Houston Marathon: The Hoopla

This is the ONE TIME of the year that the Houston Chronicle gives good coverage to the sport of running. There is an almost weekly running column every Thursday but beyond that the running community is sort of on it's own.

So why this week? You see...Sunday, January 13, 2008 is the Houston Marathon, 1/2 Marathon and 5K. It is the largest particpant event in the city of Houston. Approximately 17,000 runners will be hitting the streets for the marathon and 1/2 marathon and I don't know how many more will be participating in the 5K.

There is a good article about the increasing numbers of runners in the U.S. and the decreasing average completion times. To read the article, click here.

The thing about the marathon is that you never know what type of weather to expect. I have sweated my ass off and I frozen off my cajones. It's Houston. You just never know.

This year I am doing the 1/2 marathon and uh...let's just say I have been better prepared. I think I got into my running funk when I didn't get selected for the ING NYC Marathon. I'm still going to have fun. And I ain't too proud to walk part of the course in order to complete the run.

"Not everyone can be a hero. Someone has to stand on the sidelines and cheer."

-Will Rogers

Part of what makes the run fun (yes, fun) is seeing all of the spectators who come out to cheer. When the course changed a few years ago I wondered if the people in The Heights and Montrose would come out early to cheer us on. The answer was a resounding YES and they came out in full force. You see...they are toward the begining of the course so they have to get up early and yes some of them are out there cheering in their pajamas.

Prior to entering The Heights runners can usually count on some Tejano music playing as they run along Quitman. Sort of a mini-fiesta so to speak. I remember one year, there was a Roman Catholic priest in a cherry picker blessing us with holy water as we ran by.

The people in West U get to sleep in a bit longer but they have the most fun. Runners usually encounter block parties or yard parties. Mimosas, Screwdrivers and brunch while the runners traverse by.

I remember one year as I was approaching Rice University I could hear loud dance music coming from a house. I thought to myself, "Gays." Sure enough, a gaggle of gays were getting sloshed at 830A, dancing and cheering. I wanted to stop and join in.

The same year that the course changed at the beginning it changed around mile 16. The new route goes through Tanglewild. For those of you who don't know anything about Houston, this is the neighborhood where Daddy George Bush lives.

The neighborhood comes out to lend their support but they're a bit more sedate than the Rice U./West U./Montrose/Heights areas. Marathon runners can always count on the belly dancers right before they hit the proverbial wall at mile 20 which happens to be at Woodway and I-610 (the loop).

It is at this point the hoopla goes full force as the spectators come out to greet the runners as they come into Memorial Park. And it is non-stop for most of the way down Memorial to Shepherd to Allen Parkway.

If you live along Allen Parkway, I know that the runners would appreciate you coming out to cheer because this is the approach into downtown and the last part of the course. I call it the Allen Parkway Death March because it is up and down and up and down and up and down, etc. All that you can think about is getting through downtown and crossing the finish line.

I will say that one year the people from Casa de Eperanza were there with a band and Margaritas. At mile 23 though a Margarita was the last thing on my mind.

So if you're looking for something to do on Sunday morning, click here for a map.

Hope to see you along the course on Sunday!