When runners take their marks in the Cowtown Marathon races this weekend, some elite athletes will be among them. The Cowtown will host USA Track and Field's 2023 Half Marathon Championship.
"I never expected to have a USATF Championship at Cowtown and now they're going to be here," said elite runner Caitlin Keen of Fort Worth.
"It's so surreal that they're all going to show up and we're going to be at the same start line, going through our neighborhoods together!"
Keen doesn't like to be called 'elite', but her finish times dictate otherwise.
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"This is me winning the 2021 Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati," Keen said looking at a video on her phone.
"Sometimes I still can't believe that's me!"
Keen started running when she was young.
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"Running was the thing that I just used to ask if I could run home from other sports, and it stayed with me. It's built my confidence. It makes me stronger," Keen said. "It's addicting and I love it!"
The Cowtown Marathon is also an Olympic trial qualifying race. Keen has qualified in the past.
"I'm nowhere near an elite athlete. At my best, I was a recreational marathoner," Cowtown Pacer and Coordinator Gary Brumley said.
"It is quite inspiring to watch all these elite runners come through the finish line on race day."
"This is a really hard race," Keen said. "There's a lot of hills. I don't always run my fastest at Cowtown, but I expect to run my hardest race at Cowtown."
