January 31, 2010 Local runners complete 13.1-mile feat This past week the 3M Half Marathon was run in Austin. The race had a large turnout, with 3,971 runners crossing the finish line. A good turnout of 40 San Marcos and Kyle runners completed the race. Those runners from San Marcos and the Runners Club included Sean O’Neil running in at 1:21:27 for a fourth-place finish in his age group; David Hamilton crossed the finish in a good time of 1:28:21 and Mathew Moreno ran a 1:30:58. Other runners (in alphabetical order) included Liesela Austin in 2:15:39; Elizabeth Wills in 1:51:54; Juan Bretton at 1:42:35; Augie Capeto in 2:18:01; Joshua Carroll in 1:58:44 and Silvia Clark finishing in 2:03:10. Other runners were Emily Cooper in 3:40:02; Ingrid Dehn in 2:02:51; Diana Esparza in 2:12:09; Bessie Hamilton in 2:14:26; and Ashley Johnson and Diane Johnson in 1:52:35. Some more runners with a San Marcos address included Laura Mason in 2:31:23; Elma Minor in 2:12:52; Teresa Medina in 2:31:22; Faith McCrery in 2:07:07; Shauna Metcalf in 2:07:12 and Britt Van Dine running in at 1:29:43 for an eighth-place finish out of 157 runners in his age group. Runners from nearby Kyle include Elva Brown running in at 2:10:08; Christin Chan in 2:08:12; Dorina Cockham in 2:17:35; Leslie Foster in 2:04:41; Andrea Friesenhahn in 2:07:41 and Brian Hughes in 2:09:15. Other Kyle runners include Angie Jones in 1:56:40; Nicole Jones in 3:14:29; Maria Leyendecker in 2:11:34; Christopher Mendoza in 2:09:22; Melissa Odom in 3:05:29; Timothy Pope in 1:54:54 and Liz Saaverda in 2:19:39. Some more runners from Kyle are Jay Sansom in 2:19:28; Lori Sokolowski in 2:37:00; Magen Sparks in 2:42:26; Lety Tickerhoof in 1:56:25; Marc Tickerhoof in 1:38:23 (the fastest time from Kyle); Charles Welvaert in 2:03:35 and Dayna White in 2:19:09. With 40 or more runners from San Marcos and the central Texas area, it was a very good representation of the running community. Whether the times of each of these runners was fast or slow, they all ran the 13.1 miles to finish the race, and that in itself is quite an accomplishment. It is a good start to a lifestyle of fitness and wellness. Knowing that some of these runners started out by just doing a run/walk finish of a 5K race, and now have managed to do a 13.1 mile run, it’s an example of what can be done if you just take that first step, and then follow up with a few more to complete the distance. In fact, there are a number of these runners that have finished a 26.2 mile marathon and are planning on doing the Austin Marathon in February. It is not too late to join this group of runners from this area by starting now to plan to run the “Speak Up For Kids” CASA 5K on March 7th out at the Tanger Outlet Center. If you are really up for a challenge, you can run the ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon on the same day. Both races are at the Tanger Outlet Center and are well organized, with volunteers from CASA and the Kiwanis Club as beneficiaries of the proceeds. If you need further motivation to get into the spirit of running, race organizers are looking for volunteers to help out at the races. Volunteers get a volunteer T-shirt and the chance to see that there are runners in the race that are just starting out; and when you see some of these early runners, you will know that you can also be doing the same thing at the next local race. Remember that the San Marcos Runners Club sponsors a fun run every Tuesday evening at the Hays County Courthouse down at the square for anyone interested in having company on a run. 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!