JAWN ANGUS, 43
Seattle, 3:06.49
• Angus, a planner for data centers, ran his 48th marathon in his 43rd different state. His goal is to run a marathon in all 50 states. "Another one checked off the list," said Angus, who had a goal of breaking three hours. "I was hoping we'd have a tailwind the last 6 miles, but instead we had the headwind. I just knew it was all over for me."
ERIN ARBOGAST, 36
Memphis, 3:38.34
• Arbogast, a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, completed her first marathon Sunday. She never had run farther than 22 miles. "Today was the record," she said. It's a record she said she might not try to duplicate any time soon. "For now, this is enough."
LAURA ARNOLD, 34
Cincinnati, 3:58.51
• Competing in her second full marathon, Arnold said the huge medals given to finishers were what drew her to compete in Little Rock. "I saw it was an '80s theme on the medal, and it spins. That's really cool," said Arnold, who works at an advertising agency. She said the course was challenging. "There was pretty big headwind coming back on Heritage Trail, in particular. That kept hitting you and slowing you down," she said. "Also, there were two parts that were really hilly at miles 15-17, and that one they stuck right at Mile 25, just enough to take the wind out of your sails."
MARQUIS ARNOLD, 37
Leesville, La., 4:31:28
• A human resources officer with the U.S. Army at Fort Polk, Arnold said he was impressed by his first visit to the Little Rock Marathon. "It was hard, a lot of hills that I'm not really used to, coming from Louisiana," said Arnold, who has competed in four marathons. "It was a challenge. I will be back next year. I had to keep telling myself, run from the legs, not from the arms. I had to coach myself all the way through. Mile 18 to 26 were definitely the toughest."
ANSEN BAYER, 32
Siloam Springs, 4:43.05
• After competing in shorter races, Bayer said his first full marathon was far more difficult than he had expected. "I thought the half-marathons were not too bad," said Bayer, a deejay for KLRC-FM, a contemporary Christian radio station in Northwest Arkansas. "I thought the fulls would not be bad either, but I was wrong. Those are some legit hills." He was asked whether he would ever compete in another marathon. "I don't want to right now," Bayer said, laughing. "Maybe in a few weeks I'll forget how bad it was."
CHAD BERRY, 32
Madison, Miss., 2:59.11
• Berry, an accountant who attended Little Rock Central High School, completed his third marathon. This was the first in his hometown after running in Memphis and Boston last year. Berry said he was shooting for 2:45, but the wind and the warmth had something to say about that goal. "I had it until 21, and then it fell apart. I had high hopes and high expectations. Look, I'm just grateful to God that I'm healthy and able to do it. There's a lot to be thankful for."
JASON BLAKE, 34
Maumelle, 3:16.45
• Blake, a pharmacist at UAMS, has run four marathons, with three in Little Rock. "It's always a good time, and the wind was a killer today. Overall, some great weather for a race. Can't complain. I was trying to qualify for Boston. That was my goal. I'm pretty stubborn. It's a lifestyle to me. It's a good stress relief."
JAMES BODDY, 50
Burkburnett, Texas, 3:22.00
• The windy conditions during much of Sunday's race made tough running for Boddy. "It was very windy out there, and it took a lot of energy out of me," said Boddy, who was competing in his 49th marathon. "Those last couple miles were pretty tough. I had been training in the 30s and 40s. When the sun got out, it got hot pretty quick." Boddy also ran in the Little Rock Marathon in 2006. "Back then, we had a cool day," he said. "Now I'm a little bit older and it hurts more now."
HANNAH BURNETTE, 23
Memphis, 3:55.15
• Burnette, who is attending medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, said it's her goal to run a marathon in every state. She has run 11 marathons in nine states so far. "Not my best, not my worst," she said of Sunday's effort. "That was the hilliest course I think I've ever run. I've done some trail marathons. It's just hard because I'm from Memphis and it's super flat."
AARON BURTON, 40
Harviell, Mo., 3:56.47
• Burton said he started running recently to help provide emotional assistance for his older brother Brett, who lives in Searcy and ran in the half-marathon Sunday. "It's for my brother," said Burton, choking back tears. "Just trying to support my brother. He's just been going through a tough time, and this is a way I can support him. We ran Dallas back in December. That was our first one."
RACHEL CRAIG, 48
Dyersburg, Tenn., 4:45.29
• Craig said she enjoyed competing in her third Little Rock Marathon. "It was a little hilly but good," said Craig, who owns a molding company. "I'm from west Tennessee, flat lands, so we're not used to those kind of hills." She said she was searching for a hobby when she began running. "Honestly, I had small children and I needed an outlet," she said. "It works, especially when they get to be teenagers."
SHAUN COX, 35
Nashville, Tenn., 3:43.46
• Cox, a forklift operator for Certainteed, completed his eighth marathon, and his fourth in Little Rock. He said he was having a good day until Mile 22, when the warmth and the wind got to him. "Wheels kinda fell off after that," he said. "It's really fun, but really hard." Cox said he enjoys the people and cheer stations the most. "The course is the hard part."
BLAIR DEAN, 49
Jonesboro, 3:57.35
• Dean, an Arkansas State professor in the department of health, P.E. and sports sciences, has completed all 18 Little Rock Marathons, and more than 100 marathons in all. "I've run all of them, so I'm a streaker." Dean said she was told this weekend that she is one of 10 people who have completed every Little Rock Marathon. She said she's not sure how long she can keep it up. "I want to make it to 20, and then I'll re-evaluate." Dean said the Little Rock Marathon is a special event for several reasons. "Little Rock is a giving community. The runners are friendly, the volunteers are exceptional." She is also a big fan of runners who act as pacers, trying to help other runners reach their pre-race goals. "I envy the pacers because they're such special people. They're giving back to what has given them so much. That's truly the gift of running."
EMMA DIYANNI, 17
Millersport, Ohio, 3:40.00
• Diyanni said she could not have made a better choice for her first full marathon. "A 10-hour drive to get here and totally worth it," said Diyanni, a high school junior who competes on her school's cross country and track teams. "Running is my passion, and I told my coach I thought I wanted to try a marathon. He said, 'You are crazy.' I so want to rub it in his face when I get back and show him this huge medal." She said it was the event's huge finishers' medal that brought her to Little Rock. "I was trying to figure where I wanted to run my first marathon. I was looking online and it said, 'Little Rock has this huge medal,' and I knew I had to come."
KYRON DOUCETTE, 44
Little Rock, 4:36.45
• Doucette wanted to challenge himself with his first marathon, and he got that and more. "It was on my bucket list," said Doucette, who works for the Little Rock Police Department. "I'm a runner, but I didn't know how far I could run. This was the furthest I've ever ran. I practiced a little bit, but it was an experience." He said he prepared for the event, so he expected to struggle at times. "It was as hard as I expected," he said. "My cardio was good, but I got cramps. I locked up a lot. That was the worst part of it, but it was fun."
LESLIE DURAN, 44
Queens, N.Y., 4:06.18
• Duran completed a career first Sunday. "I never stopped," she said. "I've never had that happen before. This is my eighth marathon, my first in Little Rock, but it was my first one that I never had to stop, not even for water. I had my own water. I just told everyone, 'Thank you for volunteering,' and just kept running." She said she had finishing goals, but they were negated by the hilly section late in the course. "I was trying to finish in under four [hours], but no one told me about those hills at Mile 25 and 26," said Duran, an agent for American Airlines at JFK International Airport. "I thought New York was bad with that mound. But no, this was a hill. That was just mean."
NATE FOWLER, 36
Johnson City, Tenn., 3:46.20
• For Fowler, the temperatures Sunday were considerably warmer than they had been in his recent workouts. "It was tough, but it was awesome, though," said Fowler, who was competing in his first Little Rock Marathon. "It's a little warm, and the last half is a little hilly. Finished it. The on-course support was amazing." It was the 33rd marathon for Fowler, who works at a Citibank call center and also works at a church operating a basketball program for kids. "I stay busy," he said.
SOLOMON GEHT, 35
Chicago, 3:27.15
• Geht, an investment manager, said the Little Rock Marathon ranks in the top 10 of the 68 he has completed. "Really well-organized race. Good expo, volunteers, energy. Only thing I'd say lacking is the aid stations could have been better stocked. You can't control the weather, so you can't ding them for that. Really beautifully done."
SPENCER GORDY, 35
Conway, 3:48.20
• Gordy, a Conway dentist, completed his second marathon. "It was beautiful, but the wind was really whipping out there. All in all, a good run." Gordy said he has signed up to run two more marathons in the next few months. "Hope it goes better than it did today."
KATIE HELMS, 42
Little Rock, 4:03.27
• Helms, a professor at UALR who teaches the masters of science in sports management, acted as a pacer for the runners trying to finish faster than 3 hours, 55 minutes. She said this is the eighth time she has competed as a pacer. "I struggled a little bit. I showed my human side. I always pace this pace. And today it was just a hard day. Most of the time, you hit it. Every once in a while, you have a tough day. Even the pacers have a tough day."
RYOTA KATSUMI, 40
Niigata, Japan, 3:22.37
• Katsumi, a Japanese doctor studying at UAMS, completed his eighth marathon. It was his second Little Rock Marathon. "This race is very hard. There are many uphills and some wind."
DEBBIE LYBARGER, 45
Broken Arrow, Okla., 4:33.05
• A kindergarten teacher, Lybarger completed her fifth Little Rock Marathon on Sunday. "They put on a great race here, a great city," she said. "The course is awesome." She said she enjoyed the event and the course, even after fighting through the challenging hills on the latter miles. "That's why we get these big medals," she said.
CALVIN MAR, 64
Burr Ridge, Ill., 4:11.56
• Mar scratched off his 28th state in his quest to complete a marathon in all 50 states. "I had heard good things about [Little Rock]," said Mar, an obstetrician who began running in 1999. "I belong to a running club, and they had been here before. It's a tough course. Plus, the medal is pretty cool. It's hurting my neck already, it's so heavy."
JIM McDANIEL, 68
North Little Rock, 6:28.10
• McDaniel said he has told his wife for the past several years that his final Little Rock Marathon had arrived, but he keeps returning. "I just wanted to say I could still do it. It's kind of a personal thing," he said. "I used to do the [half-marathons] every year, but I said about six years ago, 'You know, I'm going to try one of these.' Now I'm hooked. This is my sixth one."
NATHAN McSPADDEN, 20
Centerton, 3:13.22
• McSpadden, a sophomore pre-med student at Harding University, completed his first marathon after building a foundation as a cross country runner at Bentonville High School. "This is my first one, and it was great. People are very supportive. They cheer you on. I loved it." McSpadden said running a marathon was his new year's resolution, and he completed the course despite never running as far as 20 miles in his life.
ERIC MILLER, 52
Bremerton, Wash., 3:30.29
• Miller, who works for the Department of Defense, is a University of Arkansas graduate and said he'd rather run the marathon in Little Rock -- where his parents and brother still reside -- than Boston. "I'll keep coming back every year. I'm a Razorback in Bremerton. There's not many."
JULIE MITCHELL, 41
Taylors, S.C., 4:40.23
• Mitchell said the running community -- both at the Little Rock Marathon and at marathons in general -- are what keep her involved in the sport. "It was a great atmosphere, lots of spectators. The people made it great," said Mitchell, a dental hygienist who was competing in her 30th marathon. "I think runners are the best people out there. It's a great community and I love it." She added the 19th state in her attempt to complete a marathon in each state. "I needed to get an Arkansas race and get the biggest medal in the world," she said.
EDDIE MORIN, 48
Little Rock, 4:08.18
• Morin, who moved to Little Rock from Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1990, has competed in every Little Rock Marathon, finishing his 18th in a row Sunday. But he said he does not have all 18 of his finisher medals. "Sometimes the nephew wants one, and I give it to him," said Morin, a director of clinical housekeeping for Crothall Healthcare. "My mom has one. It's more sentimental to give it to someone, in my opinion. When someone says they like one, I say, 'Here, have it.' I do have every one of my bibs."
BRIAN MULLIGAN, 59
Providence, R.I., 3:50.36
• Mulligan, who retired Oct. 31 after 32 years of working for the U.S. Postal Service, ran his 114th marathon after completing No. 113 the day before in Mississippi. He has run marathons in 34 states, with a goal of completing one in all 50. Mulligan said he didn't start running marathons until he was 37, but he can't stop now. "I started later than a lot of people do. I love it. I got hooked on marathons." Mulligan, normally a fan of running hills, said the hills he encountered at Mile 25 on Cantrell were a bit much. "I like hills generally, but that one at Mile 25, that was like a slap in the face."
ANDREW PALADINO, 38
Conway, 3:07.10
• Paladino, a Registered Nurse for Reliance Health Care and the owner of a flower shop, completed his 23rd marathon, and his 10th in Little Rock. He said it was warm and windy, but he wasn't complaining. "It's sleeted here. This is a good day."
KELLIE SHIMER, 36
Richlandtown, Pa., 3:41.18
• Shimer, an elementary school teacher with 2-year-old twin boys, said she started running with the 3:45 pacer pack before taking off on her own. "The course was very scenic. The stations were great. Lot of aid stations. People cheering along the course."
LINDSAY SIMMS, 35
Longview, Texas, 4:00.36
• Simms, a hospital analytics specialist and mother of two young boys, said she set a personal record in her sixth marathon, but didn't quite achieve her goal of running in under four hours. "So close. Tough conditions today. Hot, windy. I'm super proud. And it's a super challenging course. People underestimate it." But the course is not what drew her back to Little Rock after running two years ago. "The medal," she said.
MIKE SOHASKEY, 49
Marina Del Rey, Calif., 3:58.09
• Sohaskey received an unexpected visitor along the course. "I got to fist-bump the governor out in front of his mansion," he said. "That was pretty cool." Sohaskey, who has competed in nearly 50 marathons, said he was impressed by his first Little Rock Marathon. "It's a wonderful course. They do a fantastic job," he said. "You guys have some hills here. I thought the one right before [Mile] 25 was the one I was looking for, but then the one at 25 came. It's all about expectations. When you run and not expecting it, it's not so bad."
STEVE ST. JOHN, 55
Rogers, 3:47.47
• St. John, a concrete contractor, took part in his 28th marathon, but he said he always tries to return to Little Rock. "It's one of the best races I've ever run," he said. "It's my fifth or sixth time to run in Little Rock. It's one of my favorites because of the citywide participation. Everybody gets out on the sidewalks, cheering you on." He said the support helps him compete. "It makes you forget you're running, honestly, when someone is standing on the side of the road with a stupid sign that says, 'You run better than the government,'" he said. "The bigger races -- Oklahoma City, obviously New York and Boston -- those have citywide participation. But some of the smaller races, there is no participation at all, and it gets very mental because it's just you and the road."
LISA STEFFES, 48
Hazelton, Pa., 3:35.52
• Steffes, with a goal of running a marathon in all 50 states, said the mid-60s temperature was something she is not accustomed to at this time of the year. "Normally, I'm wearing three shirts, two wool hats, GORE-TEX gloves. It was beautiful. It was a little windy and a little hilly, but that's part of the course."
JEREMY VRENTAS, 38
Lee's Summit, Mo., 4:17.36
• Running in Little Rock for the second year in a row, Vrentas found the weather more to his liking Sunday after competing in rain and light snow. "The weather was perfect," said Vrentas "[Last year] the weather was a little more miserable than it was today. The course support is the best, bar none. I'm going to try to come down here every year now." It was his 11th career marathon. "I got into running because I wanted to be a good example for my kids," he said. "But at 10 and 11, they don't have any interest in it right now."
Sports on 03/02/2020