 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
More Running News;
some new, some old
Visit the Archives page for previous stories and features. Also, the Side Trips section has news added throughout the week.
***
Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon announces new course
When runners and walkers take to the streets for the third annual Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 14, they will do so from a new starting line. The 2010 race course has been unveiled, and will include a new downtown start on the corner of Alamo and Market Street, adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
“Our goal is always to provide the best running experience possible for all participants,” said Kari Logan, Event Director of the largest combined marathon and half-marathon in Texas. “We believe changing the start location to downtown will be a positive one for both runners and the local community.”
From the start line, the new race route will travel east down Market Street, before circling past the historic Alamo. The course then heads up North St. Mary's Street to McCullough Avenue then passing through the King William Historic District. Both the marathon, half-marathon and relay will finish in the same location as previous years, adjacent to the Alamodome.
There will be a new Dallas half in 2011
There will be no shortage of half marathons in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The US. Road Sports & Entertainment Group has bought the Uptown Run and will convert it to a half marathon in 2011, CEO/Founding Partner Greg Laird has announced. It will give the D-FW area at least 15 half marathons. This year's Uptown, scheduled Oct. 24, will be either an 8K or 5-mile. The half in 2011 will be part of the 13.1 series that includes Chicago, Boston, New York, Minneapolis, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles and Atlanta. More information about the event will be forthcoming. To learn more about 13.1, visit the website.
***
White Rock Marathon moving to Fair Park
Citing logistics, parking and space concerns, the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon will be moving from the American Airlines Center venue to Fair Park for the Dec. 5 event, Phil Baker, chairman of the event's board of directors, announced Friday (May 14).
Last year's event attracted a record 20,000 and event officials have raced the cap to 22,000 for this year's marathon and half marathon. The long- term goal, Baker said, is to increase the cap to 35,000. By moving to Fair Park, Baker said preparations for the event can begin days and not hours before the event, as they had to do at the American Airlines Center. Participants and spectators will have more options on how to arrive at Fair Park, which should reduce traffic congestion.
***
Cowtown splits runs to two days
Because of the tremendous growth of the multi-event The Cowtown, the 33rd event will be conducted over three days in 2011, it was announced Friday, April 2. Considering that the event has grown by more than 7,000 the past two years to 21,000 this past February, it has become almost unwiedly because of the six events. There were a couple of glitches in the past event, so splitting up the events should be nothing but a boon for Cowtown. The announcement states that the Expo will be from Feb. 25-26, the Adult and Kids 5Ks, and The Shack 10K will be on Saturday, Feb. 26, and the Marathon, Half and 50K Ultra will be on Sunday, Feb. 27. This is the first time in the Cowtown's history that it has conducted a race on Sunday.
“'Runners, volunteers and the community have embraced The Cowtown to make it among the finest events of its type in the country today. Staging our activities over three days will allow all
participants to become more fully involved and continue to enjoy a safe, family-friendly event,”
Cowtown Board Chairman Lance Mandell said in a news release.
***
Tyler Rose marathon course is set
Lewis George, owner of Mellew Productions, earlier had announced the inaugural Tyler Rose Marathon, which includes a half and 5K, is set for October 10. The course wasn't set then, but now it's ready. George, who produces the Big D Marathon and the Texas Half among other events, is no stranger to Tyler as he has produced the Tyler Azalea 10K the past 10 years and the Tyler Half the past three. Read about the Rose.
***
Houston to be host for 2012 U.S. men and women marathon trials
 |
|---|
The site of some of the most historic U.S. half-marathon performances and host of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the women's marathon, Houston will host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's and Women's Marathon, USA Track & Field and the United States Olympic Committee announced March 1.
The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be in Houston on Saturday, January 14, 2012, a day before the 40th anniversary of the Chevron Houston Marathon. The races will determine the three men and three women who will represent the United States in the marathon at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and it is the first time a single city has been chosen for both races at the same Olympic Trials.
USA Track & Field's site selection committee, comprised of USATF committee chairs, elite athletes and staff, tapped Houston to host both races. Boston and New York had each bid to host one Olympic Trials race. The USATF Board of Directors approved the decision at its weekend meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. and the USOC has green-lighted the award.
***
Cowtown schedules new run
The Cowtown has scheduled a 5K/1mile run on Sept. 25, 2010. Executive Director Heidi Swartz said the event is in the planning stages and the route details have yet to be finalized. The 5K will be timed and the 1-mile will be a fun run. The event's name is The Cowtown C.A.L.F. 5K/1Mile Run and will kick off the training programs at all of the local schools that participate in The Cowtown Kids 5K in February. Swartz said it will give the youngsters an opportunity to experience a smaller race and a shorter distance as they prepare to start training for a 5K. Proceeds from the event will help underwrite the scholarships and running shoes that The Cowtown gives out.
***
2009 was banner year for marathon finishers
There were nearly 468,000 marathon finishes in the USA in 2009 - an increase of approximately 9.9% over 2008, according to MarathonGuide.com. That's the largest year-to-year growth in finisher numbers since MarathonGuide.com began keeping industry records in 2000 and surpasses even the year-to-year growth seen in the abnormal year of 2001 to 2002 when travel and finisher numbers were down in 2001 after 9/11, leading to the unrealistic growth percentage in 2002. As has been the trend, women continued to make up a higher percentage of the total finishers, reaching a record 40.5% of finishers in 2009. MediaGuide.com is finishing its reports and will have the full report before the end of January. Visit www.marathonguide.com.
***
Olympic Trials marathon hopefuls for 2012 will have to go a little faster to qualify because of changes by the USA Track and Field. The USATF has eliminated the "A'' and "B'' standards and has adjusted the qualifying time to 2:19:00. Runners also will qualify with a half marathon time of 1:05:00 or a 28:30 10,000-meter track time. Also, the top 10 finishers in the U.S. marathon championships will be allowed into the trials if they can post at least a 2:22:00.