UPDATE: Our staff photog Can Turkyilmaz shot some cool pics at the race yesterday. See them here.

It was a gorgeous, if slightly warm, day for the 2009 DRC Half Marathon yesterday. About 3200 people (I was one of them!) ran the 13.1-mile half marathon and another 250 or so tackled a 5K route —  it was pretty crowded out there and some neighborhood roads were blocked off until about noon. The Dallas Running Club set up shuttle service to avoid parking problems, which large White Rock Area races have suffered in the past, says running club president Greg Hall, who also emceed yesterday’s event. For the first time I’ve seen in years at this race, Flag Pole Hill and the Buckner service road were lined with "No Parking" signs. The participants and organizers I talked to say the parking and the event went off smoothly.

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Dr. Melisa Christian, featured in the Advocate a few months ago, took home first place overall in the women’s race — a feat that garnered her an $800 prize. But that’s really no surprise because the speedster wins just about every local race she enters. Check back tomorrow morning for photos from the event.