Mark Barela ran track and cross country at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After a successful high school career, Mark accepted a scholarship to run track and cross country at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM. Although Mark struggled in developing his running abilities during his final two years at NMSU, he was eligible to compete in one final track season while attending graduate school at the University of Utah, but his training ended soon after.

After graduating from Utah, Mark moved back to his hometown of Santa Fe where he re-discovered his enjoyment of running. He completed his first marathon in Ft. Collins, CO in the spring of 2006 and has continued to increase his mileage after moving to the D.C. region in December 2007.

In the past year Mark has participated in a number of local races, completed the 2007 Marine Corp Marathon and even won a half marathon while visiting family back in New Mexico. Although Mark’s racing plans are far from over, he has managed to improve his times substantially, most notably, he has PRd in the half marathon (1:14:17), the marathon (2:48:18) and 10k road race (34:13). Mark is currently registered to run the 2008 Boston Marathon.