DALLAS - Start with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders at city hall, add over 14,000 runners, and finish 13.1 miles later with Bret Michaels rocking Fair Park and what do you have? The second annual Rock n Roll Dallas 1/2 Marathon!
Overcast skies and mild temperatures made for near perfect running conditions on the mostly flat, fast course which took the athletes past historic monuments and Dallas' toniest neighborhoods. Also, a record number of individual runners and two-person relay teams place this year's race as the largest half marathon in Texas and some 600 athletes raised over $30,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, again a record for the race.
Champions from near and not-so-far
The men's race was won by 2008 Mexico Olympian Carlos Cordero Gomez in a time of 1:03:58. From the start it was a race for second place as Gomez set the winning pace from the gun. "The spectators and music along the course were great," said the Beijing marathon Olympian.
Local running specialist, Melissa Cook, of Flower Mound, took the women's title by crossing the line in 1:17:09. Coincidentally, it was her husband, Andrew Cook, who took second place in the men's race.
Bigger and better
"We're very excited about the growth of the Rock n Roll half marathon in Dallas. It's amazing how fast it's grown," said Dan Cruz, public relations manager for the CompetitorGroup, the owner of the race series. "We sold out all 14,150 entries this year and that makes it the largest half marathon in Texas, all in just its second year." Last year just over 9,200 ran the race.
Jennifer Whitter, 30, of St. Louis who ran the race this and last year said afterward, "It was a better experience [this year] compared to last. There were a lot more people cheering along the course, and that really helps. The neighborhoods are beautiful and the volunteer support is great." Whitter is an experienced runner of the Rock n Roll series, having completed two of their races in 2010, and has plans to run three more half marathons this year in Chicago, St. Louis, and Savannah. "The races have well thought out courses and it's fun to travel and meet a lot of people; then the entertainment at the finish line is always good too."
Honor and memoriam
Dozens of runners raced with a purpose for the Myocarditis Foundation in memory of Mark Austry. Last year tragedy struck when Austry, 32, of Lantana collapsed and died shortly after crossing the finish line. The athletic, fit, and seemingly healthy, former college baseball player fell victim to myocarditis, a disease causing inflammation and scarring of heart tissues sometimes causing it to malfunction.
Also, hundred of athletes wearing pink hats and t-shirts ran to honor or remember those in the fight against breast cancers. One of those running to honor his mother, a breast cancer survivor, was NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, Troy Aikman.
Mark your calendar
The Rock n Roll Dallas Half Marathon and 2-person relay; and ING KiDS ROCK return next year on March 24-25, 2012. Click here to register.
Results
Top 3 Men:
- Carols Cordero Gomez, Mexico, 1:03:58
- Andrew Cook, Flower Mound, TX 01:07:26
- Jerry Faulkner, Edmond, OK, 1:07:35
Top 3 Women:
- Melissa Cook, Flower Mound, TX 1:17:09
- Melisa Christian, Dallas, TX 1:17:29
- Megan Skeels, Ft. Worth, TX 1:20:55
Full searchable results can be found HERE.
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