Fort Worth Marathon benefiting Run Like a Cheetah

G. Steven Looney

Steve began his competitive athletic career at the age of eleven in the Martial Arts.  Since that time he has earned a Third-Degree Black Belt in Judo and has competed nationally and internationally for 36 years.  Steve was the Texas Judo Champion fifteen times, the US National Champion seven times and an International Champion twice.  He is a former Development Director for Texas Judo and in owning and operating the Dragon Judo Club, he has trained numerous athletes to place in national and international competitions.

Since 1986, Steve has been an independent Sports Massage therapist for elite professional athletes in all sports.  He is also a Massage Therapy Instructor for the advanced studies of Sports Massage.

In 1993, he formed Southwest Sports Massage and since that time has been the principal massage therapist for national and international athletes specializing in performance enhancement and injury prevention.  Steve has also provided services as Volunteer Director for Sports Triage at various local running events including the Cowtown Marathon.  He also holds the distinction of being the Sports Massage Therapist for the Texas Christian University’s Track and Field Team.

Steve began his own running career in the mid-1990’s and as of this date has been a finisher in fourteen full marathons and continues to be very active in the Fort Worth running community.  In wishing to give back to the community that has provided him with success, he has launched his experience into other areas.  He is the executive director of the Fort Worth Marathon, and Run Like a Cheetah.

Marcin Wedlarski

Marcin has been an athlete for the last quarter century. He has been a competitive swimmer since the age of seven and by the age of twelve was topping the world ranks for his age. His swimming talent and prowess afforded him a four-year scholarship at the University of Arkansas and afterward he was offered a position as an assistant swimming coach at Alfred University in New York. While working on his MBA, Marcin developed an interest in the sport of triathlon and in 1997 completed his first Olympic distance triathlon. In one year’s time he began competing as a Professional Triathlete. In 2001, Marcin decided to leave the corporate world behind him and entered the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup Circuit full time.

Marcin competed solidly with the ITU through 2004 and was the Top 90 World Ranked Triathletes (Professional Division). By March, 2003, Marcin was 86^th on the ITU World Ranking. Marcin was a member of the Swedish National Professional Triathlon Team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Today, Marcin, a native of Sweden resides in Fort Worth, Texas and still enjoys an occasional run, bike or swim, but he does it purely for recational purposes. Having traveled the world and experiencing the International Triathlon circuit, he now helps local athletes achieve their goals and dreams in multi-sport events.

Marcin is a USA Triathlon Certified Coach in Multi-Sport Endurance and owns Personalized Coaching Services. He is also an assistant swimming coach for Team Ridglea and an associate trainer and coach for the Run Like a Cheetah Training Programs.

Jackson Langat

A highly-decorated middle-distance runner, Jackson Langat is an NCAA indoor 800 meter champion for Texas Christian University and has earned seven All-America certificates in three years for the University.

Jackson became TCU’s first indoor champion in the 800 meters in 2006 when he set a TCU indoor record with a time of 1:47:02. In addition to his NCAA title in the 800 meter, Jackson earned All-American honors in the event three additional times in the 2004 indoor, the 2003 outdoor and the 2003 indoor.

A native of Kericho, Kenya, Jackson earned his other All-American certificates as a member of TCU’s 4x400 relay team. In 2003 he was a member of the 4x400 team that earned a silver medal at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2006, he helped the 4x400 team earn a silver medal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

En route to earn a silver medal in the 4x400 relay in 2006, Jackson and the TCU team posted a season-best time of 3:02:12 and came within .03 seconds of breaking the school’s 4x400 outdoor record that was set in 1983.

In 2005 Jackson was selected to the Conference USA All-Decade Team. He was the 2003 C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Year and finished second in the mile run at the 2004 C-USA meet. In 2005, Jackson was a member of the distance medley relay unit that took home the conference title at the indoor meet. At the 2005 outdoor championships, Jackson won the 800 meteres with a meet-record time of 1:47:38 and was part of the 4x400 relay team that also finished first.

In addition to his NCAA title during his senior year, Jackson was also the indoor outdoor Mountain West Conference Champion in the 800 meters.

Jackson has earned a degree in Economics from Texas Christian University and is currently continuing his athletics training. He resides in Fort Worth, Texas and is an associate trainer and coach for the Run Like a Cheetah Training Programs.

Steven C. Wood

Masters Swimming 2001-2008
World Records - 14
National Records - 20
Top 10 World Rankings - 31
Top 10 National Rankings - 93
National Champion - 15
All-American - 25
All-Star - 1

Other Athletic Activity Since 2001
Finisher in numerous sprint triathlons, participant in 1/2 ironman relays, and finisher in numerous 5K and 10K runs. Current training involves swimming, running, and limited biking.

Shanna Armstrong

Learn more about Shanna.