Local artist, longtime runner designs marathon poster
Anyone who has trained for a marathon knows that it can be a full-time job in itself. It’s not just the running — it’s the special diet, the hours allocated to train, the alcohol abstention.
For April Murphy, who has run 75 marathons already, it’s not that she doesn’t have another marathon in her; she just doesn’t really want to run another one. But she does want to race again in Houston (her last race here was in 2012).
“The greatest thing about (half marathons) is that I don’t have to deny myself,” she said. “I’m to this point in my life, at 60, that I don’t want to deny myself much of anything anymore.”
Over the years, Murphy has run all over the world. Her favorite locations have been Big Sur in California and a beachy, unpopulated marathon in New Zealand.
In addition to signing up to run the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, the local artist has designed the 2020 race poster. In the painting, she incorporates a red, white and blue cowboy boot with sneaker laces winding through a sunny Houston scene. In her own artistic style, a smiling dog is holding a cup of water as if ready to hand it to a runner.
“Having run (the Chevron Houston Marathon route) 20 times, I know what it feels like to come in, turn on Allen Parkway, and those last few miles can be so rough,” Murphy said. “I wanted to paint something that was a feel-good kind of scene that will take away that pain a bit; make it a joyful experience.”
Murphy started her art business 11 years ago and opened a studio at Sawyer Yards in the city’s Washington Avenue arts district in 2013. She’s located at Winter Street, in one of six buildings with 350 residential artists. She feels like Houston is on its ways to being known as a cultural center for Texas and a haven for artists.
Her art always includes animals, typically dogs. She didn’t expect the marathon committee to OK a dog in the poster, let alone request that one be included.
The overall inspiration started with a dog hanging out with an outstretched paw holding a cup of water.
The artist call from the marathon committee was a dream, she said: a marriage of her two deepest passions.
“Really and truly, it’s joyful to cross that finish line. You start balling because you have all that pent-up energy — like, ‘Gosh, can I do it? Will something go wrong?,’ ” she said. “Accomplishing that goal is huge, so I wanted this painting to embody that.”
Murphy’s poster, a special T-shirt and other merchandise will be available for purchase at the Houston Marathon Health & Fitness Expo presented by Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist. The expo will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 17 and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 18. Race day is Jan. 19.
Are you running the Houston Marathon and have an interesting story to share? Email Julie at julie.garcia@chron.com or reach out on Twitter.com/reporterjulie.