February 24, 2008 Local runners show up in force at AT&T Austin Marathon Last Sunday the AT&T Marathon & Half Marathon was held in Austin. The turnout was one of the largest fields in the long-distance races, with 5,138 finishers in the full marathon and 10,989 finishers in the half marathon. San Marcos had a nice group in both races. In the full marathon Elizabeth Black-Wills ran in at 4:03:23; Debbie Bumgardner ran a 5:16:38 and Grace Burgess ran in at 6:17:04. Corey Cantu finished in 4:08:15; Jamon Copeland ran a nice 3:28:17; Tim De Jong ran a 4:55:35 with James Dorsey finishing in 4:35:40. Diana Esparza ran a 5:05:07; Danny Gribbon ran a 3:48:42 and Trey Hutton ran a 3:40:03, with John Hall crossing in 5:20:52. Laura Mason finished in 5:37:38; Lester Meline ran a 4:42:08; Matthew Moreno ran a 4:36:20 and Kelly Parsons ran a nice 3:40:09 for a 10th-place finish in her age division. Michael Perez ran a 4:48:16; Greg Pruitt ran in at 4:27:51, with Christopher Reagan crossing the line in 3:38:23. Bryan Schneider ran a 3:30:03; Darius Tuminas ran in at 4:24:08 and Adam Voglewede finished in 5:48:56. Richard Powell ran a very good 3:02:47 for a first-place finish in the 19-and-under age group; Elma Minor ran in at 5:33:10; Teresa Medina crossed the line in 6:04:36 and Charlene Martinez came across in 6:24:58. In the half marathon, Nicole Allegar ran a 1:40:41 for a 4th-place finish in the 19-and-under age group; Debra Belvin ran a 2:12:17; Grayson Belvin crossed with her in 2:12:16 and Tamara Biegas ran a 3:16:34. Lucy Bloor ran a 2:30:24; Rachelle Bursiaga ran a fast 1:59:44 and Augie Capelo finished in 2:09:35. Corie Colvin ran a 2:17:43; Kristin Conner managed a 2:21:04; Kelley Furgason was close by with a 2:13:13 time. Frankie Garcia-Torres at age 13 years finished in 2:11:22, and Sara Garcia-Torres followed with a 2:19:15 time. Julie Hulbert ran a good 2:18:09; Erin Kibodeaux crossed in a nice 2:07:35; Daniel Neal ran a quick 1:58:01, and Sean Whitehead ran a fast 1:47:52. Trenton Overall ran across the finish in 2:38:57; Briana Parramore ran a nice 2:09:30; Juilene Phillips crossed the finish with a 2:19:39; Meagan Sledge ran a 2:26:21, and Mandi Tapia made it across with a 2:49:01. Matt Townley finished in 2:18:05; Kathryn Welch ran a nice 2:14:47, and Tom Wilkins ran an even time of 2:22:22 for an easy time to remember. San Marcos was represented well in the two races last week, and our runners are to be congratulated on a fine showing. This Sunday, let’s hope they are all rested up enough to run the ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon on March 2. It is always nice to be able to run a race in your home town, and not have to drive or travel very far for a good run. There is still time to register today at the early-registration rate; but if a runner is waiting to see what the weather will be like, registration is open right up until an hour before the race. This is about the 25th year the race has been run; and proceeds benefit CASA of Central Texas and Kiwanis scholarships. The half marathon is a nice scenic run out along the county roads east of the Tanger Outlet Center. If you are new to the course, most runners wait to do any fast-pace running until after passing the hill at about mile 3 1/2. After that, the rest of the course is less challenging. If you are not into the long-distance running, the “Speak Up For Kids” CASA 5K is held about 20 minutes after the half-marathon runners leave the starting line. This is a fun run, with every runner getting a nice medal for their effort and a T-shirt for the race. There are no age group awards, and everyone will be a winner in benefiting CASA with their entry. Runners can sign up on the day of the race, or contact CASA or pick up an entry at the San Marcos Activity Center. For the youngsters, there will be a 1K run between the half marathon and the start of the 5K, inside the parking area of the Tanger Outlet Center. I understand members of the Texas State University track team will be on hand to lead the kids’ run and encourage the kids during the race. Kids can’t get much better coaching on running than from these elite runners from Texas State. Let’s have a good turnout for the race here next Sunday in San Marcos. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!