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The Rice Thresher
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by Jason Gershman thresher editorial staff
In a field including more than 4,400 females, Holland was the 770th to cross the finish line in the 105th Boston Marathon. She finished in 3 hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds, which works out to just over eight minutes per mile. The marathon was Holland's third - she ran the Compaq Houston Marathon in January of both 2000 and 2001. While the Houston Marathon is open to all interested runners, the Boston Marathon requires athletes to meet a qualifying standard in a previous marathon. For women in the 18-35 age group, the standard is 3 hours and 40 minutes. Holland's time of just over 3 hours and 32 minutes in January's marathon allowed her to compete in Boston. Holland admits that she was nervous headed into the Boston run. "The Houston Marathon you can just enter, but Boston you have to qualify for and so it was a little intimidating," Holland said. "You're surrounded by people who've done 50 to 60 marathons and multiple marathons per year. Everyone out there was a serious runner." Holland admits she was surprised at how fast she ran, as she had anticipated a slower time on the hilly course in Boston than on the flat course in Houston. Holland normally trains by running the outer loop at Rice or in Hermann Park. She credits a trip to her mother's home near Austin during spring break, where she was able to run over hilly terrain, for her success in Boston. After playing soccer in high school, Holland began running simply for exercise when she got to Rice. Her finishing time in January's marathon was almost one hour less than in her debut marathon. "The first one I just did to do it, to see if I could do it," Holland said. "My time was around 4 hours and 30 minutes. In that one, I saw the 10-mile mark and thought, 'Oh my gosh, there's still 16 more to go.' This January, when I passed the 10-mile mark, I was having fun so I didn't think about how much further there was to go. "I had my watch going, and when I checked my times I thought maybe my watch was broken. I had to check the time with another runner to make sure it was right, that I was going as fast as I was. I think that was the main reason why I improved from first marathon to second was that I was more mentally ready." Holland had to pay her own airfare and a $75 entry fee. Because her qualifying time was just eight minutes ahead of the cutoff point, Holland started far back in the pack and didn't pass the starting line until 5 minutes and 30 seconds after the initial gun sounded. She started training in November for January's marathon by running nearly every day, with runs of up to 20 miles on weekends. While she admits some of her friends think she is "crazy" for running as much as she does, she appreciates the support of those around her. "My family has always been really supportive," Holland said. "Some of my friends think I'm a little odd. My Spanish class found out I'd be running and so we were all talking about it in Spanish. "When I got back from the race on Tuesday, people thought I would be walking around totally out of it, but I wasn't. I was a little sore, but nothing more than that." In the future, Holland said she would like to run more marathons, including the Boston one again. Her time in this year's Boston race qualifies her to compete there again next April, but she is not sure yet if she will. For now, Holland will keep running the outer loop at Rice. She will be a graduate student in bioengineering next year. "After running in Boston, I feel a little more confident," Holland said. "I'd like to do marathons in other cities as well. The marathon is a race of determination and perseverance, and a lot of it is mental mindset. That's the main attraction for me, and the reason why I became interested in it."
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