Sean Wade to Rabbit for Marathoners on Sunday
Chevron Houston Marathon executive director Steven Karpas announced Sunday morning on a public affairs affairs program of Cox Radio (92.9 / 97.1 FM), hosted by former Houston sports radio talk show host Mike Mollett that New Zealand native and six-time top 5 Houston Marathon finisher Sean Wade, 39, will be the "rabbit" for the elite marathon field that will descend upon Houston this coming Sunday, January 15th.
"My responsibilities will be to set a steady pace through 13.1 miles," Wade said via e-mail on Monday. "This will enable the elite marathoners to relax and not have to worry about the pace slowing down."
Something that Wade himself knows about running the Houston Marathon.
When the pace slowed in the 1997 event, that is commonly known as the "Ice Bowl," Wade dropped out of the race in mile 10 despite leading with fellow Rice graduate Jon Warren.
"Hopefully there will be 3-5 guys running right behind me who can then start racing each other when I drop out," Wade explained. "The pace they have asked for is five (5) minute miles, which works out to 1:05 :30 for the half."
Wade finished 23rd in 1:07:03 last January in the Aramco Half Marathon - his only non-first place finish of the spring season - against a very talented (and younger) field that was - and is again in 2006 - competing for the United States National Championship.
He joked that "it is tough for an old guy like me." Nonetheless, Sean was the fastest local finisher edging Luis Armenteros (1:08:41) and Rudy Rocha (1:09:41) and had nobody older than him finish faster either. One of Texas' top Masters runners, William Moore, 43, of Dallas, was a few minutes back in 1:10:48.
Wade is gearing up for his 40th birthday on February 3rd when he will shift his focus to competing on the national Masters road racing circuit. In an earlier interview this fall, Wade indicated that he's aiming for a 14:30 5K and recent efforts - including Sunday's 14:49 at the Rockets Run 5K - seem to reveal he's closing in on the goal.
"This is a great way to test my fitness," he added. "And I have had success at doing it ("rabbitting") in the past."
The overall 2003 Houston Marathon winner said that he has been a rabbit at the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan and the Dong-A Marathon in Seoul, South Korea.
Prior to his 1996 appearance in the Atlanta Olympics for his native New Zealand, where he ran the race through a stress fracture to an 83rd place finish (out of 124 finishers), Wade said he was the rabbit - running a 4:50 pace for 25K - for the March 1996 Dong-A that was won by Spain's Martin Fiz in a 1996-best time of 2:08:25. Lee Bong-Ju, the 2001 Boston Marathon winner, was second in that same race finishing a second behind Fix.
Bong-Ju and Fiz, later that year in August at the Olympics in Atlanta, would go 2nd and 4th.
Sunday's marathon will be the 11th Houston Marathon event that Wade has competed in.
Here's a complete record of Wade's Marathon Day performances:
1993 - 2nd in the marathon in 2:16:09 - his first marathon ever
1994 - 5th in the marathon in 2:14:50
1995 - 3rd in the marathon in 2:12:58 - earlier had won the October '94 Fox Cities Marathon in Wisconsin at 2:19:45. After the race, Wade was quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying, "I guess sometime I'll finish first and fourth."
1996 - 4th in the marathon in 2:10:59, but good enough to earn a spot on the New Zealand Olympic team.
1997 - Dropped out after leading through mile 10.
2001 - Led through mile 21, ran off the course and went home. "I entered to win the race and for no other reason," Wade said from his home afterward. "I ran out of steam. I thought I could run a 2:30 and win, but I didn't train well enough for a 2:30. The quick pace that the one runner (Pullins) set forced me to run faster than I wanted, and I guess it caught up to me." (Chronicle)
2002 - 1st in the Uptown Park 4 in 19:53 (Wade was quoted in the Chronicle as stating that the course was long. Certifier Tom McBrayer remeasured the course a week later and found it to be within standards. Please see note.)
2003 - 1st overall in the marathon in 2:24:43 passing Lambros Zaragas in the last mile.
2004 - 3rd overall in the marathon in 2:22:26.
2005 - 23rd overall in the half marathon in 1:07:03 in the midst of a field laden with US National Championship competitors.
"My responsibilities will be to set a steady pace through 13.1 miles," Wade said via e-mail on Monday. "This will enable the elite marathoners to relax and not have to worry about the pace slowing down."
Something that Wade himself knows about running the Houston Marathon.
When the pace slowed in the 1997 event, that is commonly known as the "Ice Bowl," Wade dropped out of the race in mile 10 despite leading with fellow Rice graduate Jon Warren.
"Hopefully there will be 3-5 guys running right behind me who can then start racing each other when I drop out," Wade explained. "The pace they have asked for is five (5) minute miles, which works out to 1:05 :30 for the half."
Wade finished 23rd in 1:07:03 last January in the Aramco Half Marathon - his only non-first place finish of the spring season - against a very talented (and younger) field that was - and is again in 2006 - competing for the United States National Championship.
He joked that "it is tough for an old guy like me." Nonetheless, Sean was the fastest local finisher edging Luis Armenteros (1:08:41) and Rudy Rocha (1:09:41) and had nobody older than him finish faster either. One of Texas' top Masters runners, William Moore, 43, of Dallas, was a few minutes back in 1:10:48.
Wade is gearing up for his 40th birthday on February 3rd when he will shift his focus to competing on the national Masters road racing circuit. In an earlier interview this fall, Wade indicated that he's aiming for a 14:30 5K and recent efforts - including Sunday's 14:49 at the Rockets Run 5K - seem to reveal he's closing in on the goal.
"This is a great way to test my fitness," he added. "And I have had success at doing it ("rabbitting") in the past."
The overall 2003 Houston Marathon winner said that he has been a rabbit at the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan and the Dong-A Marathon in Seoul, South Korea.
Prior to his 1996 appearance in the Atlanta Olympics for his native New Zealand, where he ran the race through a stress fracture to an 83rd place finish (out of 124 finishers), Wade said he was the rabbit - running a 4:50 pace for 25K - for the March 1996 Dong-A that was won by Spain's Martin Fiz in a 1996-best time of 2:08:25. Lee Bong-Ju, the 2001 Boston Marathon winner, was second in that same race finishing a second behind Fix.
Bong-Ju and Fiz, later that year in August at the Olympics in Atlanta, would go 2nd and 4th.
Sunday's marathon will be the 11th Houston Marathon event that Wade has competed in.
Here's a complete record of Wade's Marathon Day performances:
1993 - 2nd in the marathon in 2:16:09 - his first marathon ever
1994 - 5th in the marathon in 2:14:50
1995 - 3rd in the marathon in 2:12:58 - earlier had won the October '94 Fox Cities Marathon in Wisconsin at 2:19:45. After the race, Wade was quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying, "I guess sometime I'll finish first and fourth."
1996 - 4th in the marathon in 2:10:59, but good enough to earn a spot on the New Zealand Olympic team.
1997 - Dropped out after leading through mile 10.
2001 - Led through mile 21, ran off the course and went home. "I entered to win the race and for no other reason," Wade said from his home afterward. "I ran out of steam. I thought I could run a 2:30 and win, but I didn't train well enough for a 2:30. The quick pace that the one runner (Pullins) set forced me to run faster than I wanted, and I guess it caught up to me." (Chronicle)
2002 - 1st in the Uptown Park 4 in 19:53 (Wade was quoted in the Chronicle as stating that the course was long. Certifier Tom McBrayer remeasured the course a week later and found it to be within standards. Please see note.)
2003 - 1st overall in the marathon in 2:24:43 passing Lambros Zaragas in the last mile.
2004 - 3rd overall in the marathon in 2:22:26.
2005 - 23rd overall in the half marathon in 1:07:03 in the midst of a field laden with US National Championship competitors.
posted by WalkSports.com | 3:29 PM
8 Comments:
again, good reading!!!!! Thanks for the story, Jon!
I guess when you've run a 2:10 marathon you qualify to rabbit for the elite. I'll never see that day!
Always awed by your data and the way you tell it.
Thanks for the compliments; however, it is easy to write when somebody of Sean's stature and accomplishments was so willing to share the necessary information to write a good story.
The research on the details was actually the easy part of it -- and most fun too.
Jon
cool stuff....so....he'll be pacing me? that's awful nice.
Great read Jon. Sean is a class guy, and being willing to go out and rabbit I would imagine is quite an honor.
Congrats to Waverly on her PR, as well. Awesomes stuff!
Lance, I'll let you rabbit for me back in the B corral.
When you finish, turn around run back to where I am at and "rabbit me in!"
RunSteve
Bezner, you might have a deal. If I can walk and am not in too much pain I may meet you out there somewhere.
We can talk more Friday night about your target finishing time so I'll know when to head out (if I'm able). Usually on these longer runs I'm fine until I stop, then I'm walking like Fred Sanford.
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