- Boston Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi motivated runners as Grand Marshal
- San Antonio residents Jacob Buhler and Liza Howard win 7th annual marathon
- Humana CEO Bruce Broussard, VP and Project San Antonio leader Pattie Dale Tye raced with more than 300 Humana runners
SAN ANTONIO – December 7, 2014 – The new December race date yielded ideal running weather for thousands of participants today at the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & 1/2 Marathon. San Antonio locals stole the show as marathon champions Jacob Buhler (2:29:04) and Liza Howard (2:55:49) were first to cross the finish line.
Augustus Maiyo from Colorado Springs, CO, won the men’s half marathon in 1:04:35, while Janet Cherobon-Bawcom from Flagstaff, AZ (1:13:30), placed first in the women’s race. Maiyo and Andy Wacker ran together through the 5k, when Maiyo pulled away and never looked back. He ran uncontested over the final eight miles for the half marathon win. Jovanny Godinez Rodriguez finished second in 1:05:58 and Wacker finished third in 1:06:03.
“I ran this race in 2011 and wanted to come back,” said Maiyo, who’s been running with the Army for the past four years. “I liked the course and the weather was great. San Antonio is a great city to run in.”
In the marathon, Buhler ran with a pack of half marathoners, including the eventual women’s champion Cherobon-Bawcom, until the course split. Buhler’s friend and training partner, Jason Butler from Oklahoma City, stayed about five minutes behind in second throughout the race, ultimately crossing the finish in 2:38:17. Ashish Patel from Austin finished third in 2:41:01.
“I felt good from the get go,” said Buhler. “The course was great, it was pretty flat, but once we split off it was a little lonely out there. I came out to compete and it worked out well.”
America’s best distance runner Meb Keflezighi not only paced Saturday’s new Rock ‘n’ Roll 10k, but also encouraged runners along the route as the Grand Marshal of the event. Meb went out to the 24-mile mark to motivate some of the “middle of the pack” marathoners as well.
“From Boston to New York, 2014 has been a great year for me and I enjoyed spending time with thousands of my fellow runners in San Antonio,” said Meb, who paced the 7:30 mile group during the 10k. “After riding in the press vehicle for the half, it was fun to surprise some runners out on the marathon course and encourage them t0 ‘Run To Win,’ which means to get the best out of yourself. I loved helping athletes of all abilities achieve their goals this weekend.”
In 2014, Humana became the first title sponsor in the race’s seven-year history. The leading health and well-being company celebrated some of the oldest participants to cross the finish line with its Humana Classics Challenge, and also cheered on runners at its Humana Mile and Military Mile on course. In addition to its focus on personal wellness for people at every age and stage, Humana also works to simplify healthcare and to make it easier for people to achieve their best health. For more information, visit www.humana.com.
“Wow! What an inspirational weekend,” said Pattie Dale Tye, Humana Vice President and Project San Antonio leader, who finished the half marathon in 2:26:14. “At Humana, we’re committed to improving the health of the communities we serve, and that’s why we signed on as title sponsor of the marathon and related running and biking events. I was thrilled to participate and inspired by countless stories of people running for better health. What a privilege it was to be a part of this weekend’s events!” Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio included a true festival of distances with runners participating in the marathon, half-marathon, 2-person half-marathon relay, 5k and Bike Tour today. The race started downtown at the intersection of Cherry Street and Commerce Street and finished at the Alamodome. Live bands and enthusiastic cheerleaders lined the race routes to create the ultimate fitness-centric, block party environment. Multi-platinum rock band Everclear headlined the finish line concert at the Alamodome.
Numerous elite athletes and age-group participants competed in the Half Marathon Grand Prix, which concluded this weekend at Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio. The age group competition highlighted competitive athletes from 18 to 80-years-old. Runners accumulated points by completing as many Rock ‘n’ Roll races as possible and were ranked in their age group based on finish time and place. The elite competition celebrated emerging and future American endurance running stars, who similarly accumulated points through the challenge while competing for the $50,000 prize purse.
The 2015 Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & 1/2 Marathon will take place over the weekend of December 4-6. For more information or to register for the event, please visit www.humana.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on
Twitter.
Top Results – Sunday, December 7, 2014
Marathon – Men’s
| 1 | Jacob Buhler | 28 | San Antonio, TX | 2:29:04 | $500 |
| 2 | Jason Butler | 42 | Oklahoma City, OK | 2:38:17 | $250 |
| 3 | Ashish Patel | 32 | Austin, TX | 2:41:01 | $100 |
Marathon – Women’s
| 1 | Elizabeth Howard | 42 | San Antonio, TX | 2:55:49 | $500 |
| 2 | Julee Guinn | 32 | San Antonio, TX | 2:59:08 | $250 |
| 3 | Jen Frankmann | 30 | Richardson, TX | 3:02:22 | $100 |
Half Marathon – Men’s
| 1 | Augustus Maiyo | 31 | Colorado Springs,CO | 1:04:35 | $500+$500* |
| 2 | Jovanny Godinez Rodriguez | Hayward, CA | 1:05:58 | $400 | |
| 3 | Andy Wacker | 26 | Boulder, CO | 1:06:03 | $300 |
Half Marathon – Women’s
| 1 | Janet Cherobon Bawcom | 36 | Flagstaff, AZ | 1:13:30 | $500+$500* |
| 2 | Lauren Smith | 23 | Lake Jackson, TX | 1:17:03 | $400 |
| 3 | Nicole Camp | 29 | Longmont, CO | 1:18:01 | $300 |
*Performance Bonus: all runners finishing under 1:05:00 (m) and 1:15:00 (w) will be paid $500.
US Half Marathon Grand Prix:
Men
| 1 | Jeffrey Eggleston | Boulder, CO | 104 pts | $15,000 |
| 2 | Andy Wacker | Boulder, CO | 82 pts | $6,000 |
| 3 | Gabriel Proctor | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 62 pts | $2,500 |
| 4 | Shadrack Biwott | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 55 pts | $1,500 |
Women
| 1 | Lindsey Scherf | Chapel Hill, NC | 108 pts | $15,000 |
| 2 | Deena Kastor | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 70 pts | $6,000 |
| 3 | Janet Cherobon Bawcom | Flagstaff, AZ | 44 pts | $2,500 |
| 4 | Laura Thweatt | Durango, CO | 27 pts | $1,500 |
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the country. More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com.
About Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
A Competitor Group event, the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & 1/2 Marathon will welcome approximately 24,000 participants at the 7th annual event on Sunday, Dec. 7. Open to runners and walkers from novice to professional, live bands and local high school cheerleaders entertain and cheer on participants along the scenic course. Race weekend kicks off with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Alamodome, where all participants go to pick up their race bib and explore more than 100 running and fitness retailers, exhibits and clinics. Children in grades K-7 can also participate over race weekend at the non-timed, non-competitive SUBWAY KiDS ROCK San Antonio powered by San Antonio Sports on Saturday, Dec. 6. The event concludes with a finish line festival at the Alamodome. Over the 17-year history of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, charity participants have raised more than $300 million for a variety of worthy causes and nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit runrocknroll.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.