Ralph Barrera /AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Jamie Cleveland, left, holding Mollie, and Andrea Fisher, with Venus, opened Hill Country Running Co., which caters to runners as well as their pets.

PAMELA LEBLANC: FIT CITY

By Pamela LeBlanc
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, April 21, 2008

Up and running

Professional triathletes Andrea Fisher and Jamie Cleveland have swung open the doors of their new shop, Hill Country Running Co., at 215 S. Lamar Blvd., Suite E. The store caters to runners, triathletes, adventure racers and recreational athletes (plus their four-legged training partners) with an array of shoes, clothing and gear. It also offers on-site gait analysis to ensure proper shoe fit.

Fisher and Cleveland are the longtime head coaches of Texas Iron Multisport Inc.

"We've dealt with athletes on a regular basis asking us what shoes they should be in," Cleveland says. "We thought it was time in a city like Austin, with so many runners, that they have choices. And choices in shoe fitting are just as important as choices in what brands you're going to be in."

Besides staple brands such as New Balance, the store will stock some brands new to the running shoe market, like Zoot, best known for its triathlon gear, and some that have reinvented themselves, like Avia and Etonic.

"We're trying to get products that have been proven, but maybe not everybody knows about," Cleveland says.

Among those is Skins, which makes tights and socks that utilize compression technology once only used for people with circulation issues but now popular among endurance athletes.

"We're trying to be the complete package. If you're a trail runner, we can fit you for trail shoes, pick up a light, get a hydration pack," Cleveland says. For more information, call 294-2866.

The Grand Opening Party

was a success!

"Austin's Best Mountain Goat" Results

The treadmill was set at 30% incline and 6 minute mile pace!

Our top mountain goat times -

Male

1. Donny Martindale: 15 sec

2. Ben Stevenson: 12 sec

3. Tie - Mike Davis and Jeremy Brady: 8 sec

Female

1. Luisa Scott: 6 sec

2. Tie - Lisa Pohlet and Judy Melchor: 1 sec

 

Both the male and female Mountain Goat Champions

won 2 free tickets to Rock'n'Restock!

Rock 'n' Restock is a fundraising event at Stubb's BBQ

on May 22nd, with headliners

Superpal Universe and Bob Schneider's Texas Blue Grass Massacre

Bill ran 2.48.58 at the Boston Marathon this past Monday!

CONGRATS BILL!!!!!!

 

Bill will be racing at the 2008 Boston Marathon on April 21st!

"Get to know Bill"

     Bill Sadler has qualified for and run in the Boston Marathon three years in a row.  This year's race will also be his 10th marathon.  Bill witnessed his first Boston Marathon in April 2000 while visiting colleges on the East Coast.  He knew that one day he would join their ranks and even selected to attend Boston College, which coincidentally lies at the top of Heartbreak Hill.

     For four years, Bill anxiously awaited "Marathon Monday," when all the best runners from around the country would come together and run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.  He regularly trekked up Heartbreak Hill himself on much shorter runs, not realizing how tough it actually is after 21 miles. 

     After graduating from BC in May 2004 and moving to Minneapolis, Bill started training for his first marathon and made it his goal to qualify for Boston.  He fell 5 minutes short in October 2004 at the Chicago Marathon, but a year later finished Chicago in 3:00:02.  Bill then trained through the harsh Minnesota winter and in April 2006 completed the Boston Marathon in 3:01:32.  A year and another harsh Minnesota winter later, he finished the race in 2:52:30. He shaved an extra four seconds off that time at the OC Marathon in January 2008, where he finished 15th place overall and 3rd in the 25-29 age group. 

     Bill's other marathons include Houston, Twin Cities, Disney World, and Portland.  His favorite is Disney World, mostly because he got to high-five Mickey Mouse at mile 10 while running through the Magic Kingdom.

     After Boston, Bill plans on attempting a half-Ironman in August and the New York City Marathon in November 2008.  He is also busy pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Education at UT, with a focus on behavioral health, stress, and physical activity promotion.