Thousands stride across the finish line at The Woodlands Marathon
Thousands of people filled Town Green Park and ran in the streets during The Woodlands Marathon and Half Marathon races on Saturday, March 3.
Men, women and even a few children pushed themselves to their limits and beyond as they ran the 26.2 or 13.1 miles of designated pathways throughout The Woodlands.
Roberto Montelongo, of Katy, has been running off and on for the past 20 years. He began at the age of 7 years old and ran cross country in high school. This year, just like last, he participated in The Woodlands Half Marathon.
“I really like (running). It’s tough but to me it’s healthy. It’s a healthy lifestyle. You release a lot of stress and you feel great at the end,” Montelongo said.
This year he was excited after crossing the finish line because he beat his own record.
“It felt great, especially because last year I did it in an hour and 47 minutes and this year I did it in an hour and 40 minutes. I wasn’t expecting that much improvement so it
felt great,” he explained.
Emily Magee and Lamandra Kuck, friends from Spring, ran together in the half marathon as well. This was the eighth half marathon for Kuck, and Magee said she’s been running so long she’s lost count.
Both women said they enjoy running on a regular basis.
“I enjoy the social aspect of it. Seeing friends, training with friends. Just the energy from all the people running reenergizes you while you’re continuing to work out,” Magee said.
“It’s just easy because you can put on your shoes and go anytime,” Kuck added.
The pair also agreed that the weather on Saturday was perfect for running.
“It was great today. The weather was so nice and a lot of people were out cheering,” Kuck said.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful today. You couldn’t have asked for better weather,” Magee added.
Brittany Vargas, who traveled from Richmond, also participated in the half marathon. She has been running five to 10 miles a week to prepare herself both mentally and physically.
“This is my second (marathon). I started with the 5K and then I’ve been training for the half. Now I want to do the full next year at the Houston marathon,” Vargas said. “(Running) is something that you can just put your mind and train for and just keep going, setting goals. Once you cross the finish line, it’s the best feeling that you accomplished whatever race that you ran.”
She added that even though it was difficult, she kept pushing herself to cross the finish line and was rewarded for her effort.
“This was actually my first time running the full 13 miles. I actually made it. I thought I was going to die, but I made it. When you’re crossing the finish line and people are cheering, it’s the greatest feeling,” Vargas said.