Finish lines
SYDNEY ATEN, 29
Boston, 3:37:48
Excuse Aten if she was a bit winded after completing in the Little Rock Marathon. “I’ve done one the past two weekends, so I’m dead right now.” Before delivering a personal best time Sunday, Aten competed in a marathon the previous weekend in Jackson, Miss., and the week before that in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “My goal is to run 50 [marathons in each state] before I turn 30,” said Aten, who made Arkansas her 37th state Sunday. “So I’ve got to get 13 more before December.” A neuroscientist who teaches at Harvard University, Aten also said she studies mice and their circadian rhythms in sleep. “The mice don’t like marathons,” she said, laughing. “They run in their little wheels, but that’s about as far as they go.”
JACOB BADEN, 29
Stuttgart, 4:16:33
Baden had previously raced in the LR half-marathon twice, but Sunday was his first full marathon. He barely hesitated when asked how he got into the sport. “Boredom,” he said with a smile. “ADHD a little bit, so I had to get out and do something.” He also said running is a bit of a personal Zen time. “It’s a type of meditation for me, I guess,” he said. “A way to relax when I get out there.” Relaxing or not, he said, the hill in the final mile of the course was brutal. “Up [the hill by] Episcopal [Collegiate School], I didn’t think I was going to make it,” he said. “At mile 25, that’s a huge hill to climb. A little rude, there.”
QUINLAN BROADWAY, 21
Jonesboro, 3:20:01
In his first ever marathon, Broadway had lofty goals entering the race. “It was a challenge,” he said. “I wanted to go sub-three hours and I didn’t get it. I’m accepting this because it’s a big challenge.” At just 21 years old, Broadway has plenty of time to continue his development as a marathoner. “I thought I paced myself pretty good and mile 20 is the wall that everyone talks about. My advice is to really pace yourself. Don’t worry about the first half, the second half is harder.”
AARON BURTON, 44
Poplar Bluff, Mo., 4:06:51
A principal at the Mark Twain School, an alternative school in Poplar Bluff, Mo., Burton said his hometown may have hills, but they do not prepare him for the hills in Little Rock. “Because I don’t run marathons in Poplar Bluff,” he said, laughing. It was his 19th career marathon and his fifth at Little Rock. “Little Rock’s the toughest course I run, and I run six or seven a year,” he said. “It’s the most difficult, the most challenging.”
PAM CARR, 49
Miami, 3:27:07
Carr said suffered a stress fracture in her tibia last summer and this was the third race in her return. “I wanted to be sub-3:25. I was 3:27, but I will take that as a win,” she said. It was her 27th career marathon in 18 states. She said the terrain near her home made it difficult to prepare for the hills around Little Rock. “Training in Miami, it made it a little challenging [to prepare for Little Rock],” she said. “So I did a lot of treadmill work. It is probably the second-hardest course I’ve ran.” Like most newcomers to the Little Rock Marathon, she said she was hit hard by the steep hill in the 25th mile. “That last hill, I wasn’t real happy with that hill,” she said laughing. “On the chart, it looked like the 14th to 19th [miles] was the hilliest part. So I thought, ‘I am done.’ Then that one comes along.”
ALISON DOUGLAS, 31
Oklahoma City, no unofficial time
Visibly emotional following the race, Douglas was ecstatic about breaking the 4-hour mark for the first time in her career. “Today was exceptional because I beat the 4-hour mark and I never thought I could do it,” she said. “It gave it my all, so I have nothing left.” A native of France, Douglas now resides in Oklahoma City with her husband. She has run marathons in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, but Sunday marked her first time competing in Little Rock. “This course was extremely challenging,” Douglas said. “It was marked very well and there were a lot of supporters. People were cheering a lot. It was a great atmosphere.”
JORDAN GEHRKE, 25
Mission, Kan., 3:26:52
Competing in his ninth overall marathon and his first in Little Rock, Gehrke plans on running a marathon in every state. He was pleased with the decision to move the start time up to 6 a.m. “They moved the start up and I’m very glad they did,” Gehrke said. “It was a perfect temperature this morning and it would have been too warm any later.” While he has run in several larger marathons in other cities, he enjoyed the intimacy of the Little Rock Marathon. “For a mid-sized one, it was really good. Really well-run and really well-organized. It was really well-done.”
KEENEN HINDES, 29
North Little Rock, 3:37:05
Competing in his first marathon, Hindes came through with a competitive time. “It was good, I tried to stay with the 3:40 pace but that was a little bit slow,” Hindes said. “Around the 7-mile marker I started to catch up with the 3:35 pace, but then I died.” While it’s just his first marathon, Hindes has big goals for the future. “I really want to get under three hours,” he said. “I’d like to do Boston eventually. Under three is the qualifier for my age.”
KRISTEN HOLEYFIELD, 24
Searcy, 3:29:16
Holeyfield placed 11th among the female finishers while competing in just her second-ever marathon. Both of her marathons have been in Little Rock and she improved her time by nearly four minutes. “I started running in college at Ouachita Baptist and I’ve been running ever since,” Holeyfield said. “I said I was going to do 5K’s after this, but now I feel like I need to do more marathons.” While she is not a huge fan of running on hills, Holeyfield embraced the challenge. “This is the only one I’ve ever done, so it’s all I really know. I’m not much of a hill runner, so the up and down kind of gets me. It actually went a lot better than last year.”
CHRIS HUMES, 41
Benton, 3:46:13
Humes was competing in his fourth career marathon and in Little Rock for the second year in a row. “I just love to run,” he said. “I run with the Little Rock Roadrunners on their Grand Prix team.” He plans to next race in Green Bay, Wis., followed hopefully by another in Mesa, Ariz., in his early quest to compete in a marathon in each state by the time he turns 50. Humes, a former Marine, also said he took extra precaution in preparing for the warmer temperatures of Sunday’s race. “A lot of hydration and pickle juice,” he said. “That’s my main thing. It helps keep your muscles from locking up, keeps you hydrated.”
THOMAS JENKINS, 32
Little Rock, 3:14:38
Jenkins said he was happy to see the marathon’s earlier start time and the cloud cover to keep the temperatures down. It was much better, he said, than his only other marathon, which was also in Little Rock in 2015. “Back in 2015, it was 34 [degrees] and raining, so I will take this all day,” he said. A pediatric dentist in Bryant, Jenkins first start running on the cross country team at Little Rock. “I wasn’t good enough to run at Arkansas,” he said. “I know I’m not going to the Olympics. It’s just fun, something to do.” Jenkins has a partner he trains with. “I push my little boy for every training run,” he said. “He’s 2-year-old, so today I was kind of missing the stroller.”
RACHEAL McPHERSON, 32
Pine Bluff, 4:21:35
McPherson had previously ran in Little Rock’s half-marathon four times and she said she knew the full marathon’s course had considerably more hilly sections. But running around her hometown of Pine Bluff did not prepare her. “I knew they were coming, but I was not prepared,” she said of the hills. “Pine Bluff is flat.” A nurse with ARORA, which handles organ donations in the state, McPherson said she may not be ready to compete in multiple marathons across the state, but she may seek to do more. “Maybe like a vacation marathon here and there,” she said. “But I’ll probably do this one every year.”
ELEANOR MILLER, 26
Little Rock, 3:50:39
Miller first developed as a runner while competing in high school cross country in Seattle. She now resides in Little Rock and said she was very pleased with her effort on Sunday as she set a new personal best. “This is my second marathon. I did my first one at St. Jude’s in Memphis in December. Today went much better. The first time I had to walk a lot more. I did this one about 40 minutes faster so I’m happy with it today.” Miller also enjoyed being able to compete in the same city where she resides and trains. “Just running where I’ve trained this past year was really lovely,” she said. “I know where I’m at and it’s less disorienting than when you are someplace new.”
MICAH OSBORNE, 35
Little Rock, 3:15:35
Coming off an injury, Osborne didn’t run his fastest race, but he hit the goal he set for himself with the limited amount of training he has been able to do this year. “It’s been kind of tricky this year, but I really wanted to try,” Osborne said. “I was hoping for [3:30], but I ran 3:15 so I felt pretty good about it.” Competing in his fifth Little Rock Marathon, he enjoys being part of the event. “It’s local and I like the challenge. As many as you’ve done, they’re always hard. The last four miles are always tough. I’ve been to other cities, but this one is easy because my family is here and I live here.”
LUKE PASSMORE, 23
Bono, 4:09:03
Competing in his first ever marathon, Passmore decided to train for the marathon as a way to stay in shape and challenge himself after being an athlete in high school. “After I graduated high school, I kind of fell out of athletics because I thought I was done with it,” Passmore said. “It helps my life overall, as a whole, so I’m happy I’m back into it.” Passmore ran the St. Jude half marathon in Memphis in December, but decided he was ready to take the next step and run the full marathon in Little Rock. “A year ago today I would have told you this is not possible and I couldn’t do it. As I kept training, it became more attainable. That last mile I picked it up and got it done.”
PINA PORCEDDU, 48
Atlanta, 3:59:09
Watching marathoners run past her apartment eventually struck Porceddu with the running bug in 2014. “I live in Atlanta and the Peach Tree Road Race goes right by my apartment,” she said after finishing her 28th marathon on 15 states. “I always said, ‘That looks like a lot of fun. I need to get in on this.’ Now here I am.” She also was quick to praise the Little Rock event. “It’s very well put on. Lots of good spirits and the medal is huge,” said Porceddu, a computer database analyst. “But the hills in the middle where they just kept going up, up, up … I was questioning my life decisions.”
KALEY STEIDL, 46
Fargo, N.D., 4:19:16
Starting her marathon career at the age of 30, Steidl completed her 58th marathon on Sunday. While general fitness is her main priority, one of her goals is to complete a marathon in each of the 50 states. So far she has competed in 22 states. “This one was a lot more of a fun event,” Steidl said. “The spectators were very fun and the course was a little harder.” Coming from North Dakota, Steidl was also relieved that the start time of the race was moved up. “I really liked how they moved the start time up to accommodate for the heat. I think they have a good race director.”
REJI THOMAS, 55
Detroit, 3:22:39
Thomas was the top finisher in the always tough men’s 50-59 age division. Little Rock was his 62nd career marathon, but he said Sunday’s race was one of his favorites. “This is amazing,” said Thomas, a pharmacist. “I liked the Kavanaugh hill. It was really killer, but I loved it. You need some excitement, right? I saw the route, but I didn’t think it was so bad. It was great.” It was his 46th state in his quest to compete in a marathon in all 50. He has also raced on 5 of the 7 continents, with plans to add Australia and Antarctica soon.
ERICA WATTS, 45
Hanahan, S.C., 4:10:40
Coming from the low country of South Carolina, the hills of Little Rock presented some challenges for Watts. “I would have liked to have run a flatter course, but I know what I signed up for here,” she said. Watts has run 42 marathons across 21 different states. She traveled to Little Rock with a group of friends from South Carolina to compete this weekend. “The group of girls I travel with is why I’m here. It’s girls’ weekend. We love our kids, but we get a break and torture ourselves in other ways.”
BEN YIN, 43
Simsbury, Conn., 3:50:24
Yin said he was thoroughly impressed with his first visit to the Little Rock Marathon. “I loved it,” said Yin, who was competing in his 82nd marathon in 33 states. “It’s really hard. I think the people are very friendly. A lot of hospitality here. Well-organized.” A health care professional, Yin also said he uses marathon running to challenge himself mentally. “If you want to test your mental strength, you run the marathons,” he said. “This one tests your courage because the hills are in the middle. There are hills near the end, but the middle part, that’s where your mental strength comes out.”