In what was the first half of a truly epic challenge Sun., Nov. 17, Michael Wardian, 39, of Arlington, Va., won the Rock ‘N’ Roll San Antonio Marathon in 2:31:19, then jumped on a plane and flew to LasVegas to run the Rock ‘N’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon that evening!

Who knew Superman wears running shoes and lives in Arlington, Va.?

After his San Antonio victory, Wardian commented, “I felt really comfortable out there so I hope that bodes well for lacing (‘em) up again tonight. That’s what it’s all about, just trying to get out there and see if you can do a little more than you think you can and hopefully inspiring people to push themselves.”

Wardian, a three-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier with a 2:17:49 personal best in the marathon, bided his time in San Antonio, running in second place for the first 17 miles of the race as Moses Luevano, 21, of Boerne, Tex., opened a gap. Then Wardian passed Luevano and proceeded to the finish line on his own, winning by more than three minutes, although it wasn’t a necessarily easy effort given the warm temperature and high humidity.

Luevano would finish second in 2:34:44 and Jeremy Daum, 27, of San Antonio was third in 2:39:37.

“I was a minute behind and I started cutting it down,” Wardian said later of pursuing and then catching Luevano. “I was running pretty consistent and I was hoping he would just come back and it worked out.”

Certainly, no one would fault anyone for using conservative tactics in a marathon if you’re going to run a second marathon later in the day!

Actually, his goal on Sunday was more daunting than simply completing two marathons in one day. He had hoped to win both races and run under 2:30 in each one!

Even though he was a bit slower than his target time at San Antonio, it was a wonderful run considering the temperatures reached the mid-70s during the race. He said afterwards, “I was super pleased with (this) race in that heat and for a kinda bumpy course. I thought, all in all, it was a decent time.”

In the women’s race at San Antonio, Jena Kincaid, 25, a teacher from Austin, Tex., emerged victorious in 3:05:11, with Jennifer Chaudoir, 39, of Green Bay, Wis., finishing second in 3:09:44 and Isabel Velez, 25, of Mexico third in 3:12:11.

Kincaid, who plans to run the Boston Marathon next year, ran in a lead pack of four until 20 miles, then separated herself from the others.

She said after her victory: “If I didn’t keep passing people, I was going to fall back, so I kept pushing. I won a smaller marathon last month and it’s surreal today. It’s a different experience winning at such a big race.”

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