It was hot, and it was humid, but that did not stop
MormonTimes.com Racing Team runners Jenna Jensen and Cynthia Fowler from
placing 19th and 20th, respectively, out of 4,104 in the New York Womens
Mini Marathon on Saturday in Central Park.
Jensen finished with a time of
37:46, followed right behind by Fowler at 37:55. Team members Julia Bachison finished at 1:00:22 and Heather
Anderson at 1:08:53.
I wanted to finish under an hour," Bachison said. "I finished in one hour
and one minute, so I am happy with my time."
Of all the places to hold a mini marathon, Central
Park may not be the obvious choice. Yet it proved
to be a good course with hill challenges and beautiful scenery to help push athletes
those last few miles.
I was dying and I had to stop," Anderson said. "I was at the five-mile mark
and I looked around and realized that I was in New York
City in Central Park."
I havent done a 10K road race in a few years so I am a little
anxious… but Central Park is a favorite spot
so I think it will be a fun experience — one I will never forget, Jensen wrote
in the MormonTimes.com running blog. Jensens husband proposed to her in Central Park
in 2006.
Racing with some of the top athletes in the sport, Fowler and
Jensen were a little star-struck when they got to meet some of the
women who will be competing in the Olympic marathon event. Being able to
race next to them was an honor, Jensen said.
I ran with them in the trials … It was really cool to see
them and talk with them a little bit, Fowler wrote in the MormonTimes.com
racing blog.
With finish times comparable to Olympic athletes and veteran
road runners, the MormonTimes.com Racing Team made a name for itself.
It takes guts to go to New York and wear MormonTimes on their
shirts, team manager Bob Wood said.
With MormonTimes.com splayed across their uniforms, it is
hard not to get noticed.
I was at the starting line and a lady notice the
MormonTimes on my shirt and said, Hey Im a Mormon too, Jensen said.
We got a lot of attention because nobody had heard of a
name like that, Wood said.
Others noticed the shirts as well.
I am enthused about the race because I know we are making
history with this team, Wood wrote in the MormonTimes.com racing blog. I know
of no other running team quite like ours … A team desiring to represent the
MormonTimes.com Web site is about as unique as it gets, as most teams represent
shoe companies or cities, or athletic clubs."
MormonTimes.com Racing Team will race next in the Deseret
News Marathon and 10K on July 24. Stay tuned as MormonTimes.com brings
you more about the team as it takes to the streets of Salt Lake City.
Click here to watch the first 100 finishers of the New
York Womens Mini Marathon, including Jensen and Fowler.Click here to read the athletes blog.