3M Half Marathon: Are You  Ready for a PR?

The 3M Half Marathon’s slogan is appropriately “Downhill to Downtown.” Starting in north Austin at the Gateway shopping center and rocketing south downhill to the finish a stone’s throw from the Capitol, it’s a PR favorite for age groupers and elites alike.  Not surprisingly, the race has garnered a reputation as one of the fastest half-marathons in the country.

So if you’re ready to pop a fast time, it’s highly recommended. Last year, Colorado’s Joseph Gray nipped Austin’s Mitch Ammons in a sprint to the finish, 1:04:23 to 1:04:27. In the women’s  race, Allie Keiffer, a world-class marathoner living in Austin, ran a 1:16:24 as a workout to hold off Caroline Brooks’ 1:16:58.

With the Olympic marathon trials coming  up on February 3, Mitch Ammons, like many elites has opted to skip 3M. The fact that there is no prize money has also had an impact on the elite field, which in past years when there was a prize purse, has been quite deep.

This year’s favorite appears to be Ready to Run store manager Rory Tunningley, who ran a 53:15 to win the Run for Water 10 Miler last November. The rest of the elite field does not look to be close to Tunningley’s 1:04:51 half marathon PR, although you never know. It’s not uncommon for surprise Ethiopian or Kenyan runners to show up.

The women’s field tells a similar story, with Austin’s Christine Ramsey Hardy looking to be the favorite. Hardy, who placed third in the 2023 Capitol 10,000, has a half-marathon PR of 1:14:58. Amy Shackleford of Dallas, who has a half-marathon PR of 1:18:46, should also be in the mix. Again, there will likely be some last-minute elite entrants that surprise the field.

No matter who wins, the 3M Half Marathon is always a top road race on the Austin Calendar. Tunningley sums it up nicely: “It’s such a fun race and a cool course.”

Upcoming Races:  Saturday, January 20 at 8:00 a.m., the Taylor Garden Club Run for the Roses 5K/10K at Murphy Park in Taylor. Sunday, January 21, 7:30 a.m. the 3M Half Marathon at the Gateway Shopping Center in Austin.