The 10 enthusiastic runners below are ready to lead 25,000 Hou Marathoners and Half Marathoners to the finish line. Congratulations to our 2015 team!
Daniel Barron – Daniel has been running for nine years and has participated in the Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Houston Half Marathon every year since. In 2013, Daniel set his marathon personal best of 3:04:21 at the Chevron Houston Marathon and just recently set his half marathon PR of 1:27:29 at the Rhythm and Blues Half in Houston. Daniel has been married for five years to Helen and they have three furry kids – , Mugsy (cocker spaniel), Lily (miniature schnauzer), Emma (german shepherd). He works as a Cost Engineer for Jacobs Engineering and volunteers at The Rose, where he is an Advisory Board Member, and at Susan G. Komen Houston, where he is on the education committee.
Twitter – @M_A_Rathon
Instagram – @M_A_Rathon
Matthew Carberry – Matthew is a 27-year-old runner on a never ending quest for a healthier, happier life. Growing up in the Humble/Atascocita area, he was mostly inactive and overweight. It wasn’t until the summer of 2012 that he found himself at a his most unhealthy and most unhappy state. Nervously, but intently, he began running and soon found himself completely enamored with running, not only for physical health, but for its cathartic properties as well. Since that point, he has lost nearly 40 pounds, completed his first half marathon, and faced and completed challenges he would never have dreamed he could.
Twitter – @matthewcarberry
Melissa Carlson – Melissa is from from Austin, TX and has completed almost 50 races since she fell in love with running four years ago, including everything from 5Ks to marathons to a Spartan Race and several Urban Challenges. When she’s not running you can find her hiking with her two dogs, touring a local brewery or making a huge mess in the kitchen pretending she’s on the Food Network. Her true love is the half marathon, but she is looking forward to making her grand return to the 26.2 distance at the Chevron Houston Marathon in 2015!
Twitter – @melissalicia512
Blog – sothesearemythirties.com
Instagram – @melissalicia512
Lisa Chmiola – Lisa’s running career started in earnest when she enrolled in Power in Motion for the spring 2008 season. With PIM, she successfully completed her first 5k, and has gone on to run several more races at the 5k, 10k and half marathon distances. She is a member of the Advancement Team at St. Agnes Academy. She’s been facilitating philanthropy for nearly 13 years, working previously for the University of Houston and the American Heart Association. One of Lisa’s biggest hobbies is volunteering, and she currently serves in roles with the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Planned Giving Council of Houston and The Junior League of Houston, Inc. Other hobbies include Zumba (she is a certified instructor), cooking and spending time with friends and family.
Twitter – @houdatlisa
Blog – houdatlisa.tumblr.com
Instagram – @houdatlisa
Heather Foley – Heather started running after college to keep in shape and quickly found her family in the running community of Houston. She has run over 30 marathons/ultra marathons (including back-to-back finishes at the Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa), but also loves all the other distances as well. To keep in the best running shape she can be in, she also regularly does crossfit and yoga. She loves short tris and is still trying to get her mountain biking legs. In between, she likes music or a good patio on a nice day with friends.
Twitter – @haf811
Instagram – @haf811
Steph Fraser – A resident of Windcrest, TX, Steph is a runner because she loves to eat cupcakes. She started spending a lot more time in her running shoes after her daughter was born in 2011. She had previously run a few 5Ks, but never considered herself a real runner and laughed at the idea of ever running anything longer. She ran her first half marathon after a good friend convinced her that racing in July in Texas wouldn’t be so awful. Once she realized it was more fun to spend time with her friends running than sitting around drinking coffee, her free time started revolving around how many miles they could fit in before grown up responsibilities would interfere. The crazy thing is that after you spend a lot of time with runners who do amazing things on a regular basis, you want to be just like them. So she signed up for her first marathon, the Chevron Houston Marathon, in 2014. Before she even finished that race, she knew she would run it again.
Twitter – @stephrunson
Blog – stephrunson.wordpress.com
Instagram – @stephrunson
Jeff Harris – In 2012 when Jeff moved to Houston for a new job in aviation, he had zero thoughts about running, let alone running a marathon. However, after registering for the 2014 Chevron Houston Marathon on a whim, he quickly found a passion and love in running. Jeff loves the goal setting and long term vision that it takes to accomplish a marathon and has seen his life change in so many positive ways since taking up his new found hobby. When not running through the streets and parks of Houston, Jeff likes to spend his time growing his entrepreneurial spirit, golfing, exploring and cooking Vegan and helping others reach their goals.
Twitter – @A_Vegan_Runner
Blog – aveganrunner.com
Instagram – @aveganrunner
Bryan Kreitz – Bryan started running after tipping the scales at 200lbs, and ran his first Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 2006. It took him four years after that endeavor to attempt another. After taking another couple of years off, eating correctly and training properly, Bryan began to get his “running” legs. He has PR’d in four straight half Marathons (2:10, 1:51, 1:50, and 1:47). He also set a PR at the 2014 Chevron Houston Marathon, taking a whopping 45 minutes off his previous best, going from 5:36 to 4:50. In 2015, he hopes to see the four hour mark fall. He also PR’d at the Galveston 70.3 by 11 minutes, when he finished in 5:52. Bryan has been married for 11 years and has two wonderful kids. They are his best cheerleaders ever and are at 95% of his races, which is an amazing commitment on