Flanagan Victorious, Locals Dominate Marathon at Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio

San Antonio's Liza Hunter-Galvan wins the Marathon's Texas Showdown; Vince Neil rocks finish line concert; more than 30,000 event entrants at 4th edition in Alamo City

By: Amana Miyamae, Competitor Group

SAN ANTONIO - (November 13, 2011) - A heavy morning fog lifted into bright afternoon sunshine on Sunday as more than 30,000 entrants pushed through the miles at the 4th Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Multi-U.S. record holder and 2008 Olympic medalist Shalane Flanagan passed her first test in preparation for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials by handily winning the women's half-marathon in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 49 seconds, shattering the course record by more than a minute. At January's Olympic Trials in Houston, Flanagan, 30, hopes to make her third Olympic team.

"This is the first step toward my Olympic goal," said Flanagan, who recorded the third fastest half-marathon time of the year by an American woman. "The marathon is a daunting distance to prepare for, but I felt good and had fun out there. My goal was to run 72 minutes and I accomplished that."

The win is another of Flanagan's many proud moments this year, after winning her second U.S. title in the 10,000 meters this past summer in Eugene, Oregon and a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she finished behind two reigning world champions. Rock 'n' Roll Chicago champion Tera Moody finished second behind Flanagan in 1:13:23, followed by Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz in 1:15:14 for third.

In the men's half-marathon, Colorado's Augustus Maiyo of Kenya led from the start, holding his lead over Michael Reneau to finish in 1:04:24 vs. 1:04:39. The 28-year-old never doubted the win, despite looking over his shoulder as Reneau attempted to close in.

"I was trying to see who was following me, but I was confident. I knew I had won at mile 5. It was a great race," said Maiyo.

Texans had a stellar showing in the marathon, with the top ten in both the women's and men's races hailing from the Lone Star State and fueling the fire of the annual Texas Showdown.

David Fuentes, 25, of Austin, took an early lead and never looked back. He finished in 2:28:10 over San Antonio local Jeremy Daum, who crossed the finish line in 2:30:34. Fuentes, who grew up in San Antonio, said the win was a proud moment despite failing to qualify for the Olympic Trials, "This is only my second full marathon, and I came here hoping to qualify, but I'm not quite at that point yet. Of course, I also came to win and I'm thrilled to come through first in the city where I grew up. I just wish there were more Rock 'n' Roll races in Texas so I could run in them."

San Antonio local and New Zealand Olympian Liza Hunter-Galvan claimed hometown glory in the women's race, winning in 2:46:55 over Kenyan Hellen Rotich of Manor, Texas. The 42-year-old said the community support along the course pushed her through.

"What better place to win a marathon?" asked Hunter-Galvan after winning her second marathon of the year. "It was great to see the crowds as I came through the finish line. I'm not training like I used to, and really I just run for fun now."

San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley completed the half-marathon for a 4th year in a row, running in 2:09:13. Runners celebrated race day with a rocking post-race concert outside the Alamodome as Vince Neil took the stage.

"We had some great performances in San Antonio this year led by Olympic hopeful Shalane Flanagan who looked very impressive coasting to victory as she continues her build-up to the Trials in January," said Matt Turnbull, Elite Athlete Manager for the event. "It was also a good day for the local favorites in the marathon with Liza Hunter-Galvan returning to win her home town race and David Fuentes of Austin taking the men's race."

Participants raised more than $200,000 through the event for the fight against breast cancer through with the Susan G. Komen Marathon for the Cure charity training program. The cause keeps 75% of the proceeds in San Antonio for local screening, education and treatment while 25% will be granted for research.

The 5th Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure is scheduled for Sunday, November 11, 2012.

4th Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon

San Antonio, TX, Sunday, November 13, 2011

MEN

1) David Fuentes, 25, Austin, TX, 2:28:10, $2000#

2) Jeremy Daum, 25, San Antonio, TX, 2:30:34, $1000#

3) Taylor Monts, 26, Austin, TX, 2:40:01, $500#

WOMEN

1) Liza Hunter-Galvan, 42, San Antonio, TX, 2:46:55, $2000#

2) Hellen Rotich (KEN), 32, Manor, TX, 2:48:28, $1000#

3) Marnie Staehly, 34, San Antonio, TX, 2:56:30, $500#

4th Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio ½ Marathon

MEN

1) Augustus Maiyo (KEN), 28, Colorado Springs, CO, 1:04:24, $1000

2) Michael Reneau, 33, St. Paul, MN, 1:04:39, $500

3) Brent Vaughn, 27, Portland, OR, 1:05:25, $250

WOMEN

1) Shalane Flanagan, 30, Portland, OR, 1:10:49*, $1000

2) Tera Moody, 30, Colorado Springs, CO, 1:13:23, $500

3) Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz, 30, Broomfield, CO, 1:15:14, $250

*course record (previous course record, 1:12:14, Molly Pritz, 2010)

#includes Texas-only prize money

For complete results, photos and more, go to: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/san-antonio

this article Courtesy of Running USA wire