Houston Running: August 2018

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Announcing Sunday's Bayou Bucket 5K

Race announcing has changed for me recently.

As I've written before, when I got to do a little bit of announcing in relief of those working the Cowtown Marathon a couple of years ago, I proved to myself that I could hold my own with some of the best out there.

And when you share a stage with a Dana Tyson and get complimented by the likes of a Kevin Kline, it is a nice, silent satisfier that validated the ability that God gave me even though I didn't make my living as a result of my voice.

My style might be different, but all of that proved that I was in the same conversation.

And that came as a result of my grandfather's background in radio - the Armed Forces Radio Network at end of World War II and helping to launch a few radio stations in central Pennsylvania in the 1950s -- and both he and my Dad teaching me what it meant to be professional in everything I did.

I'm not a fit, for example, for the Chevron Houston Marathon, given the way that the sport has changed over the last number of years.

They have guys - Whit Raymond and Mark Purnell - with incredible voices and energies.

So there are still events out there that allow for me to earn the respect of organizers and competitors alike.

If given the information I need with enough time, I prepare as well or better than anybody in the business.

I get to choose what I will and won't put up with - and what I consider fun or not.

Sunday, I get to announce - thanks to Graham Schooley and Brian Jones with RA Sports Management - the inaugural Bayou Bucket 5K, which starts outside of Rice Stadium and finishes on the field.

(Finishing on a college football field is fun. I've done so at Notre Dame, Penn State and Illinois and wanted to get over to Nicholls State last Saturday but didn't because of the weather forecast.)

I learned during the week via Twitter that Sammy The Owl is going to be running the race.

Playfully, I replied that I needed @RiceAthletics to tell me what Sammy's PR was since I was announcing.

I got chided a little bit that I might not be worthy compared to the late great J Fred Duckett.

I responded that I got to meet J Fred when he would keep the score at Houston Awty International School basketball games, where he was a teacher. (As well as a few other resume building facts.)

I think I hit it off J Fred initially when I told him that I thought it was a travesty that they didn't bring him back for the last Astros game in the Astrodome to deliver his signature "Jose Cruz" introduction.

When I first started to run in 2003, I had a tradition of finding J Fred before the start of the Houston Marathon as he was the race anouncer - and had been for more than 20 years.

Until he wasn't.

I don't know if it was the year that I ran with Waverly, 2006, when she did her first half, that I didn't notice him on the microphone.

I e-mailed him and he said that he had been fired. A volunteer. Fired.

J Fred passed away at the age of 74 before the 2008 Chevron Houston Marathon and I ran that race with the bib "RIP J FRED" and I carried a microphone the entire 26.2 miles.

A microphone that I placed in the casket of my grandfather four and a half years ago before I saw him for the very last time.

So while it won't be over the big speakers at Rice Stadium, it'll be in the same venue where J Fred right before kickoff belted out that "It's a beautiful day for outdoor football."

Sunday I'll do my best job of being me, but like at times that I think about the influence that my grandfather has had on my announcing I'll also think about the great J Fred too.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Fastest Marathons in Texas - Updated 8/15/18

1,000 finishers or over
4:27:26 - Chevron Houston Marathon (2018: 6,710 finishers)
4:37:52 - Austin Marathon (2018: 2,558 finishers)
4:38:39 - BMW Dallas Marathon (2017: 2,818 finishers)
4:46:17 - Cowtown Marathon - Fort Worth (2018: 1,180 finishers)
5:18:22 - Humana Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio Marathon (2017: 2,828 finishers)

500-999 finishers
4:30:12 - The Woodlands Marathon (2018: 784 finishers)

250-499 finishers
4:36:59 - El Paso Marathon (2018: 260 finishers)
4:38:43 - Fort Worth Marathon (2017: 299 finishers)
4:41:06 - Bryan/College Station BCS Marathon - College Station (2017: 476 finishers)
4:45:26 - Silo District Marathon (2018: 487 finishers)
5:19:21 - Run The Alamo 26.2 - San Antonio (2018: 323 finishers)
5:42:48 - Metal Sawing Technology Texas Marathon - Kingwood (2018: 254 finishers)

100-249 finishers
4:29:23 - Irving Marathon (2018: 225 finishers)
4:30:46 - Lubbock Mayor's Marathon (2018: 122 finishers)
4:31:32 - Galveston Marathon (2018: 115 finishers)
4:58:17 - McAllen Marathon (2018: 130 finishers)
5:01:28 - USA Fit Marathon - Sugar Land (2018: 149 finishers)
5:18:27 - Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon (2018: 144 finishers)
5:27:04 - Harlingen Marathon (2018: 153 finishers)
6:45:42 - Brazos Bend Marathon - Needville (2017: 148 finishers)

50-99 finishers
4:38:23 - Marathon 2 Marathon (2017: 91 finishers)
4:40:05 - Miracle Match Marathon - Waco (2018: 84 finishers)
4:45:21 - New Year's Eve Marathon - Allen (2017: 88 finishers)
4:50:07 - Arlington Marathon (2018: 90 finishers)
5:26:59 - Beach To Bay Marathon - Corpus Christi (2018: 65 finishers)
5:33:12 - Grasslands Trail Run Marathon - Decatur (2018: 77 finishers)
5:44:40 - Wildflower Trail Run Marathon - Bastrop (2018: 28 finishers)
5:47:33 - Surfside Beach Marathon (2018: 56 finishers)

Under 50 finishers
4:27:29 - Amarillo Marathon (2018: 24 finishers)
4:36:54 - Gusher Marathon - Beaumont (2018: 49 finishers)
4:49:43 - New Year's Day Marathon - Allen (2018: 43 finishers)
5:09:22 - Hill Country Marathon - Marble Falls (2017: 16 finishers)
5:15:11 - Davy Crockett Bear Chase - Groveton (2018: 38 finishers)
5:16:26 - Urban Ultra - Dallas Marathon (2018: 38 finishers)
5:18:12 - Run For The Americas Marathon - San Marcos (2018: 18 finishers)
5:18:57 - Hachie 50 Marathon - Waxahachie (2018: 39 finishers)
5:23:30 - Paleface Trail Run Marathon - Spicewood (2017: 36 finishers)
5:26:25 - Wonderland Trail Race Marathon - Spicewood (2017: 23 finishers)
5:32:28 - Oktoberfest Trail Festival Marathon - Farmersville (2017: 16 finishers)
5:32:54 - The Walk Marathon - Dallas (2017: 22 finishers)
5:43:46 - Whine Not Marathon - Dallas (2017: 27 finishers)
5:48:08 - The Tortoise Marathon - Dallas (2017: 36 finishers)
5:50:01 - The MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Marathon - Dallas (2018: 33 finishers)
5:52:01 - Saddle Blazer Trail Marathon - Killeen (2018: 18 finishers)
5:52:10 - Whine Not Another Marathon - Dallas (2017: 28 finishers)
5:55:43 - Goodwater Trail Race Marathon - Georgetown (2018: 42 finishers)
5:56:29 - Charlie's Snake Wrangling Marathon - Dallas (2017: 17 finishers)
6:00:04 - The Waddle Marathon - Dallas (2017: 26 finishers)
6:08:16 - Houston Running Festival Marathon (2017: 25 finishers)
6:10:17 - Memorial Day Marathon - Dallas (2018: 21 finishers)
6:13:22 - Pandora's Box of Rox - Burnet (2018: 42 finishers)
6:17:15 - Border to Badlands Ultra Marathon (2018: 7 finishers)
6:31:43 - Dust Bowl Series Marathon - Dalhart (2018: 34 finishers)
6:34:24 - Wayne's World Marathon - Dallas (2018: 26 finishers)
6:36:14 - Texas Trail Racing Festival Marathon - Spicewood (2018: 24 finishers)
6:39:34 - Orion Ultra Marathon - Freeport (2017: 16 finishers)
6:53:20 - Cross Timbers Trail Runs Marathon - Lake Texoma (2018: 47 finishers)
7:00:29 - Gulf Coast Series Marathon - Beaumont (2018: 22 finishers)
7:05:33 - Headwaters of the Frio Marathon - Leakey (2018: 5 finishers)
7:08:32 - Rough Creek Trail Run - Glen Rose (2017: 37 finishers)

Monday, August 6, 2018

Southern Star Brewing Company 5K Top 25 All-Time Best Times

Male
17:07.3 - Hawley, Rick, Spring, TX, Top Male, 2018
17:34.5 - Amann, Mark, Conroe, TX, Top Male, 2017
17:34.9 - Winski, Chris, Katy, TX, 1-29 Male, 2018
18:04.2 - Amann, Mark, Conroe, TX, 1-29 Male, 2018
18:10.2 - Ontko, Robert, Houston, TX, 1-29 Male, 2017
18:15.7 - Palermo, Luke, Spring, TX, 1-29 Male, 2017
18:25.5 - Felske, Ethan, Houston, TX, Top Male, 2016
18:33.1 - Robertson, John, Conroe, TX, Top Master Male, 2017
18:42.6 - Gill, Ryan, Houston, TX, Top Male, 2015
18:45.3 - Palermo, Luke, Spring, TX, 1-29 Male, 2018
18:51.2 - Whitley, Isaac, Spring, TX, 1-29 Male, 2017
18:58.9 - Edwards, Chance, Montgomery, TX, 30-39 Male, 2018
19:01.9 - Harrison, Brandon, Huntsville, TX, 30-39 Male, 2017
19:05.9 - Baker, Kevin, Spring, TX, 40-49 Male, 2017
19:08.7 - Wills, Patrick, Spring, TX, Top Master Male, 2018
19:09.8 - Ray, Kyle, Houston, TX, 1-29 Male, 2018
19:11.6 - Pearson, Andrew, Cypress, TX, 1-29 Male, 2018
19:16.4 - Byrne, Dan, Huntsville, TX, 50-59 Male, 2017
19:17.1 - Guerrieri, Riccardo, Houston, TX, 30-39 Male, 2015
19:22.5 - Wallace, Jason, Huntsville, TX, Top Master Male, 2015
19:26.8 - Sosa, Elias, Bellaire, TX, 1-29 Male, 2017
19:27.5 - Mercado, Jorge, Pearland, TX, Top Master Male, 2016
19:31.4 - Carmichael Jr., Kelly, Galveston, TX, 1-29 Male, 2016
19:35.7 - Gavia, David, Spring, TX, 40-49 Male, 2017
19:38.9 - Seale, Rocky Patrick, Montgomery, TX, 1-29 Male, 2017

Female
20:08.7 - Shasteen, Stephanie, The Woodlands, TX, Top Female, 2015
20:52.1 - Dyksterhuis, Leanne, Spring, TX, Top Female, 2016
21:14.9 - Hall, Karyn, Houston, TX, 1-29 Female, 2015
21:24.3 - Dyksterhuis, Leanne, Spring, TX, Top Female, 2017
21:25.3 - Pigford, Halley, Tomball, TX, Top Female, 2018
21:28.1 - Parker, Remi, Port Lavaca, TX, 1-29 Female, 2018
21:28.9 - Pigford, Halley, Tomball, TX, 30-39 Female, 2017
21:32.4 - Gault, Hannah, Conroe, TX, 1-29 Female, 2016
21:39.0 - Sizer, Brooke, Houston, TX, 1-29 Female, 2017
21:53.6 - Bellard, Karrie, The Woodlands, TX, Top Master Female, 2015
22:04.0 - Butler, Pam, Houston, TX, Top Master Female, 2017
22:05.7 - Van Wyngaarden, Henrita, Spring, TX, Top Master Female, 2018
22:13.7 - Tillson, Sabrina, Spring, TX, 50-59 Female, 2017
22:24.1 - Kuhn, Jill, Spring, TX, 30-39 Female, 2015
22:32.2 - Abell, Lynn, Houston, TE, 1-29 Female, 2015
22:39.4 - Wells, Amy, Conroe, TX, 40-49 Female, 2015
22:41.8 - Allen, Krista, Houston, TX, 30-39 Female, 2015
22:48.7 - Felske, Allie, Houston, TX, 1-29 Female, 2016
23:04.2 - Keith, Barbara, Houston, TX, 30-39 Female, 2016
23:05.0 - Spilker, Julie, Houston, TX, 1-29 Female, 2015
23:06.2 - Benoit, Laura, Brownwood, TX, 50-59 Female, 2015
23:14.7 - Mazur, Lisa, Austin, TX, 40-49 Female, 2015
23:21.4 - Wells, Amy, Conroe, TX, 40-49 Female, 2017
23:22.0 - Sanchez, Debra, Richmond, TX, 30-39 Female, 2016
23:25.4 - Guzman, Ana, Houston, TX, 1-29 Female, 2017

Sources: iaapweb.com, runintexas.com

Friday, August 3, 2018

Bayou City Triathlon Series: Cypress Triathlon Numbers

At 3:46 p.m., Friday, August 3, I received an e-mail from the Bayou City Tri Series - yes, I did the duathlon once at Towne Lake - heralding the following: "We're rolling back prices for Kemah and Towne Lake through Saturday!"

The mailer read, "Prices for Kemah and Towne Lake went up this week, we hope you didn't miss the chance to save. But, summer is busy, we get it."

So for the next 32 hours, until midnight, Saturday, August 4, the event production company is offering "discount" codes to move the prices back.

What this always tells me is one of two things: 1.) registration numbers aren't where the race producer wants them to be - or needs them to be and/or 2.) numbers for a just-finished event weren't what they hoped for.

So unless an event posts a bib list or has its registration list - via "Find Partipicant" through RunSignUp, for example, I can't ever assess the hype factor of any race surrounding registration numbers.

When a race offers no proof (not this producer specifically), it is reasonable to believe that numbers are off. (I noticed this from a Fourth of July race that had always been posting its bib list online prior to Packet Pickup. Not this year, as numbers were way down.)

What I can do is evaluate completed races based on official timed finishers.

This, of course, doesn't take into account athletes who registered, but didn't start or did start, but didn't finish the race.

For the Bayou City Tri Series' most recent event, the Cypress Triathlon, its three events were all down by the metric of "official timed finishers".

A year ago, there were 869 adult finishers (counting relay teams as one), 309 youth finishers and 29 in the Doggie Splash N Dash.

Last weekend, all three races were off.

The adult races were off 13.2% (down from 869 to 754). Youth finishers were down 50 -- 16.2%. And the biggest bark came from the dogs and their owners in the Doggle Splash N Dash, which was down 37.4% (29 to 18).

2017 Cypress
Sprint Invitational 12
Sprint AG 774
Clydesdale 40
Athena 26
Male Relay 1
Female Relay 5
Mixed Relay 7
Physically Challenged 4
Adult Total - 869 (counting relays as one)

Youth Relay 2
Juniors 195
Seniors 112
Youth Total - 309

Toy Dogs 2
Small Dogs 6
Medium Dogs 5
Large Dogs 8
X-Large Dogs 8
Doggie Splash N Dash - 29

2018 Cypress
Sprint Invitational 16
Sprint AG 657
Clydesdale 27
Athena 21
Male Relay 3
Female Relay 7
Mixed Relay 16
Physically Challenged 7
Adult Total - 754 (counting relays as one)

Juniors 152
Seniors 107
Youth Total - 259

Small Dogs 5
Medium Dogs 7
Large Dogs 6
Doggie Splash N Dash - 18

Sources: https://www.bayoucitytriseries.com/resultsandphotos/; https://nolimitstiming.com/

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