SHIPROCK – With nearly 1,000 spectators lining the road nearing the finish line in Shiprock, multiple runners from the Four Corners region shined among competitors from all across the country at the 41st Shiprock Marathon on Saturday.
Fruitland resident Timberlin Henderson crossed the wire ahead of his rivals to win the men’s marathon with a time of two hours, 44 minutes and 22 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of Farmington’s Ryan Haebe, with Hector Ibarra of San Luis Potosí, Mexico checking in at third.
In the women’s marathon, veteran runners Christina Marin and Bobbi Baur were the top two finishers. Marin, who’s from Norwood, Massachusetts, crossed the finish line with a time of 3:36:03. Baur, a Chicago resident, checked in just over 2½ minutes later.
Aztec resident Karen Krob, 42, finished third in the women’s marathon in 3:41:37.
Henderson enjoys the Shiprock Marathon because of the unique perspective it presents for not only for runners, but for visitors.
“So many marathons around the country, you’re surrounded by buildings and out here, you’re running over a lot of open land,” Henderson said. “You have aid stations every mile and they take care of their runners which makes it very special.”
Both Marin and Baur have participated in multiple marathons across the country. The Shiprock Marathon makes New Mexico the 45th state in which Marin has raced a marathon, leaving only Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and West Virginia as the only states left on her agenda.
“Coming up from sea level in Boston to this environment, the elevation and the heat really got to me here,” Marin said. “The scenery and the breeze was the best way to focus and just to keep the race in front of you.”
Angela White of Tuba City, Arizona, won the women’s half-marathon, completing the course in a time of 1:41:42.
The 40-year-old had been competing in primarily shorter races in Arizona, but was eager to test her skills on the slightly tricky course which features a gradual uphill climb early followed by a slightly flatter, downhill descent.
“I actually like the course, because I can get into my pace going uphill and feel like I’m going faster,” White said. “It makes me feel like I’m going faster in the second half of the race.”
White finished just 2½ minutes ahead of Farmington’s Laila Charley, a 2022 Navajo Prep graduate and 2021 recipient of the New Mexico Activities Association's Spirit of Sport Award.
The award recognizes people who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport and represent the core mission of education-based athletics.
Charley, who was a four-year starter for the Navajo Prep girls basketball team, suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a near-fatal accident on July 15, 2020, which left her with fractured bones in her head.
After returning home from a three-month hospital stay at the University of New Mexico, Charley was determined to play sports again and eventually found her way back onto the basketball and volleyball courts.
| Place | Name/Age | City | Final Time |
| 1 | Tanner Dugi/19 | Page, Ariz. | 1:19:48 |
| 2 | Timothy King/19 | Fruitland, NM | 1:28:49 |
| 3 | Herbert Beyale/30 | Shiprock, NM | 1:29:29 |
| 4 | Dylan Sinclair/40 | Kayenta, Ariz. | 1:30:28 |
| 5 | Joshua Begay/27 | Chinle, Ariz. | 1:34:27 |
| Place | Name/Age | City | Final Time |
| 1 | Angela White/40 | Tuba City, Ariz. | 1:41:42 |
| 2 | Laila Charley/20 | Farmington, NM | 1:44:13 |
| 3 | Lori Todacheene/48 | Centennial, Colo. | 1:45:49 |
| 4 | Johana Billy/42 | Rio Rancho, NM | 1:48:00 |
| 5 | Rebecca Thomas/18 | Albuquerque, NM | 1:48:06 |
Currently attending Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, Charley was thrilled to represent not just her family, but the community.
“The race means a lot to me because I’ve been training a lot since I got back from college, and it’s been a good motivator for me,” Charley said. “To finish second in this race is something I’m very proud of.”
For Henderson and many other athletes from the region, long distance running is not only a preferred method to stay fit, but it also represents the area’s culture.
“Winning this race for me means a lot for people in the community who spend so much of their training time with running and who are very passionate about it,” said the 27-year-old Henderson. “It was good to demonstrate that today.”
The Shiprock Marathon, which was held for the first time in the early 1980s, has gained national recognition, ranked third by USA Today among the nation’s best marathons.
“It’s been such a great turnout this year, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the reception we’ve gotten across the board,” said race director Tom Higgenbagh.
This is the third consecutive year in which the race was held live after a temporary hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race was held virtually in 2021 before returning to the roads the following year.
“This is by far the most runners we’ve had for the weekend since the pandemic,” Riggenbagh said.
The first runners to reach the finish line on Saturday were half-marathon participants, led by 19-year-old Tanner Dugi from Page, Arizona
Dugi, who has spent much of his time in previous marathons racing on trails, found the road course in and around Shiprock to be very much to his liking.
“The weather was perfect, it was a good day to run,” Dugi said. “The flat course helped a lot and the heat didn’t get to us too much.”
Dugi ran the 13.1 miles in a time of 1:19:48, nearly nine minutes ahead of runner-up Timothy King, from Fruitland.
“Training for a race like this requires a lot of patience,” King said. “I took a break halfway through training for the race which kind of set me back a bit but I came back stronger and I think that helped me get ready for the race today.”
Shortly after the top runners reached the finish line in the half-marathon, the full-marathon participants made their way down the southbound lanes of U.S. 491.
For complete results, visit rmtiming.rsupartner.com.
| Place | Name/Age | City | Final Time |
| 1 | Timberlin Henderson/27 | Fruitland, NM | 2:44:22 |
| 2 | Ryan Haebe/33 | Farmington, NM | 2:47:30 |
| 3 | Hector Ibarra/36 | San Luis Potosí, Mex. | 2:50:20 |
| 4 | Ben Parish/17 | Denver, Colo. | 2:54:24 |
| 5 | Steve Kindred/46 | Kaysville, Utah | 2:57:42 |
| Place | Name/Age | City | Final Time |
| 1 | Christina Marin/40 | Norwood, Mass. | 3:36:03 |
| 2 | Bobbi Baur/54 | Chicago, Ill. | 3:38:52 |
| 3 | Karen Krob/42 | Aztec, NM | 3:41:37 |
| 4 | Stephanie Allen/33 | Farmington, NM | 3:44:55 |
| 5 | Gemma North/40 | Aurora, Colo. | 3:47:32 |
