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A Rememberance of Things Passed
By Jack Lippincott, Chair of the Houston Marathon Veterans' Committee
 Those of us who have run the Houston Marathon during the last couple of years will remember taking a right turn by Mecom Fountain, close to Hermann Park. We will also recall going part of the way around Rice University as students cheer us on and climbing the Westpark overpass, the highest elevation on the course. And how could we forget having our spirits lifted by the belly dancers at “the Wall” at Mile 20? These are some of the remarkable sights along our race route; memorable in spite of our careful pacing, focused concentration, even pain and suffering.
There have been many course changes over the last 34 years, some large and some small. But each has made at least a slight difference in the sightseeing aspects of our twenty-six miler. Let me fill you in on some mostly-forgotten race landmarks.
MEMORIAL PARK: During its first four years, the race started, finished, and was completely contained within the confines of Memorial Park. The race once passed right by the tennis and golf centers in Memorial Park – repeatedly! – and, during its earliest versions, even entered the park’s polo fields.
STARTING LINES: Since outgrowing the original five-mile loop in Memorial Park, there have been several more starting lines, all of them downtown. These include the middle of the Sabine Street Bridge, in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and several variations near the current dual start at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
FINISH LINES: The location of the finishing tape has been just as varied as that of the start, most recently including several different points surrounding the GRB. Runners used to huff and puff until reaching the front of the Albert Thomas Convention Center (now called Bayou Place). In particular, a few of us will remember the wicked little uphill finish by the back entrance to the Houston Coliseum. Of course, that classic old building is totally gone now – replaced by the modernistic Hobby Center.
Other things we continue to pass along the way include Hoopla extravaganzas: marching bands, garage bands, and bands of people dressed up in crazy costumes. There have been Catholic priests blessing the runners on the near north side, and church goers who have come out of services to watch us near the medical center, in West University Place, in the Galleria area and along Woodway Drive. One year, “big” George and Barbara Bush stood in front of their church on Sage Road to watch their son, George W., as he approached Loop 610 on his way to a pretty decent finish.
One thought in passing: while some things change, and others stay the same, there is one thing that we have learned for sure. When we veterans set out at a wished-for or “use-ta-could” pace – I do it way too often – there will be many runners passing us in the final miles, rather than the other way around. And it’s always hard to get past getting passed…
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Why are you running on January 18, 2009?
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