"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."
Fred Lebow, Founder NYC Marathon



Christoph F. Eick's Running Homepage

Running History

I ran my first race in 1994 and got more serious about training and running races in 1998; I jogged, enjoyed downhill skiing, hiked, played volleyball and tennis before I picked up running. I am a member of the Bayou City Road Runners. I am mostly self-coached although I trained in the past with John Warren's Rice University Group 1997-2004 and I joined the Sean Wade's Kenyan Way summer sessions, occsionally.

Running Mile 17 of the cold, wet and windy Houston Marathon on January 13, 2013 (Photo taken by Arie Moghaddam).

I completed 33 marathons (7 Houston'96+'97+'03+'11+'13+'15+'17, 4 Dallas White Rock'97+'01+'06+'09, 4 Austin'99+'02+'04+'14 (1999 Race Photo), 2 New York'95+'02, 2 Boston'99+04, 2 Cleveland'01+'08, Califonia International'96, Virginia Bearch'00, Madison'00, Steamboat Springs'04, New Orleans'05, Big Sur'06, Vermont City'07, Fargo'10, Orange County'13, San Francisco'14, San Antonio'15 and Lafayette'17; DNF: Houston'01, Buffalo'05 and GreenBay'09; all finish times), running a 3:05:37 placing 128th in the 2003 Houston Marathon, and a 3:03:47 in the 2002 Austin Motorola Marathon. I won age group awards in the 2000 Madison Marathon, the 2002 Austin Marathon, and the 2004 Steamboat Springs Marathon. I also won top 500 finisher posters in the 1998 Crescent City Classic (placing 445th) and in the 2000 Crecent City Classic (placing 261st). I also ran a 5:16.7 in the Dec. 2001 Congress Avenue Mile, a 39:14 (6:19 pace) in Houston's 2000 Bayou City Classic 10K Race, and a 1:27:17 (6:39 pace) in Houston's 2002 El Paso Energy Half Marathon ('Leader of the Compaq Marathon First Mile Hill' Photo taken by Jerry Robinson).

I also ran 4 mountain races: Pikes Peak Ascent (almost 1.5 vertical miles!) in 1998, the Mount Washington (7.5M; elevation gain more than 600 feet per mile) in 1997, and Mount Evans Ascent (finish line at 14250 feet) in 2001, and the Eldora Mountain Trail 10K (Nederland, Colorado) in 2009. I enjoyed the scenery in all races;Woods however, I have to report that I was not very fast going up those mountains. I also completed the Prickly Pear 50K (San Antonio, TX) in March 2010, the Skyline 50K (Castrovalley, CA) in August 2003 and the Bighorn Trail 53K (Dayton, WY) in June 2002 (Photos: 'Bighorn National Forrest Adventure Club', 'How the Tail Looks').

Especially when you get older, I believe just doing a lot of steps is highly beneficiary for your fitness, particularly your endurance. In the following, I list my step records in the last 7 years (I only have data starting 1/1/2019): On December 13, 2024 I had most steps in a day of 40,994 doing sightseeing in Dubai, UAE. December 9-15, 2024 I had the most steps in a week of 137,953 when I spent 3 days in Abu Dhabi, UAE and 4 days in Dubai, UAE. In July 2026 I had the most steps in a month of 516,193, staying July 1-9 in Houston, July 10-17 in Minneapolis, MN, July 18-23 in Houston, July 24-25 in Galveston, TX, July 26-28 in Houston, July 29 in Post, TX and July 30-31 in Santa Fe, NM. My old record was 488,883 steps in June 2023 (June 1-4: Austin, June 5-17: Houston, June 18-30: I hiked and walked a lot in New Mexico (Santa Fe(10), Taos(2), Albuquerque(1)).

As far as races in extreme weather conditions are concerned, I ran the Runner's World 4M Midnight Run on December 31, 2000 in Central Park, New York on snow in subfreezing conditions, I completed the Piney Woods 10 Mile Race (60 miles north of Houston) on January 30, 2010 on a partially flooded trail in temperatures ranging between 33 and 40 degrees and I completed the Habanero Hundred 20K Race in Cat Spring, Texas on August 12, 2023 in temperatures ranging between 102 and 106 degrees.

"When you run with passion, people notice."
Leni Riefenstahl (adapted), German Filmmaker and Actress.

Finishing the Rio Grande Half Marathon in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 9, 2026.
""If you feel bad at 10 miles, you're in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you're normal. If you don't feel bad at 26 miles, you're abnormal."
Rob de Castella, 1983 Marathon World Champion.

I ran very little in the first half of 2026; however in late May 2026 I resumed training and hope to run the following races in the remainder 2026:
(Planned) Races in 2026
  • Saturday, July 25: Shark Week Showdown 10K, Stewart Beach, Galveston, Texas.
  • Sunday, August 9: Rio Grade Half-Marathon, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
  • Saturday, August 22: Unlikely, Habanero Hundred Half Marathon Race, 7IL Ranch, Cat Spring, Texas. DNS: The cold front, I was hoping for to come, did not arrive...
  • Saturday, October 3: Maybe, Day of the Dead Half Marathon, San Marcos, Texas.
  • Sunday, October 11: Space City 10 Miler, UH Clear Lake, Texas.
  • Sunday, November 22: HMSA Classic 25K, Downtown Houston, Texas.
  • Thursday, November 26: Maybe, Kia Sugarland Turkey Trot, Texas.
  • Saturday, December 19: 12K of Christmas, Sam Houston Park, Texas.
    "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."
    Dean Karnazes.

    Running the Brazos Bend 7IL Trail Half Marathon on January 7, 2024.

    Christoph's Featured Race in the Future


    Sunday, October 11, 2026: Space City 10 Miler, Clear Lake, Texas.

    "Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never touched at all because we never push through the obstruction."
    William James, Philosopher

    Interesting Links

    Christoph Eick's Running Training Advice Interesting Running Topics Non-Running Links Christoph F. Eick
    "It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect. It's easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise."
    Eminem

    Running the 2001 Congress Avenue Mile, Austin, Texas.

    "To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating,...I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude."
    Henry David Thoreau, in Walden.


    Running the TownBank Shamrock 8K Race in Virginia Beach on March 18, 2017 (with 7759 other runners, placing 855th, my 244th long distance race lifetime); it is one of the best Party Races in the US!


    Last updated: September 7, 2026.