Camille Herron 2015 OKC Marathon Winner

Camille Herron – Third Time OKC Memorial Marathon Winner – Interview

It’s been over a week since more than 25,000 participants toed the starting line, running to remember the 168 people killed in the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is truly a memorable event and runners in this event continue to make history such as female marathon winner, Camille Herron. Camille won in 2012, 2014 and crossed the finish line at 2:54:55 this year becoming the race’s only third time champion.
Camille Herron 2015 OKC Marathon Winner
Camille, 33, is a professional athlete who has won 18 marathons. Two weeks prior to the 2015 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon she was named to the U.S. National Team and won the national title for top marathon runners.
But don’t let the intimidating racing record fool you. Camille is an extremely gracious pro athlete. She has a passion for running and wants to see it expand here in Oklahoma as demonstrated by her willingness to allow RunOklahoma.com interview her. She kindly took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her favorite part of the course and how she celebrated her third victory.
Q: What did it mean, to you, to be able to wind the OKC Memorial Marathon for a third time?
A: I had noticed a few months ago looking at past winners that no one had won the OKC Memorial 3 times. My husband, Conor, has won it twice. To have now won it a 3rd time is making a bit of history! I have plenty of race opportunities that I could pursue around this time (including the 100K US Championship I just did 2 wks before), but I choose to run my “hometown race” because I know how much it means to my friends and family. I want to be an inspiration to them and the greater Oklahoma endurance community. Also, being a native Oklahoman I know how much it means to everyone to continue to “run to remember” the OKC Bombing– I was discovering my talent as a competitive runner 20 yrs ago, so it’s symbolic and coming full circle to still be running competitively and now for a greater cause and purpose.
Q: You mentioned being able to really soak in sites and sounds of the race? Do you have a favorite area/stretch of road on the course?

A: I like running through all the historical neighborhoods– the first 10 miles and then the last 6-8 miles. I’m probably not alone in having a love-hate relationship with Lake Hefner!

Q: How did you celebrate your third win? A fancy dinner or a long nap?
A: A post-race nap and then the annual party at Mark Bravo’s house, although we came a little later than everyone cause of our nap!

Q: Your win came two weeks after a 100K run, what is your plan for recovering?
A: This was my first time running an ultra in the US, so I really didn’t know what to expect bouncing back from the 100K. I took more days off and less running than expected between the two races, mainly because I was sleepy and had the appetite of a 14 year old boy! My muscles weren’t that sore after the 100K. It was mainly metabolic/endocrine fatigue I felt going into OKC Memorial– I didn’t have the “umph” to push myself hard and felt flat. Since OKC Memorial, I took several more days completely off from running, eating like a horse, sleeping a whole bunch, and then did some “vacation running” up in Oregon. Now I’m feeling ready to build back into regular training.
Q: What’s the next big race on your calendar?
A: I haven’t planned any immediate races yet– I actually decided not to do Comrades at the end of May, so it’s opened up a huge window to train and/or do domestic races the next two months. Then, my next major race to build towards will be the World 100K Championship in The Netherlands in September. I’m currently #1 in the World for 100K, so I want to be healthy, rested, and fit for this race. There’s several possibilities to pursue American/World Records next fall from 50K and up, so I’d like to get myself into prime marathon fitness. Finally, I’ll carry the fitness into training for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials next February in LA.

May 2015 – Oklahoma City Area Races

superfanfinish2It’s hard to believe that May is already upon us and spring is in full swing. May can be a pretty intense month here in Oklahoma. Think hail storms, thunder storms, and tornados. Perhaps to counter balance the severe weather Oklahoma receives, the month of May seems to be chockablock full of party and/or good food racing events . We’ve gathered a list of local races that are sure to be a blast. For a more extensive list of races check out the Find a Race page.

The Drunkest Run  – Yes, you read that correctly. The McNellie’s Pub 4 Mile Run on Saturday, May 2nd in Oklahoma City is certain to get you tipsy; especially if you take the Guinness Challenge. The challenge encourages participants  to FINISH three 12 ounce Guinness pints during the 4 mile run; one at each water stop (at about mile marker 1.5 and 3) and one at the finish line.

Let Your Sports Freak Flag Fly Run – You live in Oklahoma, so it’s likely you enjoy sports of some sort. Whether you’re a die hard Sooner, Cowboy, or Thunder fan the Old Hat Super Fan 5K in Norman is your chance to get dressed up in your best sports gear and have the crowd cheering you on for a change. Besides, Barry Switzer, Rumble the Bison, and notable Oklahoma City Thunder super fans will be present. It’s sure to be a good time. The race is Saturday, May 16th so get cracking on your sports fan attire.

The Tastiest 5KFat Guy’s Burger Bar is hosting a Burgers and Baseball 5K race in Tulsa that benefits the Pet Adoption League. The race starts at 7:30 on Saturday, May 30th. After the race participants are treated to complimentary burgers and beverages.

Where to Recycle Running Shoes in Oklahoma

Happy Earth Day! Today marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day and celebrates the efforts of more than 192 countries in supporting environmental protection. Runners in Oklahoma are no different and we take great pride in maintaining and preserving this beautiful state  we love to race across. There are even a few local options that Oklahoma runners can utilize to reduce, reuse, or recycle their running equipment.

Reduce

Reusable water bottles made of recyclable materials such as glass or aluminum are a great way to reduce waste that is produced in not only producing plastic water bottles but in the disposal of them as well.

Reuse

If you have a pair of gently used running shoes that maybe didn’t work out , were the wrong size, or just need an update then Soles4Souls is a great opportunity to share those shoes so someone can get some good use of them. Soles4Souls  is a shoe charity that gives “gently used” shoes to those in need. The Soles4Souls team coordinated relief efforts for the Asian tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 million pairs donated for these disasters. There are a couple of metro OKC locations that accept donations such as Brighton Collectibles located at 1901 NW Expressway, Nancy Farha’s at 120 North Robinson, and The Lamkin Clinic at 120 North Bryant Avenue in Edmond.

Recycle
Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program collects worn-out athletic shoes (any brand, not just Nike) and recycles them (rather than going into landfills) into material used in sports surfaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds for kids around the world. You can drop your old, worn down shoes at The Nike Factory Store at the Outlet Shoppes on West Reno Avenue.

 

Beyond shoes, if you have energy bars wrappers such as Clif bars or performance packets such as Gu then Terracycle can help you to recycle them. Terracycle has partnered with different organizations to create a free recycling program and a fundraising opportunity for participants.

 

Remember the Ten on Hall of Fame Ave

Remember the Ten Run Race Recap

On January 27, 2001, ten members of the Oklahoma State University basketball team perished in a plane crash. It was an tragic event that rocked the small university community as well as the entire state. On April 21st 2007, a race was organized for a community to come together and remember those that were lost.

Over the past nine years the event has grown to a field of over 1,200 participants with proceeds benefiting the OSU Counseling and the RT10 Scholarship Program.  Remember the Ten Run is one of the few races in this state that openly benefits mental health services and discusses topics such as loss, sadness, and depression. Even though the overlying topics of the event are serious, the event itself is a great celebration of athletics and community.

In addition to the run, the day is filled with the spring football game and Stillwater Arts Festival. So there are plenty of attractions for the entire family. Besides, you can always stop by Eskimo Joe’s for an order of chili-cheese fries and hang with Joe and Buffy.

remember the ten eskimo joes buffy and joe

The race course winds in and out of Oklahoma State University campus, fraternity/sorority row, and surrounding business and houses. The first mile takes you west on Hall of Fame Ave. Because the 10K and 5K runners all start together it’s a big jumbled mess of different paces, walkers and runners. Once you curve on to Western road, it’s a nice down hill stretch. It’s a great point to pick up the pace because the 5K runners are starting to turn off on to their own course and the road opens up on the 10K course with fewer runners. Mile three takes you through a residential area with sporadic spectators comprised of college students, young families, and retirees out supporting the runners. I happily accepted high-fives and cheers from college students and grade schoolers alike. Mile four drops you through some of the fraternity and sorority houses as well as some of the local bars on the strip. As the course turns north on Knoblock Street it passes three of my most favorite things, Chris’ University Spirit Shop (my favorite spot to buy OSU gear), Hideaway Pizza (I could live on ‘za alone), and my boo thang (a.k.a. husband who was nice enough to hang with me and snap some pics).

Remember the Ten running

Miles five and six wind you back out west of campus then east again to pass through campus as you run past the library and Boone Picken Stadium to cross the finish line just south of Gallagher-Iba Arena. The winner of the race was Normanite, Scott Downard with a 5:15 pace finishing in 32:40. That’s the 10K folks. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that people run the same routes as me at twice my speed and don’t immediately die afterwards. It’s crazy. I placed 195th overall, 80th out of all women, and 15th in my age group with an average pace of 10:06 and overall time of 1:02:50. Not too shabby for me. I’m chipping away at pace and distance. Just trying to get faster at those longer distances.

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Ultimately, the course was flat with lots of great  scenery around OSU’s campus. But what made this course stellar was the numerous amount of volunteers. The friendly folks at the registration table, the pace dividers at the starting line, course managers directing runners and traffic, and the oh-so-wonderfull water station volunteers throughout the course made it a safe and enjoyable atmosphere. Also, I didn’t hate the sweet swag that came with the reasonable race entry fee.   

It was a great race, for a good cause, on a beautiful Oklahoma spring day. I couldn’t ask for anything more.