‘The crowd keeps you going’: Runners return for Houston Marathon
More than 13,000 people on streets for race’s 50th anniversary
It was around the eighth mile of the Chevron Houston Marathon that the enormity of the task in front of her began to set in for Claire Rettenmaier. Her legs were cramping, and she wanted to refuel with food and water, but Sunday was the first time that the 25-year-old was running with her mother, a seasoned marathon veteran, and she was determined to see it through.
“I was definitely inspired by her and knew I wanted to run the marathon, even though it’s pretty daunting,” Rettenmaier, a Cypress native, said. “I let her go (in front of me), but it was so cool to run with her and have my whole family involved in running.”
More than 13,000 people ran in Sunday’s marathon, the 50th anniversary of the event. Keira D’Amato, 37, set the American women’s record by winning the women’s race in a time of 2:19:12. James Ngandu, of Kenya, won the men’s title in 2:11:03.
For many of the runners, though, the race was a family affair. Some, like the Rettenmaiers, ran together. Others blew kisses to children, partners, parents and friends who braved the near-freezing weather to cheer as their loved ones ran by, using an online tracker to monitor their progress.
It was a welcome return to the course for longtime runners who missed out on the communal aspect of the marathon last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced most major cities to hold “virtual” races, in which runners would register for the competition, run their selected distance and wear a trackable device or submit their time independently.
While the virtual races were a nice way to keep running enthusiasts motivated, they didn’t compare to the thrill of leaving the starting gate with thousands of like-minded runners, or hearing the encouragement of specta
tors on the sidelines.
Erika Park, 46, remembers running virtual editions of the Boston and New York marathons last year and being frustrated with traffic and stoplights. The Montrose resident would run to Memorial Park for her races, but even then, she would have to loop around eight times to finish the 26.2 miles a marathon requires.
“The virtual races are fun and they do serve a purpose … but the feel that an actual marathon brings, you can’t even explain it,” Park said. “Even being out there cheering is amazing, seeing people and being inspired by people, they’re out there and they’re doing it.”
In fact, running through familiar territory is what gave Park the energy she needed to finish.
“In my head, I knew that once I get to 20 miles, it’s Allen Parkway and I run this all the time with the (running group) Houston Striders, so I thought ‘This is it,’ ” Park said. “That last 6 miles is not an easy 6, but I knew it would be awesome because it’s where people start to get loud and when it’s your own backyard, your turf, it’s really nice.”
Gaby Medina, 40, came from San Antonio to run in the marathon after recovering from COVID-19 last summer. She said she was still having trouble breathing but managed to finish with a time of three hours and 28 minutes.
“It was a long journey, my breathing was not 100 percent, but I’m grateful that I finished and got a good time, and I’ll just keep training and getting better all the time,” Medina said.
Medina, who has run about 15 marathons in her life, said that the Houston Marathon is the best one in Texas, a sentiment shared by others who traveled from across the state to participate. Brenna Farren, 31, traveled from Dallas to run because she had heard that Houston promised the liveliest crowds. She wasn’t disappointed.
“The crowd keeps you going. I don’t run with headphones, so just hearing everyone out there cheering helps a lot,” Farren said. “It’s better than Dallas.”
The course, which began and ended in downtown, looped down to Hermann Park, northwest through the Galleria and then back east through Memorial Park and down Allen Parkway toward the finish line. Volunteers stood on the curb handing out water and Gatorade, while local radio DJs shouted encouragement over their tunes, mostly a selection of pop and hip-hop.
Some crowd members even joined in on the action. When Jeremiah Collins spotted his training partner Jake Rice running down Allen Parkway near the 24th mile, he jumped off the median and ran alongside his friend for about a block. Collins was unable to run in this year’s marathon due to an Achilles injury, but for a moment, he was the only runner in the race wearing jeans.
“I was just asking him how he was doing, and he was telling me his estimated finish,” Collins said. “I just told him that’s perfect, he’s got it and he could just enjoy the last 2 miles and soak in the atmosphere.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo even got in on the action, running the Houston Marathon for the fourth time. She expressed her appreciation for the city’s support as well.
“Like a lot of people, I ran last year by myself,” Hidalgo said. “For my part, I ran around Hermann Park over and over again, and I’m glad I did it, but you do miss so much about the marathon when you run it by yourself.”
“This year I saw a lot of joy, excitement and relief. So much of that because we have vaccines, which makes it safe for us to be outdoors and distanced,” she added. “As more and more people do their part, we’re going to be able to do more of this. I was just thrilled to be back.”