MISSOULA — An anxious yet energetic group of elite runners met up ahead of the Missoula Half and Full Marathons to ensure they are ready to run their best races on Sunday.
Organizing these runners takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but the marathon’s elite coordinator, Grady Anderson, said that work has made the Missoula Marathon a destination for runners around the world.
“To have a race in Montana that's really well coordinated and has prize money and brings in some real elite talent is really unique,” Anderson said. “They hear about it and they want to come experience it.”
Some of the elite runners are also people making their debut in the Missoula Marathon.
Watch the full story:
For experienced runners like five-time marathon champion Mark Messmer, being among the newcomers gives him an idea of the competition he is up against.
“Obviously, these people are talented, there's a reason that they're in this elite field,” Messmer said. “It's exciting, it gets you really kind of amped up for the race and ready to rock.”
Also among these runners are master’s runners over the age of 40 who are still moving quickly.
Nicole Murray, a 55-year-old elite runner, said she has stayed in that category by staying focused on the little things.
"I've noticed that throughout the years you just have to pay attention to the small things like nutrition and sleep,” Murray said. “Just do everything as before, just make sure you really listen to your body.”
But no matter the age of the elite runners, it is safe to say all of them are anxious to race.
“Just exciting. It's always good to have good competition and be pushed,” Messmer said. “I think we’ll get that all the way across the board. From the women’s and men’s half to the women’s and men’s full, it should be a good and exciting race.”
The full Missoula Marathon begins at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, and the half starts at 7:00 a.m.
You can watch our coverage of the Missoula Marathon at 8 a.m. on the KPAX streaming app and MTN. Find to watch MTN here.
