Over 50 Area Athletes Earn 3.3-Pound Medal on New Year's Day at Texas Marathon

     Over 50 area athletes opened 2011 with a long distance finish at the 12th annual Texas Marathon and Half in Kingwood on New Year's Day.
     Conroe's Mark Crichton led all area runners with a 4:00:58 finishing time to post his fifth career Texas Marathon finish.
     Close behind were two other multiple event finishers - The Woodlands Running Club's Gary Van Kuiken, 52, and Spring's Bill Moeller, 55.  Van Kuiken finished his fourth New Year's Day marathon in 4:09:41, while Moeller completed his sixth in 4:13:45.
     Van Kuiken, in 2009, became the first resident of Montgomery County to ever finish a marathon in all 50 states.
     Moeller's wife, Bridget, 53, also finished her sixth Texas Marathon.  She stopped the clock in 5:31:10 -- one of five female to do so two Saturdays ago.
     The Woodlands' Ann Leoni, 50, led all local women with a 4:38:28 time while Magnolia's Alysia and Justin West finished their first marathon ever in 6:09:49.
     Seventy-year-old Miroslaw Malinowski of The Woodlands received a special plaque for completing his 10th Texas Marathon. 

Race director Paula Boone displays Texas-size medal - all 3.3 pounds - to Texas Marathon and Half participants  (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk)

Marathon
4:00:58 - Mark Crichton, M, 41, Conroe
4:09:41 - Gary Van Kuiken, M, 52, The Woodlands
4:13:45 - William (Bill) Moeller, M, 55, Spring
4:18:44 - Robert Gardner, M, 48, Spring
4:38:27 - Carlos Ortegon, M, 47, Spring
4:38:28 - Ann Leoni, F, 50, The Woodlands
4:39:07 - Haley Call, F, 27, Spring
4:42:44 - John Fink, M, 51, Spring
5:09:21 - Carlos Reyes, M, 55, Spring
5:10:24 - Brian White, M, 46, The Woodlands
5:18:00 - Danielle Skelton, F, 53, The Woodlands
5:31:10 - Bridget Moeller, F, 53, Spring
5:59:10 - John Davis, M, 30, Spring
6:09:49 - Alysia West, F, 33, Magnolia
6:09:50 - Justin West, M, 38, Magnolia
6:15:10 - Miroslaw Malinowski, M, 70, The Woodlands

The Woodlands' Danielle Skelton coming in for her marathon finish.  (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk)

     Meanwhile in the half marathon, 13-year-old Tyler Henthorn of The Woodlands, a member of The Woodlands High School triathlon team, set a new 15-and-under event age group record with his area-best time of 1:44:04.
     A trio of members from The Woodlands Running Club all finished next -- within 26 seconds of each other.
     The Courier's female duathlete of the year, Nora Wilson, 54, of The woodlands, led the way in 1:50:10 while The Woodlands Running Club vice president Randy Bradley, 48, chased Kristin Collins, 39, to the finish line, but couldn't catch her as Collins beat Bradley to the line by two seconds in 1:50:34.
     Conroe's Leanne Rosser, 41, also broke the two-hour mark with a 1:59:33 fiish and a new personal best.
     Also posting a career best with a 2:14:30 was Spring's Lacy Goedeke, 28, who is training for the Rocky Raccoon 50-Miler to be held on Saturday, February 5.  She was paced the entire way by her husband - and two-time Ironman, Greg Goedeke.

Half Marathon

1:44:04 - Tyler Henthorn, M, 13, The Woodlands
1:50:10 - Nora Wilson, F, 54, The Woodlands
1:50:34 - Kristin Collins, F, 39, The Woodlands
1:50:36 - Randy Bradley, M, 48, The Woodlands
1:57:52 - Deanna McCarthy, F, 40, Spring
1:59:33 - Leanne Rosser, F, 41, Conroe
2:00:27 - Kenny Brossman, M, Conroe
2:03:44 - Denise Van Kuiken, F, 52, The Woodlands
2:03:55 - Antonio Gregg, M, 35, Spring
2:05:55 - Kimberly Bowron, F, 41, Spring
2:06:41 - Liz Berry, F, 50, The Woodlands
2:08:46 - John Choate, M, 54, Spring
2:14:29 - Greg Goedeke, M, 34, Spring
2:14:30 - Lacy Goedeke, F, 28, Spring
2:18:45 - Char Townsend, F, 44, Spring
2:19:15 - Cathy Pittenger, F, 39, The Woodlands
2:25:03 - Lori Ivanoff, F, 40, Spring
2:27:07 - Karen Pitcock, F, 43, Spring
2:30:58 - Kim Wilson, F, 54, Porter
2:32:06 - Lori Wilson, F, 37, Conroe
2:49:42 - Kelly Maningas, F, 38, The Woodlands
2:50;24 - Paula Neutzling, F, 39, The Woodlands
2:51:17 - Rachel Gregg, F, 31, Spring
2:52:12 - Audrey Wilson, F, 54, Spring
2:53:52 - Jennifer Allen, F, 37, The Woodlands
3:05:38 - Beth Martin, F, 39, Conroe
3:08:52 - Nickole Maronge, F, 33, Conroe
3:15:56 - Ben Knippel, M, 63, Spring
3:18:31 - Bridgett Williams, F, 30, Montgomery
3:18:31 - Michelle Lafferty, F, 28, Montgomery
3:23:22 - Tina Riley, F, 40, Spring
3:23:36 - Laurie Burtch, F, 45, Montgomery
3:33:56 - Ann Page, F, 52, The Woodlands
3:54:08 - Diana Reddin, F, 54, The Woodlands
3:54:08 - Kim Kitchens, F, 33, The Woodlands