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NEWS BRIEFS
Marathon shows off Huntington
HUNTINGTON — Dave Daubert of Minnesota crossed the finish line of his 92nd marathon on Sunday at Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
He’s not a runner, but a race-walker, he said. And after the fifth annual Marshall University Marathon on Sunday, Daubert — a cobbler by trade — has now completed marathons in 47 states. He’s also raced in 13 European countries and on six continents, including Antarctica.
As a member of the 50 States Marathon Club, he said he needed West Virginia to reach his “50 states” goal.
“I like Huntington,” he said. “It’s bigger than I thought — a river city that’s long and thin. Everyone has been friendly and nice.”
Daubert joined more than 1,000 runners on Sunday, a record participation for the Marshall University Marathon, which featured the 26.2-mile marathon, along with a 13.1-mile half-marathon, a half-marathon relay and the 5-mile walk. The athletes came from 37 states, and race director Tom Dannals said organizers try harder every year to make it a first-class event for them. They each get to run down the football field to cross the finish line and receive a medal, T-shirt and fleece sweatshirt.
“These are the things we go after each year to make it better,” he said.
It’s a great event for the city of Huntington, he said, bringing in people from out of town and getting people who live in this area to get active.
“People show up and they say, ‘Somebody got me out there for the race.’ That’s the kind of thing we like,” said Dannals, a family physician who works with HIMG and the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
The best thing about races like the MU Marathon and the Tri-State Triathlon is that people are so supportive of the athletes, said Marshall graduate student Matt Humphrey, who ran his first marathon Sunday.
“They’re out there to help,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are — they just want to see you succeed.”
There seemed to be a difference in community support this year, especially comparing with the first year of the marathon, said David Wendell, who waited on the football field with his camera and his 2-year-old daughter, Abby, for Sherry Wendell to make her way toward the end zone finish line.
“More people are out,” he said. “I’ve been following her around the course, and it seems that everyone is cooperating this year. No more hostile drivers. Before, there were hostile drivers trying to get to church.”
Dannals wasn’t sure yet how many participants were local this year, and how many came in from out of town, but he guessed that it may have been about half and half, perhaps with a few more from out of town.
That’s great for Huntington, he said, and what’s even better is when local businesses reach out and welcome them. He thanked the Best Western in Barboursville, which offered a special rate for marathoners and gave them a late checkout time so they could go back after the race and shower before heading back home.
“We need more participation like that from the community — for them to say, ‘We want you here. Welcome,’ ” Dannals said. “Let’s show off Huntington.”
