Austin Marathon Announces Fifth Round of Accepted Elite Runners

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High Five Events introduces the fifth round of accepted athletes for the 2018 Austin Marathon®. Runners who do not qualify for the Elite Athlete Program are still invited to run in the Elite Field. The Elite Athlete Program’s focus is to provide a clean and competitive environment, discover emerging talent, and help the existing talent pool reach Olympic standards. The Program’s Year Two prize purse totals $20,000, with $15,000 for the marathon and $5,000 for the half marathon.

The fifth round of 2018 marathoners include:

  • Allison Macsas – Elite Athlete Program (2017 Austin Marathon female champion – 2:48:16)
  • Craig Leon – Elite Athlete Program (7th place at 2017 US Marathon Championships [CIM] – 2:13:41)
  • Arturs Bareikis – Elite Athlete Program (2nd place at 2017 Madison Marathon – 2:23:14)
  • Carter Norbo – Elite Athlete Program (ran 2:48:35 at 2017 Chicago Marathon)
  • D’Ann Arthur – Elite Athlete Program (2nd place at 2016 OC Marathon – 2:46:50)
  • Drew Johnson – Elite Field (ran 1:14:14 at 2017 Garry Bjorkland Half Marathon)
  • Brent Martin – Elite Field (4th place at 2017 Akron Marathon – 2:28:10)

The fifth round of 2018 half marathoners include:

  • Allison Mendez-Cleaver – Elite Athlete Program (2017 Austin Half Marathon female champion – 1:21:42; 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier)
  • Patrick Smyth – Elite Athlete Program (8th place at 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon – 2:15:26; 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier)
  • Alfred Kiplagat – Elite Athlete Program (4th place at 2016 Germantown Half Marathon – 1:06:44)
  • Jarrett LeBlanc – Elite Athlete Program (ran 1:04:19 at 2015 US Half Marathon Championships; 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier)
  • Jason Ayr – Elite Athlete Program (3rd place 2017 Hartford Marathon – 2:20:36)
  • Heather Zytkewicz – Elite Field (8th place at 2017 San Antonio Half Marathon – 1:26:45)
  • Jonathon Lira – Elite Field (ran track and cross country for Texas Tech)

“There is nothing quite like racing on hometown roads full of familiar faces, especially when your hometown race is a top-notch production,” said Macsas, also a 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier. “Austin Marathon weekend always feels like a big party for the local running community and my 2017 win was a major highlight of my year – I couldn’t be more excited for the chance to line up and try to do it again!

Read about the first, second, third,and fourth rounds of accepted elite runners. Including today, the marathon has accepted a total of 13 runners into the Elite Athlete Program and 17 others have been invited to participate in the Elite Field. The half marathon has accepted 13 runners into the Elite Athlete Program and 16 others have been invited to participate in the Elite Field. Applications are arriving daily and more than 100 have already been submitted. The sixth round of athletes will be announced next week. Applications are still being accepted and elite runners can apply on the Austin Marathon’s website. Athletes that meet the program’s standards and are accepted will be given one comp entry to the 2018 Austin Marathon or half marathon, reimbursement eligibility, and standards bonuses.

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2017 Austin Marathon Contributes $34.4 Million to Austin Economy

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Findings stem from enhanced community collaboration with St. Edward’s University experts

High Five Events is proud to announce that the Austin Marathon® presented by NXP pumped $34.4 million into the Austin economy during race weekend. The Austin Marathon was able to better calculate its economic impact by utilizing the faculty expertise at St. Edward’s University’s Bill Munday School of Business. This year’s economic impact on the City of Austin is an $8.7 million increase from the 2016 event.

“This year’s economic contributions by the Austin Marathon showcase the growth of Austin’s flagship running event, the staggering financial impact it has on the city of Austin, and the idea that Austin is a destination for runners from around the world,” said Stacy Keese, co-owner of High Five Events.

Dr. Ali Dadpay, associate dean, MBA director, and professor of Economics for The Bill Munday School of Business, conducted the research for the 2017 Austin Marathon economic impact report. Dr. Dadpay achieved the report’s primary goal of incorporating more data, including High Five Events’ localized spending, volunteer contributions and jobs created, to measure the direct, indirect and induced economic impact.

“The Austin Marathon is an example of a sports event which vitalizes the local economy and creates significant revenue for the city and the local business community,” said Dr. Dadpay. “We have used estimated spending and estimated averages to aggregate total spending. The multiplier effect for this event is significant, and we can believe it impacts all economic sectors in our region.”

Moving forward, both parties will work to understand spectator contributions and the value generated by the Austin Marathon in social media, digital marketing, and digital brand recognition. This is an understudied aspect of such events, and other cities are looking into ways to measure the true impact of marathon events. The Austin Marathon is excited about the direction of the St. Edward’s University partnership.

“The Bill Munday School of Business focuses on supporting the Austin community with practical research that facilitates economic growth,” said Dr. Nancy Schreiber, school of business dean. “Our partnership with the Austin business ecosystem is a central force to providing relevant 21 st century business education.”