By Christina Soto | Broadcast Reporter
For more than 15 years, the Bearathon has been a popular Baylor tradition. At 8 a.m. this Saturday, students and other members of the Waco community will take part in a half marathon that consists of 13.1 miles of running through Baylor’s campus, downtown Waco, the Cameron Park hills and ends at McLane Stadium.
Many competitors train months in advance in order to prepare for the race. San Francisco, Calif., junior Rachel McNitt has been training for the Bearathon for the last two months.
“I run three to four times a week [for] about four to five miles and on Saturdays I slowly build up distance,” Rachel McNitt said.
Rachel McNitt’s twin, San Francisco, Calif., junior, Rebecca McNitt said she started running three to four miles and slowly worked her way up to 12 miles.
Last year, Montgomery junior Justin Andrews ran the Bearathon in under two and half hours on a sprained ankle. He said it is goal is to beat his time this year now that he can train and is uninjured.
“I am going to run three day a week and I am going to take two days off before the race,” Andrews said.
Andrews overcomes his exhaustion during his 13 miles run by training tired.
“I always train after I work out so you’re always running tired. When it comes time to run when you have hit that wall its a lot easier because you have already trained hitting that wall when you start,” Andrews said.
As for the McNitt twins, their motivation to finish comes from within each other.
“We don’t get tired at the same time so when I am tired she pushes me to finish and I am probably going to finish because of her,” said Rachel McNitt.
