On the scene at the 2008 Dallas White Rock Marathon

by Alex Bentley

On a warm but extremely windy morning, my wife and I joined around 20-25 other volunteers at the Dallas White Rock Marathon. Stationed just past mile marker 17, we helped run the water station sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Dallas, an organization that has given over $500,000 to Dallas non-profits that value and foster diversity since 2000.

The following pictures give a small glimpse of the level of exhaustion and/or fun the runners were having by mile 17, as well as the hard work of the dedicated volunteers. Unfortunately, the race took on a somber tone later, as Erin Lahr, a 29-year-old woman from Austin, collapsed and died at the 23-mile mark. The cause of her death has not yet been determined.

The winners of the race were Noah Serem of Kenya on the men's side and Svetlana Ponomarenko of Russia on the women's side.