Two Cities Marathon full of tributes, but also an Olympic trial qualifying time

Among the 400-plus runners who participated in the 11th annual Two Cities Marathon, no one stood out more than C.J. Albertson.

And that’s a quite an accomplishment considering some of the colorful and outrageous costumes some runners had on during the race, as well as poignant dedications made by others.

Among the tributes were a group of runners who dedicated their participation to Gavin Gladding, the Clovis administrator who was struck by a car and died while training for the event back in September.

But at the front of the pack the whole way through — and often running by himself — was Albertson.

Sunday might’ve been the former Arizona State standout runner’s first ever marathon.

But his extensive background in long distance running, which began years before he even starred at Buchanan High, not only positioned Albertson to win the 26.2-mile event but set the course record.

With many family and friends cheering him on near the finish line, Albertson timed out at 2 hours, 17 minutes and 40 seconds. The old mark was 2:21:58 by Turlock’s Miguel Nuci in Turlock.

“I always knew I wanted my first marathon to be in my city,” Albertson said. “All the people who’ve supported me for the past 10-15 years, it just made me want to run faster for them.

“It was just awesome. I was tired, but seeing tons of people toward the end, you get emotional.”

On top of setting a course record, Albertson qualified for the 2020 U.S Olympic trials in Atlanta. The qualifying mark was 2:19.

It was Albertson’s goal going into the Two Cities events.

He also wanted to inspire his athletes at Clovis Community College, where Albertson currently coaches. Many of the Clovis Community runners came out to support their coach.

“I felt pretty laid back today,” Albertson said. “Knew I was in good shape. Ran a comfortable pace (about 5:10 per mile early on then 5:20 per mile during the latter half).

“By the 22nd mile going up, it started to get hard. The hill got me a little bit. But I felt if I kept it steady, I didn’t have to run super fast those final four miles.”

Albertson hasn’t mapped out what he’ll do next in preparation for the U.S. Olympic trials.

But he knows what’s bound to happen.

“You know you’re going to hurt later when you run a marathon,” Albertson said. “I’m going to be hurting. Hopefully, not too much.”

In addition to the Gladding tribute, Fresno Police officer Lindsay Dozier ran the entire marathon in honor of injured officer Eloy Escareno.

Escareno had been training for a half marathon, but couldn’t run after he was involved in a car accident that left him in stable condition.

So Dozier ran the full marathon with Escareno’s sneakers tied around her neck.

Dozier was joined by about 20 other officers final the final half mile, with the group crossing the finish line together in honor of Escareno.

“We love u Eloy & Mari,” Dozier posted on Facebook. “These 26.2 miles were for you.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2018 at 3:38 PM.