Rosas, Andrews Conquer the Decker Challenge

Do the hills of the Decker Challenge Half Marathon get longer and steeper every year? No, but there are lots of them and they are long and they are steep. Especially the monster at mile 10. But that didn’t seem to faze Uriel Rosas. In fact he actually sung their praises.

“I really loved the hills,” said Rosas, 24. “I spoke with Iram Leon who’s run the race many times, to find out more about the course and he mentioned the hill at mile 10. That slowed me a bit, but I was able to pick it up again after that.”

On Sunday, December 8, a post-rain cool damp morning, Rosas cruised through the hills and valleys at a swift 5:33 per mile pace to win the race in 1:17:02.

Mark Heerensperger took second in 1:23:34, followed by Laramie Goode in 1:24:27 for third place.

“I was way ahead of second place, so it was easy for my family and friends to spot me along the course,” said Rosas. “This was my first Decker. My goal was to run around 5:30 pace, though I was hoping to achieve more.

For now, Rosas specializes in the half-marathon, though he plans on moving up to the full marathon in the near future.

“I’ll be running Austin Half in February and I’ll be training more for the full marathon after that,” he said,

Airon Andrews, a Certified Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Run Coach, pulled off a double by winning the women’s race overall, and topping the master’s field. Andrews, 44 averaged 7:43 a mile through the hills to win in 1:41:19. Elissa Steglich was a step behind in 1:41:20 followed by Kristen Starr, third in 1:42:57.

Newsflash: Former Longhorn aces Monica and Isabel Hebner, now competing for the Bat City Track Club, ran in the California International Marathon on Sunday, December 8. Monica took seventh place in 2:32:40, while her twin sister Isabel ran into some hydration issues, but still scored a 2:37:08.

Upcoming Races: Saturday, December 21 at 8:00 a.m., the Johnson City Jingle Jaunt 5K at Johnson City Park, Johnson City. Saturday, December 28 at 8:00 a.m., the Luau 5K, 10K, & Half Marathon at Bohls Park in Pflugerville. Sunday, January 5 at 7:30 a.m., the Resolution Race 5K & Half Marathon at Lake Pflugerville Park, Pflugerville.

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