Don't look for athletes from Florida State or the University of Florida at Gainesville to be competing for this title. Those schools are members of the NCAA, and the NCAA has never seen fit to include the marathon in their athletic championships. But the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the NAIA, has included the men's marathon in their annual track and field championship meet since 1972. When the NAIA added women's track and field in 1981, the marathon was on the ladies' schedule of events--three years before the Olympic finally added the women's marathon to its program in 1984. So you won't see athletes from FSU or Florida in the marathon championship in Marion, Indiana, but you might see three runners from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University--Flo Vazquez, Alex Frazier, and Russell Snyder are all entered in the race.Collegians have always run the marathon whether or not there was collegiate competition in the event. 1957 Boston Marathon champion John J. Kelley ran his first two Boston Marathons while attending Boston University. The World University Games included a men's marathon from 1981 to 1995 and a women's marathon from 1983 to 1995 (after which the distance was reduced to a half marathon).
It's probably the most exclusive annual marathon in the United States. Qualifying for the Olympic Trials is tougher, but that only comes around every four years. Men have to run a 2:44:00 or better, women a 3:34:00. A "B" standard of 2:50:00 for men and 3:36:00 for women might get you into the race, but doesn't guarantee entry. Alternatively, men can run a 1:14:00 half marathon (1:16:40 "B") and women a 1:33:00 (1:36:00 "B") to qualify. Most of this year's men and all of this year's women qualified with a half marathon time. Not just anyone can meet the standards and compete. You have to be a student at one of the 290 schools that belong to the NAIA. The school has to have a track team. You have to be eligible to compete under the rules. You have to be crazy enough to run a marathon in Marion, Indiana at the end of May.And your coach has to be crazy enough to let you run. An athlete doesn't get any more points for winning the marathon than for any other event. A coach has to be looking at the numbers. Could an athlete score more points for the team running both the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters than he could in the marathon? It's the same calculation that goes on when deciding what to do with a decathlete.
After all the qualifying and calculating, 74 men and 62 women are entered in the 2011 NAIA championship marathon. It won't be a large field on the starting line at 6:00am in front of Burns Science Hall on the Indiana Wesleyan University campus. But whoever wins will be the national marathon champion. In my book, that beats both the BCS and a playoff system. Hail to the victor!
| NAIA Men's Marathon Champions, 1972-2010 | ||
|---|---|---|
| YEAR | TIME | ATHLETE, SCHOOL |
| 2010 | 2:31.44.30 | Jeff Jackson, The Master’s (Calif.) |
| 2009 | 2:28.27.00 | Trent Waage, Black Hills State (S.D.) |
| 2008 | 2:27.44.0 h | Juan Mejia, California State San Marcos |
| 2007 | 2:21:57 | Marco Venancio, Concordia (Calif.) |
| 2006 | 2:24:07 | Daniel Ellis, Oklahoma Baptist |
| 2005 | 2:25.34 | Dave Gramlich, Malone (Ohio) |
| 2004 | 2:25:02 | Andrew Smith, McKendree (Ill.) |
| 2003 | 2:28:27 | John Ngure, Huntington (Ind.) |
| 2002 | 2:31:41 | Pawel Oboz, Mary (N.D.) |
| 2001 | 2:30.07 | Sean Birren, Lindenwood (Mo.) |
| 2000 | 2:33:36 | Natnael Amare, Northwood (Texas) |
| 1999 | 2:30:44 | Zac Johnson, Oklahoma Baptist |
| 1998 | 2:28:46 | Sean Birren, Lindenwood (Mo.) |
| 1997 | 2:22.25 | John Gachao, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
| 1996 | 2:30:24 | John Viitenan, West Florida |
| 1995 | 2:23:43 | John Gachao, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
| 1994 | 2:27:30 | John Bartlett, Life (Ga.) |
| 1993 | 2:28.19 | Goshu Tadese, Fresno Pacific (Calif.) |
| 1992 | 2:28.14.00 | Haffis Banire, Lubbock Christian (Texas) |
| 1991 | 2:30.06.00 | Rick Penman, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) |
| 1990 | 2:33.22.0 | Jon Murray, Harding (Ark.) |
| 1989 | 2:29.52.7 | Gary Schafer, Valley City State (N.D.) |
| 1988 | 2:26:13 | Paul Brigman, Missouri Baptist |
| 1987 | 2:30:01 | Greg Miller, Eastern Oregon |
| 1986 | 2:29:19 | James Cairns, Puget Sound (Wash.) |
| 1985 | 2:21:08 | James Cairns, Puget Sound (Wash.) |
| 1984 | 2:27:51 | Terry Coker, Belmont (Tenn.) |
| 1983 | 2:21:18 | Terry Coker, Belmont (Tenn.) |
| 1982 | 2:21:38 | Todd Sperling, Wisconsin-Superior |
| 1981 | 2:29:52 | Karl Neidermeier, Fort Hays State (Kan.) |
| 1980 | 2:30:33 | Bill Langout, Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
| 1979 | 2:26:01 | Brian Haugh, Marymount (Kan.) |
| 1978 | 2:22:26 | Tom Antczak, Wisconsin-La Crosse |
| 1977 | 2:25:19 | Tim Terrill, Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) |
| 1976 | 2:28:07 | Dave Elger, Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
| 1975 | 2:29:14 | Roger Vann, John Brown (Ark.) |
| 1974 | 2:22:54 | Lucian Rosa, Wisconsin-Parkside |
| 1973 | 2:26:01 | Lucian Rosa, Wisconsin-Parkside |
| 1972 | 2:41:13 | Wayne Frongello, Boston State (Mass.) |
| NAIA Women's Marathon Champions, 1981-2010 | ||
|---|---|---|
| YEAR | TIME | ATHLETE, SCHOOL |
| 2010 | 2:57.59.01 | Wendy O’Lexey, Black Hills State (S.D.) |
| 2009 | 3:01:49 | Wendy O’Lexey, Black Hills State (S.D.) |
| 2008 | 2:57:10 | Kaitlin Fadden, Houghton (N.Y.) |
| 2007 | 2:51:30 | Anna Stumbo, Westmont (Calif.) |
| 2006 | 2:49:14 | Jessica Goulder, Westmont (Calif.) |
| 2005 | 2:57:56 | Tausha Kuzmic, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
| 2004 | 2:49:30 | Cara Rumble, Cal State-San Marcos |
| 2003 | 3:05:13 | Nikki Underwood, Black Hills State (S.D.) |
| 2002 | 3:01:05 | Michelle Brake, Friends (Kan.) |
| 2001 | 3:05.11 | Mikki Massey, Park (Mo.) |
| 2000 | 3:04:41 | Shandi Hertz, Mary (N.D.) |
| 1999 | 2:58.40.4 h | Michelle Abernathy, Berry (Ga.) |
| 1998 | 2:57:23 | Amy Knobloch, Lindenwood (Mo.) |
| 1997 | 2:57:19.0 h | Angie Sparacino, Dana (Neb.) |
| 1996 | 3:07:44 | Heather Thompson, Doane (Neb.) |
| 1995 | 2:54:27 | Shawna Doty, Jamestown (N.D.) |
| 1994 | 2:58:32 | Theresa Walton, Southern Oregon |
| 1993 | 2:52.54 | Peggy Murphy, Oklahoma Christian |
| 1992 | 2:49.14 | Amber Anderson, Midland Lutheran (Neb.) |
| 1991 | 2:49:24 | Peggy Murphy, Oklahoma Christian |
| 1990 | 3:03:07 | Marie Farrar, North Florida |
| 1989 | 3:06:03 | Amy Baker, Doane (Neb.) |
| 1988 | 3:00:46 | Miriam Otten, Missouri Baptist |
| 1987 | 2:59:44 | Tracy Nelson, Winona State (Minn.) |
| 1986 | 3:07:15 | Tracy Nelson, Winona State (Minn.) |
| 1985 | 2:51:05 | Jolene Fisher, Southern Utah |
| 1984 | 2:57:20 | Cindy Reinhart, Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) |
| 1983 | 2:59:02 | Sharon Foster, Adams State (Colo.) |
| 1982 | 3:03:00 | Liz Garman, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
| 1981 | 2:59:44 | Wendy Burman, Wisconsin-Parkside |
Links:
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
http://naia.cstv.com
- IWU T&F National Championship Headquarters
http://www.iwuwildcats.com/article/2229.php
- 2011 NAIA Championships marathon course map
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=338493
- "Runners at NAIA Schools Can Race in a 26.2-mile Championship," Troy Holland
http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-otrack/spec-rel/041311aaa.html
- World University Games Half Marathon / Marathon
http://www.arrs.net/HP_WUG_R.htm
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