February 1, 2009 San Marcos area well represented at 3M Half Marathon Last week the 3M Half Marathon was run in Austin with a little over 4,000 runners. The weather was perfect for a long-distance runner in that it was a cool temperature and no wind on a slightly downhill course. A new record was set by Mike Fagen from Ireland, who trained in Flagstaff, Arizona for an altitude benefit, in a 1:01:06 time. There were a good number of local and area runners represented in the race. From San Marcos there were 14 runners, and Kyle had 15 runners competing. San Marcos runners included Phillip Adams (1:29:38); Elizabeth Black-Wills (1:45:02); Camille Brady (2:56:07); Augie Capelo (2:16:55); Ingrid Dehn (1:55:28); Jose Falcon (1:57:06); Bessie Hamilton (2:11:31) and David Hamilton (1:22:20). Also included was John Lynch (1:35:51); Laura Mason (2:25:56); Megan Sanchez (1:59:15); Eric Sterling (1:57:11); Eric Wheeler (2:23:08) and Randall Wood (1:20:03) who finished in third place in the men’s 40-44 year age category. Kyle runners included Sasha Akroosh-Ramirez (1:42:12); Richard Brooks (2:20:08); Casimiro Chavez (1:51:25); Marivel Garza (2:03:31); Brandy Haverland (2:19:13); Betsy Huggins (2:38:47) and Angela Jones (1:57:13). Also from Kyle were Maria Leyendecker (2:16:14); Tamara Luckemeyer (2:19:45); Teresa Medina (2:25:42); Connie Myers (2:06:03); Melissa Odom (2:03:59); Timothy Pope (1:51:20); Jamie Salas (2:17:04) and Raquel Salas (1:50:36). Martindale had Mary Alice Webster finish in 2:13:29. Some members of the San Marcos Runners Club included Tim Bayliss (1:17:41); Sharon Bayliss (2:20:31); Charlene Martinez (2:19:42) and Elma Minor (2:25:42). A couple of members of the Runners Club opted to try the Frost Yer Fanny Duathlon in Leander on the same day, and had Krista Betzing take a first place with a time of 1:57:22 and Eva Sanders also bring home a first place finish in 2:27:17. I went up to the 3M Half to hand out flyers for the ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon coming up on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 out at the Tanger Outlet Center. I met quite a few runners that had entered the race before; and some even asked if we were still giving out coffee mugs to the finishers. One gentleman said he ran it 20 years ago and remembers the hills on the course. Most of the runners were dressed in T-shirts, tank tops and shorts; and after finishing, the chilly weather began to take its toll on trying to get warm. There were long lines for the hot food being served, and lots of liquid refreshments for the runners to re-hydrate after running 13.1 miles. A good number of them had support friends or family to give them warm-ups, blankets and hot food at the finish area. The nice thing about talking to runners after a half marathon is that most of them had smiles on their faces, and were proud of the fancy finisher’s medals around their necks. This is in contrast to trying to hand out flyers after runners have finished running a full marathon of 26.2 miles. Not many smiles; and the idea of running another long race, like the half marathon that my flyer advertises, is not always the most cordial. Some of the looks indicate that words are not needed to express their feelings about running another long distance race. I usually put the flyers in a booth at the Expo before the race, in case someone wants to think about the race here 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!