NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact: Sandra Soliz, Director of Marketing Communications
713-906-7912 or solizs@stthom.edu
For immediate release
University of St. Thomas Coach Dohner sets Native Texan State Record for 1/2 Marathon
HOUSTON (Jan. 30, 2018) - The University of St. Thomas Cross Country team is setting a precedent with Coach Ryan Dohner running the fastest ½ Marathon of any person ever born in the state of Texas 2018 Chevron Houston Half Marathon (1/14).
Dohner had been training for the race over the past five months sometimes running over 100 miles per week while in the process of recruiting the first cross country team at the University of St. Thomas. The time was 62:43, a pace of 4:47 per mile for 13.1 miles straight. Dohner has competed at the national level before, placing 16th at the 2017 USA Track and Field Championship for the 10,000 meters.
"I want my future athletes to have a coach that understands the daily commitment it
takes to improve in running," Dohner said. "Running is a sport that takes discipline, patience and perseverance to excel. By setting the example for my athletes I can better help them overcome the roadblocks that can appear as a collegiate student athlete."
As a Houston native, what does it mean to be the fastest runner in Texas State
history?
"I take a lot of pride in the fact that I was able to run the fastest ½ marathon of any Texas
born person in my birthplace and current home of Houston. Training here at the nearby
parks and streets that the race was held on, I felt sentimental towards this race. With the
fan support from family and friends during the race, I knew it was going to be a special
day."
How will the team look next year with your passion for running?
"I am looking forward to the opportunity to run with my team next year. I think it will
help my athletes to see their coach working alongside them. An extra benefit is that I can
see if someone is slacking or pushing too hard on a run. When a coach tells the runners
to go run eight miles, and then doesn't see them for an hour, they are missing out on a big
portion of coaching."
How is recruiting coming for next year's team?
"We currently have a few runners within the school that will be on the team and have a
good high school background in cross country. In terms of the freshman class that I am
recruiting, I have a group of 10+ guys and girls that I are in the process of finalizing their
decision process. Starting a team with no reputation is a difficult challenge, however,
with the great running parks and strong academics at St. Thomas, I have no doubt we
will build an awesome team here."
The Cross Country team will start competition in the fall of 2018. In the meantime, any
high school or college athletes interested in running cross country at UST can email
dohnerr@stthom.edu or fill out a recruit form on the UST recruiting page .