Courtesy: event press release

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The clear blue skies and near-perfect temperatures at the 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, Feb. 17 made this year's race an enjoyable one for the record 11,250 starters and approximately 30,000 spectators.

It was a mild 40 degrees at the start line near Cesar Chavez and Congress Avenue, providing excellent, cool temperatures for runners. Following an enthusiastic welcome from Texas Governor Rick Perry - a participant in the half marathon - runners took off at 7 a.m. as the sun began to rise and a 10-minute fireworks display lit up the sky as they crossed the Congress Avenue Bridge.

The ideal weather conditions were all the more surprising after severe weather warnings, thunderstorms and a 47-degree high on Saturday. During a particularly intense downpour on Saturday afternoon, it was hard to foresee such a favorable turnaround.

Meanwhile, things like bib numbers turned out to be a bit more telling. Jacob Frey and Mike Sayenko, runners on the United States team participating in the first International Marathon Challenge, were given bib numbers one and two, respectively. As it happened, Frey and Sayenko finished the marathon in places one and two after breaking away in the final stretch to edge out Kenya's Joseph Mutinda, the third-place finisher.

Trusting their strategy, Frey and Sayenko paced themselves throughout the race, letting Kenyans Wesley Ochoro and then Joseph Mutinda lead the pack. Near Mile 19, the Americans began to make their move. By Mile 26, Frey and Sayenko had taken the lead and sprinted to a thrilling finish down Congress Avenue just ahead of the Kenyans.

Hugging at the finish line, it was clear the Americans had won the race together on behalf of their team and their country. As Frey said in an interview to FOX's Austin affiliate, "There's really no other option than to run your best when you're wearing red, white and blue."

Frey finished with a time of 2:20:38, Sayenko was close behind at 2:20:42, followed by Mutinda at 2:20:43.

One the women's side, Lucy Hassell from the Great Britain team won with a personal best time of 2:36:26. She was all smiles even before crossing the finish line and seemed to grin as soon as she passed the Capitol on Congress Avenue and 11th Street.

Hassell was followed by American Becki Michael, who came in at 2:43:42 - a time that qualified her for the Olympic Trials in Boston. Amazingly, this was Michael's first time running a marathon. Close behind Michael was Canada's top female marathoner, Nicole Stevenson who finished at 2:44:46.

All told, 5,972 runners crossed the finish line in the half- marathon, while the full marathon had 5,134 finishers. Nearly every runner said the Austin race was something special. From the bands to the charity groups manning each water stop to the cheering from spectators, everyone had a personal favorite.

Race director John Conley said, "I think this AT&T Austin Marathon will go down as one of the best marathons in the country in terms of size, competition and entertainment. The 42 bands on the course inspired people to make the distance and the incredible International Marathon Challenge finish on Congress Avenue will inspire people to take the marathon challenge themselves."

Marathon winner Jacob Frey, who had run the Austin race once before, said, "I always love to come back to this city. It's the unique vibe here that you don't get anywhere else."

Adding to the Austin feel of the race were local charities that participated in the event's new philanthropy program, 26 Miles for 26 Charities. The nonprofit organizations provided volunteers for the water stops at each mile, while using the locations to raise awareness for their cause. Creative themes, costumes, music, signs and more were used to energize runners and communicate their mission at the same time.

Half-marathon finisher, Rochelle Colquitt of El Paso, Texas said, "The race went by so fast because there was so much to see. The volunteers were amazing. They made it so much fun!"

Green Efforts
Race organizers set up extensive infrastructure throughout the course and finish line to make the 2008 event more environmentally friendly. By all accounts, the efforts were successful. Cardboard-only dumpsters were full with the thousands of boxes used to hold everything from water and PowerAde to t-shirts and race medals. Recycling bins at the finish line from Keep Austin Beautiful were teeming with the more than 13,000 plastic water bottles given to runners to keep them hydrated. Finishers in the half-marathon even took home an organic cotton t-shirt. All told, those organic tees saved approximately 2,334 pounds of pesticide.

Champion of the Go Green initiative and associate race director, Michelle Sandquist, said "We've noticed that if you make it easy for people to recycle or do something to help the environment, they'll always pitch in."