Race Information: Houston Marathon

Being participants at the Houston Marathon in Houston, Texas, was very special to Lenore and me. At the Crater Lake Marathon in south central Oregon on August 14, 1999, we had learned that our good friend, Rick Worley, was going to conclude his fabulous marathon streak at 200 marathons in consecutive weekends at the Houston Marathon on Sunday, January 16, 2000. Lenore and I vowed to participate in this event with Rick and started making plans to that end.

Other than Rick, the only person I knew in the Houston area was a cousin by marriage, Travis Johnson. In recent years we visited periodically by telephone, and he always encouraged me to come to Houston, be his houseguest, and run the marathon. A call to Travis reaffirmed the invitation, and we proceeded with the marathon entry and travel arrangements.

Later we learned that on the marathon eve there would be a dinner at a local restaurant in Houston to honor Rick, so Lenore called an organizer to register for it. The informal carbo loading was attended by 100 or so friends, many of whom were fellow 50 States and DC Club members from all over the country who came to celebrate Rick’s accomplishments and run the marathon with him. The originator and head of the club, Dean Rademaker, from Springfield, IL, spoke for all of us present in his complimentary remarks about Rick’s remarkable marathoning feats. His verifiable marathon (26.2 miles) record will have been accomplished in 1,111 days (Jan/1/1997-Jan/16/2000)

• Will have completed one (or more) marathons on 159 consecutive weekends
• Completed 200 total marathons within the same time period
• Completed a marathon in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. within a calendar year for 3 consecutive years (1997-1999)
• Completed a marathon in all 50 states, D.C., ana all 13 Canadian provinces and territories in a calendar year (1998)
• Recipient of a special achievement award from Top Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame (Feb. 7, 1999)
• Founder of the “Worley Marathon Scholarship Fund” for graduates of the Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch (1997)
• Member of the 50-State & DC Group
• Member of the United States Track and Field Association

Rick acknowledged the presence of family, friends, coworkers, and others in the audience and thanked those who helped him complete his odyssey of marathoning and those who supported his Cal Farley Boys Ranch scholarship fund. Rick works tirelessly in this worthwhile cause for disadvantaged youths.

Lenore and I enjoyed visiting with Rick and getting our picture taken with him. We introduced him to our marathoning friends, Bill and Linda Standal (home-based at Battle Ground, WA), and Bruce Katter (of Edmonds, WA). All three are well-accomplished marathoners.

This was the 28th running of the Houston Marathon, so it was not surprising to find that it warrants being listed as one of the best marathons in the country. Lenore and I found it to be well-organized with many amenities for all runners who participated in the marathon or the associated 5K Race. A country western band at the Friday night carbo loading dinner made for memorable entertainment unlike any that I had experienced at other marathons.

The marathon itself went well. The loop course is flat and gives the newcomer to Houston an excellent tour of downtown Houston and its residential suburbs, ethnic areas, outlying shopping facilities, and a large park. The spectators and volunteers were very supportive, and there were frequent water and sports drink stations every mile or two.

My race went fairly well—at least, at first. It was 550 and clear with a light wind in the first half and a lot of shade from buildings and trees. At the halfway mark (2 hours and 2 minutes into the race) I felt fine. Then we lost our shade and breezes, and the heat and humidity became apparent. By race end those around me would be running in temperatures of the high 70’s to 800. All good things come to an end, however, and I crossed the finish line in 4:16:08, thankful that I didn’t lose more time to the heat and humidity. I finished in position 1,750 of 4,693 finishers at the 5« hour cutoff (top 37%). There were 6,569 registered entrants including many walkers who probably didn’t make the cutoff. To my surprise my time was good enough to garner the first place award (an engraved, blue, glass plate) in the 70-74 male division.

The finish times of friends and acquaintances follow:

3:29:16  Dave Braje, 53, Austin, TX 
3:38:25  Bruce Katter, 65, Edmonds, WA
3:43:48  Bill Standal, 57, Battle Ground, WA
4:14:46  Jeff Mounts, 44, Indianapolis, IN 
4:30:41  Rick Worley, 52, Kingwood, TX
5:13:30  Steve Boone, 50, and Linda Boone, 33, Humble, TX

For the third consecutive year the marathon was won by Stephen Ndungu, 32, of Kenya in a time of 2:11:28. He took over in the 19th mile and built up a commanding lead. There was a contest for second place with Sammy Martin of Kenya finishing in 2:13:57, just three seconds ahead of Gemechu Kebade of Ethiopia. The first 65 male finishers ran sub-3 hour races.

The winner of the women’s race for the third time (1995, 1999, 2000) was Tatiana Pozdnyakova, 44, of the Ukraine. She pulled away in the last seven miles to finish in 2:32:25. In second and third were Zinaida Semenove, 32, of Russia (2:33:08) and Wioletta Kryza of Poland (2:34:13).

Unlike other years only one wheelchair racer participated this time. Jon Mattera, 34, of Arlington, TX, raced against the clock and reached his sub-2 hour goal with a fine 1:53:50 effort and claimed the $700.00 first place purse. This was his fourth win at the Houston Marathon.

The local television and newspaper coverage of all events was outstanding, the results were available in a timely manner, and the awards were presented by race director, David Hannah, at the scheduled time. Thanks go to all who helped make this a great event—and especially to Jerry Cormier of the Houston Police Department and to volunteers, Nancy Padding and Sandra Grimes, for their friendliness and assistance.

Special thanks go to Travis Johnson and his daughters, Sandy and Nita Kay, for their Texas hospitality to the Dolphin Marathon Team for four days. We’ll always remember the trip to Galveston, a historic seashore city, on the day before the marathon. During the race Travis and Sandy cheered me on near Mile 19, and this lifted my spirits!! Lenore and I enjoyed all aspects of our celebration of my 250th marathon. It was a special occasion in every sense!!!