On May 4, the pavement was pounded in Lincoln as runners filled the streets to compete in the 2014 Lincoln National Guard Marathon/Half Marathon. While there were many local competitors in the race, one individual with Henderson ties stood out earning a top 10 finish in the women’s division of the half marathon. Out of the 5,597 female finishers in the 13.1 mile race, former Henderson resident Malaina (Huebert) Schlautman finished an outstanding race landing her in 10th place with a time of 1:26.57.
Running began for Malaina in junior high track, but she said she didn’t really become a long distance runner until college when she competed for Nebraska Wesleyan University. Because of the busy competition schedule that consumed her time while in school, she had only done one other half marathon in Iowa in October of 2012. Schlautman had watched the Lincoln Marathon for the past few years and was excited it worked for her to come back from Wisconsin where she currently resides to compete in a familiar place with runners she knew.
Her official training for the race began January 1, although she said she is usually always running. This set training schedule came shortly after the birth of her first child in October, making her accomplishment even more impressive. Based on her training times compared to previous race results, she knew she had a shot at the top 10 and was pleased when it became a reality for her. This allowed her to achieve her ultimate race goal.
As she looks toward the future, Malaina hopes to continue running competing in 2-3 races per year. Already in June she will be competing in another half marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, and hopes to do yet another race this fall.
From a running career that started right here to a 10th place finish among thousands of runners, the race continues on for Malaina Schlautman.
