A little help goes a long way in Eugene.Byline: Chris Hansen <noinclude></noinclude> Christopher Edward Hansen (born March 26, 1959) is an American television journalist best known for his work on the Dateline NBC television segment To Catch a Predator. The Register-Guard Matt Hooley was so intent on getting a good time in the Eugene Marathon The Eugene Marathon, established in 2007, takes place in Eugene, Oregon, a city considered a mecca in the American running community. The main event, accompanied by a half marathon, 5K and kids run, became the first major marathon to be held in Eugene since 1982, when the last , he brought his own rabbit. The strategy paid off. Hooley finished in a course-record 2 hours, 18 minutes, 38 seconds to win the men's portion of the third annual 26.2-mile race on a drizzly Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
The 26-year-old from Madison, Wis., came in just under the U.S. Olympic Trials "A" standard of 2:19:00 to earn an automatic spot in the trials. "I wanted to play it conservative today and just get the standard," Hooley said. "That's what I did - barely." It was also a personal record for Hooley in his first Eugene Marathon. His previous best was 2:19:50 in a win at the Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5K race. in 2007, which at the time met the qualifying standard for the Olympic Trials marathon, a race he ran but didn't finish in November of 2007 in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . Coming in second place on Sunday in a field of 920 runners was Chad Worthen of Sacramento, who recorded a time of 2:26:36. Third place went to John Ngigi of Glide in 2:31:02. Ngigi, who finished fourth in Eugene last year, won the Portland Marathon The Portland Marathon is one of the most established annual marathons in the USA. It was first held in 1971 and has been held every year since. The marathon is generally held in October; with as many as 9,000 taking part. last October. Ian Fraser There are several people by the name of Ian Fraser.
"The course is great," Hooley said. "It was pretty fast, very flat. There was nice long stretches of road so you could just get in a rhythm and go." Hooley, who correctly assumed the competition wouldn't be able to maintain a strong pace - he did beat Worthen by nearly eight minutes - brought longtime friend, running partner and 2:16:0 marathoner Mike Reneau to push him. "We've done a ton of runs together," said Hooley, a former Division III track and cross country standout for Carleton College in Minnesota. "It was great to have an old friend with me. a We knew it was going to be a little bit bare in terms of competition. You gotta have company in a marathon. You can't do it alone." Early on, Hooley and Reneau went out with a small pack of runners that included Eugene's John Lucas, who pulled out after 18 miles with a sore knee. Eventually Hooley and Reneau went off on their own. "We were running very even 5:16, 5:18, 5:20 miles," Hooley said. "I just felt really good. Mike pulled out at (mile) 19 and he said, `You can do this.' And I knew I could. I was feeling good enough at that point. I knew I had it." Hooley admitted he had to grind through miles 21-24. However, he was rejuvenated re·ju·ve·nate tr.v. re·ju·ve·nat·ed, re·ju·ve·nat·ing, re·ju·ve·nates 1. To restore to youthful vigor or appearance; make young again. 2. by an enthusiastic crowd as he neared the finish line on East 15th Avenue just west of Hayward Field. "The support was awesome," Hooley said. "It was so awesome coming down the straightaway straight·a·way adj. 1. Extending in a straight line or course without a curve or turn. 2. Unhesitating; immediate: a straightaway denial. n. . "I've never had a rush like that. I ran the Olympic Trials in 2007, and this was louder coming down the home stretch." Long after Hooley was done, Worthen made his way across the finish line. "Was I second?" Worthen asked. "I really had no idea. I ran by myself the whole way, from two miles on." It was a familiar scenario for Worthen. The 35-year-old recently won the San Francisco Marathon The San Francisco Marathon is an annual marathon, which has been held since 1977 in July or August in San Francisco. The next event will be held on Sunday 29 July, 2007. running by himself after the first three miles. "I let (Hooley) go, and then there was a whole pack of (full marathon) guys I let go," Worthen said. "At one point someone told me I was fourth, but a couple guys must have dropped out because I have no idea how I got second. It just happened." Worthen was two minutes off the time he was shooting for, though he said part of that could've been made up if he had a little help. "I wish I had more people to run with, and I wish it hadn't been raining," he said with a laugh. "Early on I was a little ahead of pace, so I slowed down and came into the halfway point right on pace. "The second half I started falling apart a little bit. That's where if I had someone to work with it would have been easier. I did a lot of talking to myself to keep me going out there." MARATHON RESULTS Complete results will be published in Tuesday's Register-Guard and at www.eugenemarathon.com. |
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