With you every step of the way.
MARATHON PACERS
When available, two pacers will run each time slot. At the present time, Pace Group Leaders have been assigned to the following time slots.
- 3:30, 8:00 pace per mile
- 3:45, 8:35 pace per mile
- 4:00, 9:10 pace per mile
- 4:15, 9:44 pace per mile
- 4:30, 10:18 pace per mile
- 4:45, 10:52 pace per mile
- 5:00, 11:27 pace per mile
- 5:15, 12:00 pace per mile
- 5:30, 12:35 pace per mile
HALF MARATHON PACERS
When available, two pacers will run each time slot. At the present time, Pace Group Leaders have been assigned to the following time slots.
- 1:30, 6:53 pace per mile
- 1:45, 8:00 pace per mile
- 2:00, 9:10 pace per mile
- 2:15, 10:18 pace per mile
- 2:30, 11:27 pace per mile
- 2:45, 12:36 pace per mile
- 3:00, 13:44 pace per mile
- 3:15, 14:53 pace per mile
Meet Your 2026 Marathon Pacers
Dan Pastwa
Marathon, 3:30
Running for more than 15 years, Dan has raced all the way up to 50 miles and recently set a marathon personal best of 2:50. He has helped pace friends to personal bests and enjoys encouraging others to chase their running goals. His race-day pacing strategy is simple: stay disciplined with an even pace, save the “push” for the final six miles, and help everyone finish strong. When he’s not running, he’s probably talking about Toyota trucks and SUVs.
Connor Heavican
Marathon, 3:30
Connor is a 20 year old Construction Management student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He is an avid endurance athlete who specializes in triathlons. What Connor enjoys most about running is the peace it brings in the nature, improving every day, and pushing others to accomplish more than they thought was possible. He has completed marathons, half marathons, triathlons, and an Ironman. Connors race day plans are to show up with a smile and help others have the best day no matter the conditions! One fun fact about Connor is that his first ever race was this exact marathon a couple years ago.
Kaci Lickteig
Marathon, 3:45
I have been running since 2002 and it’s my biggest passion. I have paced several races and it fills my heart seeing and helping others accomplish their goals. My plan is to keep an even pace and help cheer and keep our group moving. Random fact is that my nickname is Pixie Ninja!
Riley Johnson
Marathon, 3:45
Riley has been an avid runner since Covid shut things down in 2020, and found it to be a good way to get out of the house. Since then, he's raced distances from 5k up through 50-milers, but his favorite is the marathon distance. This will be his third time as a marathon pacer, and he enjoys being able to run with people and help them meet their goals. Lately, he's traded in his solo runs for the added challenge of pushing a stroller. You can often find him and his 1-year old son running through Memorial Park and Elmwood Park!
Miguel Ordorica
Marathon, 4:00
Miguel has been running for about 15 years, and has paced many races, from 10k to ultramarathons. His pacing strategy is to keep the effort steady - slower uphill, into the wind, finish 30 seconds under goal time. The Omaha Marathon was Miguel's first well run marathon (on my third try), and the first marathon he paced.
Jade Hughes
Marathon, 4:00
Jade Hughes, a 2nd grade teacher in Millard Public Schools, has been a dedicated runner since high school. He is active member of several Omaha running groups and regularly competes and paces in a variety of events across the United States. With a strong passion for the sport and a goal of one day competing in the Boston Marathon, Jade is honored to serve as a pacer for the Omaha Marathon and is committed to supporting fellow runners in achieving their personal bests.
Marty Ertz
Marathon, 4:00
Marty's been running the streets of Omaha for years! When he's not cruising for miles in a training segment at lake Zorinsky you can see him standing in line patiently for ice cream at Coneflower in Blackstone.
Keiko Andersen
Marathon, 4:15
Keiko started running in 2008 . She finished marathon ,half and ultra over 100 times. She completed 7 Abbot World marathon majors (Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin Chicago and New York City.
Alice Spence
Marathon, 4:30
Alice is a busy mental health therapist, wife, and mom to 2 teenage girls. She's been running for her own mental and physical health for almost 20 years. Her past running achievements include a 100k ultramarathon through the forests of Wisconsin (part of which was on the Ice Age trail), several marathons, and various shorter distance/relay races. This is her first pacing gig and she is excited to be pacing with one of her best running pals. She hopes to continue running and helping others reach their goals for as many years as her body will allow. On race day, feel free to tell me what you need and how I can help you with the Omaha marathon. It's going to be a really great race!
Felix Salamin
Marathon, 4:30
Felix started running in 2018 and moved to Omaha in 2019. He has been running the Heartland Marathon for 5 years in a row, improving his pace each year. Race plans for 2026 include the Omaha Half and Good Life Halfsy. His motivation is his family and health. He is originally from Panama City, Panama.
Mark Witt
Marathon, 4:45
Mark, after fighting through injuries, is back and honored to be pacing the Omaha Marathon again this year. This will be Mark’s 9th marathon (2nd pacing) and he is excited to share his wisdom on race day. You can find Mark around town on the trails. Look for the blue bandana!
Spencer Stark
Marathon, 4:45
Spencer has been running for seven years, participating in 10 marathons, 2 ultras and many other race distances along the way. He's paced the Omaha Marathon twice before and is excited to be back. His strategy is to bank a little time early on, keep the group relax and keep morale high. Expect him to cheer you on through every mile. Fun fact: outside of running, Spencer has done a little part time farming, beekeeping and carnival owning. He's happy to talk about any of those things at any mile along the way.
Elissa Garey
Marathon, 5:00
Andy Garey
Marathon, 5:00
I enjoy running, listening to music, food, and spending time with my family!
Mary Orr
Marathon, 5:00
Mary is an experienced marathon pacer taking on her fourth time leading the full, with finish times ranging from 4:00 to 5:00 and a passion for helping runners achieve their goals. She is on a mission to run a marathon in every state—this race marks her 15th marathon and 14th state. As race day approaches, she encourages runners to trust their training, stick to what’s familiar, and avoid trying anything new. Most of all, Mary is here to support, motivate, and remind everyone to have fun every step of the way.
Shelby Meadows
Marathon, 5:15
Shelby is an Omaha native and started running in middle school with hurdles and shorter distances. She competed at the varsity level in cross country and track in high school and went on to run competitively her first two years of college, racing everything from the 800m to the steeplechase and 5k. After transferring schools, she has now run countless half marathons, paced a handful of half marathons, and completed 5 full marathons. Her goal as your pacer is to encourage you along the way to a finish full of pride and accomplishment (hopefully with some fun along the way) whether this is your first marathon or you’re looking to PR. Shelby’s favorite race has been the New York City marathon! Shelby has two cats and would LOVE to chat about them, please ask her!
Kalynn Buysse
Marathon, 5:15
Amateur farm wife and marathoning mom of three lunatics. Her hobbies include questioning universally everything after mile 18 and somehow signing up for another event before the soreness wears off. Elite runner in her head but actually aggressively mediocre IRL which counts for something right? She’s dropped an absurd amount of Benjamins for race entry fees just to wake up at RUDE hours and run distances most people won’t even drive. Her special talent is disassociating from reality in order to make “one more mile” turn into 26.2. Kalynn’s idea of a rad weekend is waking up before sunrise to eat a banana in a parking lot and she’s made peace with chafing, toenail casualties, and hallucinating somewhere around mile 22. Roster wise- by the end of this year she will have completed nine halves and four fulls. Stick with Kalynn, she’ll keep the pace steady and the energy high!!
Jill Perkins
Marathon, 5:30
Jill learned pretty early that team sports weren’t her thing—mostly because she was afraid of the ball—but she did discover that she could outrun the other kids. She’s been running ever since, and has been racing since before timing chips were even a thing. Jill serves as a local Trail Sisters leader for the Omaha chapter, helping build community and encourage women on the trails.
Crystal Creasy
Marathon, 5:30
Emma Lady
Marathon, 5:30
Emma started her running journey after playing soccer and lacrosse collegiately. After crossing the finish line of her first half marathon in 2023, she was hooked! She soon discovered the world of trail running and has done mostly trail races since. However, she loves pacing road races, because it gives her the opportunity to give back to the running community.
Meet Your 2026 Half Marathon Pacers
Stephen Mohring
Half Marathon, 1:30
Stephen is a dedicated runner for the past dozen years or so, running marathons in 33 states and pacing half and full marathons year-round. He is excited to help you achieve your goal! Fun fact, he is a internal medicine physician here in Nebraska.
Brock Johnson
Half Marathon, 1:30
Brock's occupation is an Elementary Physical Education Teacher, HS Cross Country Coach, JH Girls Basketball Coach and HS Boys Track Coach. Brock has paced the 1:30 group in the half marathon over a dozen times and is also on the Nike pace team as a 3:30 pacer for the Chicago Marathon.
Christopher Whitney
Half Marathon, 1:45
Chris has been running off and on since high school, but really got into it again about six years ago. His first marathon was the Lincoln Marathon in 2021 and has run seven to date, mixing in various half marathons and other races. He has also been a part of the MS Run the US relay in 2021 and 2023, each time running from Wray, CO to Holdrege, NE with each segment taking 6 days and a total of 165 miles to raise awareness and funds for people living with multiple sclerosis. He goes by the mantra, "The hard is what makes it great!" when it comes to running. He is a Lincoln native and proud member of the Aksarben Athletic Club and Old Wood Run Club. Chris is also excited to pace for the very first time and help make this race a memorable one for everyone running!
Seth Marek
Half Marathon, 1:45
Seth is passionate about helping others reach their race days goals. With 15 full marathons under his belt, he knows first hand how steady pacing and mental toughness come together to get you over the finish line. He loves to talk with other runners about fueling and training also you may have heard him doing so on a few local podcasts. When Seth's not running, you can find him on his mountain bike. He's cycled some pretty epic races including the Leadville 100 and the Lutsen 99er. Seth is unique in that he splits his time training between running and cycling each week.
Eric Thompson
Half Marathon, 2:00
Eric has been running since 2017, running all distances from 5k to 50k. His first pacing experience was the 2024 Heartland Half, and excited to come back to help again this year for the Omaha Half. When not running, Eric can usually be found at a concert venue, ice rink, or spending time with family & friends.
Adam Osher
Half Marathon, 2:00
Adam has been running for over 25 years and has completed numerous half and full marathons. This will be his 7th time pacing the Omaha/Heartland Half, where his goal is steady pacing, encouragement, and keeping the group motivated when the miles get tough. Adam aims to run even splits and guide his pace group across the finish line right on target. On race day, Adam goal is to help keep everyone relaxed in the early miles, focused through the middle, and energized for a strong finish. He loves meeting new runners, sharing tips along the way, and celebrating together at the finish line. Outside of running, Adam coaches youth cross country and track and is a registered USATF track and field official. He enjoys spending time with his family—wife Dee, son Jacob (UNMC), and daughter Sadie (Millard West). When he can't run he goes to work as a HR Director.
Jenn Hummel
Half Marathon, 2:15
Jenn lives in Nebraska with her husband and 3 kids. From an early age Jenn enjoyed playing organized sports in high school. In college she got into running as a way to stay in shape and take a break from college work. She ran her first full marathon in 2005 and every since has running half and full marathons. She enjoys encouraging others to be active and strive for their best.
Ty Reimers
Half Marathon, 2:15
Ty is a guy who woke up one day, started running 12 mile days and never really bothered to stop. His first experience pacing was the 2021 Good Life Halfsy (the one that got called off mid-race for lightning) and has been in love with it ever since.
Sarah Laferla
Half Marathon, 2:30
Sarah works in insurance, is a mom and currently training for the Chicago Marathon. This is her second time pacing this event and she's so excited to be here! Sarah will try to maintain a steady pace for all 13.1 with a slight kick in the pants as soon as we hit the end of the Bob Bridge to head to the finish. The Bob CAN be challenging so the up is always a bit slower than the down but I promise you can do it! Random facts, when I'm not running I'm a quilter and love to play Mah Jong.
Ethen Frerichs
Half Marathon, 2:30
Ethan has been running consistently for about 2 years. He ran 4 half marathons last year. He paced a half marathon for one of them and absolutely loved it! Ethan is training for an Ironman Triathlon in September 2026.
Nga Tran
Half Marathon, 2:45
Nga discovered running later in life. She quickly fell in love with the challenge, community, and sense of accomplishment it brings. Since then, she has completed half-marathons, marathons, and a 50k. She loves being a pacer and helping others reach their goals.
Hayley
Half Marathon, 2:45
Jennifer Andrews
Half Marathon, 3:00
Jennifer has been running since 2013 when she decided a 5k was a good goal for turning 40, and a great way to stay active. She now loves all the running events on roads and trails. She has completed 2 50ks, 2 full marathons and countless halfs. Jennifer has been pacing for five years, most often incorporating run/walk intervals. Pacing is especially fun for Jennifer to meet new people and help them reach their goals.
Tammie Kruszczak
Half Marathon, 3:00
Tammie Kruszczak has been running for over 25 years. Running with friends and for a cause is what has kept me staying motivated. She is currently training for Chicago Marathon running for the charity Finish MS. She has ran many half marathons and is new at pacing.
Sara Jones
Half Marathon, 3:15
Sara has run dozens of half marathons, a couple of full marathons and last fall completed her first ultra marathon. This will be her first time pacing, she plans to do run/walk intervals from the start of the half marathon to get everyone to the finish line on pace. The best part of intervals is you just need to get through that 30 seconds or one minute of running then you get a break. Sara's motto is that she runs far, not fast and has decided her midlife crisis will be to complete a 100 mile race the year she turns 50.
Niki Henkel
Half Marathon, 3:15
I believe that every person at the finish line, first to last deserves celebration! I’m a back of the pack runner who loves to run with people who have the goal of finishing. Pacing is my joy. I pace half and full marathons with a run/walk strategy that encourages back of the pack paces and enables people to finish strong and with a smile. Please join me and let’s make a fun-loving, supportive group!
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2026 Omaha Marathon Sponsors
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