16,000 Runners Cross the Finish Line this Weekend During BMW Dallas Marathon’s 49th Running

(DALLAS) – With sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s, more than 16,000 runners raced through downtown Dallas, stately neighborhoods and around White Rock Lake – on a course lined with 100,000 cheering spectators – to finish at Dallas City Hall for the 49th year of the BMW Dallas Marathon.

“Congratulations to all of our runners who crossed the finish line in our 49th running,” said Paul Lambert, President of runDallas, the BMW Dallas Marathon’s parent organization. “We are excited to welcome runners from all 50 states and 25 countries around the world to experience our first-class event.”

Award Winners
Texas locals and out-of-state visitors take top honors at the 2019 BMW Dallas Marathon.

Full Marathon
Aaron Sherf, 30, of Norman, Okla, achieved his first, first-place finish with a time of 2 hours 31 minutes and 20 seconds. “This is my first time placing first in my division,” says Sherf. “I just qualified for the 2020 Boston Marathon and that’s the next big race I’ll start training for.”

Graduate student Lexie Greitzer, 27, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was the women’s first place finisher with a time of 2 hours 56 minutes and 39 seconds – coming in more than 10 minutes ahead of the second place female finisher.

“This was my first full marathon and I feel really accomplished to have achieved such a milestone,” says Greitzer. “The last two miles were the hardest, but hearing the crowd cheering at the finish line really helped me push through those final strides.”

Half Marathon
Drew Wiles, 20, of Dallas, TX, set a personal record today with a time of 1 hour and 9 minutes in his third race with the BMW Dallas Marathon. “I was inspired to run the Dallas Marathon after watching Logan Sherman win the full in 2016,” says Wiles. “I chose my athletic wear based on what he wore that year for good luck.”

Caitlin Keen, 27, of Fort Worth, TX, won the women’s half marathon, crossing the finish line at 1 hour 17 minutes and 59 seconds. “Earlier this year I was training on the Katy Trail when I was attacked by a dog,” says Keen. “After receiving 21 stitches and taking some time to recover, I am proud of myself for being able to get back into my training routine and being able achieve this goal today. When you put no pressure on yourself you can surprise yourself. And I really surprised myself today.”

Ultra Marathon (50K)
Rachel Ragona, 36, of Frisco, TX, took first place overall in the Ultra Marathon 50K (31 miles) with a time of 3 hours 39 minutes and 16 seconds. “I love running because I enjoy both the mental and physical challenge,” says Ragona. “Today I challenged myself by not listening to any music at all to allow myself to truly reflect on the reasons why I was running this race. I’m excited to go home to my 1, 5 and 8-year-old to show them what mommy can do.”

Javier Vilchis, 43, of Irving, TX, took second place overall in the Ultra Marathon with a time of 3 hours 42 minutes and 23 seconds. “I’ve been recovering from a hip flexor injury for the past few weeks,” says Vilchis. “I ran today to test my endurance and speed, and I hope by March when I have my next big race I will be able to shave an hour off my 50K time.”

Relay Marathon
The Pint Striders took first place for the relay for the second year in the row, finishing with an unofficial time of 1 hour 15 minutes and 38 seconds. Team members included Jonathon Bermudez, Aaron Davis, Hank Patrick and Kyle Scanlan. “Our strategy this year was just to run as fast as we could,” says Bermudez. “We were really excited to be back again for this year’s race.”

Marathon Moments

  • Last Man Running: Local radio host on 99.5 The Wolf, Mark Philips, was the very last person to cross the starting line on Sunday, Dec. 15, passing as many race participants as possible in an effort to raise money for Scottish Rite for Children. Philips passed a total of 1,053 marathoners and Andrews Distributing will be donating funds for each runner passed. There will be an official check presentation at Scottish Rite for Children in January to reveal the final total.
  • #TobeyStrong: Matt Tobey, 37, of McKinney, TX, was planning to run this year’s Dallas Marathon, but was unable to due to an unexpected stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis in May 2019, just one month after he ran the Boston Marathon. In honor of Matt, his wife, Loryn, her brother, Chase, and two sisters, Chelsea and Kendall, got together today to run the relay to carry on Matt’s legacy.

  • Time-Honored Tradition: Rio King, 77, of Plano, TX, completed his 44th consecutive Dallas Marathon today. Competing in the Marathon since 1976, King became a participant five years after its founding and has stayed an avid supporter ever since.
  • Running America with MS: Jennifer Lee ran the full marathon today with Project 13, part of a Texas nonprofit organization named Meat Fight, to help raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. After wrapping up at the Dallas Marathon, she’ll be running 167 miles in six days as a part of the cross-country relay MS Run the U.S.

Weekend Events
The BMW Dallas Marathon has had thousands of participants run its course since 1971, with the record-holders for both the male and female divisions having the title since 2006. The current record in the female division is held by Svetlana Ponomarenko with a time of 2:29:55. The male division record-holder is Moses Kororia with a time of 2:12:04.

During the 49th race weekend, the Dallas Marathon hosted its inaugural Friday Night Lights Mile event, a two-lap Grand Prix style race around Dallas City Hall Plaza. More than 200 participants took part in this new and fun event that offered eight different heats for seniors, kids, elite runners and even those in costume. The elite heat wrapped up the evening, with the winner running the 1-mile course in just 4 minutes 18 seconds.

Saturday’s 10K winner was Rodolfo Palomo, 16, of Roanoke, TX, crossing at 36 minutes 14 seconds in the men’s group, followed by Ella Madden, 14, of Dallas, TX finishing in 38 minutes 45 seconds in the female category.

Yesterday’s 5K champions were Evan Lemons, 18, from Plano, TX, with a time of 17 minutes 47 seconds for the men’s group and Julie Rembold, 39, of Lucas, TX, at 18 minutes 58 seconds among females.

The Health and Fitness Expo, which took place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, saw more than 40,000 visitors.

By the Numbers
A dedicated race staff and thousands of volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure both participants and spectators had the ultimate Dallas Marathon experience, which included:

  • 10,785 gallons of water and 7,800 gallons of Gatorade
  • 20,000 pieces of fruit at the finish line
  • 625 gallons of beer to be consumed at the finish line and post-race party
  • 112 bags of discarded clothing collected and donated to local charities

For full race results, please visit http://dallas.mychiptime.com/. All times are unofficial until results are versified by race officials.

About runDallas
runDallas promotes health and physical fitness through running events and related activities. It will oversee several iconic events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including the marquee event, the BMW Dallas Marathon, as well as the Oncor Mayor’s Race, Five on the 4th, Dallas Corporate 5K and BMW 5K Social Runs. runDallas will raise funds and provide a marketing platform for several major non-profit organizations in the North Texas area, including Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Dallas Independent School District, and several other local and national charities. runDallas will serve as an agent to bring those of all ages and fitness levels together in the spirit of health and physical fitness. For more information, please visit rundallas.com.

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