AUSTIN, Texas -- More than 6,000 runners laced up their shoes Sunday morning for the 3M Half Marathon.
The race started near the Arboretum at 7:30 a.m. and wound its way 13.1 miles downhill to the State Capitol.
"We have got some winds coming in that are going to help provide a tail wind to make these times even faster," said William Dyson of High Five Events, which organized the race.
Mark Pinales, 23-year-old from Round Rock, finished first with a time of 1:06:51. The recent UT graduate is also a 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier. Pinales said running is in his blood.
MORE | 3M Half Marathon Race Results
"The whole family does it," he said. "My dad did it; my mom did it. I am just kind of following in their footsteps."
Lauren Stroud, 25-year-old from Lake Jackson, was the first woman to finish. She said this was a great practice run for next month's Austin marathon. Stroud's all-time best was 1:14.
"I don't know if I will beat that today," Stroud said. "I was in top notch shape when I ran 1:14. I just hope to run faster than I ran last week in Houston."
She beat her Houston time by 50 seconds, finishing the 13.1-mile race in 1:17:07.
The Austin Marathon is Feb. 19.