Rebecca Donaghue made her marathon debut on the biggest stage, and showed she belonged there. The State College girls cross country coach ran 26.2 miles for the first time at the Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Houston on Jan. 14. Her longest race going into the event was the Nittany Valley Half Marathon in early December, and she was the only woman toeing the starting line to qualify with a 10K rather than a marathon or half marathon time.
Donaghue finished in 17th place in 2 hours, 35 minutes, 57 seconds. While only the top three men and women in the trials race make the Olympic team, Donaghue isn’t done yet. She’s already thinking about her next marathon. A few days after the trials, she wrote on her blog, “I’m anxious to do another one to correct my mistakes and run much faster.”
First, however, she will focus on the Olympic track trials in June. At the 2008 track trials, she placed eighth in the 5,000 meters.
Luke Watson’s Olympic trials marathon was his last as a professional runner. The day after finishing with a somewhat disappointing 2:21:58, Watson announced his retirement on his Facebook page. “With a sense of happiness, pride, and excitement, I announce my retirement from the sport of professional running,” he wrote.
Watson is a doctoral student in accounting at Penn State. The trials marathon was his third Olympic trials. He previously competed in the 5,000 meters and steeplechase at the track trials. His best marathon was a 2:15:29 effort at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2009. Watson was on pace for a personal best at the halfway mark of the trials marathon, but struggled in the second half.
Three former Penn State runners competed in the trials marathon. James Carney, who ran for Millersville University and later for Penn State as a graduate student, finished ninth in 2:12:23. Tyler McCandless finished 50th in 2:19:56. Donna Palisca, originally from Norristown and now living in Bryn Mawr, finished in 2:56:48. Lauren Philbrook, a current Penn State graduate student, finished in 2:39:47, taking more than 5 minutes off her qualifying time.
The following day, 15-year-old Tatum Del Bosco of State College placed first in her age group and 52nd female overall in the Houston Marathon, her first attempt at the distance. Del Bosco finished in 3:11:02.
Meira Minard of State College won the women’s 30-39 age group in the 2011 Trail Runner Trophy Series Non-Ultra Division. The series is a points-based series of 139 trail races in the United States and Canada.
Race calendar
• Colyer ‘Sno Big Deal 5.8-miler, 10 a.m., Feb. 11. Starts at the Colyer Lake parking lot on Lake Rd. Part of the Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathon “Tussey Teasers” series. The event is a free “econo” race, but participants must sign a waiver, available for download at tusseymountainback. com/tussey_teasers. html. The series continues on March 10 with the Laurel Run Switchbacker 10K.
• Snowfest 5K trail race, 1 p.m., Feb. 12. Race is part of Snowfest at R.B. Winter State Park. Website: www.midpenntrailblazers.com.
• Rodney Myers Memorial Run Around Egg Hill 10-miler and Relay Race, 2:30 p.m., March 25. Race begins and ends at the Gregg Township Elementary School in Spring Mills. Website: keleitzel.com/egghill/.
• Mile Run Trail Half Marathon, 10 a.m., March 31. Race starts just north of exit 199 (Mile Run) on I-80 at the DCNR parking lot. Part of the 2012 Central PA Trophy Series, along with the Hyner View, Rothrock, Dam Half/Full, and Dam Scramble trail races. Website: www.parunners.com/tiadaghton-trail-race.html .
Tara Murray writes a monthly running column for the Centre Daily Times.
