Sonya Decker 2012 SAMM Winner 3:01:08 You are from Minneapolis, MN. What brought you to Modesto to run the 2012 Surgical Artistry Modesto Marathon? How did you hear about our race? I came to Modesto because a friend of mine moved out to Los Gatos and she told me that she was planning to run Modesto. Helen Lavin (who finished 2nd female!) invited me out for a visit at that time, as we both were looking for an early spring marathon and there isn’t anything here in Minnesota at that time of year.  So we … [Read more...]

Clyde Behunin 2012 SAMM Winner 2:32:46 (course record) You are from St. George, Utah. What brought you to Modesto to run the 2012 Surgical Artistry Modesto Marathon? How did you hear about our race? I found the race online... had planned on doing LA that same weekend but just didn't feel good about it for some reason. Then saw this race and we (my wife and I) had lived out in Modesto for a summer selling home security systems about 10 years ago. So I was semi-familiar with the area and decided on … [Read more...]

Vicky King of Salida wasn’t supposed to be running the Surgical Artistry Modesto Marathon on March 18. She was supposed to be home with her hubby, celebrating 34 years of wedded bliss. But when she couldn’t find a marathon she wanted to do about the same time, she got the blessings she needed from her husband, she ran, and boy is she thankful. King is the winner of the SAMM first-time Boston qualifier contest! She wins $1,000 toward her dream trip to compete in the 2013 Boston Marathon. “Oh my gosh, oh my … [Read more...]

Were you confident you'd repeat as winner this year? Absolutely not! I knew of three competitors that had faster PR's than me. My training was ahead of last year but I thought at best I would run 2:40. I thought the winning time would be a few minutes faster, 2:37 or so. I am glad I had reserved myself to running my race and placing as high as I could because that strategy paid off in the end. If I had tried to run with the leaders, I don't think I would have won. I would like to add one other thing. There was a … [Read more...]

What made you enter the Modesto Marathon? How did you hear about it? I discovered the Modesto Marathon online on http://www.runningintheusa.com/ and saw that it was a fast, flat course that was relatively close to my home in San Francisco. I thought that this marathon would be a perfect final long training run for the Boston Marathon, so I signed up! What is your marathon PR? My marathon PR is actually what I ran at the Modesto Marathon this year: 2:52:25. How long have you been running? I began running as … [Read more...]