Texas 10 Series - Official Timed Finishers Statistics

Texas 10 Series All-Time 10-Mile - By Date
216 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/3/12 (Debut)
135 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/7/13 (Debut)
443 - Texas 10 Katy, 9/29/13 (Debut)
241 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/13
308 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/2/14 (Debut)
190 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/30/14 (Debut)
166 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/13/14
146 - Texas 10 Plano, 5/10/14 (Debut)
  98 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/12/14 (Debut)
405 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/2/14
301 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/14
288 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/1/15
269 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/29/15
138 - Texas 10 Plano, 4/19/15
358 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/27/15
176 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/11/15
553 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/1/15
359 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/6/15
400 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/31/16
215 - Texas 10 Boerne, 4/3/16
350 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/24/16 (Debut)
263 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/25/16
412 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/9/16 (includes 3 unofficial; Debut)
257 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/6/16
131 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/19/17
235 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/26/17
193 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/17
181 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/24/17
267 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/8/17
218 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/5/17
239 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/3/17
195 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/28/18
193 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/25/18
237 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/18
256 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/30/18 (146 women / 110 men)
314 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/14/18 (177 women / 137 men)
240 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/4/18 (122 women / 118 men)
279 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/2/18 (157 women / 122 men)
333 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/13/19 (199 women / 134 men)
193 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/27/19 (108 women / 85 men)
179 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 3/31/19
268 - Texas 10 Sienna, 9/29/19
314 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/13/19 (189 women / 125 men)
277 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/3/19 (156 women / 121 men)
255 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/1/19 (142 women / 113 men)
355 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/5/20 (195 women / 160 men)
166 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/26/20 (88 women / 78 men)

Texas 10 Series All-Time 5-Mile - By Date
  45 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/3/12
  30 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/7/13
  85 - Texas 10 Katy, 9/29/13
  45 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/13
  60 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/2/14
  48 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/30/14
  42 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/13/14
  37 - Texas 10 Plano, 5/10/14
  19 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/12/14
132 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/2/14
  77 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/14
  87 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/1/15
  90 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/29/15
  69 - Texas 10 Plano, 4/19/15
149 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/27/15
  95 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/11/15
210 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/1/15 (includes 7 unofficial)
122 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/6/15 (includes 10 unofficial)
232 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/31/16 (includes 37 unofficial)
100 - Texas 10 Boerne, 4/3/16
189 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/24/16
128 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/25/16
200 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/9/16 (includes 16 unofficial)
114 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/6/16
  79 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/29/17 (includes 2 unofficial)
124 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/26/17
108 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/17
  76 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/24/17 (includes 5 unofficial)
  93 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/8/17 (includes 8 unofficial)
126 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/5/17
  94 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/3/17 (includes 13 unofficial)
  75 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/28/18
101 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/25/18
128 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/18 (includes 5 unofficial)
  78 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/30/18 (39 women / 39 men)
135 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/14/18 (74 women / 61 men)
  99 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/4/18 (61 women / 38 men)
122 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/2/18 (75 women / 47 men)
253 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/13/19 (140 women / 71 men / 52 dropped from 10-miler)
136 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/27/19
122 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 3/31/19
149 - Texas 10 Sienna, 9/29/19
137 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/13/19 (87 women / 50 men)
134 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/3/19 (85 women / 49 men)
126 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/1/19 (79 women / 47 men)
188 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/5/20 (131 women / 57 men)
108 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/26/20 (68 women / 40 men)

Texas 10 Series All-Time 10-Mile - By Timed Finishers
553 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/1/15
443 - Texas 10 Katy, 9/29/13
412 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/9/16 (includes 3 unofficial)
405 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/2/14
400 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/31/16
359 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/6/15
358 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/27/15
355 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/5/20 (195 women / 160 men)
350 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/24/16
333 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/13/19 (199 women / 134 men)
314 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/14/18 (177 women / 137 men)
308 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/2/14
301 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/14
288 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/1/15
279 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/2/18 (157 women / 122 men)
269 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/29/15
267 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/8/17
263 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/25/16
257 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/6/16
256 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/30/18 (146 women / 110 men)
241 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/13
240 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/4/18 (122 women / 118 men)
239 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/3/17
237 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/18
235 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/26/17
218 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/5/17
216 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/3/12
215 - Texas 10 Boerne, 4/3/16
195 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/30/18
193 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/17
193 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/25/18
193 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/27/19 (108 women / 85 men)
190 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/30/14
181 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/24/17
176 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/11/15
166 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/13/14
166 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/26/20 (88 women / 78 men)
146 - Texas 10 Plano, 5/10/14
138 - Texas 10 Plano, 4/19/15
135 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/7/13
131 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/29/17
  98 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/12/14

Texas 10 Series All-Time 5-Mile - By Timed Finishers
253 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/13/19 (140 women / 71 men / 52 dropped from 10-miler)
232 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/31/16 (includes 37 unofficial)
210 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/1/15 (includes 7 unofficial)
200 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/9/16 (includes 16 unofficial)
189 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/24/16
188 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/5/20 (131 women / 57 men)
149 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/27/15
136 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/27/19
135 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/14/18 (74 women / 61 men)
132 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/2/14
128 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/25/16
128 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/18 (includes 5 unofficial)
126 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/5/17
124 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/26/17
122 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/6/15 (includes 10 unofficial)
122 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/2/18 (75 women / 47 men)
114 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/6/16
108 - Texas 10 Sienna, 4/29/17
108 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/26/20 (68 women / 40 men)
101 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/25/18
100 - Texas 10 Boerne, 4/3/16
  99 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/4/18 (61 women / 38 men)
  95 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/11/15
  94 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/3/17 (includes 13 unofficial)
  93 - Texas 10 Cypess, 10/8/17 (includes 8 unofficial)
  90 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/29/15
  87 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/1/15
  85 - Texas 10 Katy, 9/29/13
  79 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/29/17 (includes 2 unofficial)
  78 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/30/18 (39 women / 39 men)
  77 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/14
  76 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 9/24/17 (includes 5 unofficial)
  75 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/28/18
  69 - Texas 10 Plano, 4/19/15
  60 - Texas 10 College Station, 2/2/14
  48 - Texas 10 Boerne, 3/30/14
  45 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/7/13
  45 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/3/12
  42 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/13/14
  37 - Texas 10 Plano, 5/10/14
  30 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 4/7/13
  19 - Texas 10 Fort Worth, 10/12/14

Texas 10 Series All-Time 5K - By Date
  84 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/3/17
  23 - Texas 10 Conroe, 11/6/16
  22 - Texas 10 College Station, 3/25/18
    7 - Texas 10 Boerne, 1/28/18
  21 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/14/18 (15 women, 6 men)
  26 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/4/18 (16 women, 10 men)
  55 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/2/18 (35 women, 20 men)
  72 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/13/19 (42 women, 30 men)
  39 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/27/19 (24 women, 15 men)
  27 - Texas 10 Huntsville, 3/31/19
  65 - Texas 10 Sienna, 9/29/19
  75 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/13/19 (61 women / 14 men)
  69 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/3/19 (46 women / 23 men)
  56 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/1/19 (33 women / 23 men)
100 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/5/20 (70 women / 30 men)
  56 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/26/20 (37 women / 19 men)

Texas 10 Series All-Time 1M - By Date

  14 - Texas 10 Cypress, 10/13/19 (10 men / 4 women)
  27 - Texas 10 Katy, 11/3/19 (13 men / 14 women)
  15 - Texas 10 Conroe, 12/1/19 (10 men / 5 women)
  12 - Texas 10 Bridgeland, 1/5/20 (7 men / 5 women)
  12 - Texas 10 College Station, 1/26/20 (6 women / 6 men)

* While the results for Texas 10 Sienna (4/29/18) 5K show 28 finishers, there are not times associated with them.

5-7 Year Finishers of The Woodlands Marathon (Through 2019 Race)

7-year Finishers (12)
Carlos Reyes
Danielle Skelton Reeves
Doan Pham
Khoung Tran
Mary Berta
Natalie Camps
Richard Carroll
Rolando Reyes
Steven Holehan
Vincent Attanucci
William Moeller
Yen Nguyen

6-Year Finishers (16)
Albenis Hernandez
Anthony Serrano
Brian Pack
Christine Gentil
Cristiane Neumann
Daniel Kallus
David Gamez
Edward Mickelson
Greg Park
Jim Harrington
Jose Moreno
Kerry Lee
Lonnie Brauner
Michael Smith
Rachel Williams
Stephen Baumgartner

5-Year Finishers (54)
Adnan Afzal
Alejandro Marquez Jimenez
Alejandro Torres Guerra
Andrew Strong
Angela Tortorice
Armando Bocanegra
Barbara Santi
Bijou Chacko
Bill Pilkington
Chris Robbins
Christian Lambert
Christian Rauch
Craig Dodds
Dan Greenberg
Daron Peschel
David Raines
Davis Castillo
Diana Van Brandwijk
Doug Earle
Drew George
Dung Quach
Eduardo Luna
Enrique Cervantes
Eric Danziger
Francisco Garza
German Collazos
Glenn Heumann
Hamilton Hadebe
Jim Surratt
John Maloney
Jose Reyes
Joseph Gray
Kevin Butler
Malinda Hernandez
Mark Livingston
Melissa Hopper
Michael Caldwell
Mike Blayney
Myrick Thibodeaux
Parvaneh Moayedi
Peter Cymbala
Peter Huntsman, Jr.
Peter Huntsman, Sr.
Peter Steelman
Reggie Bruhn
Richard Zainfield
Rudolph L Rendon
Sergio Leonardi
Sheila Bundscho Lewis
Stuart Kessler
Tom Nguyen
Tory Western
Yong Collins
Yvette Dunn

Sources:  nolimitstiming.com (2012-2016), mychiptime.com (2017-2019), thewoodlandsmarathon.com

Eight-Year Finishers of The Woodlands Marathon or Half Marathon

This initial pass of the data only reflects exact matches in spelling year over year.

If you believe that there's another spelling of your name that would move you into this category, please let me know. - Jon Walk

MARATHON (13)
Brent Scott
Charles Frymire
David Coats
Gabriel Belforti
Henrita Van Wyngaarden
Hung Hoang
Jay Everett
Jonathan Zwickel
Karen Berglund
Kori Scott
Quoc Duong
Ron Berglund
Stephen Kallus

HALF MARATHON (20)
Barry Beacher
Camellia Jacks
Carlos Sepulveda
Catriona Edmond
Deborah Sanborn
Denise Andrew
Denise Smith
Edward Campos
Erica Welter
Justo Marin
Kathy McWilliams
Kim Easton
Lisa Deville
Lyndon Yates
Pam Anderson
Pamela Paling
Rich Fredrich
Rip Reynolds
Rob Oberg
Tulio Sanchez

Sources:  nolimitstiming.com (2012-2016), mychiptime.com (2017-2019), thewoodlandsmarathon.com

Yetman, Van Wyngaarden Join CHM All-Time 50-54 AG Top 10

The list of top 10 all-time times in the women's 50-54 age group of the Chevron Houston Marathon got three new entries on Sunday.

Two of the three were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and slip under the magical time of 2:45 to qualify for February's United States Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sunday's age group winner Fiona Bayly, an accomplished triathlete and multiple-time USA masters road race champion, grabbed the division's second best time ever with a showing of 2:55:28.

For Spring native Peggy Yetman, it was her fourth career Chevron Houston Marathon appearance -- and first in nine years.

Six weeks earlier, Yetman, who ran in the 2000 United States Olympic Trials Marathon in Columbia, South Carolina, won her age group at the California International Marathon in Sacramento with a 2:50:18 performance.

Her 2:58:07 on Sunday was just the fourth sub-3 by a woman 50 years of age or older in the history of the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Greater Houston area local elite Barbara Stoll, 58, who finished her 23rd Chevron Houston Marathon, had previously had two of the top 10 times, but she was displaced on Sunday by The Woodlands' Henrita Van Wyngaarden.

Van Wyngaarden, 50, was running in her sixth consecutive Chevron Houston Marathon -- seventh overall - and her 3:15:03 PR from among her 44 career marathons vaulted her into the tenth best 50-54 women's time in the event's storied history.

The complete women's 50-54 all-time top ten, according to data from houstonresults.com:

2:51:01 - Colleen De Reuck, 52, Boulder, CO, 2017
2:55:28 - Fiona Bayly, 52, New York, NY, 2020
2:57:42 - Regina Yamin, 53, Leon, MX, 2018
2:58:07 - Peggy Yetman, 51, Spring, 2020
3:03:26 - Barbara Stoll, 50, Houston, 2012
3:06:18 - Josephine Marchetti, 51, Newington, CT, 1995
3:07:39 - Heidy Lozano, 54, Boulder, CO, 2018
3:12:22 - Adrienne Silber, 51, Coral Springs, FL, 2007
3:14:39 - Jody Berry, 50, Houston, 2011
3:15:03 - Henrita Van Wyngaarden, 50, The Woodlands, 2020

Five Or More The Woodlands Marathon 5K Finishes

Since The Woodlands Marathon returned in 2012, there's been a companion 5K to go with the marquee race and the Half Marathon.

In 2019, it was the first year that the 5K moved to another weekend - one week preceding - to allow runners to complete a two-race double.

There have been 6,791 official timed finishers in those eight years.

5,690 unique people have crossed the finish line, including 801 who have done the 5K in two or more years. 

Meaning 14.1% of all of the athletes competing in the 5K have finished more than once.

No one has finished the 5K all eight years, but 19 athletes have completed the 5K five or more years.  They are as follows:

7 Years
Jack Baker, The Woodlands
Suzy Garcia, Conroe
Karen Kelley, Spring
Mark Posey, Spring

6 Years
Bartenderx Oropeza, Houston
Bill Gause, Spring
Diana Nichols, The Woodlands
Linda McCall, Conroe
Lupe Garcia, Houston
Michelle Wells, Spring
Tina Padilla, The Woodlands

5 Years
Cynthia Jimenez, Houston
Eve Kappmeyer, Spring
Huy Nguyen, Houston
Juanita Valadez, Cleveland
Kimberly Long, Tomball
Mitsutaka Nakao, The Wodlands
Russell Hill, Tomball
Stacey Frey, The Woodlands

Sources:  nolimitstiming.com (2012-2016), mychiptime.com (2017-2019), thewoodlandsmarathon.com

Five Women Joined CHM's 20-Plus Marathon Club on Sunday

Prior to Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon, there had been 40 women who had completed 20 or more Houston Marathons, according to data obtained from houstonresults.com.

Five runners joined that elite sub-group on Sunday as they completed their 20th Chevron Houston Marathon.  They were as follows:

20 - Belinda Reyes, 56, 5:22:00
20 - Carrie Bridges, 45, 5:38:15
20 - Nancy Winchester, 52, 3:53:46
20 - Rhonda Emerson, 62, 3:49:15
20 - Terrie Gorney, 60, 5:36:57

Eighteen of those 40 with 20 or more added to their total on Sunday.

They are listed below with their new total number of finishes and age and time on Sunday:

37 - Maria Camacho, 64, 5:21:25
35 - Susan Rouse, 61, 4:43:44
30 - Leslie Hale, 67, 5:16:21
28 - Evelina Stenroos, 66, 5:14:38
27 - Elva Lafuente, 54, 3:53:13
27 - Irene Binash, 62, 4:22:41
27 - Kathryn White, 52, 4:48:27
25 - Carol Schmidt, 60, 5:14:20
24 - Estella Tam, 63, 5:55:08
24 - Jacqueline O Brien-Nolen, 54, 3:38:21
23 - Barbara Stoll, 58, 3:43:15
23 - Gloria Mahoney, 69, 4:59:04
23 - Kathleen Kress Hanson, 59, 5:26:07
23 - Leslie Medley Russell, 54, 4:05:53
22 - Danielle Skelton Reeves, 62, 5:02:04
21 - Caryn Honig, 54, 4:01:55
21 - June Harris, 63, 5:09:36
21 - Yong Collins, 65, 4:07:04

Another nine of those forty (40) 20-marathon finishers completed the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Saturday.  They are:

Annie Hadow - 1:58:25
April Murphy - 2:39:04
Carole Uttecht - 1:52:58
Claire Greenberg - 1:56:35
Deb Clifford - 2:25:06
Kathryn Vidal - 2:51:18
Nancy Wangan - 3:23:53
Suzy Seeley - 1:49:09
Yolanda Farias - 2:52:47

Nine women under the age of 40 as of Sunday's race who had already completed 10 or more Chevron Houston Marathon finished the marathon on Sunday.

They were, listed by total number of finishers, as follows:

16 - Elaine Ver Halen, 36, 5:32:17
13 - Melissa Barron, 39, 4:29:29
12 - Carol Hirt, 38, 3:43:59
12 - Karly Simmons, 38, 4:43:01
11 - Emily Chik, 31, 4:39:50
11 - Emily Gregor, 36, 5:20:00
11 - Heather Foley, 37, 4:00:58
11 - Mindy Briones, 33, 4:30:19
11 - Sabina Lorca, 37, 3:58:10

Austinite Terranova Wins Revel Kulia Marathon

Austin's Paul Terranova was the winner of the second annual Revel Kulia Marathon on Saturday, January 18, 2020 in a time of 2:49:10.

The race is held annually in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

His wife, Meredith, was eighth overall and second in her 45-49 age group in 3:29:32.

Legendary Austin runner and coach of the Twenty-Six Two Marathon Club Paul Carmona was second in his 55-59 age group in 3:35:58.  He ran the inaugural Revel Kulia Marathon last March in 3:33:54.

2020 Weekend 2 Racing in College Station and Temple

After opening the 2020 year by running the half marathon at the Texas Marathon in Kingwood on New Year's Day and then not running a race the following weekend (as Waverly and I traveled to Fort Worth), I had the chance to get back to running races this past weekend.

Two were available logistically to me; therefore, I ran two.

My first plan was to go to Keller - in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex - to run the new parkrun 5K that was started there about three months ago. 

It was a 9 a.m. start and I could leave Spring at 4 a.m. and get there in plenty of time.

However, during the week, I saw that the Martin's Mill girls basketball team, which is located just north of Canton in east Texas, has more than a 100-game winning streak going and they were scheduled to play at home on Friday night at 6:15 p.m.

So I considered going there and then driving into the Metroplex and spending the night there.

One thing, though, was for certain:  there was a 2 p.m. 5K and 10K in Temple that was put on by the City of Temple's Parks and Recreation Department and I planned to be there for it.

The first double of 2020.

As you'll remember, a line of weather, which eventually took 11 lives across the country this past Friday through Sunday, made its way through the greater Houston area and up into the Metroplex and east Texas.

The system, which was mild Friday night in our area, ended up producing snow in DFW and at first I saw a notice cancelling the Keller parkrun, but I noticed in the 24-48 hours to follow that they had indeed run the free weekly race.

Nonetheless, I decided to heed the best weather warnings and chose to stay at home, but I had found an alternative -- and there were many.

I could have done two 10Ks, stayed at home and run a race that I had been expected to announce - the Choco Loco 10K, but there's not much more in life that I hate than running on Allen Parkway (and paying to do so!)

My travels took me to College Station to take part of the third annual Thin Mint Sprint 5K, which was put one by some local Girl Scouts in the Brazos Valley area, hosted by American Momentum Bank and run in a nearby neighborhood.

The entry fee was either $30 or $35, which netted me another tech shirt, but I quickly retreated to my car as the relatively balmy weather in Spring had turned to cold and blustery in College Station.  (Reminiscent of the 2015 edition of Texas 10 College Station.)

It was great to know that Race Day Event Services, out of Hamilton, was timing the race.  Kate Denning and her husband (I really need to learn his name) make up that company and I've said many times that one of the best things that they do as timers is that they promote the races they time through the use of a semi-regular e-mail.  As a result of that e-mail, I have run races in many new cities in Texas - which are close to them and not to me!

We were a minute or two off the mark as the finishers in the 1K delayed things a little bit, but Kate got us off to a quick start (and am assuming they did a National Anthem before the kids race).

The start of the race directed you right at the tall American Momentum Bank building and around the circle drive to the left.  A left turn at 3 p.m. and then a right took us across University Drive on our way to a winding trail that got us out to a park where the half way point was.

This was a fairly simple and almost out and back course.

The cool temperatures and the brisk wind definitely encouraged you to keep moving and it paid off.  Plus, the cold weather - for me - seems to give me the opportunity to uptake oxygen as quick as ever.

When we made the return back onto the grounds of the back and before we started around the circle to the finish, I passed a guy that had a Santa Hustle (the race in Galveston) hoodie on.

I remembered encouraging him as I passed him, but I think the encouragement caused him to pick up his pace a bit and quite frankly, I was concerned that he might pass me.

When I got to the bottom half of the circle and could see that the clock had just turned to 29 minutes (I had a little offset time from when the gun went off until I crossed the start line), I knew that I was going to have a pretty good time.

29:15 and second place in my 50-59 age group, out of 11 finishers.

I didn't stay for the awards as 1.) it was cold and 2.) I wanted to get breakfast since I was heading to Temple to run a 10K at 2 p.m.

I spoke a little bit to Kate and she told me that the race that I did in Dublin in June might be looking for an announcer.  I have to get her a quote.  It's a small race.  I may do it as I really enjoy being around her and her husband and how they manage and time a race.

I got a great breakfast recommendation from David Fuller, one of my cohorts in the Lone Star Christian Sports Network (LSCSN).  He gave me a few, but I chose Stella Southern Cafe in College Station.

I had the full order of Bananas Foster and it was really, really good.  They got the food out pretty quick because they have limited seating so I can imagine their goal is to turn the tables as quickly as they can without giving folks a bum's rush.  I wanted to get on the road; therefore, I helped their cause in a nice way.

Off to Temple it was and I got to the race site on the far west side of the city early for the Arches Resolution 10K -- so early that they were starting to set the start/finish area up.

The start and finish location are on the west campus of Baylor Scott and White Medical Center and includes a portion of the Pepper Creek Trail before heading onto some sidewalks further north and west of the hospital.

The race was produced by the City of Temple's Parks and Recreation Department and they always do a pretty good job as I ran their half marathon a couple of times that they used to produce in December.

After registering I went back to my car until about 10-15 minutes before the start. 

I then saw and chatted a bit with Andrew Wolfe with PhotoWolfe.com - a really good photographer in the central part of the state.

Right before the start, I realized that I forgot my gloves in the car and as I was running to it or back from it, the gun went off.

I started about 35-40 seconds behind the leaders, but quickly worked my way into place as quick as I could as we went straight and then made a right and a left to get to a connector path that put us on the Pepper Creek Trail.

We took a right and went all the way north, I believe, to Hilliard where we took a left to go further west, but when we went right again to go north, this is where I realized that we would race on some pathways that I hadn't before.

And that it was going to be hilly compared to Saturday morning's race -- or rather some long inclines.

I quickly got into oxygen debt in these stretches, running too fast to maintain a steady pace and then having to back off to walk, repeatedly.

I made the turnaround in 29:52 and the return in 30:04, which gave me a sub-one hour 10K of 59:56 as long as the distance was accurate. 

It felt it, but you just never know as there were no mile markers to even get a feel for things.

However, as I checked in the early part of this week (as I'm finishing writing this on Friday), it mapped by following the streets on mapmyrun.com as 6.16 miles.

I followed the race up with seeing a basketball game in my 73rd college gymnasium or arena in Texas as I watched Temple College defeat visiting Weatherford College before driving back to Spring.

All in all, it was a good day trip that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Question is:  Who wants to come along for the next one?  :-)

2019 Houston Running Company Multi-Race Finishers

The Houston Running Company produces ten (10) races per year, including two races that were brand-new in 2019.  The complete list of races include:

Choco Loco 10K / 5K
*Lucky Charm 5K
*Green 6.2 / 5K
*Memorial Day 10K / 5K
*Independence Day 8K
Watermelon Dash 10K / 5K (new in 2019)
Bayou Bucket 10K / 5K
*Monster Mash 10K / 5K
The Great Houston Pie Run 10K / 5K (new 2019)
*Houston's 12K of Christmas 6K

Those races with the asterisks preceding them are part of the Houston Holiday Run Series, which included six Holiday-themed races around St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Halloween and Christmas.

The following runners finished six or more Houston Running Company races in 2019:

10 events (2)
Robert Furman+
Alejandra Zaragoza+

9 events (6)
Heather Bookout+
Lynn Furman*
Samantha King+
Brent Matthews+
Darwin Ozan+
Barbara Rames+

8 events (4)
Jennifer Gonzalez+
Kellye Kaspar*
June Morgan*
Bartenderx Oropeza*

7 events (31)
Ashley Aronson*
Tammy Bearden*
Christina Brewer*
Becky Burns+
Israel Cerda^
Vicki Danielson*
Ann Doucet*
Laura Feist Malek*
Susan Gates*
Joseph Gomez^
Eric Grissom^
Sean Herbold^
Nancy Holcomb+
Konstantin Loguinov^
Melissa Loy+
Claudia Madrigal^
Caleb Malek*
Jennifer Marino*
Lucas Natraj*
Esmeralda Nuno+
Matthew Petitt~
Pamela Ringer+
Kayla Sanders^
Katherine Scott*
Jill Seltzer+
Nicholas Shaper*
John Shields*
Michael Thrash^
Reginald Tally*
Brandt Tillotson^
Shaket Woodard^

6 events (37)
Rajesh Ameen^
Michelle Blackman~
Heather Blue^
Angela Brasington^
Jaclyn Cheslock~
Mary Cheslock~
Sheryl Davis^
Dalira Diaz^
Diana Dimartino*
Barbie Dolnik^
Patrick Fredona=
Erika Garcia^
Beverly Harris+
John Hauschildt^
Kate Healy^
Vivian Hernandez^
Michael Herrera*
Amy Hinnenkamp^
Marina Houghtaling*
Jennifer Jansen*
Patricia Jimenez*
Leann Kincaid*
Andy Kwan=
Regina Massingill^
Rebecka McConnell*
Kathy McWilliams+
Frederick Murphy~
Elizabeth Petitt~
Melanie Poncik^
Lisa Ryan~
Rodney Ryan^
Thomas Ryan~
Elijio Serrano*
Ashley Sober^
Mark Troutman~
Susan Troutman~
Jonas Woodward^

Appendix:  +6, *5, ^4, ~3
Source:  mychiptime.com

RA Sports Management Race History

Choco Loco 10K
2020 (January 11) - 218 (72 men / 146 women)
2019 (January 12) - 137 (62 men / 75 women)

Choco Loco 5K
2020 (January 11) - 513 (158 men / 355 women)
2019 (January 12) - 596 (187 men / 409 women)

Lucky Charm 5K
2019 (March 16) - 782 (273 men / 509 women)
2018 (March 17) - 654 (221 men / 433 women)

Green 6.2
2019 (April 20) - 969 (397 men / 572 women)
2018 (March 31) - 917 (353 men / 564 women)
2017 (April 15) - 807 (332 men / 475 women)
2016 (March 26) - 1,115 (429 men / 686 women)
2015 (April 11) - 1,237 (548 men / 689 women)
2014 (April 26) - 1,763 (783 men / 980 women)

Green 6.2 5K
2019 (April 20) - 517 (183 men / 334 women)
2018 (March 31) - 610 (184 men / 426 women)
2017 (April 15) - 382 (141 men / 241 women)
2016 (March 26) - 342 (125 men / 217 women)

Memorial Day 10K
2019 (May 27) - 492 (217 men / 275 women)

Memorial Day 5K
2019 (May 27) - 380 (158 men / 222 women)

Independence Day 8K
2019 (June 29) - 827 (328 men / 499 women)
2018 (June 30) - 800 (325 men / 475 women)
2017 (July 1) - 604 (231 men / 373 women)

Watermelon Dash 10K
2019 (August 10) - 175 (68 men / 107 women)

Watermelon Dash 5K
2019 (August 10) - 441 (125 men / 316 women)

Bayou Bucket 10K
2019 (September 8) - 216 (108 men / 108 women)

Bayou Bucket 5K
2019 (September 8) - 504 (216 men / 288 women)
2018 (August 26) - 791 (370 men / 421 women)

Monster Mash 10K
2019 (October 26) - 390 (155 men / 235 women)
2018 (October 27) - 329 (140 men / 189 women)
2017 (October 28) - 283 (125 men / 158 women)
2016 (October 29) - 182 (78 men / 104 women)
2015 (October 31) - 111 (56 men / 55 women)

Monster Mash 5K
2019 (October 26) - 842 (347 men / 495 women)
2018 (October 27) - 698 (306 men / 392 women)
2017 (October 28) - 611 (239 men / 372 women)
2016 (October 29) - 483 (199 men / 284 women)
2015 (October 31) - 311 (150 men / 161 women)

The Great Houston Pie Run 10K
2019 (November 23) - 214 (81 men / 133 women)

The Great Houston Pie Run 5K
2019 (November 23) - 409 (152 men / 257 women)

Houston's 12K of Christmas
2019 (December 21) - 767 (303 men / 464 women)
2018 (December 22) - 841 (325 men / 516 women)
2017 (December 16) - 710 (305 men / 405 women)
2016 (December 17) - 532 (207 men / 325 women)
2015 (December 19) - 576 (210 men / 366 women)
2014 (December 20) - 351
2013 (December 21) - 702

Houston's 12K of Christmas 6K
2019 (December 21) - 399 (171 men / 228 women)
2018 (December 22) - 380 (144 men / 236 women)
2017 (December 16) - 321 (117 men / 204 women)
2016 (December 17) - 484 (168 men / 316 women)
2015 (December 19) - 260 (81 men / 179 women)
2014 (December 20) - 132 (51 men / 81 women)
2013 (December 21) - 116 (38 men / 78 women)

Discontinued Events
College Prep 10K
2014 (December 13) - 168
2013 (December 14) - 197

College Prep 5K
2014 (December 13) - 330
2013 (December 14) - 353

Sources:  mychiptime.com (All events 2015-current and Green 6.2 2014), eztoregister.com (2013-2014)

2020: What's The Biggest Need?

For those of you who follow along, how can I best contribute to the sport(s)?

Or if I don't contribute at all and just do my own thing, is that the best?

Announcing, while I've enjoyed it and think that I do it fairly well, has worn thin on me in some ways.

Being slow paid by a few producers over the years has been a major discouragement.  To me, it tells me that I'm really not appreciated and am just simply taken for granted for.

I still laugh remembering a race director, who I was working for, tell me to my face that "announcers are a dime a dozen", but later asked me if I was interested in announcing another one of their larger events.

I knew exactly what it was all about:  I could save them money from their current situation.  They were looking for the hometown discount.

If they would have come to the table and said, "We'd like for you to announce for us and here's how much we would propose paying you."  I might have taken it seriously.

(There have been a few producers whose money is the best in town and Texas:  Andy Stewart, Robby Sabban, Bill Gardner, The Woodlands Township and Jana Landry, to name a few.)

However, I did ask a timer that I know this summer the following question:  "If I charged more (my services are fairly cheap), would I desire doing it more?"

Their answer was basically that you either want to or you don't.

I basically concur with that notion, and some of it was that I just wasn't having any fun any longer in certain cases, not because of people but just situations.

Do you enjoy race reports from the different places that I choose to run in?

Do you want me to report on individual races?

Let me know.

I enjoy contributing, but I have to feel like I'm moving the ball forward in meaningful ways.

One thing that I'm thankful for is that I still get asked a lot about various items, which I treasure and genuinely appreciate it.

That said, I appreciate your friendship and support.

Let's see what lies ahead for 2020.

I have a Greater Houston Run Challenge idea.  Would you like to see it?  :-)

USA parkruns Largest Numbers of Weekly Finishers Stats

20 Largest Weekends of USA parkrun Finishers
2,221 - August 3, 2019
2,212 - January 11, 2020
2,188 - August 31, 2019
2,150 - January 4, 2020
2,139 - November 23, 2019
2,138 - July 27, 2019
2,131 - August 24, 2019
2,040 - September 14, 2019
2,024 - October 26, 2019
2,014 - August 17, 2019
2,010 - August 10, 2019
1,977 - September 7, 2019
1,972 - November 16, 2019
1,925 - November 9, 2019
1,925 - December 28, 2019
1,889 - July 6, 2019
1,862 - October 12, 2019
1,847 - June 29, 2019
1,845 - May 25, 2019
1,840 - July 13, 2019
1,840 - September 21, 2019
1,818 - November 2, 2019
1,812 - June 15, 2019

Largest Number of Weekly USA parkrun Finishers In A Given Month
2,212 - January 11, 2020
1,310 - February 23, 2019
1,456 - March 30, 2019
1,583 - April 20, 2019
1,845 - May 25, 2019
1,847 - June 29, 2019
2,138 - July 27, 2019
2,221 - August 3, 2019
2,040 - September 14, 2019
2,024 - October 26, 2019
2,139 - November 23, 2019
1,925 - December 28, 2019

Source:  parkrun.us
Current through the weekend of January 11-12, 2020

2020 Chevron Houston Marathon Local Elites

Men
Bean, Dean (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Byrne, Dan (2019 Houston Half)
Cuevas, Sim (2019 Houston Half)
DeMerchant, Todd (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Flores, Joe (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Fredrich, Rich (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Garza, Paco (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Gibbs, Vaughn  (2019 Space City 10-Miler)
Heitzwebel, Tim (2019 CHM)
Kahn, Dan (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Lawrence, Peter (2019 CHM)
Lippincott, Jack (Most CHM Finishes)
Michael, Julius (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Neff, Calum (2019 Space City 10-Miler)
O'Bryant, Zaven (2019 Houston Half)
Peoples, Richard (2019 Space City 10-Miler)
Prisner, Drew (2002 CHM Champion)
Rychlik, Garrett (2019 CHM)
Stelzer, Chris (2019 Houston Half)
Wade, Sean (2003 CHM Champion/2019 Space City 10-Miler)
Xia, Quanxin (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Zeller, Bobby (2019 CHM)

Women
Butler, Pamela (2019 CHM)
Camacho, Maria (Most CHM Finishes)
Emerson, Rhonda (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Fairey, Melissa (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Guidry, Pam (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Hopper, Melissa (2019 CHM)
Kruppa, Catherine (2019 Houston Half)
Lei, Flora (2019 Space City 10-Miler)
Malloy, Lynn (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Melanson, Billie Kay (2019 Space City 10-Miler)
Seeley, Suzy (2019 Houston Half)
Serrao, Allyson (2019 Houston Half)
Stoll, Barbara (2019 CHM)
Stroud, Lauren (2019 Space City 10-Miler)
Terry, Patricia (2019 Houston Half)
Timme, Casey (2019 HMSA Classical 25K)
Tobin, Jackie (2019 Fort Bend Kia 30K)
Werner, Cali (2019 CHM)*
Yetman, Peggy (2019 Space City 10-Miler)

* Qualified as Cali Roper

Source:  Chevron Houston Marathon

Texas Half Marathon 2020 Splits

Texas Half Marathon, Kingwood, TX
January 1, 2020

Mile 1 - 9:47.44
Mile 2 - 10:15.37
Mile 3 - 10:06.94
Mile 4 - 10:12.94
Mile 5 - 11:13.75
Mile 6 - 9:46.92 (Think those two markers were slightly off.)
To Halfway - 5:54.78 (1:07:18.14)

Mile 7 - 5:19.17 (11:03.95)
Mile 8 - 10:04.13
Mile 9 - 11:00.50
Mile 10 - 11:38.95
Mile 11 - 10:40.24
Mile 12 - 10:59.61
Mile 13 - 11:46.61
Last .1 - 1:01.39 (1:12:30.60)
Total - 2:19:48.74

Waverly ran 2:19:37.