Finish lines

2023-03-06 - Compiled by Tim Cooper

GABBY BEHR, 28 Carmel, Ind., 3:46.01

Behr’s first time to compete in the Little Rock Marathon was also her first trip into the Natural State. “It was a hard course, but I liked it. It’s a good way to see the state.” In town with her running club, Behr said she and her teammates have attempted to find races in various parts of the country. The club has already run races in Alaska, Arizona and Maine this year. Behr, who finished 16th among all females, plans to run a marathon in Chicago in September. “I think [Little Rock] is an interesting course,” said Behr, who is a product engineer. “The hills make it hard and I’m not used to hills. It’s really pretty. … But I did not like that hill at Mile 25.”

DAN BERG, 64 Florence, Texas, 4:57.49

Arkansas marked state No. 26 in Dan Berg’s quest to run marathons in all 50 states. Berg, who turns 65 in two weeks, said he’s been running marathons since 2007, but he enjoys competing in Ironman triathlons that require competitors to swim, cycle and run. “I use marathons in my training for Ironman,” Berg said. “And this is a good course. … It’s too early to tell if I’ll be back, but I like Little Rock.”

AUDRA BROWN, 34 Paragould, 4:39.04

Brown made Sunday’s race her first-ever marathon. The reason was simple: “The medal. It was the biggest medal.” Brown said a friend also decided to participate in the Little Rock Marathon and that she didn’t want her friend to be running alone. “I hit the wall about Mile 14, but Mile 25, that part of the race gets a big ‘thumbs down’ from me.” Despite the hilly sections that made her wince with pain, Brown said she is definitely coming back for another attempt.

BADHRI CHAKRAVARTHY, 63 St. Louis, 4:41.26

It has been five years since Chakravarthy ran the Little Rock Marathon, but the St. Louis resident said he was eager to get back to Central Arkansas to help attain his goal of running 100 marathons. Sunday was his 86th marathon. He plans to run No. 100 in St. Louis. “I’m on track,” said Chakravarthy, who last run in Little Rock in 2018. “I’ve got more I plan to run this year, including one in New York City. By the end of the year, I should have 99. That’s my plan.”

SALVATORE DE ANGELIS, 52 Dallas, 4:08.56

De Angelis enjoyed his first Little Rock Marathon because the course proved to be a challenge. “It’s a difficult one. There are a lot of turns,” said De Angelis, who is a master plumber. “But it was good because I like courses that keep your mind engaged. Straight courses can be even more difficult because they become monotonous. … I knew it was going to be hilly, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought.” De Angelis said he is more accustomed to running half marathons, but decided to run a full marathon on Sunday because one of his friends — a regular marathon runner — was unable to run this week because of an injury. “He couldn’t run so three of us decided to run for him.”

KATHRIN DZIMIAN, 33 Clarksville, Tenn., 4:20.49

Dzimian completed her second marathon in two weeks Sunday. Was it too much, too soon? “I felt [100%] in the beginning,” said Dzimian, who last ran the Little Rock Marathon in 2019. “But I forgot about those two hills at the end. They definitely took it out on me.” Despite the ending, the ER nurse said the course is to her liking. “I like the way the aid stations are set up. The scenery is beautiful. I don’t like those hills at Hillcrest, but the area is beautiful.”

ALEXANDER HOERNISS, 53 Cologne, Germany, 3:16.05

Hoerniss celebrated his 53rd birthday by running his first Little Rock Marathon, but it was his 25th different state to complete a marathon. “It was hilly,” Hoerniss admitted. “Particularly towards the end, it was very rough. I was getting tired and those rolling hills, they kill you.” Hoerniss said he has also run in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. “They have many more hills. … but the spectators here are extremely nice, supporters are great and this medal is the best in the world.”

SARA HOGEVOLL, 44 Portland, Ore., 4:35.36

Hogevoll is another runner who is attempting to run a marathon in all 50 states. Arkansas is No 13 for her and she is happy she got to check this race off of her list. “I started this a long time ago. So long that I can’t even remember,” said Hogevoll, who has now completed 21 marathons overall. “The timing of this race really worked out for me this year and that’s why I came. This was a nice race but it this day was warm and the hills are long. It’s a good race, but I don’t plan on coming back.”

JULIA KHVASECHKO, 49 New York City, 5:00.17

One of the pacesetters for this year’s race, Khvasechko ran her 287th marathon on Sunday. She has completed marathons in every state at least three times and Sunday marked the fourth time she has completed a marathon in Arkansas. A brain cancer survivor, Khvasechko said the best thing about the Little Rock Marathon is the people along the course who “are so giving and so loving. They give me so much love it’s almost like I’m back home in New York, but instead, it’s a small city.” Khvasechko said she beat cancer 25 years ago and now works as a licensed massage therapist. … I came here today to prove to myself that I am stronger than cancer and faster than fear. Now I help others achieve their goals.”

TIM MAHLER, 62 Springfield, Ill., 3:54.00

Mahler keeps making the seven-hour drive from one capital city to another because he enjoys the themes of the Little Rock Marathon. Sunday was the retired IT specialist’s sixth attempt. “It’s not a long, long drive, but it’s a day,” Mahler said about the trip from the Illinois capital to Little Rock. “There a lot of hills here, but it’s flat toward the end. I can deal with that.”

PRASANTA MALIAYA, 43 Frisco, Texas, 3:59.21

Maliaya slipped under the four-hour mark to complete his first Little Rock Marathon. He said he was impressed with how organized the race was and that his family was pleased with all of the activities surrounding the event. “They love the downtown,” Maliaya said. “I have a 5-year-old daughter and she loves the [Museum of Discovery] and the zoo. It was really great for them.” For Maliaya, it means he can take another state off his attempt to run a marathon in each state. Arkansas was No. 15 for him. “I plan on completing this in another six years. I need another 35 states, so in six years, I’ll be done.”

WAYNE PHELPS, 63 Chesapeake, Va., 4:11.56

It had been more than a decade since Phelps had run a marathon. The Virginian decided the Little Rock Marathon would be a great race for his comeback. “It was 2012 the last time I ran one,” Phelps said. “I’ve still been running for a long time and I just wanted to see if I could do it. I’m more of a half-marathon type of runner, but I just wanted to see if I could do it.” Phelps said he had no time in mind when making his return to the long race. “I had some injury issues, so a goal as far as time was out the window. My goal was to run the whole thing, which I almost did. I walked during a few parts. My second goal was to just enjoy the moment, which I did.”

ELIZABETH MASTERJOHN, 42 Hudson, Mass., 4:50.38

Masterjohn is no stranger to marathons. The Massachusetts native has run the famed Boston Marathon three times, so she should be used to running hills, right? “You have some sneaky little hills,” Masterjohn said of her first Little Rock Marathon. “I looked at the [race] profile and thought ‘that’s not so bad.’ But when you get to them, they’re real hills. And I love that part on the back end after you climb where you have a beautiful descent near the park. It’s really shady and really beautiful. I really enjoyed that part.” While Little Rock’s race does not have the reputation of the one in Boston, Masterjohn says Arkansas is a great place to run. “Boston is a totally different beast. But if you want to have a beautiful race with lovely people, I’d definitely suggest Little Rock.”

ED MCNEW, 42 New Haven, Mo., 3:32.06

A consistent runner for the last five years, McNew has only recently taken on the challenge of marathons. Sunday was the automobile technician’s first Little Rock Marathon and his second overall. “I decided to try [a marathon] for the first time last November,” said McNew, who lives in a suburb of St. Louis. “This one was good for me because my in-laws live near here in White Hall. It was either this one or try one near St. Louis. This one had the bigger medal, so I went with Little Rock.”

MICAH OSBORNE, 34 Little Rock, 3:01.08

The fourth Little Rock Marathon for Osborne was hot but not the hottest. “I wasn’t as bad as last year,” said Osborne, who turned in the sixth fastest time in the male division. “This one felt pretty good, even though it got as hot as it there towards the end.” Osborne’s time was about a minute slower than he ran a year ago. “I was shooting for under three and I missed it by a minute. The back half of the race really had an effect. It wasn’t awful, but I really wish it would have been in the lower 50s.”

JESSICA PASCHRY, 37 Forest Lake, Minn., 3:26.43

Even though Paschry turned in an impressive time at Sunday’s Little Rock Marathon, the runner from Minnesota says she wasn’t ready for the challenges of the course. “It had quite a few hills and it was really hot,” said Paschry, a school psychologist. “It was a pretty good overall race, but it was hilly and hot.” Sunday was Paschry’s 39th marathon and her first in Arkansas. She finished sixth among the women’s runners. Her goal for Sunday’s race was to get under 3:30. “I made it, but just barely.”

ROD ROBEY, 53 Huntington Beach, Calif., 4:28.47

After running a 10K on Saturday, Robey was not finished. The Californian was back on the course Sunday to run the Little Rock Marathon. “I finished second in my age group in the 10K,” Robey said. “But I went out a little too hard [Saturday] and I was a little burned out for today. Those hills really got to me.” Robey is a member of the Marathon Maniacs, whose criteria for membership includes running two marathons within a 16-day time frame or three marathons in a 90-day time frame. “It’s a club where we run marathons for fun,” Robey said. “The name implies what we are.” Arkansas is the 11th state for Robey to run a marathon. “I was out here visiting my niece and I figured ‘what the heck?’ I’ll run the marathon while I’m here. And then there was this challenge to run the 10K as well. I’m always up for a challenge. … There’s a lot of great people out here. I love the hospitality. The aid stations were awesome and the runners are great. Usually, a lot of the faster runners aren’t very talkative, but the fast runners here were very welcoming.”

SUMAN SIDDAMREDDY, 43 Little Rock, 4:47.15

Siddamreddy is a veteran when it comes to running the Little Rock Marathon. Sunday marked the 10th time for the Little Rock physician to complete the race. “I do it to keep myself in shape,” said Siddamreddy, who said he’s completed between 35 to 40 marathons. “It’s one of the best road marathons I’ve ever competed in. The people are great and it covers all the landmarks of the city.”

BRIAN TALON, 50 Southington, Conn., 3:43.04

Talon read up on the Little Rock Marathon before running the race for the first time, but he admitted he wasn’t prepared for everything the course had to offer on Sunday. “I knew it would be challenging with the hills,” said Talon, an audit and fraud investigator in Southington, Conn. “But the hills were a little sneaky and you really can’t do anything about the heat. This was hot for me.” Talon said Arkansas was No. 38 in his attempt to run a marathon in all 50 states.

ZANE THOMPSON, 19 Fayetteville, 4:07.21

Fantasy football forced Thompson to run his first marathon. Thompson’s punishment for finishing last in his league was that he had to complete a marathon. “It was a case of bad drafting,” Thompson said. “I don’t run but I might as well do [another marathon]. I don’t see a reason to stop now.” Although no fan of hitting the pavement, Thompson said the experience was not totally unpleasant. “I enjoyed it until about Mile 13. Everyone else I knew was finished and I had to keep going.”