The 2nd Annual Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon:
The Sun City’s Newest Tradition
by Rene Leon

Last year, the Sun City welcomed runners from across the country and from Mexico to participate in the city’s first marathon. Next month, more runners, and even walkers, will participate in the 2nd Annual Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon.

The 26.2-mile race - inspired by a runner who carried news of the Greeks’ military victory over the Persians from the city of Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. - is scheduled for Saturday, March 2 at 7 A.M. with the racecourse taking runners through several of El Paso’s historic neighborhoods and identifiable regions.

Participants will start their race in Downtown, traveling by San Jacinto Plaza and up Kansas Street and eventually north through Sunset Heights, the University of Texas at El Paso campus, Kern Place and Mission Hills. Runners will then head west along Executive Center Blvd., then north along Paisano toward portions of the Upper Valley and Sunland Park, N.M. Runners in both the half and full marathons will finish their races racing along the U.S. – Mexico border on Paisano en route to the finish line.

The idea of the El Paso Marathon was first floated when Luis Talavera, an active runner, approached Bill Berry with the suggestion of the Sun City hosting its first major marathon race. The two later recruited other like-minded runners and formed a steering committee to plan, organize and execute the event.

Anita Rockett, a runner and owner of Rockett Advertising, was part of that steering committee.

“With a few dedicated men and women, we were able to do last year’s race, and everyone seemed to rally behind it,” Rockett says, adding that the city of El Paso was very supportive of the race because it is an opportunity to bring in visitors from out of town.

The group’s initial goal was to bring in 500 runners to race through El Paso’s neighborhoods and desert landscapes. Through their work in organizing the race and finding sponsors to lend financial and production support, the group was able to meet and exceed its initial goal by 80 percent, bringing in just over 900 runners to participate in the event.

“It was right at about 900 runners last year, which was well over our expectations. Everyone was absolutely thrilled,” she says. With that success being a large motivation, Rockett says she expects this year’s race to be even bigger. “This year our goal is 1,500 runners, which is really ambitious, but we believe that with the added efforts and the additional advertising that we’re really pushing to achieve that goal and are getting equal excitement among everybody.”

Rockett says the feedback received from out-of-town runners who participated in last year’s race was overwhelmingly supportive.

“People from the state of New York were saying, ‘unbelievable, great run, phenomenal awards, well-run, we enjoyed it, the hospitality was excellent.’ I mean it was positive feedback across the board from those who came and participated from out of town.”

With increased efforts to promote and improve this year’s marathon, Rockett foresees that positive feedback to increase as more runners from both El Paso and out of town are expected to join in the race.
One of those new participants in the second annual race is Karla Huelga, a regular distance runner who has participated in four marathons since 2002; she ran the full Rio Grande and Long Beach marathons as well as two half-marathons sponsored by Las Palmas Del Sol Medical Center. This year she plans on running in the 13.1-mile half-marathon.

“I’m not ready for the full,” says Huelga, “because life is busy right now and I didn’t have the time to train, but the half is definitely a distance that is still competitive yet still fun for me.” Huelga, programming and community relations director for KVIA, runs five to six miles a day, four or five days a week. She says she will complete both a 10-mile run and a 13-mile run then scale back her routine for two weeks prior to race day in preparation for the half marathon.

Huelga is the type of participant Rockett hopes to attract more of to this year’s race.

“You’re going to have a whole lot more runners that are going to be able to run a half-marathon than are going to be able to run the full, and that’s what we want,” Rockett says. “We want El Paso to know that we are set up for people to walk or run in the half, and we believe that every El Pasoan that has any desire can step into this race and enjoy it.”