The weather for the Decker Challenge is almost always as tough as some of its legendary hills. Keeping up that ignoble tradition, the weather was typically rotten for racing on Sunday. But instead of bitter cold temperatures and a biting north wind, a thick front up from the Gulf spread a suffocating blanket of humidity that made Decker—as is the norm—a supreme challenge.
On a day that would see a record high for this date of 85, the starting temperature was an unseasonable 72 which only told a small part of the story. The humidity reached well into the 90s and had a huge impact on all 1600 runners who ran the 20-kilometer loop around Decker Lake.
In stark contrast to the warm, cloudy morning, last year’s Decker was 40 degrees colder and the aid stations volunteers were tossing out frozen cups of water. Today, so many runners were dousing themselves with water, that the aid stations ran out and had to be quickly re-supplied with bottled water from a nearby convenience store.
The only possible positive about the moist, steamy conditions was there wasn’t that persistent head wind on Sunday morning. Rather, as the field snaked its way for the first four miles on Decker Lane, there was even a hint of a tailwind.
Leading the field out of the Travis County Expo Center and onto Decker Lane, was 23-year-old Derek Yorek, a last-minute entry. Yorek had also been a late-entry (very late, he never bothered to register)into the prior race in the RunTex Distance Challenge series—the EAS Run for the Water 10-Miler—and went on to win it in a thrilling battle with Bernard Manirakiza that wasn’t decided until the last 100 meters.
On Sunday morning, Yorek headed a pack that included Lance Parker, Manirakiza and his cousin, Gilbert Tuhabonye, Mark Farris of San Marcos and UT grad student Owen Washburn who was running his first road race in Austin and his first race ever longer than 10-K.
Yorek’s longest race was the 10-Miler three weeks ago and he felt antsy with the dawdling pace along Decker Lane in the first few miles. "I knew it was a hilly course," said Yorek, a graduate of Adams State,, "but the pace was just so slow I didn’t feel comfortable. We were running 5:20 miles and once we turned off Decker, I opened it up a little."
But Yorek could never put any distance between himself and Manirakiza. One by one, the others fell off the pace as they entered the hilliest sections of the course and after eight miles, Manirakiza pulled even with Yorek.
"I tried to get away from Bernard before we hit that big hill {at 10 miles}, but he’s just too good," said Yorek after finishing second. "He was just toying with me."
Manirakiza, who holds the course record of 1:03:25 from two years ago, waited patiently to the 12-mile mark to make his one big move and then waved good-bye to Yorek.
"I wanted to drop the bomb on Derek," said the 28-year-old Manirakiza, using the term from the famed Friday morning "Bomb Run" that most of the local heavy hitters run together.
Bombs away. After passing Yorek, Manirakiza put an astonishing 24-second gap between himself and Yorek to win in 1:06:06. Yorek was second in 1:06:30, Farris was third in 1:07:50. Lance Parker, in his first race since the Olympic Trials Marathon a month ago, was fourth in 1:08:28 and Washburn, who didn’t wear socks and had huge blisters as a result, (he'll learn) finished fifth in 1:08:41.
"The humidity really bothered me this morning," said Manirakiza. "I just didn’t have any spring in my legs. I felt like I had only one move in me and when I went by Derek, I knew that was all I had."
It was plenty.
Chris Kimbrough also had more than enough on Sunday to win her second straight Distance Challenge race. The 38--year--old mother of four was running in her first Decker and was somewhat wary of the infamous hills. Rather than go toe-to-toe with trigoddess Desiree Ficker (the course record holder in 1:15:38 from last year), Kimbrough played a waiting game through the first four miles.
Running with Richard Mendez—the shirtless wonder—Kimbrough caught Kelley Handel and then Ficker after the turn onto the country roads off Decker. "Richard’s great to run with because he’s so steady," said Kimbrough, who like Ficker, has already qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials Marathon. "I think Des might have gone out a little too fast--don't tell her I said--given the conditions. I mean, I definitely felt the humidity and had to back off a bit."
But not too much as Kimbrough was able to push up and over the treacherous hills to an easy victory in 1:17:45. However, the humidity, as it did to just about everybody, took its toll on Kimbrough who has been battling recurrent hamstring issues. Her 6:17 pace was slower than she wanted-- a full 15 seconds a mile slower than her pace at the 10-Miler on a slightly easier course in better conditions.
Pro triathlete Kelly Handel ran a gutty race to finish second to Kimbrough in 1:20:40 with 39-year-old Michelle Maton finishing third in 1:23:10. Maton, the former All American from Indiana University, also finished third in the Run for the Water 10-Miler. Dee Giles scooted along to run a great race to finish fourth, but Ficker faded badly to fifth in 1:24:11.
The prize money breakdown went $200 for first, $100 for second and $50 for third. The cash was extended to include the top three masters as well as grand masters.
Cashing in was 43-year-old Cindy Salazar, who continued her winning (and profitable) ways in 1:26:16 to win the masters by more than three minutes. Salazar took home $500 two weeks at the Philadelphia Half Marathon and today, she earned $200 for her masters win. Margo Braud was second master and Catherine Barrera was third.
Diane Weidner led the grand masters with a time of 1:50:57, followed by Reenie Smith and Linda Harris.
Victor Viesca, 40, of Pearsall looked awesome in placing first in the masters with a time of 1:11:54 (10th overall), followed by 43-year-old Carl Clark of San Antonio and 46-year-old Peter Rauch.
In a major upset, Robert Gibbons, 5, and running in his 29th consecutive Decker (that’s all of them), handed Keith Dowland a rare loss in his age group. Gibbons ran a superb 1:22:41. Dowland, who refused to make any excuses afterward, nevertheless had one: He had been sick all week with a respiratory infection.
The grand masters taking home much needed beer money were 56-year-old Danny Spoonts who won the 55-59 division handily in 1:27:50 over his friend John La Claire in second and Henry Fluck, the top cop in Cedar Park, third.
In the two accompanying races, Eric Hamill of Houston (16:49) and Lucy Rojas (20:06) won the Brown Santa 5-K. And in the Double Decker (24.9 miles), 44-year-old Jim Cleary won by nearly 25 minutes in 2:49:46 (about a 2:58 marathon). Cleary ran a remarkably even race. He raced the first 20-K lap in about 1:22 and only slowed by about five minutes on the second lap.
The RunTex Distance Challenge takes a one-month break before the next race in the series: The ARA Run Hard, Live Easy 30-K on January 6th.
Pray for a cold front.
ARC Decker Results: http://www.doitsports.com/results/page.tcl?id=14722
RunTex Distance Challenge Results: http://www.runtexdistancechallenge.com/resultsList.asp
