Last Sunday the 3M Half Marathon was held in Austin as part of the Distance Challenge series that leads up to the AT&T Austin Marathon in a few weeks. It was a perfect morning for a long run, as the temperature was cool and the wind was not blowing hard. The course is a slight downhill overall, so quite a few of the elite runners arrive to see how fast they can run. Usually in long runs like this, one or maybe two runners break away from the pack and kick it out to the finish. This race was a bit unusual, as when you saw the runners coming down the last stretch of a nice downhill finish, there were six runners in a pack fighting it out for first place. The first seven runners all ran in at 1:03 and some seconds, and the next three were at 1:04. All were very fast times. The winning time was 1:03:12 and second was 1:03:13, to show you how close that finish was.

The total number of runners that finished was over 4,000; and there were a good number of San Marcos and area runners who entered the race and did very well. Steve Beebe ran in at 2:26:52; Elizabeth Black-Wills ran a very good 1:47:48 time. Sarah Bolikins ran a 2:02:18; Andrea and Robert Castillo paced each other to the finish line in 3:25:08, and Tim DeJong ran a 2:26:52. Diana Esparza crossed the finish in 2:13:10; Jose Garza ran a fast 1:44:19, followed by another good time by Danny Gribbon in 1:46:17.

David Hamilton continues to run good races with a 1:57:18, and Leslee Johnson finished in an excellent time of 1:48:23. Gabe Mize and Jeanie Mize both ran fast times, with Gabe turning in a 1:36:40 and Jeanie at 1:58:06. Laura Mason ran a 2:28:14; Grace Herrington ran a 2:10:30, and Paul Paese at a young age of 56 ran a quick 1:36:14 for 10th place in his age group, which put him at 73.4% of the runners. Michael Perez finished in 1:54:25; Bryan Schneider ran a 1:33:13 for a fast time and Ivy Seifert crossed in 2:31:57. Katie Teague ran in at 2:05:13; Leanna Whitworth ran a 2:13:23 and Teresa Medina crossed the line in 2:18:57. Phillip Adams picked up a good time with a 1:37:07; Elma Minor finished in 3:03:07 and Charlene Martinez ran a 3:05:06.

I tried to get the relay results; but results are listed by team names, and I was not sure which teams were from the San Marcos area. I was at the race trying to advertise the ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon here on March 2nd out at the Tanger Outlet Center. This was sort of a tough sell, as runners have just finished running 13.1 miles, and here is a person standing near the finish area asking them if they want to do another 13.1 mile run later. Some of the looks that runners gave me was a blank stare of “Are you crazy or what for asking me such a question?” They were much more interested in heading to the refreshments and some warm clothes. A good number of the runners that took the entry forms had run the race in previous years, and several others had known about the race. I still hear from one or two that ran the race years ago when the course was run in reverse by mistake. I guess an unusual happening in a race sticks in the mind of runners forever, it seems.

If you are following the program that I outlined a few weeks ago, this is the day you try to run eight miles for your long run. It should be an easy run if you have been building up to it, and should not interfere with your ability to watch the Super Bowl that evening. The food and snacks during the game will probably have more of an effect on your sleeping part of the last half more than that earlier run in the morning. If it is a close game and the ads are creative and entertaining, it should be easy to watch the whole thing.

If you want to enter, there are flyers around town to pick up, or check out the web site (www.sanmarcosrunners.org) for registering online. And don’t forget the “Speak Up for Kids” CASA 5K that same day if you would rather run a shorter distance. Every runner in the 5K receives a finisher’s medal for their efforts, as well as knowing that their entry fee is going to a great cause.