Lawrence's Kathy Sanders finishes the Therapy Works Lawrence Half Marathon. Sanders said she started running in preparation for the race, which started and finished Sunday at Haskell Stadium. Sanders said she discovered the term wogging, a combination of jogging and walking, on the Internet and it has worked well for her.

Jason McCullough had no excuses not to try to defend his Lawrence Half Marathon title.

McCullough, track and field coach at Fort Hays State, had already been in town for the Kansas Relays.

So a day after the Relays’ conclusion at Kansas University’s Memorial Stadium, McCullough headed across town to Haskell Stadium for the start of the Lawrence Half Marathon.

“Last year, we had a change in our meets, so I had to go straight to Emporia (after running the half marathon), but this year we were at the KU Relays so I just stayed here in Lawrence,” McCullough said. “It worked out great. I actually got two good races in – I ran the 10K at the KU Relays and jumped in here at the half marathon and made a running weekend out of it.”

The Fort Hays State coach placed second in the 10K at the Relays, but Sunday there was nobody in front of him – or close behind for that matter.

McCullough finished the 13.1-mile race in 1:09:27, improving on last year’s winning time of 1:10:16.

“That was my goal – to come back and defend the title,” McCullough said. “I know the record is 1:09:11. It was on a different course, but it’s actually the meet record. I was hoping to maybe get under that, but I at least ran about a minute faster than last year, so I’m happy about that.”

McCullough competed against a tough field, with many former and current college athletes – including one of McCullough’s runners at Fort Hays State, Elias Diaz.

Diaz, who finished in 1:17:09, said competing against his coach is a lot different than facing him in practices.

“He pulled away at the right time,” Diaz said. “He knew where the hard parts were, and he knew how to use them toward his advantage, which made him pull away pretty far and drop the other guys. He ran a real smart race, actually.”

The competition also included former Olympian and KU track star Charlie Gruber, who competed in the 5K event last year.

“I usually run more in the mile, so I definitely stepped up in distance today,” said Gruber, a five-time All-American. “I did fine. I didn’t train too serious, just casual, fitting it in between work and stuff. Work is my top priority now. Running was my first priority for many years, and now it’s just kind of second. If I have time, I fit it in, but I don’t stress it any more like I used to. I do miss the competition. I don’t miss all the work, though.”

Gruber lives with his wife in Lee’s Summit, Mo., and works for a software company in Prairie Village.

Whitney Pilkington of Wichita was the first female to cross the finish line of the half marathon.