British runner Lucy Hassell dominated the hilly course at the 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon this weekend, winning the race with a personal best time of 2:36:26. “I’m stoked to have gotten my PB on this course,” she said. Hassell joined a pack of men who pushed her through most of the race. She said it was a nice change from running alone at the front of the pack in a women’s elite race. The weather was ideal Sunday morning, clear and 40 degrees. However, the terrain was a challenge to unprepared athletes. Hassell’s strategy was to run steady for the first 18 miles, then finish the final miles faster. This allowed her to conserve energy over the hills, which she described as “pretty tough.” “If you were ready and prepared for them, and you’ve done training on hills, then I think you build up strength to cope,” Hassell said. Austin was her first marathon in three years, but Hassell, 29, was certainly prepared. She will next run the London Marathon on April 13, which will serve as the UK Olympic Trials. American Becki Michael, 24, from Akron, Ohio, finished second in 2:43:42. Michael was pleased with her first-ever marathon, which qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Boston this April. Michael said she went from being a miler to a marathoner in only a year and a half. At first she had planned to run the Columbus Marathon in November, but an injury postponed her training. She was not as prepared for the Austin course. “It was freaking hilly,” Michael described. “I was not prepared for all that.” Michael has only two months until the trials, but plans to learn from her experience in Austin. After a few days of rest, she will return to marathon training in preparation to run a personal record in Boston. Although Michael is an American runner, she was not part of the U.S. team that participated in the International Marathon Challenge. The U.S. team, which consisted of Jacob Frey, Mike Sayenko, Patti Rogers and Wendy Terris, won the challenge against Kenya, Great Britain, Canada and Malawi. Rogers was the first woman for the U.S. team, placing fifth in 2:47:15. Terris placed seventh in 2:50:12. Austin runner Desirée Ficker, 31, won the half-marathon in 1:18:17. Ficker got plenty of support from fellow Austinites along the course. “I love running here in Austin,” she stated. Ficker, a 2:40:28 marathoner and Ironman triathlete, seemed disappointed with her time, but described the experience as a “good hard training day” in preparation for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. “I feel good,” Ficker said. “I feel ready to get back out and start running.” Women’s Marathon Results: 1. Lucy Hassell 02:36:26 (London GB Marathon: F 25-29) 2. Becki Michael 02:43:42 (Akron OH Marathon: F 20-24) 3. Nicole Stevenson 02:44:46 (Toronto CANADA Marathon: F 30-34) 4. Suzanne Evans 02:46:14 (New Westminster CANADA Marathon: F 35-39) 5. Patti Rogers 02:47:14 (Marathon: F 0- 0) 6. Margaret Chirchir 02:48:08 (Santa Fe NM Marathon: F 25-29) 7. Wendy Terris 02:50:12 (San Antonio TX Marathon: F 0- 0) 8. Kelly Handel 02:54:25 (Austin TX Marathon: F 30-34) 9. Debra Rudisill 02:59:16 (Houston TX Marathon: F 35-39) 10. Alison Burpee 03:00:28 (Seattle WA Marathon: F 25-29) Women’s Half-Marathon Results: 1. Desiree Ficker 01:18:17 (Austin TX Half Marathon: F 30-34) 2. Bridget Montgomery 01:23:17 (Chicago IL Half Marathon: F 25-29) 3. Jessica Durrant 01:23:44 (Boulder CO Half Marathon: F 20-24) 4. Amy Marsh 01:24:40 (Austin TX Half Marathon: F 30-34) 5. Varinka Barbini 01:25:07 (Lexington KY Half Marathon: F 25-29) 6. Nancy Ellis 01:26:15 (Tacoma WA Half Marathon: F 30-34) 7. Maria Ladd 01:27:50 (Albuquerque NM Half Marathon: F 45-49) 8. Eissa Shively 01:29:28 (New York NY Half Marathon: F 25-29) 9. Terra Castro 01:29:49 (Austin TX Half Marathon: F 25-29) 10. Liz Pinches 01:30:23 (Houston TX Half Marathon: F 30-34)