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Austin Marathon Announces Fourth Round of Elite Runners

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Fourth round of elite runners will compete during race weekend for a prize purse that totals $26,000

High Five Events is excited to announce the fourth round of accepted athletes for the 2019 Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour®. Returning for its third year in a row, this opportunity creates a competitive field of elite male and female runners while discovering emerging talent, pushing the entire talent pool to reach Olympic standards. FloTrack’s live coverage highlights the competition amongst the elites, following male and female marathoners and half marathoners.

“I’m excited to return to Austin and compete for the win,” said Joey Whelan, whose 2018 Austin Marathon victory launched an extremely successful running year, including qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. “This is the best time of year to train for a marathon in Texas. I’m looking forward to putting in the hard long runs and testing myself against the 2019 elite field.”

The fourth round of 2019 marathoners include:

  • Joey Whelan – male Elite Athlete Program (7th place 2018 Grandma’s Marathon – 2:16:28)
  • Nick Edinger – male Elite Athlete Program (8th place 2018 Pittsburgh Marathon – 2:18:32)
  • Patrick Geoghegan – male Elite Athlete Program (1:06:04 at 2018 Monumental Half Marathon)
  • Blair Teal – male Elite Athlete Program (2018 Outer Banks Marathon champion – 2:22:30)
  • Hyvon Ngetich – female Elite Field (3rd place 2015 Austin Marathon – 3:04:02)

The fourth round of 2019 half marathoners include:

  • Guor Maker – male Elite Athlete Program (2016 Olympics [South Sudan] – 2:22:45)
  • Andrew Leahey – male Elite Field (3rd place 2018 Oklahoma City Half Marathon – 1:13:46)
  • Natasha van der Merwe – female Elite Field (2017 Decker Challenge female champ – 1:26:27)
  • JR Creekmore – male Elite Field (2018 Jonas Cattell Memorial 10 mile champ – 53:42, half marathon debut)
  • Ericka Mason – female Elite Field (3rd place 2018 Cowtown Half Marathon – 1:23:40)
  • Todd Mickey – male Elite Field (2x individual All-Big 12 [indoor mile and 1000m], half marathon debut)
  • Ann Lokiles – female Elite Field (2x Ohio Valley XC Champion (2015 – 2016), half marathon debut)

The prize purse breakdown follows: $15,000 for the marathon, $5,000 for the half marathon, and $6,000 for the Manzano Mile presented by Dole. Runners not accepted into the Elite Athlete Program are still invited to run in the Elite Field.  Read about the first, second, and third round of accepted elite runners. The fifth round of athletes will be announced soon. Applications are still being accepted and elite marathoners 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 2019 Austin Marathon or half marathon, reimbursement eligibility, and standards bonuses.

Austin Marathon Announces Third Round of Elite Runners

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Third round of elite runners will compete during race weekend for a prize purse that totals $26,000

High Five Events is excited to announce the third round of accepted athletes for the 2019 Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour®. Returning for its third year in a row, this opportunity creates a competitive field of elite male and female runners while discovering emerging talent, pushing the entire talent pool to reach Olympic standards. FloTrack’s live coverage highlights the competition amongst the elites, following male and female marathoners and half marathoners.

“I am very honored to have been accepted into the Austin Marathon’s Elite Athlete Program,” said Heather Lieberg, 2016 and 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier. “This will be my first time visiting Texas and I’m training hard to make my race day one to remember. See you soon Austin!”

The third round of 2019 marathoners include:

  • Heather Lieberg – female Elite Athlete Program (2:40:38 at 2017 CIM)
  • Carter Norbo – female Elite Athlete Program (2:48:35 at 2017 Chicago Marathon)
  • Mizael Carrera – male Elite Athlete Program (2:19:29 at 2017 NYC Marathon)
  • Sphamandla Nyembe – male Elite Athlete Program (2017 Woodlands Marathon Champ – 2:21:26)
  • Alexandra Conway – female Elite Field (4th place at 2018 Hartford Marathon – 2:51:39)

The third round of 2019 half marathoners include:

  • Tom Anderson – male Elite Athlete Program (2020 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier)
  • Ryan Miller – male Elite Athlete Program (2020 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier)
  • Julia Rhie – female Elite Field (2:52:59 at 2018 Chicago Marathon)
  • Chris Cabret – male Elite Field (1:14:23 at 2017 Orlando Half Marathon)
  • Bobby Thompson – male Elite Field (1:12:57 at 2017 Monumental Half Marathon)

The third round of Manzano Mile presented by Dole® participants include:

  • Rebecca Evans – female Elite Field (4:27.00 at 2018 Occidental Invitational)
  • Matthieu Campbell – male Elite Field (2018 Boulder Road Runners Track Meet Champ – 4:25.3)
  • Anna McDonald – female Elite Field (4:47.74 at 2018 Husky Classic)
  • Matthew Winkler – male Elite Field (2018 Gibsons Sea Cavalcade Mile Champ – 4:19.7)
  • Christine Thorn – female Elite Field (4th place at 2018 SDSU Indoor Classic – 5:00.33)

The prize purse breakdown follows: $15,000 for the marathon, $5,000 for the half marathon, and $6,000 for the Manzano Mile presented by Dole. Runners not accepted into the Elite Athlete Program are still invited to run in the Elite Field.  Read about the first and second round of accepted elite runners. The fourth round of athletes will be announced soon. Applications are still being accepted and elite marathoners 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 2019 Austin Marathon or half marathon, reimbursement eligibility, and standards bonuses.

Marathoner Gift Ideas

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PROfile: Samantha Calderon, 2019 Austin Half Marathon Elite Athlete Program

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Samantha Calderon will compete against a stacked Austin Half Marathon field

Samantha Calderon has been accepted to the Austin Half Marathon’s Elite Athlete Program. She will compete against other top runners for a prize purse that totals $26,000 on Feb. 17, 2019. Earlier this year, Calderon qualified for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. She currently trains in Colorado and has a bright future ahead of her! Run with her on race day, cheer her on, or watch the FloTrack live stream on race day from anywhere in the world.

About Samantha Calderon

Marathon PR (2:44:44).Samantha Calderon: Austin Half Marathon Elite Athlete Program My name is Samantha Calderon. I am from Minnesota, where I ran track and cross country at St. Cloud State. I now live in Boulder, Colorado, with my husband Julian, and my dog Chardonnay. I run for Run Boulder AC with Coach Kathy Butler. In January of 2018, I qualified for my first Olympic Trials! I’m excited to keep grinding and see where this sport takes me! I was 3x NCAA All-American. I love cooking, baking, reading, and of course running! Qualified for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials at the 2018 Houston Marathon (2:44:44)

Training tip: Do the work. Sometimes training gets hard and you don’t want to do it. Show up every day and get through the workout, whether it’s great or not. You’ll add money to the training bank and it will show dividends.

Race day tip: Don’t do anything different. Eat the same thing that worked in training. Wear the same outfit you wore in your toughest workouts. Most importantly: smile and remember why you love to run!

Follow Samantha on Twitter and Instagram.