Daughters of hit-and-run victim hope marathon will bring renewed hope to finding suspect

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's been more than a month since elite marathon runner Lilia Vazquez was hit and killed during a morning run getting ready for the Chevron Houston Marathon.

A suspect has not been caught in the hit-and-run case, and Vazquez's daughters plan on highlighting her case during this weekend's run.

Daughter Cecilia Vazquez feels the spirit of her mother, Lilia, by her side every time she runs.

"I just think about memories of her," Cecilia, now 27, said. "In elementary school, she would make me run to school."

At the marathon on Sunday, she will join dozens of other runners by wearing her mom's honorary bib, as well as their own, during the race. Older sister Mariana says she ordered 100 bibs with her mom's name and picture on them. Besides those running, others will be cheering on the runners along the route, all in honor of Lilia.

"My mom should be here," Mariana said, choking back tears. "She should be doing this. If she can't be here, then it just makes sense that her family and friends (are here). I want her picture everywhere, on the race track. People who are cheering for her are going to have a bib or something with her name."

At 61, Lilia was an elite runner, someone the Chevron Houston Marathon invited to run toward the front of the starting line.

She regularly clocked in times faster than many people half her age. On Dec. 13, 2024, she was on an early morning run along Westpark, near her home, when police believe a dark-colored truck hit her.

The driver didn't stop, and Lilia died at the scene. Since then, the sisters have tried their best to bring attention to the unsolved crime.

"My sister and I are doing everything we can to have people remember who my mom was, and I'm hoping that if more people would find out what's going on, someone would say something," Cecilia said. "Someone saw something, it would create more conversations."

RELATED: 'I want to fight for her': New video shows athlete on her final run before being killed by driver

New surveillance video shows Houston Marathon runner Lilia Vasquez before she was hit and killed by a driver during her daily morning run along Westpark near Jeanetta.

The sisters believe someone out there knows who hit their mother along Westpark. They hope having a large contingent of supporters running and cheering during the Chevron Houston Marathon will bring new attention to their efforts to find the driver.

"Even though she is not physically present, I just want everyone to be able to honor her," Mariana said.

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Family holds vigil for woman killed during morning run as the hit-and-run suspect remains at large

Surveillance video shows Lilia Vasquez before she was hit and killed by a driver during her daily morning run along Westpark near Jeanetta.

The daughters of the Houston marathoner killed during her morning run two weeks ago want to bring renewed attention to a video showing the suspected hit-and-run driver.