Masters Champions Persevere Over a Hilly Course on a Chilly, Windy Day in Texas

DECEMBER 14, 2025—SPICEWOOD, TX -- Pace Bend Park in Spicewood TX, outside of Austin, was the site of the 2025 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships. The race started at 9 AM under cloudy skies, with temperature 42 at the start, falling to 41. The winds gusted up to 19 mph off the lake. It was a raw day. A significant hill on the course had to be attacked 8 times as the course was 8 times around a 1.64-mile circuit. But when the gun sounds, Masters athletes focus on running! The times were not fast, but the competition was intense!

OVERALL MEN Adrian Pagan carried the honors for New Jersey, leaving Austin’s Raymond Brown behind after the first two loops. Pagan won by half a minute in 1:14:41, with Brown second at 1:15:12. Atlanta’s Alan Black nailed third in 1:18:20, with Gregory Putnam, from Massachusetts, in 4^th. WOMEN Just off the podium at last year’s Half Marathon championships, Jennifer Rodriguez ran away with the win this year, claiming first in 1:30:17. The Pennsylvanian distanced Alaska’s Morgan Ekemo who was second at 1:33:58. Southern California’s Elizabeth Guerrini finished third at 1:38:36.
AGE GRADING The age grade performance level percentage PLP identifies the athletes with the best performance, adjusted for age. Ohio’s Jeannie Rice, 77, the W75 World Record holder in the Marathon and 2019 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, had the top PLP by far at 96.48%. She was followed by Rodriguez, 54, at 83.50, and Austin’s Mary Faria, 70, third from an 81.01 PLP from her 1:56:07. New York’s Alan Evans, 62, earned the top age grade among the Men, an 87.36 PLP from his 1:23:03. Putnam, 56, was not far off; his 1:19:01 earned an 86.71. Black, 52, picked up his second medal, this one bronze, from his 84.34.

AGE DIVISION In addition to Pagan in M40, Black in M50, Putnam in M55 and Evans, M60, the following won division national championships: M45 Dominic Ricci 1:20:06 M65 Casey Hannan 1:37:54 M70 Scott Lucking 1:42:14 M75 Don Morrison 1:44:08. Ekemo W40, Rodriguez W50, Guerrini W55, Faria W70, and Rice W75. Sally Pena won W45 at 2:27:30

TEAMS: Austin’s Bat City Track Club won Men’s 40+ with an average time of 1:18:40. The Atlanta Track Club averaged 1:28:21 in winning M50+. The Genesee Valley Harriers outlasted Atlanta, taking M60+ with an average time of 1:28:18. The Boulder Road Runners, in search of another M70+ Masters National Grand Prix win, added 100 points to their 2025-26 total. They won with an average time of 1:53:04.

Next up on the Masters National Grand Prix schedule of Championships are the 2026 Club Cross Championships on Sunday, January 11^th. Details at: 2025-26 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships | USA Track & Field.

Submitted by Paul Carlin