Hawkes wins marathon

Herald and News

Klamath Falls, Oregon
August 14, 2005

By LEE JUILLERAT

Klamath Falls victories in the longest race of the Crater Lake Rim Runs and Marathon have been few.

Tony Hawkes of Klamath Falls crosses the finish line Saturday to win the 26.2-mile marathon at Crater Lake.

Tony Hawkes, who has lived in the Klamath Falls for five years now, dominated the marathon Saturday, winning in two hours, 49 minutes, to become the third Klamath Falls resident to win the event.

It was the 10th fastest winning time in the 30-year history of the marathon that, recently, has gained national acclaim as one of the nation’s best.

“I entered the race with apprehension because it’s so difficult,” the toxicologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said after his victory.

“Here, the course is challenging, not the time,” Hawkes said after he joined Alden Glidden and Randy Bailey as the only Klamath Falls residents to win the men’s marathon.

Leonard Hill, who now resides in Klamath Falls, lived in White City when he shared the 1984 victory with Glidden, who missed Saturday’s races because he was on call at the emergency room of Merle West Medical Center.

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” Hawkes said. “August is usually a down time for me. I usually build up to train for a marathon in the winter.

“I was lucky today.”

Hawkes’ win was just his eighth career marathon, and in his third race at Crater Lake.

The 39-year-old, who moved to Klamath Falls from Wilmington, Del., five years ago, finished second in the 13-mile race two years ago, and was third in the 6.7-mile event last year.

While Hawkes picked up his first marathon win, Annie Thiessen of Tacoma, Wash., easily won the women’s division of Saturday’s marathon, her 10th victory this season in the 26.2-mile event.

“I’ve run close to 60 marathons, including 23 this year,” the 34-year-old Thiessen said. “I’m part of the MarathonManiacs, and will run in the Haulin’ Aspen race (today) in Bend.”

A large number of the MarathonManiacs, a club of distance runners, all of whom have logged significant numbers of marathons, participated in Saturday’s 30th anniversary event.

“I wanted to take it easy (Saturday) because of the race in Bend, plus I’m doing the Pike’s Peak Marathon (near Colorado Springs, Colo.) next week,” Thiessen said.

“When I passed (Sarah Guttery of Titusville, Fla.) about halfway, I decided this would be fun. But, when I came to the turnaround and saw (Guttery), I decided, all right, this is all business.

“I kept looking over my back and she kept getting closer and decided I would go for it today and pay for it (today),” the veterinarian said.

Thiessen was timed in 3:30:56, and Guttery was the second woman to finish and was clocked in 3:47:38.

Michael Georgi of Honolulu, Hawaii, was second overall behind Hawkes, and was timed in 3:15:42, while Jack McDermott of Tallahassee, Fla., was third in 3:16:47.

Neither saw much of Hawkes until the race was over.

“I just kept running the whole way,” Hawkes said, “but my pace dropped to over eight minutes (a mile) on the last mile uphill (at Grayback about three miles from the finish).

“I started slowing down pretty quick at Grayback.”

Hawkes said he was third as runners approached the six-mile mark, but had the overall lead as he passed the finish line for the shortest of the three races Saturday.

He was never threatened.

“It was windy out there, but most of the course is sheltered by the trees,” said Hawkes, who often runs with David Moreno of Chiloquin.

Moreno, who ran steady the first 20 miles and was in good position to finish second, dropped out as he closed in on the 23-mile mark and said he began to feel lightheaded, so decided to stop.

Familiarity appeared to help Hawkes, and could have helped Moreno.

“I’ve biked around (Crater Lake), I skied around it, so I was familiar with it,” Hawkes said of the marathon course that generally follows the Rim Road after the start at The Watchman.

“Dave and I came up here and did long runs several times once the road opened after the snow melted,” Hawkes said. “If you don’t run hills, the downhills will hurt you here.”

They didn’t hurt Hawkes, and he turned in the fastest time since Bekele Tesfaye set the course record when he won the 1997 race in 2:38:35.