Local Businessman Completes New York City Marathon
 
Local businessman and insurance agent Donald Houser ran in and completed the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 5, 2006.
 
Houser was one of 37,000 runners to start the ING New York City Marathon, which is 26.2 miles long and takes runners through all five Boroughs of New York City and finishes in Central Park.
 
Houser, who is 58 years old and resides in Lock Haven with his wife June, is a 36-year agent with ING Career Network.  This was his third marathon, having twice completed the Marine Corps Marathon held in Washington D.C.
 
He was joined in New York City by his wife, three children and two grandchildren, who cheered him on.  His oldest grandson, Jackson Houser, 10 of Harrisburg, ran the last 2.2 miles with Don and they crossed the finish line together to cheers from the crowd.
 
The ING New York City Marathon is one of the world's great road races, drawing more than 90,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and 315 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the more than 700,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime.