CENTRAL TEXAS RUNNING: BROM HOBAN

Hospital administrator keeps up the pace

Runner sees her fastest times after age 50.

By Brom Hoban
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Monday, March 24, 2008

Like many longtime runners in Austin, Mary Faria got her start in the sport when she decided to train for her first Statesman Capitol 10,000.

"It probably took me over an hour to run it, but I wasn't worried about times back then," she said of her early races in the mid-1980s.

Since then, she's taken home at least a dozen age-group medals from the Cap 10 and countless others in area races ranging from 5Ks to half-marathons.

In the '90s, Faria started training seriously after joining team Trina, coached by elite runner Trina Painter (who has since moved to Arizona).

Now, 52, Faria is one of the top age-group competitors in Central Texas.

This Sunday, she hopes to add another Cap 10 medal to her collection but is quick to point out that the competition is tough.

"There are quite a few good 50-and-over runners," she said. "Anne Flannigan just joined my age group, and she is such a good runner."

Amazingly, many of Faria's personal bests have come since she turned 50. She credits that to Carmen Troncoso, one of the top masters runners in the country, who has been coaching Faria for the past two years.

"When I was about to turn 50," said Faria, "I really didn't think I could still run faster, but sure enough, I did. I ran my 10K best around 45 minutes and as well as my 5K best 21:39 at age 51."

And she set her best mark for the half-marathon (13.1 miles) last year, also at 51.

"My favorite distance is the half-marathon. It's long enough so you can use a strategy, but it's not so long that you can't recover quickly," she said.

In addition to her shorter-distance success, Faria has a pretty strong marathon résumé as well. She ran her first marathon in 1993, and unlike many runners, quickly found a key to unlocking the distance.

Ironically, Faria picked up on what has been a successful strategy for her, because she was injured that year.

"I took a friend's advice and went to the back," said Faria. "I got with a little group of pacers. I wanted finish in under five hours and get the glass finisher's mug, and I did."

Since that race, Faria has vastly improved her time — she now has a 3:30 best — without ever hitting the wall in the marathon.

"I was lucky to learn how to run the marathon in that first race," she said.

These days, Faria, the vice president and chief operating officer at Seton Southwest Healthcare Center, is using her experience as an endurance athlete to help promote wellness programs. She formed a wellness team with colleague Ron Wilkins, a vice president in human resources for the Seton Family of Hospital, and she works with the Mayor's Fitness Council. She's also coaching a group preparing theTexas Round-Up 10K next month.

"Those of us that are in health care should be role models," said Faria. "Most people think that health care organizations are places you go because you are unhealthy, but I think they are places you should go to be healthy, to learn wellness."