Cheering on Houston Marathon Runners

Mother Nature beamingly smiled upon the 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon runners, dishing out perfect running weather – cold but sunny. After cruising by the streets of downtown, midtown, Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, Hermann Park and Rice University, the runners head west on the sprawling oak tree-lined University Boulevard towards the heart of West University and mile marker number eleven.

Rock, paper, scissors . . . Ninja Turtle. Sometimes when you’re the fourth kid you have to improvise. Pictured are Cade, Colt, Katelyn and KJ Voelte. (Photo: Amanda Dearborn)

Clay Colvin and children Graydon, Rhodes, Bennett and Jack huddled together for warmth in front of the race-time clock. Their sleepy faces lit up when they spotted their Marathon mom, Lindsay, running towards them. She grabbed all five of them and hugged them, kissed them and told them she loved them. Then she did it again. And again. Then she waved goodbye, told hubby Clay thanks and ran off into the marathon runner’s sunset also known as the finish line at 26.2 miles. 

Ladies from West University Methodist Church set up their annual Marathon Hoopla Station featuring pom-poms, a magic marker and poster board sign-making table, dress-up hats and glasses and “more cowbells, please” noisemakers. Hot coffee and cocoa was available to help spectators stay warm and energized to execute all their months of training and conditioning in preparation of animatedly cheering on 35,000 marathon runners zooming by for the next two hours.

Katelyn Voelte encourages runners to go fast. 

The four Voelte kids, Cade, Colt, Katelyn and KJ, got into the spirit, creating posters and taking full advantage of the hot cocoa bar and fun accessories (resourceful kid number four, KJ, improvised and wore his ninja turtle bike helmet.)

Across the street, artistic Joaquin, Juliana and Jimena Ochoa, plus lots of fun family and friends, inspired the athletes by holding up their creative signs, guaranteed to put a smile on the marathoners’ faces. 

A few favorites from the Ochoa kid poster treasure chest included:
What does the fox say? Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run!
With Baby Yoda’s picture: “May the course be with You!”
“How are you not cold?”
“You are faster than (hole cut out to put face in) me!”

Joaquin, Juliana and Jimena Ochoa didn’t let chilly weather keep them from cheering on the 2020 marathoners with some very clever signs.

Jimena had one special, interactive Super Mario Brothers sign. She went out into the street a bit to hold the sign that said, “Tap Here to Power Up” and runners would come touch the sign on their way by.

Congratulations to all of the runners and marathon coordinators. It was a great day. To borrow a sign slogan from the Ochoa family, it was probably just about the best way a Houstonian can ever have yelling “Go Random Stranger!” all morning long.