More than 20,000 flood Ocean Beach for Nike Women’s Marathon 2011
Trish Brown of Dublin is greeted by her family at the finish of the Nike Women's Marathon on the Great Highway Sunday. Brown finished the 26.2 mile-course with a time of a little more than 6 hours 6 minutes. Photo: Jon Weiand / Ocean Beach Bulletin
More than 20,000 participants from across the globe ran across the finish line at Ocean Beach for the 2011 Nike Women’s Marathon Sunday.
In its eighth year, the Nike Women’s Marathon snaked its way around San Francisco to the west side. Half-marathoners exited Golden Gate Park and finished the 13.1-mile course at Ocean Beach, while those running the full marathon completed 26.2 miles by traveling up the beach to Lake Merced, where a single loop brought them back down the finishing chute on the Great Highway.
At mile 24.5, 19-year-old Cal Poly student Kent Drever felt better than expected. “I’m feeling tired but good,” said Drever. “I’m not as tired as I thought I’d be, and I’m well under my pace.”
At the finish line, runners were pressed to complete the 26.2-mile course in under 6 hours and 30 minutes. Finish line announcer Sean English said that in all his years of announcing the Nike Women’s Marathon, this was the first time every participant finished the race before the cutoff time.
For many runners on the course, finishing did not seem so certain.
Molly Cue of Indianapolis came to San Francisco to race her third marathon. At mile 25, when asked how this marathon compares to the others Cue said, “Not as well. I hurt my knee, I’m just trying to finish.”
Cue finished in a time of a little more than 6 hours 6 minutes.
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Ugh this royally fucked up the neighborhood. I had a miserable time getting around and trying to do the things I need to do on a Sunday. Not a fun time for the locals, EVERYONE on the 18 (that finally came after a 30+ minute wait) was SUPER pissed off.