FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Please contact:
Kathi Mahon, VP Communications
Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA)
[email protected]
January 20, 2015
Houston Area Runners Punch Their Ticket to the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials
HOUSTON, TEXAS – The Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA) congratulates Jarrett
LeBlanc of The Woodlands and Kiya Dandena of Sugar Land for their 2016 United States Olympic
Marathon Trials qualifying performances during Sunday's USA Half Marathon Championship, held in
conjunction with the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.
LeBlanc, 24, and Dandena, 25, join fellow greater Houston area runners Becky Wade of Houston
and Kate Papenberg of Sugar Land as receipients of HARRA's recently-established Joy Smith Award,
which awards each Marathon Trials-qualifying runner from the area $1,000 towards their training
expenses.
"The running community salutes the success of these four outstanding athletes who train where
we train," said HARRA president Joe Carey. "Houston is for runners."
The two, who finished 36th and 42nd, respectively, were among 48 runners who ran faster than
the men's 1:05 half marathon qualifying standard. Twenty-one (21) of which had already qualified for
the 2016 United States Olympic Marathon Trials prior to Sunday's race.
Wade, 25, was the area's first runner to qualify for the Trials on December 8, 2013 with a debut
marathon time of 2:30:41 at the California International Marathon in Sacramento.
The 28-year-old Papenberg followed suit at last year's California International Marathon - held
on December 7, 2014 -- with a 2:41:26 performance.
Wade and Papenberg both competed in Sunday's USA Half Marathon Championship, finishing in
1:12:18 and 1:15:42, respectively.
Narrowly missing the women's 1:15 half marathon qualifying standard was Magnolia's
Samantha McClellan, 26, a teammate of Team Green Running's LeBlanc, who finished a place ahead of
Papenberg in 1:15:34.
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At its combined November and December meeting, the HARRA Board authorized an award of
$1,000 in addition to two years of compensated HARRA membership to up to 10 local runners - five
male and five female -- who qualified for the 2016 United States Olympic Marathon Trials, to be held in
Los Angeles on February 13, 2016.
The award is named after HARRA's original president Joy Smith, who ran in the 1992 and 2000
United States Olympic Marathon Trials. Smith was sixth overall - in 2:35:09 -- at the 1992 Trials that
were hosted by the Houston Marathon.
HARRA will recognize all qualifying runners at its annual Banquet to be held in June.
Founded in 1993 to promote running as a competitive sport and a healthful exercise in the
greater Houston area, the Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA) is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization of runners dedicated to provide support and advocate for the runner community of
southeast Texas.
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