Ryan Burrell ran 2:53:01 in his very first marathon at the 2026 Houston Marathon —
one of the fastest marathon debuts in the Dallas running community in recent memory.
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Sponsor: Rise Racing Co., Get 10% off, use code DFW, Register for the Panther City Ultra in Fort Worth,

50k, 25k, 10k and 5k

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April 4th, 2026

Marion Sansom Park

2501 Roberts Cut Off Rd,

Fort Worth, TX 76114

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But the story behind that time is what makes this episode unmissable. Ryan was a
4:23 miler in high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — a state qualifier who burned
out from overtraining without an aerobic base. He walked away from running for years.
Then he moved to Dallas in 2021, got reinspired, linked up with coach Matt and the
Sloth Running Club, and quietly built himself into one of the most exciting distance
runners in DFW.

In this episode, Chris Detzel sits down with Ryan to talk about:

- His high school track career — 4:23 mile, state finalist, 4x800 relay
- How overtraining without easy running derailed his college career
- The 4+ year running gap and what finally brought him back
- Getting connected with DFW's run club scene (ZFT, Sloth RC, Velvet Hammer 5K)
- Training for Houston — long runs, aerobic base building, and race strategy
- The brutal final miles: cramping and stopping three times between miles 23–25
- Crossing the finish line in 2:53:01 and what's next (Boston qualifier? You decide)

If you're a runner in Dallas-Fort Worth, training for your first marathon, chasing
a sub-3, or just love a great comeback story — this one's for you.

🎙️ DFW Running Talk | Hosted by Chris Detzel
📬 Newsletter: dfwrunningtalk.substack.com
🏃 Community: DFW Running Group (11,000+ members on Facebook)

Keywords: marathon debut, Houston Marathon 2026, Dallas running, DFW running,
sub-3 marathon, marathon training, running comeback, Sloth Running Club,
first marathon, running podcast

Houston Marathon qualifier Andrew Smith ran 2:53:52 in January 2026 to earn his Boston Marathon 2027 BQ — with a hamstring cramp at mile 24 nearly derailing everything.

In this episode of DFW Running Talk, Andrew shares the full three-year marathon journey that took him from signing up for his first half marathon on three days' notice to qualifying for Boston. We cover his first marathon at Irving (4:03), running NYC for charity through Hope Story, hiring a coach, the training cycle that changed everything, and the chaotic race-day at Houston — strep throat nine days out, his family stuck at home, and a brutal cramp in the final miles he had to run through on a prayer.

Topics: Houston Marathon 2026, Boston Marathon qualifier, BQ training, marathon race strategy, Dallas marathon community, running coach, marathon fueling, DFW running

DFW Running Talk is Dallas-Fort Worth's running podcast. New episodes every week. Subscribe at dfwrunningtalk.substack.com.

This episode is sponsored by Rob Goyen and Rise Racing Co. The Panther City Ultra at Marion Sampson Park on April 4th brings trail running to Fort Worth with distances from 5K to 50K. Limited to 300 runners. Use code DFW for 10% off at https://www.riseracingco.com/panther-city-ultra

What does it take to run one of Texas's most iconic marathons — and then launch a brand new one from scratch?

This week, Chris sits down with Jason Schuchard, President of the BMW Dallas Marathon, for a candid conversation about his life in running, what's fueling Dallas Marathon's incredible growth, and the exciting new McKinney Historic Half Marathon launching March 28th.

Jason shares how his mom's passion for running shaped his own journey — from cross country at Plano Senior High, to 8-10 marathons, to Ironman competitions — and how all of it eventually led him to lead one of DFW's premier running events.

They cover what's behind the Dallas Marathon's annual sellouts, why adding more bibs isn't as simple as it sounds, and what makes the
McKinney Historic Half a completely different experience — a half and half road/trail course winding through McKinney's historic square with a 4,000-person cap in year one.

If Dallas is on your 2026 race calendar, don't sleep on registration — it opens May 1st and sells out fast.

In this episode:

• Jason's running origin story & 3:23 marathon PR
• What's driving the Dallas Marathon's growth
• The story behind the new McKinney Historic Half (March 28th)
• How the race benefits Scottish Rite for Children
• Why you should register for Dallas 2026 early

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