Sunday, hundreds of runners gathered downtown at Civic Plaza for the 35th annual Duke City Marathon. The marathon kicked off at 7 a.m. and was followed by a marathon relay, half marathon, 10k and 5k.
Runners took their mark and dashed down 3rd Street at the sound of the starting pistol. Some participants took off clad in tutus, and others sported no shoes at all. A family of five wore different colored shirts with Pokémon characters printed on the front. Every runner wore a bib indicating which event they were in.
University of New Mexico alumna, Holly Armstrong, participated in the 5K race this year alongside her husband. She said she did not train prior to the race but wanted to take part to enjoy herself.
“Mostly it’s just for fun,” Armstrong said. “To be out here with the community — it’ll be great.”
The course for the marathon took runners down historic Route 66 and on the Paseo del Bosque Recreation Trail. There were four transition points along the way where runners could rest. The transition points also served as markers for the marathon relay runners.
This year a relay team of accountants took part in the race. Calling themselves the “Excel-erators,” four out of the five members were first time participants in the race. Excel-erator member and UNM alumnus, Sharz Weeks, ran the first leg of the race as quickly as possible.
“I knew that I could get motivation from the mass amount of people and get it over with,” Weeks said.
Weeks’ fellow teammate Phillip Robinson said he motivated himself during his mostly uphill run with music from pop artist Britney Spears.
Full marathon runners started to cross the finish line after two hours. Moroccan distance runner, Rachid Kisri, took first place in the men’s division after running a two hour and 25 minute race. Ruth Senior took first place overall in the women’s division running a two hour and 56 minute race.
Runner and UNM alumna, Theresa Clay took part in the Duke City Marathon for the first time this year. Although she did not place she said she set her own personal record for her marathon time at 4 hours and 19 minutes. This is Clay’s 13th marathon.
Clay trains every day to prepare for marathons. She begins her mornings with a four to six mile run and will run for longer distances on the weekend. She described her last few miles as the toughest.
“I had a cramp in my toe during the last three miles,” Clay said. “I was just nice to finish.”
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Runners pushed themselves to the finish line at Civic Plaza while spectators lined the barriers cheering them on. The distinct sound of bagpipes rang in the distance letting runners know they were close to the end. Whether someone was walking or running, there was always motivation from the crowd to keep people going.
Results from the race can be found of the Duke City Marathon Website.
Justine Lopez is a culture reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culturereporter@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @justine_lopez95.
