back up here in March. (I come back home on Friday morning.)

When we landed, there was no rain and the area here, of course, is simply gorgeous! The tops of my quads were still a bit sore from Sunday's 3M Half Marathon so I didn't venture out for a run (although I should have as it is raining here right now.) I'm staying on what's know as the North Shore in North Vancouver, which yields a beautiful view of the city to the south. As we drove over Lions Gate Bridge, I was able to see the well-known Stanley Park to the right. And at dinner, I asked the waitress if she knew of any trails on the side where we are at - and since she is in Vancouver to go to school to be a personal trainer, she quickly rattled off a few.

I spent some time trying to explore running clubs here in the area and will probably spend one weekend a month up in this area this summer getting in marathons in this part of the world. The Vancouver International Marathon is the first weekend in May - the weekend after the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.

If I can get through the next two weekends, then I'll be able to pull this off then I hope.

What's the next two weekends? Well, I've decided to run both the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans on Sunday (to get my fourth state in) and then run the Surfside Beach Marathon the following Saturday. So ... two marathons within eight days! (And yes, that means I'm forgoing Freescale in Austin.) This will be a new push for me, but life is all about new experiences as long as you can do them without getting hurt.

Time to get ready for work. Ya'll have a great day!

3M Half Marathon PR! Race Report

I was up at 2:45 a.m., out the door by 3:15 a.m. and at the race site in northwest Austin right around 6 a.m. to pick up my packet for the 12th annual 3M Half Marathon. I've been wanting to do this event for the last two years since I had heard that it was a "downhill" course.

I knew that RTW regulars Russell Meyer (who took the picture) and Debbie Tripp, Striders Tim and Karen Bowler and fellow HRB member Steve Bezner were all going to be there today -- and I saw them all at one time or another.

Packet pickup went smoothly. (If you need 3M paper products, this is the race to do. Heaviest packet I've ever picked up as there was one of those heavy-duty tape dispensers in there.) I checked my personal timing chip to make sure it came up as me and went back to the truck to stay warm. It was close to 60 degrees when I left Spring; however, I decided to wear my long sleeved Penn State running shirt - and I'm glad that I did.

En route, the temperature on the truck - going across 290 - went to 38 degrees and then "Ice!" I know better about racing in central Texas that the temps dip like this. I decided to wear a pair of socks as gloves and then at about 6:35 a.m., I got out of the truck and headed to the start area. I saw Calvin and Joyce Stout of Brenham - who posted times of 1:48:55.1 and 1:53:32.3, respectively - as we all were waiting in the pre-race bathroom lines. (We also saw Ben Harvie of Kemah, who ran 1:26:43.2 to take 3rd in the 55-59 age group.)

I started way in the back as I really didn't have a plan but to just try and run well. I was using this as a gauge to see if I could handle more marathons this spring. There turned out to be 3,107 finishers and it took about 4 minutes to cross the start line. The whole race was fairly congested until the last 2-3 miles, but the start - like other big events - was no different. In the first mile, after I passed Debbie, one lady moved to the left in front of me and slowed down while I was getting a stride and I sort of said, "S***!" (not in a mean way) and she apologized. (I said I had no plan, huh?)

Mile 1 - 10:05.45
Mile 2 - 9:59.55 (20:05.00)
Mile 3 - 9:50.98 (29:55.98)
Mile 4 - 10:09.57 (40:04.55)

The first four miles, according to the elevation map, is where you go from about 800 feet above sea level, peak at 900 at mile 2 and then stay at about 880 feet before you hit the biggest descent in mile 5 and 6. I almost broke my ankle in the first mile as I think that I inadvertently stepped on one of those highway reflectors.

During this uphill portion, I think the reason why I was able to positive split in mile 2 and 3 is that I had sneaked a peak in the bookstore a couple of weeks ago at the book on Chi Running. And I had read about lining your body up almost to where you were leaning forward a bit. I employed this technique on the uphill and almost found myself running as if I were snow skiing (not that I ever had) and I found that I could move through the hill a bit faster without seeming as winded.

Mile 5 - 9:45.09 (49:49.64)
Mile 6 - 9:36.06 (59:25.70)

We had crossed one of the highways at mile 5 and then began a bit of a descent in the first part of mile 6. I had passed up the first water stop, but hit the second one around mile 3.5. During this time, I hadn't seen Debbie at all so I thought that she was staying behind me. She had run 2:30 two weeks ago at Houston so I wasn't sure how she was going to do on this day. As we made a left hand turn into a straightaway that led to the mile 6 marker, I, all of a sudden, came up along side of her and said, "Where did you come from?" I pushed on past her and picked up my pace as I saw the mile 6 sign ahead and cups in the road - a sign that I needed to get fluid in me to fight off being dehydrated (even in the cooler temps).

Debbie and I enjoy some friendly competition, but once I got home I e-mailed her worrying that I sounded rude. (Yes, I'm a little competitive out there when I have the gas in me.)

.2 to 10K - 2:21.19 (1:01:46.89)
.35 to Half - 3:56.86 (1:05:43.75)

The two-tenths of a mile included the water stop so it reflects an 11-minute per mile pace. I was taking four minutes off of the display clock so I knew that my time for the 10K was about 1:01 (which I was OK with). I was feeling pretty good until I hit the half way point at 6.55 miles. Even though I crossed it in 1:05:43.75, Debbie and a pacer that she had passed me at that point.

I got a little discouraged. We made a right, a left and another right that put us on a long street that was an incline that passed the mile 7 marker. After making the turn, I saw Debbie about 50-70 yards ahead of me and I thought to myself, "Maybe this isn't going to be my day." I started to question whether I had it in me to try and go catch her (since I didn't look at the course map to know where I maybe could have caught her.) But since I didn't expect to race anybody, I wouldn't have done this.

.45 to Mile 7 - 2:40.45 (1:08:24.20)
Mile 7 - 8:58.50 (short)

Finally I decided to mount an attack and there was the little voice inside of me going, "Not today." So I used the forward lean and really mowed down the incline to the mile 7 marker. The mile came through as 8:58.50, which was possible I guess but I think it was short. (So did a couple of runners to the right of me.) Many of Austin's streets have a noticeable camber. I tried to run in the middle of a two-lane street as much as I could.

Mile 8 - 10:13.65 (long; 1:18:37.85)
Mile 9 - 9:59.51 (1:28:36.36)
Mile 10 - 10:20.15 (1:38:58.51)

I was still running strong in these miles even though my mile 10 is where I started to slip a little bit. However, I knew that at 10 miles that it was just a 5K to go and that the 1:38:58.51 was about three minutes better than Pearland almost two months earlier.

Running in the middle of the street, I also realized from a racing perspective that I gave Debbie the opportunity to see where I was the entire time without me knowing where she was.

Mile 11 - 10:59.65 (1:48:58.16)
Mile 12 - 10:30.04 (1:59:28.20)
Mile 13 - 10:48.88 (2:11:17.08)
Last .1 - 53.22 (2:12:10.30)

The last three miles I started to fatigue. Even though this was a "net downhill" course, there were also a lot of long steady inclines. After the mile 10 marker, you had a quick downhill burst, but when you turned the corner to the left there was a steep hill (much like the 11th St. hill in Parkersburg, West Virginia). I walked through a quarter of it and then slogged through the rest.

Also my back began to hurt, especially right in the middle down low. This has flared up on Thursday when I was running the trails at Huntsville State Park with Ken Johnson.

I didn't walk that much, but I thought about the comment that Lance Collins has always made about not being in condition to run the pace that you chose when you have to walk. And again, I didn't intend to hammer it today but when I saw Debbie having a great day, I followed suit. I took on a little bit more fluid and it was really more of being dehydrated to the point that it started to sap my strength a little bit.

Near 12.8 miles, after going up a slight hill crossing 15th St. all the way to 12th St. where you made the last right hand turn towards the downhill finish, I saw Steve Bezner, who was waiting on his brother, Justin, to come in. I gave him a "high five", turned the corner and then tried to pick up the pace the last .3 of a mile as I didn't know where Debbie was.

I had fully expected her during the last two miles to come out of the blue and pass me.

There was one block that had a downhill, then it was flat as you crossed the street and then another downhill where you passed the mile 13 marker, turned right and then made a dash to the finish line.

I waited until I got in the middle of the second downhill before I looked over my shoulder to the left to see where Debbie was. Regardless of whether I saw her, I ran as fast as I could towards the finish line so that she wouldn't catch me down the stretch (a la Cassie, Stacy and Whitney).

I succeeded! I had a 2:12:06.5 PR! (2:12:10 on my watch) Debbie crossed the line 34 seconds later and I ended up with about a 45-second chip time edge. However, in the last three miles, I gave away that elusive 2:10:59, which represents just under 10 minutes per mile for a half!

Yes, I PR'd, but I really didn't feel like I deserved it because of the "net downhill" course. The uphill stretches often left you wondering, "Where in the hell is this downhill course?" In the early parts of the run, it felt like I was running on May 1st in Lincoln, Nebraska the day after I set the PR that I broke today.

I was expecting more of a pronounced downhill and to be honest, I feel better about my 2:20 at the Huntsville Half in October and 2:21 at Motive Bison Stampede in Austin in November then I do about this one.

I got my medal, got some food (banana, cookies and water) and I saw Russell (who was second overall of all Clydesdale runners), Tim, Karen (who took first in the 55-59 age group) and Steve (who hadn't found his brother yet).

While standing in line for the bus to take the shuttle back to the parking area, I had an excellent conversation with San Marcos' Gina Moore, who was wearing a 50 States Marathon Club hat. When I saw it, I asked her if she had gotten it or was working on it. She responded that she had done it once and was 27 states into her second round. I told her that I remembered her being featured in the Dallas Morning News last year. She explained that she moved to San Marcos for family reasons and that she was really getting involved with the San Marcos Running club (which puts on the nice Country Roads 10K in September). We had a "great" conversation on the bus and she indicated that she was lining things up to be able to run her 110th marathon at the 110th running of the Boston Marathon in April.

On the drive home, I learned a lot driving through Manor as I gleaned information off of two (2) display signs. I didn't know that it was the Chinese New Year as the Manor HS sign told me and then I pondered the meaning of February being Dental Month on the sign at the Veternarian. Do the animals know that it is? (Perhaps running 13.1 miles causes you to think of such things.)

Good day, solid performance, great time around friends! It's 11:30 p.m. and I have until midnight to sign up for the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans next Sunday.

What will I do? Come back later and find out.

Run The Woodlands 5K #146 Race Report

With 127 runners, a new all-time attendance record, I've spent a good bit of the day (after breakfast with Dave Smart, Holden Choi and Cassie Cowan at Denny's and Waverly's basketball game) putting together the official results for Run The Woodlands 5K #146.

It's 8:00 p.m. and I need to get to bed before getting up to drive over and run the 3M Half Marathon in Austin tomorrow morning. (Yes, I know. I can hear you calling me "Psycho!" already.) Before I do, though, congratulations to Team In Training - The Woodlands' Bill Dwyer and Woodlands Fit's Rich Cooper for spearheading an effort to smash RTW's all-time attendance mark of 90, which was set on August 11, 2001. (Gentleman: Thank you!)

The most comprehensive race writeup in Texas road racing can be found here: http://www.walksports.com/tx0128a.htm.

You'll see that Dave led the way for the Houston Running Bloggers and I officially stunk up the joint with a 29:45. (Just wasn't ready to turn the gears on the fast stuff today.) It was good to see Rick Cook, as he gets ready for the Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler next Saturday (and Sunday).

My time splits, which I'm looking at just before I enter them here, are as follows:

Mile 1 -- 9:09.29
Mile 2 -- 9:46.39 (18:55.68)
Mile 3 -- 9:56.09 (28:51.77)
Last .1 -- 53.58

Final -- 29:45.35

I'll update the Houston Running Bloggers RC club blog tomorrow with everyone's times, but Lisa PR'd at the Texas Med 5K and Edwin PR'd at Angleton's Spectacle Spectacular 10K.

One funny story, though, before I call it a night.

Rick performed the club's "Leave No Blogger Behind" duties as he met me - the last blogger today - at the entrance to the driveway of Barbara Bush Elementary. As we're running, one gentleman made a comment about seeing him again. Rick said that he had already finished and one runner, who I guess already had finished, said something to him like, "Hey, why didn't you pace me?" I told Rick, something to the effect of, "She should start a blog and join the club" and he jokingly said to me, "Yeah, $10 will buy you a pacer all year long!"

Jill (Boston), Joe (Breda) and Cassie, have great rides at the Frost Bike 50 tomorrow!

Thursday Run and Miscellanous Information

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week went to the dogs! I got nothing done exercise or running wise. I'm enjoying a little work downtime before I start this project next week in Vancouver, British Columbia, but I missed an opportunity in the timing of some e-mails of going and running up at Huntsville State Park on Wednesday with others in the Seven Hills Running Club.

In the early morning exchange of e-mails on Thursday, president Ken Johnson said that he was going to be out and starting to do the 6.7-mile loop at about 3:30 p.m. I met him outside the park, rode in on his Texas State Parks pass and got started shortly thereafter. We had a good run. While we were there, we saw Stan Timmer of Luke's Locker and his wife, Jana, as well as other club members Robert Duncan and Hans Jaegar.

After the run, I stopped in at Luke's in The Woodlands just to make sure everything was covered for Saturday morning and Run The Woodlands 5K #146. Our biggest concern is parking. I have to go by later today, on Friday, and find out how many cars the lot will hold. (This is a good problem to be thinking about!)

I then stopped at Bally's in The Woodlands and nailed an hour on the stationery bike at the random, level 18 setting.

As far as the Houston Running Bloggers RC are concerned, we got our first interested running blogger after the Jerry Smith HARRA e-mail went out today. We're hoping to see our information in the "Affiliated Clubs" area soon once webmaster Geoff Guenther get the opportunity to update it.

Best blog post of yesterday had to belong to one of our newest members (and blogger) Joe Carey. Somehow Joe found me in the listing on the Half2Run.com web site for running half marathons in 10 states and made reference to that; however, the most hilarious comment was as follows: "If this was Jon's blog, there would be all kinds of other data and fun facts about the top runners competing in the half marathon challenge. But it's not Jon's blog so this is all you get." I haven't laughed so hard this early in the morning in quite some time! Thanks Joe!

Coming soon on this blog: An update on the 14 runners signed up for the Rocky Raccoon 100 next weekend that have a chance at capturing the Texas Trilogy.

Next up on the Houston Running Bloggers RC blog will be a pre-Rocky Raccoon 100 interview with one of HRB's own, Dalton Pulsipher, on his quest for his 10th straight RR 100!

SHSU's Houstonian feature on 7 Hills Running Club

Twenty-Six Miles: Take a look into the 7 Hills Running Club at www.7hills.us
By: Shawn Farrell
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Features
(c) Sam Houston State University's Houstonian Online, 2006

Twenty miles into a marathon, it is not uncommon for participants' toenails to tear away from their feet. Nipples bleed from open blisters and competitors can seizure or even die from hyponatremia, a condition triggered by excessive water consumption. Heat strokes and even stress fractures are a common feature in a race spanning 26.2 miles. Ken Johnson of Huntsville knows this all too well. He's run them 27 times.

"I never thought I'd run a marathon before I did my first," explained 64-year-old Johnson. "I just run everyday to make myself run. It's kind of like quitting smoking. You kind of go cold turkey and stick with it everyday."

Ken has finished somewhere over 300 running races in his career. When it comes to marathons, though, Johnson has technically only completed 17 26.2-mile races. The other 10 are known as ultra-marathons; races composed of 31-miles in length. These races have had their share of tragedies. It is not uncommon for a person to die under the stress of a 26.2 miles competition. Johnson has been a witness of this twice; once during the Sunmart race when a 62-year-old man died right in front of him and another during the Huntsville Half-Marathon in which the a Houston police officer died 12 miles into the race. The HPD deputy was only 45. Johnson directed that race and rode in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. A third passenger was the officer's close friend, who has since joined Johnson's running club and become a good friend.

"Hans Jaegar and I went to the emergency room together as well as his friend's funeral," said Johnson. "We became good friends after that."

Hans soon became a member of Ken Johnson's running association in Huntsville, the 7 Hills Running Club. Hans became a perfect example of the club's dedication to an assorted membership. After every workout, Hans inhales his own type of energy drink. Most Americans just call it beer. The club was started in 1985 with only a handful of members but has since reached a membership of 127 people.

"It's a real diverse group in terms of sex, age and running capabilities," said Johnson. "We have a lot of Sam Houston students. The club was meant to accommodate everybody."

The retired Texas Department of Criminal Justice employee officially began his never-ending running spree not by choice but because he was commanded to in the Army. A former Lieutenant Colonel at Fort Hood, Johnson's commanding general was a marathon runner and scheduled races for every week. The year was 1983. From that day forth, Johnson has strained to run at least one mile a day. Even while sick with the flu, Ken would stumble out of bed and challenge himself to run yet another mile. Sometimes, though, the body just says "NO."

"In December 2002, I had appendicitis," Johnson explained. "I was in the hospital for four days and had eight days of stitches. I was just two weeks short of five years without a running break."

On Johnson's bookshelf is a binder containing scores of running results, pictures from races and autographs of famous distance runners he's met along the way. One picture, he pointed out, was autographed by Frank Shorter, Olympic marathon winner in the 1972 Summer Olympic games in Munich, Germany and last American to win in the marathon event. Beside this folder sits a book he authored himself titled "How to Put on a Road Race." His book sells in every state and is currently sold out.

Johnson's older brother has obtained the running habit alongside his younger sibling as well. At 74-years-old, Ken's brother can run 3.1 miles in under 21 minutes and 6.2 miles in less than 50 minutes.

As for Johnson, he has no real goals in mind. On Feb. 11, he plans to run his 28th marathon along the ocean at Surfside Beach in Lake Jackson. It's 13.1 miles up the beach and another 13.1 on the way back. If it's raining, he'll still be out there. Pain or illness doesn't seem to shake Johnson's resolve. He'll tackle this race like he's tackled every other. The close of his marathon calling is nowhere in sight.

12th annual HCHS Sunday Bowl Run for Kids (2/5/2006)

12th annual Sunday Bowl Run Set for February 5, 2006

The 12th annual Sunday Bowl Run will be held at 2 p.m. on February 5, 2006 at Houston Christian High School. This year will be the third time the event is held at HCHS. The first nine races were held at Stratford High School in the Spring Branch school district and were initially open to runners 14 years and younger. The event is now open to runners of all ages.

The 1-mile run will be divided into several heats, according to age:

Heat A: 5-7 years
Heat B: 8-10 years
Heat C: 11-14 years
Heat D: 15 years and above

Additional races may be added, depending on the number of entries. Parents are invited to run with younger runners. All races start and finish on the HCHS track.

The primary purpose of the run is to get kids and adults out doing something on a day when many would just spend the entire time sitting in front of a television set. Another tradition of the run is to give everyone who finishes the race a gold medal, emphasizing the point that there are many more benefits to running than just winning.

Be sure to stay around after the race as there will be drawings for prizes, mostly donated by Houston Christian High School and by Finish Strong Sports, a local running store.

To register for the Sunday Bowl Run, click here, print and complete form, and mail to Dave Jantzen, Houston Christian High School, 2700 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N., Houston, TX 77043.

The early registration fee is $4; late registration fee is $5 (day of race). For more information about the fun run, call 713-580-6086 (day) or 281-589-0824 (evening).

RRCA Convention / Bayou City Classic 10K Update

Two of the USA's finest young runners, Trent Briney and Mike Morgan, will be attending the 2006 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Convention in Houston this March and will be competing in the associated HEB Bayou City Classic 10K, the RRCA 10K National Championship for 2006.

Both Briney and Morgan are winners of prestigious RRCA Roads Scholars stipends given to emerging national distance running stars to support their running careers. Previous winners include Olympics competitors Deena Kastor (1997) and Dan Browne.

Trent Briney: Trent, 27, lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan and trains with the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project. He ran 2:12:34 at the 2004 US Olympic Marathon Trials and was an alternate for the Athens Olympic Games. After winning the Roads Scholar stipend, Trent told the RRCA, "It gives me a great opportunity to be a role model for younger people. I enjoy showing them what dedication, dreams, work ethic, and never giving up can do for them. I like to set an example of the type of character that will enable their passion or passions in life to bloom."

Mike Morgan: Mike is a 25-year-old runner originally from Lincoln, Nebraska who joined the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project in August 2005. Early in 2005, Mike ran 1:04:48 at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Houston, Texas, but most recently ran 17th in 30:02 at the Food World Senior Bowl Charity 10K in Alabama and then two weeks later was part of Hanson-Brooks' win (running 31:01) at the USATF's Club 10K Cross Country Championships in New York in November. Mike also told the RRCA back in June, "Running has had a positive affect for me physically, socially, and psychologically." Mike's favorite workout consists of a two mile warm-up followed by eight miles of negative split running, starting at 6 minute pace and working down to a 4:45 per mile pace. "This workout is as tough as nails, but it is something that I can fall back on mentally and physically when I am hurting late in a race."

Full information and easy online registration for the RRCA Convention is available at www.rrcahouston06.org, while the same can be accessed for the HEB Bayou City Classic 10k at www.bayoucityclassic.org.

(This release, issued originally through the HARRA e-mail list, was updated with links and information by this site.)

It's Official! Houston Running Bloggers now HARRA-Affiliated

(This e-mail message was written by HARRA president Tom Stilwell.)

From: "Jerry L. Smith" <jlsmith@duke-energy.com>
Date : Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:10:23 -0600
Subject : HARRA E-mail List: Houston Running Bloggers
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From HARRA member and Blogger president Jon Walk,

Do you run? Do you blog? Are you a running blogger? Well there is a brand new club just for you -- The Houston Running Bloggers!

Their brand new website is http://www.houstonrunningbloggers.com/, which will also take you to the club blog! This unique club has its own membership, while encouraging running bloggers to maintain their memberships in other clubs. But why would you want to? They've already instituted their inclusive philosophy of "leaving no blogger behind" at any race, and stand ready to help cheer and support members from first to last throughout the HARRA Series.

The first year officers are Jon Walk (President), Edwin Quarles (Vice President, member of BARRA), Cassie Cowan (Secretary, member of Striders), Sarah Graybeal (Treasurer, local race photographer and webmaster of rrcahouston06.org convention site).

Anyone can join, but you must have a blog to have a voice in club matters. The Houston Running Bloggers Philosophy: Contribute positively to the sport of running in the greater Houston area and bring attention to blogging as a means to document training and racing experiences and support and encourage fellow runners.

Surfside Beach Marathon (and Half) Registration Full!

Race director Daryl Beatty announced this morning via the HARRA e-mail list that registration for the ConocoPhillips Surfside Beach Marathon and Half Marathon is now closed!

Daryl reported that there are over 300 runners from 20 states and Ireland that will be running on Saturday morning, February 11, 2006 on Surfside Beach.

2005 RRCA Southern Region Award Winners Announced

Texas clubs were well represented in a recent announcement by Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Southern Region Director Ken Bendy.

The following individuals and clubs were selected as 2005 RRCA Southern Region Award winners and will compete for national honors leading up to the 49th annual RRCA National Convention that will be hosted by the Houston Striders in Houston on March 8-12, 2006.

Outstanding State Rep - Ron Macksoud - (Alabama)
Club Writer of the Year – Gregory LaMothe – Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers (N. Texas)
Best Large Club Newsletter - Knoxville Track Club (Tennessee) “Footnotes” - Michael DeLisle - Editor
Best Medium Club Newsletter - Houston Striders (South Texas) - “Stridelines” – Lee Baughman - Editor
Best Small Club Newsletter - Peachtree City Running Club (Georgia) – “Legacy” – Rene Flaherty – Editor
Male Runner of the Year – Mark Miller - Lake Grapevine Runners & Walkers (N. Texas)
Male Masters Runner of the Year - John Metzgar - Florida Striders Track Club (N. Florida)
Female Masters Runner of the Year - Patty Stewart-Garbrecht - Florida Striders Track Club (N. Florida)

The following individuals and clubs earned 2005 Southern Region RRCA Jerry Little Memorial Journalism Awards Honorable Mention recognition:

Large Club Newsletter
Space Coast Runners (S. Florida) – “The Space Coast Runner”
Medium Club Newsletter
Florida Striders Track Club (N. Florida) - “StrideRight"
Small Club Newsletter
Bradenton Runners Club (S. Florida) – “NewsMakers”
Amelia Island Runners (N. Florida) – “Runners Hi”
South Fulton Running Partners (Georgia) – (Unnamed)
Salisbury Rowan Runners (N. Carolina) – (Unnamed )
Montgomery Track & Running Club (Alabama) – Second Wind
Daytona Beachcombers (N. Florida) – “The Beachcomber” (Web based Newsletter)

Club Writer of the Year
Kevin Wessels – Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers – (N. Texas)
Bill Pennington – Amelia Island Runners (N. Florida)
Jay Birmingham – Florida Striders (N. Florida)
Lynnae Thandiew – South Fulton Running Partners (Georgia)
Lilonga Thandiew – South Fulton Running Partners (Georgia)
Bob Holmes – South Fulton Running Partners (Georgia)
Charlotte Simmons – South Fulton Running Partners (Georgia)
Janita Poe – South Fulton Running Partners (Georgia)
Jack McDermott – Gulf Winds Track Club (N. Florida)
Michael SeLisle – Knoxville Track Club (Tennessee)
John Yoder - Houston Striders (South Texas)
Rachel Guenther – Houston Area Road Runners Association (South Texas)
Brian Hickey – Dothan Runners Club (Alabama)
Ron Macksoud – Montgomery Track & Running Club (Alabama)
Nancy Beale – Montgomery Track & Running Club (Alabama)

Marathoning: Fringe or Extreme Sport?

Apparently that is what the folks at the Victoria (Tx.) Advocate classify it as.

At the bottom of a really nice story in Monday's paper about Victoria's Missy Janzow, who ran 3:33:53 to qualify for Boston the second year in a row, the following appears:

"Billy Mau covers fringe and extreme sports for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6538 or email him at bmau@vicad.com."

Somebody has to be joking, right?

Frisbee golf? Fringe sport. Marathoning? Mainstream.

I'm hoping that Billy normally covers soap box derby, inline skating or something for the Advocate, everybody else had the day off and/or that the person laying the page out just copied Billy's address and phone number from an older column.

If not, well I'm not quite sure what to think.

(Actually, I e-mailed Billy at the same time Monday night that I was preparing this post and Billy responded via e-mail today on Tuesday. Here's his response.)

"The definition of fringe out here is a little fuzzy. Basically everything that isn't football/baseball/basketball/golf is "fringe" or "extreme" depending on the sport. While marathoning may not be truly fringe, it isn't exactly mainstream either. Some would also argue that running 26 miles is pretty extreme, but that's neither here nor there.

"I generally would rather write about the moto-cross riders out here for my column, but this one was kind of dropped on me from above.

"Thanks for taking the time to ask the question though. I grew up in Conroe (even wrote for the Courier briefly) and it's good to hear from folks in that general area."

Billy Mau

Almost 200 Up For Possible Marathons of Texas Award

The answer is 196.

The question is: "How many people still have a shot of obtaining the Brooks race jacket to be given out by the folks (with the Austin Marathon Foundation) who put together the Marathons of Texas award?"

The list of folks who have already done both the White Rock Marathon and the Chevron Houston Marathon goes all the way from elite Masters runner Albina Gallymova, 41, from Russia to 69-year-old The Woodlands native Lou Wilson and 59-year-old Agnes Richardson from Carrollton.

These 196 runners not only have to run the Freescale Austin Marathon on February 19th, but also know about the promotion, find the web site and the e-mail address and send their results and information in.

146 men and 50 women have completed the first two (2) marathons.

The women are distributed across the following age groups: 20-24 (1), 25-29 (7), 30-34 (8), 35-39 (6), 40-44 (14), 45-49 (8), 50-54 (5) and 55-59 (1). The men are as follows: 20-24 (1), 25-29 (8), 30-34 (16), 35-39 (18), 40-44 (33), 45-49 (25), 50-54 (23), 55-59 (11), 60-64 (4), 65-69 (5), 70 and over (2).

Runners from nine (9) states have done both: Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Delaware, Mississippi, Minnesota, Florida and Colorado. It is no surprise either that most of the runners from Texas hail from the cities and/or suburban areas of Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin or San Antonio. However, San Angelo, Corpus Christi, McAllen, Plainview and Weslaco are also represented as well.

103 of the 196 runners ran the Chevron Houston Marathon faster than the White Rock Marathon. Meanwhile, 23 runners qualified for Boston in both races -- including Bayou City Road Runners' Jacob Tonge and Jim Braden as well as The Woodlands' (and RTW regular) Vincent Attanucci.

Nine (9) qualified at Houston after missing the standard at White Rock. This group's honoree should be Lewisville's Don Harrison, 46, who missed the 3:30 standard with a 3:33:57 showing but barely snuck in with a 3:30:59 chip time in Houston. Another eight (8) runners -- including the co-founder of the new Pearland Area Running Club, 29-year-old Cassie Dimmick (3:40:09) -- qualified at White Rock and didn't need to worry about their performance at the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Help Break 100 at Run The Woodlands 5K on Saturday

While there are two other fine events going on in the greater Houston area on Saturday (the Texas Med 5K and Angleton's Spectacle Spectacular 5K/10K), there's one very good chance to be part of a record-setting event!

That is, if attendance for Run The Woodlands 5K goes over 100 for the first time ever. The previous record of 90 was set back on August 11, 2001! (Read about it here!)

Bill Dwyer and Tracy MacEwan of Team In Training TEAM Woodlands will be hosting - as part of Run The Woodlands 5K #146 - a friendly TEAM competition and reunion run for all six (6) Team In Training areas in attendance -- Clearlake, Sugarland, West Houston, Kingwood, Memorial Park and The Woodlands.

"Scoring will be the best three times from each group added together," Bill stated. "You do not have to declare your team ahead of time. We will take the first three from each group for awards."

Categories and awards for the TNT Team competition will be as follows:

+ Fall/Winter Participants - top three teams (if you ran Nike, Marine Corps, Hawaii, Arizona or Houston this is your category)
+ Alumni - top three teams ( if you have done a TNT event...ever, this is your category )
+ Woodlands Rebels - One award - three to score - ( guest runners who have not done a TNT event who have helped our program ).

The TNT Individual competition will be as such:

+ Mentors - you worked hard all year, now show us how fast you are - awards to top three
+ Coaches - awards to top three
+ Walkers - awards to top three

Bill states that while the Run The Woodlands 5K entry fee is just a dollar that he has some two for one coupons for Skeeter's Breakfast buffet (which will keep breakfast afterwards at about $5, for those interested.) Luke's Locker, which directs the event, will have their entire staff on hand, including The Woodlands store manager Susie Schreiber (who qualified for Boston again at the Chevron Houston Marathon last Sunday). HARRA president Tom Stilwell has also been invited to attend.

I learned at the Marathon Expo that is it possible that one of Houston's five fastest men - one who has never participated in a Run The Woodlands 5K - may be in attendance on Saturday.

9 Runners Secure 2007 Houston Marathon Invited Runner Status

Nine (9) runners at the 2006 edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon ran well enough to meet qualifying standards that earned them invited runner status for the event's 35th running in 2007.

Two of the female runners - The Woodlands' Nancy Prejean and Houston's Christie Lammers - met their standards by more than 23 and 15 minutes, respectively. Diana Hirst, who ran just over 3 hours last January, met the 2007 qualifying standard by 18 seconds, finishing in 2:59:42.

Six (6) of the nine ran as invited runners in 2006 - all but Drew Prisner, Hirst and Carole Uttecht - while Lammers actually earned her status as 2005's top local finisher in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. The half marathon was not a local elite qualifying event for the 2007 races. The full list is as follows:

Open Male (Lower than 2:35:00)

Drew Prisner, 33, Houston, 2:32:44

Open Female (Lower than 3:00:00)

Diana Hirst, 31, Houston, 2:59:42

40-49 Male (Lower than 2:49:42)

Bernie Weber, 48, Houston, 2:46:22

40-49 Female (Lower than 3:15:11)

Christie Lammers, 49, Houston, 2:59:54

50-59 Male (Lower than 3:02:47)

Steve Brammer, 52, Katy, 2:58:44

50-59 Female (Lower than 3:32:11)

Carole Uttecht, 50, Houston, 3:29:09

60-69 Male (Lower than 3:19:09)

Kenneth Ruane, 64, Orange, 3:18:11

60-69 Female (Lower than 3:54:33)

Nancy Prejean, 60, The Woodlands, 3:30:38

70 & over Male (Lower than 3:41:18)

Jim Braden, 70, The Woodlands, 3:39:39

A Rainy Sunday ... Leads to the Gym

I rarely tackle too many other subjects in this blog other than running, but today is an exception.

Yes! A good year for Pennsylvania football continues!

First, it was Penn State's 11-1 run and triple overtime win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl and now the Pittsburgh Steelers return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995 to attempt to win their 5th Super Bowl against, most likely, the Seattle Seahawks. (I would have loved to have seen Jim Zorn to Steve Largent in their hey dey in the Super Bowl!)

The Houston Texans will announce this week that former Houston St. Pius X (and Texas A&M) quarterback Gary Kubiak will be their new head coach. (That autographed A&M football from Kubiak's playing days I guess will go up in value now!) I had a chance to visit with Gary a couple of summers ago during a football clinic that he attended at St. Pius X on behalf of current athletic director and head football coach Robin Kirk. Class act, nice guy and he'll get the job done once they replace Charlie Casserly as the GM.

And finally it may be time to become a Baltimore Orioles baseball fan and it isn't because of Kris Benson. Needless to say that his wife Anna doesn't need the kind of help that Jeff Bagwell's first wife, Shaune Bagwell, did/does. She's still using Bagwell's last name and it hasn't helped her unless you call wearing a goldenpalace.com tattoo after an e-bay auction a worthy thing to aspire to.

OK, back to running! The plan once again was to get up early and run this morning before going to church on my Dad's birthday. But an early bed time (like before 8:30 p.m.) caused me to be back up from about midnight until 5 a.m. and it was back to bed.

After getting back from church, I was determined to watch the Steelers against the Denver Broncos. I did until the Steelers had the game in hand with a 24-10 lead when I headed off to Bally's in The Woodlands. I got there just before 4:30 p.m. and I hit the treadmill. The goal today was just some nice and steady miles. And that is what I got!

80 minutes at 5.0 mph (it seems faster than that) but the meter said 6.67 miles when I finished. The legs seemed a little dead, but I mentally fought through the will to go to the elliptical machine or the bike to get in the hour and 20 minutes.

I got on one of the treadmills that allowed me to read a couple of magazines. I have been taking some older sports magazines with me. Today, I took the October 30, 1978 edition of Sports Illustrated that covered the New York City Marathon and featured the winner(for the third straight time), Bill Rodgers, on the cover.

It was less about the race that year than the changes that had transpired since its start in 1970. In its third year of running through all five boroughs, 1978 was the first year that runners had the entire upper deck of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to run on. It was also the first marathon for Norway's Grete Waitz, who had only run 20 kilometers prior to that race. (However, wearing bib #1173, she won in 2:32:30 setting a new women's world record -- by two minutes.)

Some other interesting facts found that 1,110 women had entered the 1978 race up from 88 in 1976. The article also revealed that runners only took three (3) ceremonial steps into the Bronx after crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge from Manhattan before spinning around a light pole and returning immediately to Manhattan. And the last paragraph read as follows:

"Waitz revealed her own sense of the marathon. "I don't know if I'll ever do one of these again," she said."

Well, of course, Waitz would win NYC eight of the next 10 years.

46 Complete 2006 Greater Houston 26.2 Double

Forty-six (46) runners completed the Greater Houston 26.2 Double when they finished the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday two weeks after running the Texas Marathon in Kingwood on New Year's Day.

Leading the way in the lowest overall combined time was 45-year-old Kingwood native Roane Thorpe. He completed the Texas Marathon in 3:40:42 and the Chevron Houston Marathon in 3:27:58 for a combined time of 7:08:41.

The women were led by another Kingwood native, 40-year-old Jacqueline O'Brien-Nolen. She ran a total combined time of 7:25:35 that was split between Kingwood in 3:50:27 and Houston in 3:35:08.

17-year-old Amanda Hayley of The Woodlands was the youngest participant to do both (in 8:52:01) while the most grizzled veteran was Spring's 73-year-old Ray Boytim. He did both in a combined time of 11:04:52.

Overall it brought to the total number of runners to 217 who have completed the Greater Houston 26.2 Double in the last five years. Here are each year's total number of finishers with the fastest male and female runner:

2006 -- 46 (Roane Thorpe, 45, M, 7:08:41; Jacqueline O'Brien-Nolen, 40, F, 7:25:35)
2005 -- 50 (John Yoder, 33, M, 5:48:13; Suzy Seeley, 45, F, 6:54:48)
2004 -- 65 (Ryan Loehding, 31, M, 5:53:52; Sheila Carmody, 37, F, 6:53:56)
2003 -- 39 (Bill Schroeder, 40, M, 5:46:23; Suzy Seeley, 43, F, 7:19:18)
2002 -- 17 (Robert King, 40, M, 6:06:55; Gloria Mahoney, 50, F, 8:03:05)

The top 10 all-time men's and women's best combined times are as follows:

6:53:36 - Sheila Carmody, 2004, The Woodlands, 37
6:54:48 - Suzy Seeley, 2005, Spring, 45
6:58:54 - Lisa Tilton-McCarthy, 2004, Houston, 37
7:00:37 - Suzy Seeley, 2004, Spring, 44
7:11:58 - Kelly Vowles, 2005, The Woodlands, 30
7:16:48 - Jacqueline O'Brien-Nolen, 2004, Kingwood, 38
7:19:18 - Suzy Seeley, 2003, Spring, 43
7:25:35 - Jacqueline O'Brien-Nolen, 2006, Kingwood, 40
7:30:18 - Yong Collins, 2005, Houston, 50
7:35:06 - Arburn Cain, 2004, Sugar Land, 35

5:46:23 - Bill Schroeder, 2003, Kingwood, 40
5:48:13 - John Yoder, 2005, Houston, 33
5:53:52 - Ryan Loehding, 2004, Sugar Land, 31
5:56:13 - John Yoder, 2003, Houston, 31
6:06:55 - Robert King, 2002, Porter, 40
6:18:10 - Gary Kutscher, 2002, Kingwood, 42
6:20:23 - Robert King, 2004, Porter, 42
6:25:17 - David Kinder, 2002, Pasadena, 44
6:41:34 - Victor Aguirre, 2005, Houston, 53
6:41:50 - Mark Fraser, 2005, Houston, 48

Who has performed the Greater Houston 26.2 Double multiple times?

5 - Ray Boytim (Spring)+, Rene Villalobos (Fort Worth)+, Steve Boone (Humble)+
4 - Evan Groutage (Houston), Suzy Seeley (Spring)+
3 - Dave Duston (Kingwood)+, Gloria Mahoney (Kingwood), Jacqueline O'Brien-Nolen (Kingwood)+, Jim Saunders (Kingwood), Morgan Lusby (Houston), Patrick Snyder (Houston), Peter Birckhead (Houston), Richard Jares (Santa Fe), Robert Lott, Jr. (League City),
2 - Andy McCartney (Aledo)+, Brian Jenison (Houston), Charles Scheibe (Houston), Elsa Kuehl (Kingwood), Fred Ward (Houston), German Collazos (Houston), Gerry Simpson (Houston), Grant Hodges (Sugar Land)+, Harris Argo (Sugar Land)+, Jim Reeve (South Padre Island), Joe Barry (Houston)+, John Yoder (Houston), Kelly Vowles (The Woodlands)+, Lisa Tilton-McCarthy (Houston), Lou Wilson (The Woodlands)+, Meg Oswald (Kingwood), Michelle Wolpert (Houston), Mike Huff (Houston), Nicolas Meza (Houston), Rebecca Watkins (Kingwood), Rick Worley (Humble), Roane Thorpe (Kingwood), Robert King (Porter), Steven (Doug) Steinmetz (Houston), Vincent Kowalski (Houston), Wes Monteith (Pasadena), Yong Collins (Houston)+

+ currently streaking

97 Complete All Five HARRA Fall Series Individual Races

97 runners completed the five (5) individual races, that includes last Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon, which make up the Houston Area Road Runners Association's (HARRA) Fall Series.

The competitors covered 82.7 miles in the United Space Alliance 10-Miler, the Luke's Locker / Koala Health & Wellness Centers 20K, the Houston Masters Sports Association Classical 25K, the Houstonian Lite 30K and the Chevron Houston Marathon.

With the only sub 3-hour marathon of any runner on Sunday completing all five events, Houston's Tommy King used his 2:53:53 chip time to pass the Tornados' Francisco Perez, 40, into the top spot. Perez was able to hold on to second place and the Masters' overall win by just 17 seconds over HMSA's Larry Tidwell.

The women's field held close to form throughout the marathon as Houston Harriers' Suzanne Day and the Houston Striders' Jackie Connelly stayed in first and second after the 25K. Sara Collazos had held on to second until Connelly charged ahead with a 1:58:14.9 performance at the 25K.

Collazos barely stayed in front of the Striders' Yong Collins in third place, but fell to fourth after the 30K where the 50-year-old veteran bested her by more than four (4) minutes.

However, the 16-year-old came back to post a 3:33:52 effort on Sunday to pass Collins back into third. Collins held off Terlingua Track Club's Deb Clifford, 44, from fourth place by just three (3) seconds.

Chip times were used in the cumulative time totals and no age-grading was attempted to be done.

An additional 24 runners were in contention heading into the Houston Marathon; however, only nine (9) chose to run the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

A complete list of finishers can be found at the following link:
http://www.walksports.com/0506fallseries_all5.htm

Overall Male: 8:47:35, Thomas King, Jr., 36, Houston Striders
Masters Male: 9:03:03, Francisco Perez, 40, Tornados Running Club

Overall Female: 9:45:12, Suzanne Day, 48, Houston Harriers
Masters Female: 10:33:13, Jackie Connelly, 42, Houston Striders

Youngest: 11:13:20, Sara Collazos, 16, Houston Masters Sports Association
Most Experienced: 11:17:19, Don Brenner, 66, Bayou City Road Runners

HARRA Club Breakdown
Non-HARRA Members -- 36
Bayou City Road Runners -- 17
Houston Striders -- 12
Terlingua Track Club -- 6
HARRA Members (Not Club Affiliated) -- 6
Al Lawrence Running Club -- 5
Tornados Running Club -- 4
Bay Area Running Club -- 3
Team PTI -- 3
Houston Masters Sports Association -- 2
Houston Harriers -- 1
Houston Fit -- 1
Fort Bend Fit -- 1

This compilation is independently researched and is not specifically endorsed by HARRA. If you spot any errors or omissions, please notify Jon Walk at walksports(at)aol.com as soon as possible. Any errors or omissions are completely unintentional.

9.5 Miles on Allen Parkway/Memorial Loop

I woke up too late to drive to the west side and do a 10K with the Striders. I also woke up a tad too late to make it to Shadowbend Park in The Woodlands to run with Team In Training. (Although I probably should have went there to help Bill Dwyer strategize for Saturday!)

So I stuck with my original plan: head downtown, do two loops of the Allen Parkway/Memorial Loop (4.77 miles each) and hang out and watch the Fund For Teachers 5K that was being run on Allen Parkway.

I got downtown on to Allen Parkway just before they had started to close it off so I parked near the Federal Reserve Bank branch that sits just east of Channel 11 KHOU on the south side of Allen Parkway. I saw the folks from Bayou City Road Runners (led by president Joe Sellers), who were handling race management, getting set up as I started my first loop.

I did 44 minutes on the elliptical trainer last night at the gym (covering 3.79 miles on level 16, random), but I felt pretty good as I covered the first loop in 47:31.93, which would be a tad bit under 10 minutes a mile. However, I hugged Memorial Drive (approaching Shepherd) and Allen Parkway (going away from it) on the first loop as opposed to following the trail. At the pace I was going, though, I could not have carried on a conversation well.

It was just about 8:35 a.m. when I stopped and I realized that unless I morphed into Sam Rodriguez that there would be no way that I could cover that loop in time for the 9 a.m. race start. So I walked down past the Eleanor Tinsley Park parking area, watched the kids do their 1K (and cheered them on) and waited until the start of the race.

The funniest pre-race moment occurred after former HARRA president John Phillips was about through giving some final instructions and before the National Anthem, Mayor Bill White's wife was out to fire the starter's pistol to start the race -- and she pulled it early! None of the runners took off in a dead sprint; however, everyone got a good pre-race chuckle at her expense. :)

No superstars in the men's field (although I saw Luis Armenteros running the loop this morning) but the third overall finisher on the women's side was Suzy Seeley. I didn't recognize anyone in the men's field. The winner won in 17:44, I believe, and the winning female appeared to be a master's runner (named Lisa) while the runner-up was more than likely a high schooler. (Suzy could be a HRBer as she went out to help her husband, David, run in!)

I hung around and watched most of the finishers (some people just make it all look so easy) through about the 27-minute mark and then started to walk back towards the Eleanor Tinsley parking lot. While I was standing there and before Suzy went out to help her husband in, she came up to me and talked about Waverly's performance in the half marathon. :) I continue to be humbled by the people that have taken interest in my daughter. She said to pass along her congratulations - and give her a hug - until she had the chance to see her again.

I headed out to do another loop but in the opposite direction (this time clockwise). The time was 57:15.95 and while it felt a little slower, I had added a little bit more distance to it as I deviated from the trail twice and then actually duplicated at least two tenths of a mile.

I'm pleased. I'll take 9.5 miles when I hadn't done anything all week. Part of which was being a little lazy (with the travel to Alpharetta, Georgia) but I also needed to see if I was going to have any recurring issues with what on Monday and Tuesday felt either like a groin pull or a potential hernia.

I need to do a lot of work through Thursday, however, to get ready for Sunday's 3M Half Marathon in Austin. Because it is a net downhill course - and if the weather is right, I might be able to PR but I really need to stroke it this week (and take advantage of being home).

Negative Splits at the Houston Marathon

12.6 % of the top 250 male and female runners -- 63 of 500 -- negative splitted the back half of last Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon. And more women composed negative splits than the men -- outscoring them 35 to 28!

The top 250 male and female runners included gun times to 3:16:10 for the men and 3:54:01 for the women.

The best negative split in the men's group belonged to the 146th overall finisher Jonathan Gillis of Prairieville, Louisiana. Gillis, 21, covered the front half in 1:37:45 then blistered the back half in 1:27:40 for a 10:05 difference - and overall time of 3:05:25. The women's honor belonged to Omaha, Nebraska's Jennifer Lundberg, 25. She went through the front half in 1:54:09 then posted a 1:47:03 on the back half to yield a 7:06 difference and a 3:41:12 overall time - finishing 928th overall and 160th among the women.

11 male and 28 female runners had positive splits greater than 30 seconds a mile (approximately 13 minutes). The hard luck winners of the worst positive splits were to two locals -- Alejandro Zuniga (TOR), 25, of the Conroe Elite squad made up of Clint Sherrouse and Cesar Casarrubias and Allison Nadolski (BCRR), 28, of Houston.

Despite the back half difference of 29:30 (1:49:33 to 1:20:03 in the front half), Zuniga still qualified for Boston with a 3:09:36 - just inside the 3:10 standard.

However, for Nadolski, 6th in Open Women in the HARRA Fall Runner of the Season competition prior to the marathon, Boston slipped out of reach in the back half as she charted a 2:14:21 to go with the 1:37:30 front half effort for a total time of 3:51:51 (short of the 3:40 standard).

Houston Half Marathon and 5K All-Time Winners (2002-2006)

EXCLUSIVE - Not on Houstonmarathon.com web site or Results Book!

Aramco Houston Half Marathon All-Time Winners

Men's
2006 - Nicodemus Malakwen, 24, Chapel Hill, NC, 1:02:07+

2005 - Julius Kibet, 22, Kenya, 1:03:17

2004 - Gilbert Koech, 23, Albuquerque, NM, 1:03:08

2003 - Scott Strand, 34, Birmingham, AL, 1:05:13

2002 - Justin Chaston, 33, Houston, 1:08:42

Women's
2006 - Asmae Leghzaoui, 29, Morocco, 1:11:56

2005 - Olga Romanova, 24, Russia, 1:12:36

2004 - Colleen De Reuck, 39, Boulder, CO, 1:10:55+

2003 - Beth Old, 28, Douglasville, GA, 1:17:03

2002 - Christy Nielsen-Crotta, 26, Fort Worth, 1:21:37

Masters Men's
2006 - Martin Rodriguez-Flores, 40, Lerdo, Mexico, 1:06:55+

2005 - William Moore, 43, Dallas, 1:10:48

2004 - William Moore, 42, Dallas, 1:09:43

2003 - William Moore, 41, Dallas, 1:10:30

2002 - Bob Shepherd, 53, Tyler, 1:12:26

Masters Women's
2006 - Bonnie Jo Barron, 44, Houston, 1:28:30

2005 - Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 43, Russian Federation, 1:13:26+

2004 - Linda Somers Smith, 42, San Luis Obispo, CA, 1:17:58

2003 - Carole Smith, 48, Moss Point, MO, 1:27:53

2002 - Doris Windsand-Dausman, 45, West Richland, WA, 1:27:44

Houston Press / Smart Financial 5K All-Time Winners

Men's
2006 - Scott Gall, 31, Cedar Falls, IA, 16:00

2005 - Ben Dawson, 25, Austin, 15:09+

2004 - Gabriel Rodriguez, 25, Webster, 15:45

2003 - Justin Chaston, 34, Houston, 18:47

2002 - Sean Wade, 35, Houston, 19:53

Women's
2006 - Jessica Word, 30, Houston, 19:02

2005 - Kira Jorgensen, 33, Seabrook, 18:13+

2004 - Megan Williams, 17, Houston, 20:14

2003 - Brittany Brockman, 17, Houston, 22:03

2002 - Brittany Brockman, 16, Houston, 23:29

Masters Men's
2006 - Ray Hunt, 40, Deer Lodge, MT, 16:12+

2005 - C.J. Stewart, 42, The Woodlands, 16:53

2004 - Francisco Contreras, 41, Apodaca, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, 18:22

2003 - C.J. Stewart, 40, The Woodlands, 20:42

2002 - (Still being researched)

Masters Women's
2006 - Helen Grant, 42, Houston, 19:40+

2005 - Patti Kroger, 41, Houston, 21:28

2004 - Vicki Danielson, 43, Houston, 21:57

2003 - Rebecca Marvil, 44, Houston, 24:54

2002 - (Still being researched)

Former sponsors for the half marathon included Halliburton in 2004 and El Paso Energy in 2002-2003 while METRO joined the Houston Press as the 5K sponsor in 2004. In 2002 and 2003, the 5K was a 4-mile event with Uptown Park and 24-Hour Fitness being the sponsors in those respective years.

Canada's Nicole Stevenson comments on Houston Marathon

Posted: January 20, 2006
Athletics: Canadian Marathoners Should Run the Houston Marathon
(c) 1996-2006 RunnersWeb.com - All Rights Reserved

By Nicole Stevenson

Just last week I had the privilege to be invited back to race the Chevron Houston Marathon. Of all the marathons available to me, why did I choose Houston? The reasons are many!

My coach, Hugh Cameron, and I agreed that this would be an ideal time to run a marathon – I could avoid summer heat and train through the fall then head south for a weekend right when ‘real’ winter begins to strike us Torontonians. This timing leaves the door open to race another marathon in the spring, making it possible to run three major marathons in the year, which may or may not be in the annual plan, but at least the option is there.

This was my third trip to Houston. In 2004, I ran a personal best 2:33 in the marathon and finished second female. My performance certainly made the trip a great experience! Aside from how I ran, I was impressed by how personable all the Houstonians were: whether they were volunteers, fellow racers, race organizers or part of the cheering crew.

Last year, I returned and ran the half marathon. The field was impressive and I was pleased to finish in 4th place. The marathon was won in 2:32 – making me think that maybe I could steal the crown of this race in the future…

This year I decided to go back for the full marathon, with the aspiration of a gold medal (or the Texan equivalent: a Stetson hat!) and a new personal best. After many attempts, I hadn’t improved from my 2004 time and I was hungry for a personal best. My preparation up to the event was absolutely solid -- hardly a hiccup in the program. When I flew to Houston (on Friday the 13th!) I felt calm and confident, knowing I was fit and ready.
When I arrived, it was great to see familiar people. The elite athlete volunteers were the same as in past years and the suite was in the same room. I knew I could look forward to NFL on the big screen and munchies on Saturday! I also planned on visiting with the Fallas family during my stay. I have known Ian Fallas since high school and it’s always good to catch up with him. Plus, his wife and kids are fantastic! I love being a surrogate aunt to many children! I had a relaxing pre-race dinner with Ian, Toki, Eric, Rachel and Claudia. Thank you for taking my mind off the race for a few hours!

On race day, I felt relaxed and ready. As coach Hugh would say, “Time to execute.” The weather was a perfect 10 degrees C at start time with very little humidity and only a touch of wind. We started just at sunrise and it was pretty cool to see the sun rise halfway through mile one!

I am not a fan of gels or food during marathons but I certainly do my fair share of drinking. I take a sip from every aid station, often one Gatorade and one water cup. The Houston volunteers were as reliable as ever and I thank them for keeping me hydrated with their offerings and motivated by their cheers!

I felt great throughout the race, knowing I was on record territory for me, even though I was far from the leader. I fell off from 2:31 pace over the last 10km, which is human, but that makes me hungry to finish stronger next time. I heard that I was catching the leader with less than a mile to go, but I was unable to see her and I was beginning to really struggle by then. I will always wonder if I could have mustered a bit more ‘oomph’ over the last five minutes to have caught her and nabbed that elusive Stetson! Regardless, I’m pleased with my 2nd place finish in 2:32.

I encourage Canadian marathoners to consider adding Houston to their race calendar. The race weekend offers fast courses over full and half marathons for those of you who chase personal bests. And for those who just want a fun weekend, Houston is a great respite from the north in January. There’s plenty of shopping and you know the food portions will be huge – it is Texas after all!

I know of two other GTA women who clobbered their records this year, so it wasn’t just me! Also, looking at the Canadian heritage at the event is impressive. Three of the top ten Canadian marathoners ran their personal bests on Houston soil! Carey Nelson 2:12:28 in 1991, myself 2:32:56 this year (and 2:33:47 in 2004) and Canadian record holder Sylvia Ruegger 2:28:36 in 1985.

But don’t take my word for it – try it yourself! Houston would love to have you.

Happy trails,
Nicole Stevenson

629 Boston Qualifiers from Houston Marathon

Out of the 5,408 finishers (currently at the Houston Marathon results site; this number has changed from the original 5,440), there were 629 runners who met the qualifying standards for the 2006 Boston Marathon at this Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon.

(Note: This doesn't take into account a 44-year-old runner who will turn 45 before the day of the Boston Marathon. This number is assuming that the runner at the Houston Marathon will be the same age in four months.)

The age group breakdown for the 416 men and 213 women is as follows:

18-34 age group -- 59 women, 89 men
35-39 age group -- 46 women, 65 men
40-44 age group -- 51 women, 63 men
45-49 age group -- 37 women, 94 men
50-54 age group -- 12 women, 55 men
55-59 age group -- 3 women, 25 men
60-64 age group -- 4 women, 9 men
65-69 age group -- 1 woman, 10 men
70-74 age group -- 5 men
75-79 age group -- 1 man (Galveston's Dan Allensworth, 76, 4:32:06)

The earliest finisher (235th overall) that didn't qualify for Boston was 29-year-old Richmond, Texas native Justin Breitigam who ran 3:12:13, short by more than a minute of the 3:10 standard (plus 59 second addition).

The slowest Boston qualifier wasn't Allensworth but 65-year-old Montgomery, Texas resident Dipankar Mukherjee who covered the course in 4:38:01, well within in the 4:45:59 qualifying time. Mukherjee was 3,145th overall.

17-year-old Hannah Howard of Nacogdoches (3:31:53) and 16-year-old Sara Collazos (3:33:52) both met the women's 18-34 qualifying standard of 3 hours and 40 minutes. Unless they are 18 at time of this year's Boston Marathon, they can't run it. Howard's time will certainly qualify her for the 2007 Boston Marathon. If Collazos turns 18 before the 2007 Boston Marathon, her time on Sunday will count.

10.7% of the female finishers qualified for Boston (213 of 1,989 finishers) while 11.8% of the male finishers did (415 of 3,519 finishers). The overall percentage was 11.6 % (629 of 5,408 finishers).

Top 10 Back/Worst 10 Front Corral Marathon Performances

Based on the bib number explanation that I received from Carly Caulfield and Megan Mastel of the Chevron Houston Marathon staff, these ten (10) runners (with place, chip time, clock time, difference, name, age, hometown and bib #) had the best performances from the back corral on Sunday:

33. 2:40:01 - 2:40:47 (46 seconds) Francisco Galaviz, 42, Mexico, bib #9935 BQ
118. 3:06:01 - 3:06:14 (13 seconds) Felipe Tapia, 55, Houston, bib #9918 BQ
298. 3:15:14 - 3:16:55 (1:41) Celestino Lopez, 39, Houston, bib #9919 BQ
333. 3:17:39 - 3:19:02 (1:23) Bryan Arceneaux, 20, Lake Jackson, bib #9001
419. 3:23:26 - 3:24:28 (1:02) Gustavo Cabezas, 44, Aguacaliente de Cartego, bib #9930
440. 3:23:37 - 3:25:32 (1:55) Rodney Watts, 38, San Antonio, bib #7571
487. 3:25:57 - 3:28:01 (2:04) Jeff Barnett, 50, Ann Arbor, Michigan, bib #8106 BQ
(Barnett ran 4:44:44 in the 2005 Houston Marathon but during 2005, he ran 10 of 12 marathons in under 3:40.)
527. 3:27:59 - 3:29:49 (1:50) Edgar Sonnier, Jr., 33, Suplhur, Louisiana, bib #8386
571. 3:29:46 - 3:31:05 (1:19) Hans Stronck, 41, Houston, bib #7337
645. 3:31:55 - 3:33:47 (1:18) Joseph Jindra, 32, Houston, bib #9221

Removing the elite bib numbers from the equation and approximately 10-20 who had bib numbers for other races (yes, both the half marathon and the 5K), there were 5,368 marathoners who had a bib number from either 300 (Steve Boone)-3999 or 5200-9999 (5,201 was the Striders' Doug Spence). (Not surprising for an accountant to get in early on the best deal possible!)

Of the 2,377 runners with bib numbers that were slotted for the front corral, there was an average chip difference of 1:09. For the 2,991 runners with bib numbers that were in the back corral, the average chip difference, as expected, was 3:38.

In reverse, you might ask what were the slowest times for people that had front corral bib numbers? When you look at the list, the cynical person - which I'm not - would ask: How did these people get their front corral numbers?

Most had chip differences that are big enough that it appears that they went to the back corral regardless. But Pinto, Draper, Green, Sanchez and particularly Ang started in the front corral. Ang was on pace for a near 4-hour marathon with a front half time of 1:55:04, but faded. (Perhaps he was a Team In Training coach who ran with someone the front half and then assisted runners the rest of the time. Who knows?)

4992. 5:35:29 - 5:39:16 (3:47) Michael Grant, 53, Houston, bib #366 (2:38:22 at half)
(Ran 5:18:04 at Houston in 2005)
5006. 5:32:38 - 5:39:53 (7:15) Christopher Connolly, 43, Missouri City, bib #2961 (2:09:40)
(Ran 3:56:51 at Houston in 2005)
5029. 5:39:43 - 5:40:36 (0:53) Tony Pinto, 48, Richmond, bib #1684 (2:40:18)
5043. 5:38:25 - 5:41:48 (3:23) Tim Cockerham, 33, Bryan, bib #1879 (2:16:57)
5134. 5:45:39 - 5:46:26 (0:47) Rusty Draper, 44, Pearland, bib #558 (2:32:10)
5137. 5:41:06 - 5:46:34 (5:28) Cassie Dimmick, 29, Pearland, bib #1187 (2:39:44)
(Ran 3:40:09 at White Rock last month, but paced Theresa Willis from Manvel)
5167. 5:46:51 - 5:48:01 (1:10) Laura Green, 35, The Woodlands, bib #2148 (2:31:15)
5216. 5:49:16 - 5:50:48 (1:32) Juan Sanchez, 32, Houston, bib #363 (2:08:36)
(Ran 4:10:38 at Houston in 2005; 5:21:08 at Freescale and 5:30:57 at Seabrook Lucky Trails)
5346. 5:59:37 - 6:00:00 (23 seconds) Dimitri Ang, 26, Houston, bib #3003 (1:55:04)
5361. 5:58:13 - 6:01:42 (3:29) Allan Prejusa, 37, Houston, bib #3022 (2:03:43 at half)

More analysis in the coming days!

Tonight's HARRA Board Meeting Highlights

Thanks to HARRA president Tom Stilwell, I'm able to share with you a summarization of tonight's HARRA Board Meeting. If you are not already a member of HARRA, please consider doing so.

One of the biggest questions that HARRA gets is: "What does it do for me?"

There are many to list (and at 10:45 p.m. in the evening, I'm less inclined to find them); however, the biggest is simply the 10 percent discount many merchants provide as part of the HARRA Discount program. If you buy two (2) pairs of running shoes from one of the five Houston running specialty stores, you'll save what you expended for your HARRA membership besides your free subscription to Inside Texas Running.

I joined HARRA in the summer of 2003 exactly a year before I considered joining a HARRA-affiliated club, such as the Houston Striders. Why? Primarily because of the newsletter, "Footprints," that now appears in Inside Texas Running. As a new runner to the sport, it gave me tons of local information that I didn't have before. Here are Tom's notes:

Fall 2005 Series

The committee discussed the fact that the 30k was a well organized race with no medical issues. As for the marathon, while the conditions were not “optimal” everyone was extremely impressed with the growth and quality of the race. A couple of runners experienced issues with the water stations not having water fully ready and available to hand to passing runners.

Fall 2006 Series

A general discussion was held concerning the planning for the Fall 2006 series. There have been some questions concerning the ability for a race to move dates in order to improve weather conditions. HARRA’s requirements specify that any race over a 10k has to be more than two weeks away from another HARRA event. Consequently if the Fall Series Races were spaced like they were for 2005, at a month apart, there would be an ability for a race to move. The committee also discussed that an additional shorter “tune up” race used to take place after the 30k, and that the series does not currently have this race in place.

Spring 2006 Series

The Spring Series Races have been posted on the HARRA website. Note that the Terlinqua’s LP Run will take place on April 19, not the April 22 date currently on the website. Also the final Bayou Bash Relay will be a 4 x 2.5 mile event, not 2 x 2.5 as posted on the website. The website is being updated.

For the IRON Foot Award, HARRA members must complete the first six races of the series. However, volunteering at one of those races will count towards the Iron Foot Award.

Just for Kids Run

The Just for Kids event was cancelled this fall due to rain and lightning. The event spent approximately $6,200 with $2,600 being left as a surplus. HARRA is currently running at a surplus. Consequently HARRA will ask the major sponsors if they want their money back, or if they want their portion of the surplus to be held for next years race.

Additionally, the Memorial Park Running Club has decided that they do not want to organize the race for next year. HARRA plans to ask the member clubs if one of them will want to host the event next year. If no club wants to organize the event, then HARRA will form a sub-committee of the board to plan and organize the event. If any club wants to organize the event, please contact HARRA.

Club Competition & Runner Of The Season

We will announce the Club Competition and Runner Of The Season (ROTS) winners at the Buffalo Wallow on February 4, 2006. HARRA will once again award a total of $3050 to the ROTS winners this year. Tom will take care of getting new plaques for the Club Competition winners this year. They will be presented at the first Spring Race possible.

Marathon Finisher Towels

HARRA will award the Marathon Finisher Towels to the HARRA members who completed the Marathon at the Bayou City Classic 10K.

Party In the Park

Marla and Caroline Burum are planning the Spring Party in the Park for late March or early April. The board suggested that the PIP occur in April after the date when HARRA opens its new registration period and that the PIP be used to kick off sign-ups for the 2006-2007 HARRA membership year.

Memorial Park

The City of Houston has met with HARRA to discuss opening Memorial Park for a selected number of events per year. The City is considering allowing approximately 5 events per year to be held at off peak usage times. HARRA is working with the City of Houston and the Memorial Park Conservancy to establish the guidelines for choosing and organizing the events.

River Oaks Fountain

The architect at Kirksey Architects has promised delivery of the presentation materials by the next (February) meeting.

Membership

We now have 1,539 total members, not including those who signed up or renewed at the Marathon Expo.

Treasury

As noted above, we are running at a significant surplus over last year.

We are looking forward to a great Spring! -Tom Stilwell

The "6 Degrees of Jon" Houston M-Day Results

After Barbara Boone's lunch time encounter with Tom Pinney, a regular at Run The Woodlands 5K, and finding out that they both knew me, I'm using her blog post title to describe those people who I know and how they did today at either the Chevron Houston Marathon, the Aramco Houston Half Marathon or the Houston Press/Smart Financial 5K.

Of course, you'll find the Houston Running Bloggers' results here.

Here's a thought for you: "If the Marathon Committe considers the Half Marathon and 5K as important events, why aren't all of the winners listed in the race program?" Likewise, what about the marathon wheelchair winners?

Former Marathon Winners
(Of course, I don't "know" them; however, I thought you might find the list interesting nonetheless.)
2:12:02 (1st) - David Cheruiyot, 2005
2:19:56 (2nd) - Marek Jaroszewski, 2004
2:32:44 (13th) - Drew Prisner, 2002
2:38:00 (4th, womens) - Albina Gallyamova, 2003
2:42:53 (32nd) - Christopher Ciamarra, 2001
2:58:02 (72nd) - Clent Mericle, 1975, 1977
3:05:17 (116th) - Benji Durden, 1982
(He was bib #2778. Shouldn't former winners get an elite number regardless?)

1:27:41 (19th in half) - Becky Sondag, 2002

Houston Striders
It was the club's largest single day racing contingent in club history -- 66 half marathoners,
85 marathoners (including 20 Boston Qualifiers), and nine (9) 5kers! Caroline Chamness (3:07:19) set the Striders' all-time women's marathon record while Mike Tognarelli (2:57:06) cracked three (3) hours and Jennie Minken qualified for Boston (3:37:54).

Helen Grant was 2nd overall in the 5K in 19:41 while Rachel Guenther was 8th overall in 21:20. In the half marathon, Karen Bowler was first in her 55-59 age group (1:38:02) while Ruben Coryat (1:55:12) and Marcella Paull (1:45:55) were 3rd in their 65-69 and 55-59 age groups, respectively. Coryat has only been running for 6 months and this was only his 3rd career race.

Brett Riley (24th), John Yoder (42nd), Fred Miller (55th), Tommy King (72nd), Mike Tognarelli (82nd) and Ted Traynor (95th) all were in the race's Top 100.

While I can't list the results of 160 Striders, I will list some of those that I've personally gotten to know over the last year and a half:

Aramco Half Marathon
Barbara Shepard - 2:35:37
Barry Chambers - 1:49:01
Charlie Rodriguez - 1:50:35
Debbie Rodriguez - 2:50:58
Juan Arrieta - 2:01:31
Judith Neufeld - 3:45:18
Kerry Kilgore - 2:38:20 PR!
Lee Baughman - 2:22:28
Lynn Stengel - 2:21:04
Marjorie Marks - 2:15:11
Mike Rydin - 2:00:35
Noah Matthews - 2:06:18
Patti Sears - 1:48:48
Paulette Salanon - 2:50:13
Rich Sears - 1:52:48
Ryan Dimarco - 1:49:41
Sophie Rydin - 2:14:35
Stephanie Salyer Fultz - 2:22:32
Steve Salanon - 2:05:27

Houston Marathon
Aimee Solway - 4:24:22 First Timer!
Andrea Chan - 5:27:37
Carole Flad - 4:39:00
Chris Boylan - 3:00:41 PR!
Chris Murphy - 5:16:09
Cindy Laidlaw - 4:32:28
Doug Spence - 5:57:32 PR!
Dusty Cook - 5:56:43
Yong Collins - 3:52:08
HoJin Lim - 3:33:35 PR!
Hope Sellers - 5:47:36
Jackie Connelly - 3:24:17
Jeff Sharp - 4:20:26
Joan O'Connor - 4:53:36
John Dimarco - 4:35:25 PR!
Joe Sellers - 5:28:28
Lee Greb - 3:50:28 PR!
Lisa Ruthven - 5:13:59
Lynlee Linke - 4:27:24 HUGE PR!
Mark Gonzales - 4:39:15 HUGE PR!
Pam Paling - 4:27:25 First Timer!
Santos Hernandez - 3:58:42
Stacy Stepler - 4:55:33 PR!
Steve Shepard - 3:28:49
Tim Wesneski - 5:37:22
Whitney La Rocca - 5:32:53
Yoichi Morishima - 3:53:29 PR!

Houston Press 5k
Christina Rodriguez - 37:04
David Kennedy - 23:36
Dylan Reynolds - 24:01
Sandy Wollangk - 32:16

Seven Hills Running Club
The complete club list can be found here: http://www.7hills.us/latestnews.htm
Hans Jaegar - 2:11:39 (Half Marathon)
J.C. Guzman - 1:44:08 (Half Marathon)
Jan Parks - 4:44:21 (Marathon)
John Cook - 2:23:19 (Half Marathon)
Ken Johnson - 5:46:21 (12th Houston Marathon)
Melissa Broussard - 5:39:12 (Marathon)

Run The Woodlands 5K 10- and 20-Race Club Members
+Ann Leoni - 3:57:11 (2nd Boston Qualifier in a row; Memphis St. Jude, 12/05, 1st)
+Bill Schroeder - 3:09:56 (Marathon; BQ; Led 3:10 Pace Team)
+Debbie Tripp - 2:30:34 (Half Marathon)
+Denise Van Kuiken - 2:05:15 (Half Marathon)
^Gary Van Kuiken - 4:08:40 (Marathon)
+Jarold Buell - 3:50:16 (Marathon)
+Jim Braden - 3:39:36 (Marathon; BQ; 70 years old)
+Jim Harrington - 3:23:58 (Marathon)
+John Soul - 3:29:30 (Marathon; BQ)
^Karen Bowler - 1:38:02 (Half Marathon; 1st in 55-59 age group)
^Lee Topham - 2:07:48 (Half Marathon)
^Lou Wilson - 5:48:50 (Marathon)
^Mike Belew - 1:46:52 (Half Marathon)
+Russell Meyer - 1:28:25 (Half Marathon)
^Tim Bowler - 1:56:33 (Half Marathon)
^Tom Hippe - 3:55:18 (Marathon)
^Vince Gayman - 3:29:51 (Marathon; BQ)
+Vincent Attanucci - 3:32:40 (2nd Boston Qualifier in a row; White Rock, 12/05, 1st)
^Wayne Rutledge - 3:27:02 (Marathon; BQ)

Luke's Locker - The Woodlands Staff
Cathy Steele - 1:50:52 (Half Marathon)
Matt Lucas - 1:31:36 (Half Marathon)
Mike Lucas - 1:49:46 (Half Marathon)
Susan Schreiber - 3:38:08 (2nd Boston Qualifier in a row; Las Vegas, 12/05, 1st)

Non-Striders from Fall '04 Power In Motion
Becky Spaulding - 2:44:25 (Half Marathon; BCRR)

Other Notables
Amanda Brooks - 26:02 (5K; 33-year-old from my hometown of Tyrone, Pa.)
Jessica (Armenteros) Word - 19:02 (5K; 1st overall female)
Harold Gillespie - 2:54:29 (Half Marathon; oldest male finisher at 83, from Houston)
Jesse Real - 4:25:14 (Marathon; oldest male finisher at 74, from Corpus Christi)
Louis Ciaccio - 53:23 (5K; oldest male finisher at 84, from Galveston)
Marcie McCaskill - 3:22:31 (Half Marathon; oldest female finisher at 81, from Webster)
Mary Jane Franey - 1:03:33 (5K; oldest female finisher at 76, from Kingwood)
Nichole Jones - 1:21:50 (Half Marathon; Westfield HS XC/Track Star, Jr., 9th overall female)
Shirley Bayless - 4:32:47 (Marathon; oldest female finisher at 71, from Houston)
Tom Stilwell - 3:26:47 (Marathon; HARRA President)
Vera Balic - 21:33 (5K; PR!, 10th overall female; Bay Area Running Club)