Kristine Hinojos didn't begin running until 2006 when she was 40 years old, but she has progressed enough to have won several female masters titles and some female overall awards. Her first road race was Bold In the Cold 15K in 2007. Even though she had never run more than 7 miles, she finished third in her age division (though she said there were only four in the division). She soon joined the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers club and found several new friends who helped and supported her running. In July of 2007, she began training to run her first marathon and set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon. At White Rock, she went the 26.2-mile distance and indeed qualified for Boston, which she ran in 2008. She has run two since then and was planning to run the 2009 New York City Marathon. She said she has caught the running bug and plans to keep running as long as she can. |
Laurie Shea of Prosper ran cross country in high school, but took a break for several years before resuming the sport in 2004. This was after the birth of her second child. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, she lived six years in California before moving to Texas in 2008. She has been making an impression on the running scene ever since. At the Believe!2009 10K in McKinney on November 28, the 30-year-old covered the hilly course in 39:39. She was third overall and two minutes ahead of the second female finisher, Natalie Merrill. She said her first summer here was tough for training. After the cooler climes of Utah and California, the Texas heat took some acclimating. Winner of the 2009 Cowtown Half Marathon, Laurie set her sights on White Rock, where she hoped to beat the 3:04 marathon PR she set last year at the event. However, she couldn't match that effort this time and finished in 3:30:41, still respectable, but just not up to her expectations. Expect to see more of Laurie in the winner's circle in future races.
|
||
