Former Sun Devils run strong in marathon events

January 20, 2009

Six former distance runners in the Arizona State University track & field and cross country program recently competed in one of two events on Sunday, including the P.F. Chang's Rock-n-Roll Marathon/Half-Marathon in Phoenix and the U.S. Half-Marathon Championship in Houston.<separator></separator>At the national championship races in Houston, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/bizuneh_fasil00.html">F… Bizuneh</a>, the only former Sun Devil male to compete on the weekend, took sixth place overall in the half-marathon race, covering the 13.1 miles in 1:02.40. In the women's race, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/davila_desiree00.html">… Davila</a> was the fourth-place finisher with a time of 1:12.24 while <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/begay_alvina00.html">Al… Begay</a> was 17th in 1:15.39 and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/hastings_amy00.html">Amy Hastings</a> 24th in 1:17.13.<separator></separator>Locally, a pair of women claimed Top 20 finishes in the full marathon, including current graduate assistant coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/wrieden_jenna00.html">J… Wrieden</a>, who placed ninth in 2:50.45. Cassie Bando (formerly Rios) placed just behind Wrieden, claiming an 11th-place finish in 2:51.58. The women's race featured 2,972 finishers.<separator></separator>Overall in the Valley, 6,411 runners finished the marathon (men and women combined). Including the men's runners, Wrieden placed 57th overall and Bando was 59th.<separator></separator>ASU will open its 2009 indoor season on this Friday with several athletes competing at the Friday Night Challenge at Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.