Houston Running

One of the leading sources for the discussion of Houston-area (and Texas as well) road racing. Focus and attention will be given to Houston-area runners, specifically HARRA members, that compete in outside-of-the-area events as well as those who do interesting things that aren't captured in the various media outlets, such as Inside Texas Running, Runner Triathlete News and Roberta MacInnis' Running Notebook in the Houston Chronicle (all fine publications and columns but with limitations too).

Name:
Location: Spring, Texas, United States

I'm a mid-to-the back of the pack runner who probably enjoys promoting runners more than I do running myself ... I've completed 21 marathons (with a 4:47:32 PR! in Austin) and 52 half marathons (with a 2:09:58 PR! in Oregon) since November 2003 ... I've done a marathon in 12 states, half marathon in 23 and an event in 30 states and one Canadian province ... I have a 13-year-old daughter, Waverly Nicole, who completed her first half marathon in January 2006, made only two B's each of the last two years, was the only sixth grader to sing a solo (Carrie Underwood's Don't Forget To Remember Me) in their choir program (adding Taylor Swift's Tim McGraw in '08) and scored a 19 on the ACT in December 2007 as a seventh grader ... Waverly and I are members of the following clubs -- the Seven Hills Running Club, HARRA and The Woodlands Running Club ... I'm Marathon Maniac #308 ... I edit HARRA's Footprints in Inside Texas Running and write a column for Runner Triathlete News called, "Talking the Talk" ... I'm also the running columnist for the Courier of Montgomery County ... I'm a three-time winner of TAPPS' Sportswriter of the Year Award as well as TABC's Golden Hoops Award.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon Announces "Texas Showdown"

Elite Runners From Throughout the State of Texas Invited To Participate in Distance Championship

San Antonio, TX (July 15, 2008) -- The inaugural Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon & 1/2 Marathon announced today the inception of the “Texas Showdown,” a statewide competition in which eligible runners will compete for prize money on the 13.1 and 26.2-mile race courses Sunday, November 16, 2008.

Race organizers are seeking Texas athletes who have run marathon times under 2:47 (male) and 3:15 (female) in the marathon distance to submit a resume to compete in the “Texas Showdown.” All submissions must be received no later than September 1st to mturnbull@competitorgroup.com.

“This competition is just another example of the spirit of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, and how our community will be reflected in the eyes of visitors,” said Susan Blackwood, Executive Director of the San Antonio Sports Foundation. “We’re proud to be partnering with Elite Racing on what we know will be a great opportunity to increase tourism and showcase our unique local flavor.”

In addition to the “Texas Showdown,” any male Texas athlete who completes the marathon course under 2:31 and any Texas female under 2:56 will receive a bonus of $350, should they not win any prize money. In the ½ marathon, any Texas male who finishes under 1:08:30, and any Texas female under 1:17, will also receive a $350 bonus should they not qualify for prize money.

“Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio offers athletes from all over Texas the opportunity to compete with, not only the worlds best, but also a group fellow Texans at the same ability level,” said Matt Turnbull, Athlete Coordinator for Elite Racing. “With a separate prize purse for Texas athletes, as well as hotel accommodations, we’ve created a prize package we hope will encourage some really competitive racing.”

To qualify for the Texas Showdown prize purse, runners must have been a permanent resident in the state of Texas as of November 1, 2007. Any athlete who intends to race in the marathon and has bettered times of 2:43 (male) 3:07 (female) in the last 12 months will be offered a complimentary race entry. For the ½ marathon, runners must have bettered 1:13:30 (male) 1:24 (female) in the last 12 months to qualify for a complimentary entry.

"Texas Showdown" Prize Money Breakdown
Texas Resident - Marathon

Male Female
1st $2000 1st $2000
2nd $1000 2nd $1000
3rd $500 3rd $500

Texas Resident - Half Marathon
Male Female
1st $1000 1st $1000
2nd $750 2nd $750
3rd $500 3rd $500

The Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio will be the seventh race in Elite Racing’s national series of musically themed marathons and half-marathons. The 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses will run past many of the city’s attractions and feature live bands and cheerleaders positioned at each mile.

Race weekend will begin with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo where all participants must go to pick up their race number. The expo will also feature more than one hundred running and fitness retailers, exhibits and clinics.

“We are looking forward to hosting the best runners from the State of Texas,” said Lucy Diaz, Event Manager for the event. “This is going to be a world-class race and is sure to attract many athletes and visitors to San Antonio.”

Local bands and high school cheer squads interested in performing along the course may go to http://www.rnrsa.com/ for information about submitting press kits and bios. For more information about the Texas Showdown contact Matt Turnbull at mturnbull@competitorgroup.com or call 858-768-6463, for general race registration or inquiries visit http://www.rnrsa.com/ or call 800.311.1255.

Texas runners and walkers who register for the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon or ½ Marathon before July 31st will be eligible to win a VIP package for race weekend.

About Elite Racing Inc. - Based in San Diego, Calif., Elite Racing is a division of The Competitor Group, the leader in endurance sports media, marketing and event management. Its signature Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series began in 1998 with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego. Over the past 10 years, the sports marketing and management company has grown to manage a total of seven marathons and half marathons including the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, the Country Music Marathon and ½ Marathon in Nashville, Tenn., the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & ½ Marathon in San Antonio, Tex., the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathons in Virginia Beach, Va. and San Jose, Calif., and the ING Philadelphia Distance Run. Events feature live bands on entertainment stages and cheerleaders at every mile along the course and attract between 13,000 and 37,000 registered participants.

For more information about Elite Racing’s events visit http://www.eliteracing.com/.

Contact: Dan Cruz, 858-768-6425 dcruz@competitorgroup.com
Terry McDevitt, 210-822-0066 tmcdevitt@mcdevittmedia.com
Mary Ullmann Japhet, 210-820-2123 mjaphet@sanantoniosports.org

2 Comments:

Blogger K said...

For obvious reasons, this invite was not forwarded to me! LOL

I did see this on the web site. Good luck to those who take the challenge. I figure running the marathon is challenge enough for me!

8:41 PM  
Blogger Pat said...

I see they're offering a Premium Package that includes finish line parking and a shuttle to the start. Hopefully they get the parking right for this inaugural event; I did RNR Arizona in its 3rd year and had to run to get to my start corrall due to parking and bussing issues. They did not have nearly enough busses to shuttle runners to the start line at that race. They were still bussing runners to the start when I crossed the 3 mile mark of the race.

9:23 AM  

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