For Houston-area marathoners, age is nothing but a number
Anyone who has ever participated in or been a spectator of the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon knows that it’s no surprise to see a diverse runner population every year. This year’s races, which took place Sunday, Jan. 15, were no exception, as there were more than 2,000 finishers over age 50, including 10 runners over age 80 finishing the half marathon.
In addition to their love for the sport, one thing many older runners have in common is that they started running long distances later in life. Research continues to show that cardiovascular exercise such as running, especially later in life, can lower the risk of conditions such as heart disease, cancer, depression and dementia, among others. While this year’s unusually warm race-day conditions brought an extra challenge and forced many runners to slow down, it didn’t lower their spirits or take away from their accomplishment.
June Harris, 60, has been running for more than 30 years, and has been conquering the marathon distance for the last 19 years.
“This year’s race was my most challenging Houston marathon ever and I can give partial blame to the heat and humidity,” she said. “This was my 18th Houston Marathon and I love it because it is my hometown and I see lots of familiar faces along the route. I plan to continue running it as long as I’m able.”
Cindy Featherston ran her 11th consecutive half marathon this year, which happened to be on her 61st birthday. During the fall and spring, she runs with Power in Motion, a running group sponsored by the Houston Area Road Runners Association, and Kenyan Way Running Club.
“I ran my first half marathon when I was 50, so I always say it’s never too late,” Featherston said. “Once you’ve run one, the trick for being ready for the next one is to never stop training. There are so many senior runners in Houston that are still running strong — they are my inspiration.”
Connie Lawrence has been running for 39 years and decided to run this year’s marathon (her 15th Houston and 30th marathon overall) in honor of her 65th birthday.
“Although this year was definitely more challenging, I would say my race went well, considering the weather,” she said. “Since training for a full marathon is so hard on my knees and body, I vowed that this would be my last. But, I’m still on such a high that I’m thinking about running it one more time.”
Elijio Serrano, 59, has already run more than 200 races after only beginning to run with his family about six years ago.
“My family has run several races around the world, and the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon is by far the most organized and properly planned race we’ve done,” he said. “I’ll run this race every year as long as my health allows me to.”
June Strambler, 63, who ran her seventh marathon here in Houston last month, shares that sentiment.
“I love that the Houston
“I ran my first half-marathon when I was 50, so I always say it’s never too late . ... There are so many senior runners in Houston that are still running strong — they are my inspiration.”
Marathon is local and not too large, and that the spectators, volunteers and other runners are always awesome,” she said. “I’ve already signed up for 2018; I will continue to run this marathon until I can no longer run.”
Although Richard Broussard, 64, has only been running for the last year, this year’s Houston Half Marathon was his 10th time running the distance.
“As a native Houstonian, there was a sense of extreme pride as over 200,000 fans lined the streets to cheer us runners on,” he said. “They gave all of us a boost in spirit and energy as we ran through some of my favorite neighborhoods and streets in all of Houston. I plan to run this event next year and hopefully many more.”
Jetola Anderson-Blair, 54, ran this year’s Houston Marathon for the fifth time, this time qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon.
“My first Houston Marathon in 2012 was supposed to be ‘one and done’ before my 50th birthday,” she said. “But I felt in love with everything about the race — it’s superbly organized, pleasantly challenging, and the crowd support is unparalleled.”
Registration for next year’s races, scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, will reopen on May 3. Visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.
Cindy Featherston, Runner