New Plans for Thanksgiving 2017

I'm pleased to update that I'll be handling finish line announcing and awards duties for this year's 28th Annual YMCA Run Thru the Woods Presented by Entergy.

It is a little bit of a departure from the last few years where I've made a commitment to run with Waverly on Thanksgiving Day.

However, since I have retracted a lot from the 37 races that I announced two years ago, there are some events that I want to remain involved in, especially in my local race community.

I had the pleasure of meeting with race director Roxanne Davis earlier this year to talk about the race.

There was some concern about numbers - and what I thought might be causing them.

I presented Roxanne with a graph of all of the races in the greater Houston area and all of the finishers numbers that I could find.

A year ago, Waverly and I had plans to run the Bay Area Turkey Day 10K for something different.

Nothing against the job that Roxanne and her team did, we just needed a change of scenery -- and we wanted to run five miles or more.

League City, with some local, ongoing road construction, forced the Bay Area race to only have its 5K.

We told the organizers to donate our entries to somebody who could use them and we headed even further south to Lake Jackson.

A fine race -- and one that I ran well in (under an hour in the 10K for the first time in about four years).

I showed Roxanne that Kingwood, I believe, had grown and taken many runners who in the past made the drive to The Woodlands as opposed to going downtown.

I saw the same type of trend in Pearland taking some from Sugar Land.

There were a couple of years that I did handle finish line responsibilities for Roxanne, but the biggest challenge -- and it will be no different -- is the sheer volume of runners that come across the line around 45-60 minutes into the five-mile race.

You simply can't announce them all.

A few years ago, Andy Stewart, one of Houston's most respected race directors and longest in tenure, had asked me to basically announce all of his races -- including Thanksgiving.

Working some of Andy's races, especially, for me, the 30K, has always been a great honor.

To both Roxanne and Andy - and I had been approached by Mark Coleman one year with working the Sheltering Arms 10K, I was consistent in that Thanksgiving Day was for me running with Waverly.

However, this year I think that she'll be reaching the apex of her long run mileage near Thanksgiving in her build-up for the Chevron Houston Marathon -- and she should have (and take) the opportunity to rock it out, if her fitness it there.

There's no more delight in what I do than in announcing the name of your child as they cross the finish line.

The Woodlands, though, is a community that I identify closely with -- and for me to well-represent it on Thanksgiving morning will once again be an honor.

And with a switch in timers, one that I've worked with, and being able to eyeball those results before making my way to the stage to handle the awards, I hope that I can help alleviate some of the issues in the past that the race has had with results messing up the awards ceremony.

In the meantime, I have the Memorial Hermann Ten For Texas coming up in three weeks for the first time ever -- and will have Nike South and Nike Cross for the sixth year this weekend and the weekend before Thanksgiving, respectively.

Great to work with The Woodlands Parks and Recreation Department as well as one of the top men's cross country and track programs in America.

I must say that I'm pretty fortunate.

Outside Assistance - Road Racing

I know that road racing has gotten to a point where there's been a slippery slope of activities - short of course cutting and running with another person's bib - that have become acceptable.

However, there still are rules of competition put forth by USA Track & Field and those coaches of businesses - regardless of how large or small, new or old - should be held to the highest standard in following them.

USA Track & Field Rule 144.3(a)

Pacing in running or walking events by persons not participating in the event, by competitors lapped or about to be lapped, or by any kind of technical device other than those permitted under Rule 144.3(i).

This means coaches - or their running club or training group members with their knowledge - should not be out on the course helping run one of their runners in - one step, one mile or more.

The fact that you're a coach and you put in your Facebook post that you've done this puts in question your ethics -- or lack of knowledge of the rules.

Again, as I've stated, the sport is at a point where runners either don't know these rules or otherwise completely ignore them - because nobody challenges them or holds people accountable to them.

What isn't assistance?

USA Track & Field Rule 144.3(j)

Pace setting by an officially designated person entered in an event for that purpose is permitted, provided such pacesetters start in the event.

So if you're a coach and you want to run with one of your runners, pay for an entry, cross the start line and remove your timing device -- and you're 100% within the rules.

I know this is something Team In Training used to do and I believe that Michael Merlino with Inflight Running definitely still does.

And in this one specific case that I witnessed, it was just one coach of the said group and I wouldn't necessarily personally paint their partners with the same brush.

However, it makes you wonder a bit, especially if the effort results in prize money, an award or a qualification of some sorts.

Running of the Bulls 5K Finishers History

2017 - 995 (September 17)
2016 - 1,521 (October 9)
2015 - 1,395 (September 20)
2014 - 1,746 (September 14)
2013 - 2,017 (September 22)
2012 - 2,903 (September 23)
2011 - 2,004 (October 16)

34 States, 54 Marathons - Complete Marathon History

By Time

4:47:32 - 2/19/06 - 15th annual Freescale Austin Marathon, Austin, TX - 7  (4:42:55)
4:48:42 - 9/30/12 - Maine Marathon, Portland, ME - 45  (4:30:09)
4:51:05 - 11/21/10 - Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia, PA - 25  (4:37:04)
4:55:08 - 1/16/05 - hp Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 2  (4:52:30)
4:57:56 - 1/13/13 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 48 (4:36:25)
4:58:30 - 10/29/11 - Spinx Run Fest Marathon, Greenville, SC - 34  (4:41:45)
5:02:21 - 11/18/12 - Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia, PA - 46  (4:42:56)
5:03:02 - 3/5/06 - 4th annual Little Rock Marathon, Little Rock, AR - 8  (4:58:11)
5:04:07 - 10/16/11 - 10th annual IMT Des Moines Marathon, Des Moines, IA - 33  (4:47:03)
5:06:03 - 7/28/12 - 26th annual King Salmon Marathon, Cordova, AK, - 42  (4:46:24)
5:08:30 - 4/26/08 - Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Oklahoma City, OK - 18  (4:58:35)
5:13:37 - 2/5/06 - 41st annual Mardi Gras Marathon, New Orleans, LA - 5
5:14:59 - 1/14/07 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 12
5:16:18 - 3/4/07 - Alpharetta Marathon, Alpharetta, GA - 14
5:17:54 - 9/25/11 - Quad Cities Marathon, Moline, IL - 32
5:18:02 - 7/31/11 - San Francisco Marathon, San Francisco, CA - 28
5:18:37 - 1/13/08 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 17
5:20:42 - 9/11/11 - Sioux Falls Marathon, Sioux Falls, SD - 31
5:20:59 - 10/28/13 - Cape Cod Marathon, Falmouth, MA - 50
5:21:40 - 11/3/13 - City of Oaks Marathon, Raleigh, NC - 51
5:22:19 - 1/1/08 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, TX - 16
5:25:38 - 12/17/06 - Jacksonville Bank Marathon, Jacksonville, FL - 11
5:25:41 - 11/5/11 - Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Indianapolis, IN - 35
5:26:07 - 12/2/07 - Tucson Marathon, Oracle, AZ - 15
5:26:26 - 1/30/11 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 26
5:27:03 - 12/10/11 - Rocket City Marathon, Huntsville, AL - 37
5:27:47 - 12/9/12 - Bryan-College Station Marathon, College Station, TX - 47
5:28:03 - 9/16/17 - Bismarck Marathon, Bismarck, ND - 54
5:30:27 - 9/9/12 - Bozeman Marathon, Bozeman, MT - 44
5:32:05 - 11/19/11 - Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia, PA - 36
5:34:37 - 1/18/09 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 23
5:35:48 - 5/25/08 - Med-City Marathon, Rochester, MN - 19
5:36:23 - 3/24/13 - Ocean Drive Marathon, Cape May to Sea Isle City, NJ - 49
5:37:29 - 1/18/15 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 52
5:37:35 - 8/27/11 - Eisenbahn Marathon, West Bend, WI - 30
5:38:12 - 1/7/12 - Mississippi Blues Marathon, Jackson, MS - 39
5:39:06 - 10/31/04 - 29th annual Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC - 1
5:39:55 - 2/11/06 - 2nd annual Surfside Beach Marathon, Surfside, TX - 6
5:40:01 - 1/1/06 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, TX - 4
5:41:06 - 11/7/05 - 36th annual ING New York City Marathon, New York City, NY - 3
5:42:37 - 1/15/12 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 40
5:43:12 - 2/18/07 - AT&T Austin Marathon (PD), Austin, TX - 13
5:43:12 - 1/1/09 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, TX - 22
5:44:56 - 4/22/06 - Fiesta de Albuquerque Marathon, Albuquerque, NM - 9
5:45:17 - 11/16/08 - Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio Marathon, San Antonio, TX - 21
5:50:39 - 12/18/11 - Run For The Ranch Marathon, Springfield, MO - 38
5:51:49 - 1/17/10 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 24
5:54:00 - 8/6/12 - Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon, Rachel, NV - 43
5:54:49 - 4/21/12 - Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz, Olathe, KS - 41
6:07:30 - 10/18/08 - Marathon 2 Marathon, Alpine to Marathon, TX - 20
6:08:53 - 11/5/06 - City of Trees Marathon (Back), Boise, ID - 10
6:09:29 - 8/20/11 - Park City Marathon (Elevation), Park City, UT - 29
6:09:59 - 6/26/11 - UCC Coffee Kona Marathon, Kona, HI - 27
6:26:39 - 12/10/16 - Brazos Bend Marathon, Needville, TX - 53 (Trail; at least 27.56 miles)

By Date

5:39:06 - 10/31/04 - 29th annual Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC - 1
+ Dad, Waverly made the trip to D.C. w/me; earned my Dad's Marine Corps dog tags.

4:55:08 - 1/16/05 - hp Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 2
+ Trained the right way for this race. Great weather. First finish down Rusk.

5:41:06 - 11/7/05 - 36th annual ING New York City Marathon, New York City, NY - 3
+ Wasn't ready. Great experience though. NYC is a must-do despite the cost.

5:40:01 - 1/1/06 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, TX - 4

5:13:37 - 2/5/06 - 41st annual Mardi Gras Marathon, New Orleans, LA - 5
+ Ran this with a specific 12-minute per mile goal. Succeeded.

5:39:55 - 2/11/06 - 2nd annual Surfside Beach Marathon, Surfside, TX - 6
+ Edwin Quarles saved this from being even worse. Surprisingly, no quad pain.

4:47:32 - 2/19/06 - 15th annual Freescale Austin Marathon, Austin, TX - 7
+ Best marathon ever to date. One of those perfect days in just above freezing weather.

5:03:02 - 3/5/06 - 4th annual Little Rock Marathon, Little Rock, AR - 8
+ Took a week off. Waverly ran the last few miles with me.

5:44:56 - 4/22/06 - Fiesta de Albuquerque Marathon, Albuquerque, NM - 9
+ This race was a debacle.

6:08:53 - 11/5/06 - City of Trees Marathon (Back), Boise, ID - 10
+ Drove nine hours from Vancouver, BC to do this. Clearly wasn't ready.

5:25:38 - 12/17/06 - Jacksonville Bank Marathon, Jacksonville, FL - 11
+ Warm weather day. Saw Lou Wilson from The Woodlands here.

5:14:59 - 1/14/07 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 12
+ Pretty good race. Waverly ran with Kim Hager in the 5K.

5:43:12 - 2/18/07 - AT&T Austin Marathon (PD), Austin, TX - 13
+ Went the first nine miles with Bill Dwyer, who was doing the half.

5:16:18 - 3/4/07 - Alpharetta Marathon, Alpharetta, GA - 14
+ Waverly made the trip with me. Toughest mile 20 ever. Cool weather.

5:26:07 - 12/2/07 - Tucson Marathon, Oracle, AZ - 15
+ This got me to 10 states. Signed up for this at the last minute.

5:22:19 - 1/1/08 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, TX - 16
+ Love Steve and Paula Boone. Hate multi-loop courses.

5:18:37 - 1/13/08 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 17

5:08:30 - 4/26/08 - Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Oklahoma City, OK - 18
+ Ran a really good race. Ran the whole way. Little chilly, but only out at the Lake.

5:35:48 - 5/25/08 - Med-City Marathon, Rochester, MN - 19
+ Another one that I wasn't ready for.

6:07:30 - 10/18/08 - Marathon 2 Marathon, Alpine to Marathon, TX - 20
+ Had DNF'd two weeks before at West Texas Crossroads Marathon. Should have here too.

5:45:17 - 11/16/08 - Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio Marathon, San Antonio, TX - 21
+ Only signed up for this because they had a one-day $65 registration.

5:43:12 - 1/1/09 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, TX - 22
+ I retired from running this race after this event.

5:34:37 - 1/18/09 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 23

5:51:49 - 1/17/10 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 24

4:51:05 - 11/21/10 - Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia, PA - 25
+ Trained the right way. Some significant cramping in mile 21 and 22.

5:26:26 - 1/30/11 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 26
+ No long runs before. Gave up ~8-9 minutes in miles 14 and 22 combined.

6:09:59 - 6/26/11 - UCC Coffee Kona Marathon, Kona, HI - 27

5:18:02 - 7/31/11 - San Francisco Marathon, San Francisco, CA - 28
+ Very hilly course. The hilliest that I've ever run. 2:27:26 front half. 2:48:27 back half.

6:09:29 - 8/20/11 - Park City Marathon (Elevation), Park City, UT - 29
+ Every step of this marathon was at 6,200 feet above sea level or greater. Mile 16 was at 7,000 feet.

5:37:35 - 8/27/11 - Eisenbahn Marathon, West Bend, WI - 30
5:20:42 - 9/11/11 - Sioux Falls Marathon, Sioux Falls, SD - 31
5:17:54 - 9/25/11 - Quad Cities Marathon, Moline, IL, - 32
5:04:07 - 10/16/11 - 10th annual IMT Des Moines Marathon, Des Moines, IA - 33
4:58:30 - 10/29/11 - Spinx Run Fest Marathon, Greenville, SC - 34
5:25:41 - 11/5/11 - Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Indianapolis, IN - 35
+ Streak of five straight time reductions was broken.

5:32:05 - 11/19/11 - Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia, PA - 36
5:27:03 - 12/10/11 - Rocket City Marathon, Huntsville, AL - 37
5:50:39 - 12/18/11 - Run For The Ranch Marathon, Springfield, MO - 38
+ Shut it down at the halfway point.

5:38:12 - 1/7/12 - Mississippi Blues Marathon, Jackson, MS - 39
5:42:37 - 1/15/12 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 40
5:54:49 - 4/21/12 - Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz, Olathe, KS - 41
+ Ran this on nothing and then DNF'd the following week in Kentucky.

5:06:03 - 7/28/12 - 26th annual King Salmon Marathon, Cordova, AK - 42
+ Pretty good race for me.  Cool weather, point-to-point (straight line, too) and lot of rain.

5:54:00 - 8/6/12 - Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon, Rachel, NV - 43
+ 1,300 foot elevation climb to the halfway point and was at ~5,550 feet overall.

5:30:27 - 9/9/12 - Bozeman Marathon, Bozeman, MT - 44
4:48:42 - 9/30/12 - Maine Marathon, Portland, ME - 45
5:02:21 - 11/18/12 - Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia, PA - 46
5:27:47 - 12/9/12 - Bryan-College Station Marathon, College Station, TX - 47
4:57:56 - 1/13/13 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 48
5:36:23 - 3/24/13 - Ocean Drive Marathon, Cape May to Sea Isle City, NJ - 49
5:20:59 - 10/27/13 - Cape Cod Marathon, Falmouth, MA - 50
+ 2:23:29 front half; 2:57:30 back half.  Hilly, hilly back half.
5:21:40 - 11/3/13 - City of Oaks Marathon, Raleigh, NC - 51

5:37:29 - 1/18/15 - Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX - 52

6:26:39 - 12/10/16 - Brazos Bend Marathon, Needville, TX - 53 (Trail; at least 27.56 miles)

5:28:03 - 9/16/17 - Bismarck Marathon, Bismarck, ND - 54
+2:25:09 front half; 3:02:54 back half.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer 5K All-Time Winners (2005-2016)

Male - Overall
2005 - 16:14, Fred Miller, 28
2006 - 17:25, Joe Oviedo, 30
2007 - 16:20, Zac Flowers, 17
2008 - 16:51, Justin Dermit, 17
2009 - 16:25, Marco Antonio Venancio, 24
2010 - 16:04, Maximo Mendoza, 21
2011 - 16:56, Anthony Aguinuga, 19
2012 - 17:05, George Harrison, 18
2013 - 16:52, Daniel Gollins, 27
2014 - 16:54, Thor Crux, 18
2015 - 16:23, Michael Gillis, 27
2016 - 17:53, Eduardo Garcia, 19
2017 - 16:10, Alan Gonzalez, 17

Male Masters - Overall
2005 - 18:21, Ken Yanowski, 49
2006 - 19:04, Francisco Garza, 41
2007 - 16:59, Joe Flores, 47
2008 - 18:03, Steve Morrell, 44
2009 - 18:27, Steve Morrell, 45
2010 - 17:10, Cornelio Garibay, 42
2011 - 17:13, Kelly Dowe, 40
2012 - 17:39, Kelly Dowe, 41
2013 - 18:42, Gordon Christie, 43
2014 - 18:38, Raul Valdez, 42
2015 - 18:54, John Spiller, 49
2016 - 18:40, Dan Bass, 52
2017 - 18:51, Mark Lawton, 40

Female - Overall
2005 - 19:14, Laura Bennett, 37
2006 - 19:38, Allison Nadolski, 29
2007 - 21:13, Jennifer Brown, 31
2008 - 20:35, Stacy Holden, 31
2009 - 17:56, Lauren Smith, 18
2010 - 19:45, Laura Bennett, 42
2011 - 19:25, Rachel Butler, 19
2012 - 18:55, Kylee Short, 31
2013 - 18:03, Lauren Smith, 22
2014 - 19:07, Camille Napier, 11
2015 - 19:15, Camille Napier, 12
2016 - 18:54, Jackie Tobin, 36
2017 - 20:17, Victoria Webster, 33

Female Masters - Overall
2005 - 20:27, Heide Mairs, 44
2006 - 21:05, Bonnie Jo Barron, 42
2007 - 21:38, Suzy Seeley, 48
2008 - 21:51, Jody Berry-Rico, 47
2009 - 18:03, Valerie Elliott, 55
2010 - 21:30, Helen Grant, 47
2011 - 20:47, Martha Long, 43
2012 - 21:53, Suzy Seeley, 53
2013 - 21:40, Lisa Korsten, 45
2014 - 21:34, Rose Rhoton, 51
2015 - 21:40, Juka Smits, 48
2016 - 22:04, Rose Rhoton, 53
2017 - 23:26, Susan Freeman, 54

Total Number of Finishers
2005 - 313
2006 - 269
2007 - 235
2008 - 415
2009 - 586
2010 - 437
2011 - 428
2012 - 484
2013 - 438
2014 - 454
2015 - 378
2016 - 358
2017 - 409

Source:  eztoregister.com, athlinks.com

Lake Houston 10K and 5K Most Finishes (2010-2016)

-6-
Amando Garcia
Bill Seay
Crystale Bonjour
Dan Jaeger
Diana Van Horn
Elaine Victory
Jeff Nesheim
Joseph Herr
Kathy Haeckler

-5-
Brian Kasczak
Brittaney Gonzalez
Christine Victory
Justice Lasyone
Katy Stibrich
Lee Topham
Martha Serna
Maybelline Martinez
Mike Holder
Morgan Livesay
Pete Serna
Peter Lawrence
Rich Wikboldt
Rip Reynolds
Shaun Alcocer
Yale Jay

-4-
Allison Ford
Andrea Slaydon
Anita Giacobbe
Arna Gerritsen
Barbara Bussey
Bruce Dahm
Carrie Labani
Christa Pryor
Cortney Waguespack
Curt Earle
David Cherry
David Heckman
Faridy Gonzalez
Gerardo Garcia
Hector Marin
Jack Fillbrandt
Jetola Anderson-Blair
John Bjornstad
LaToya Lockett
Lauren Smith Stroud
Linda Taylor
Lisa Stults
Lisa Whitten
Mary Limbaugh
Melissa Haeckler
Michael Viguerie
Paul Blutt
Reese Jay
Robert Davis
Scott Falk
Shane Heginbotham
Steve Crews
Steve Jay
Steven Wolfson
Teresa Roseland
Veronica Villegas

Source: runhoustontiming.net

No Label Brewing 1st Street 5K Age Group Bests

Male
1-29 -- 15:53, Andrew Pisechko, Houston, 2017
30-39 -- 16:32, Matthew Manning, Katy, 2015
40-49 -- 17:06, Chris Stelzer, Houston, 2014
50-59 -- 18:49, Thomas Travis, Conroe, 2015
60-69 -- 19:09, Bernie Weber, Houston, 2017
70-99 -- 29:47, Mike Mangan, Missouri City, 2014

Female
1-29 -- 20:12, Katie Esposito, Middletown, CT, 2015
30-39 -- 19:45, Kristin Kabay, Houston, 2015
40-49 -- 21:51, Vicki Melnick, Brookshire, 2014
50-59 -- 22:13, Pam Butler, Houston, 2017
60-69 -- 24:29, Teresa Triche, Cypress, 2014
70-99 -- 32:51, Kathy McWilliams, Spring, 2016

Source:  iaapweb.com

Run For Wellness 5K Series - By Number of Timed Finishers

436 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, March 29, 2015
394 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, January 25, 2015
380 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, June 30, 2013
353 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, July 28, 2013
343 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, August 31, 2014
332 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, August 25, 2013
331 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, February 22, 2015
308 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, August 30, 3015
289 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, July 27, 2014
284 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, April 26, 2015

283 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, March 30, 2014
281 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, January 31, 2016
279 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, September 28, 2014
269 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, April 27, 2014
265 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, January 27, 2013
263 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, May 25, 2014
261 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, October 26, 2014
259 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, February 23, 2014
257 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, September 29, 2013
254 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, February 24, 2013

251 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, July 26, 2015
247 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, June 29, 2014
246 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, May 5, 2013 (? - April 2013 reschedule)
239 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, January 26, 2014
238 - Run For Wellness - Heights, February 7, 2016
235 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, June 28, 2015
231 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, September 27, 2015
229 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, May 28, 2017
219 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, May 26, 2013
207 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, August 26, 2012

200 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, December 30, 2012
199 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, February 28, 2016
189 - Run For Wellness - Heights, February 1, 2015
187 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, July 31, 2016 (moved from Freedom)
185 - Run For Wellness - Heights, August 2, 2015
182 - Run For Wellness - Heights, June 7, 2015
181 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, March 26, 2017
179 - Run For Wellness - Heights, August 3, 2014
177 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, November 25, 2012
174 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, September 30, 2012

174 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, March 27, 2016
172 - Run For Wellness - Heights, October 4, 2015
170 - Run For Wellness - Heights, March 6, 2016
169 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, November 30, 2014
168 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, February 26, 2017
166 - Run For Wellness - Heights, October 5, 2014
161 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, January 22, 2017
159 - Run For Wellness - Heights, September 6, 2015
156 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, December 29, 2013
156 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, April 23, 2017

152 - Run For Wellness - Heights, June 1, 2014
149 - Run For Wellness - Heights, August 6, 2017
146 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, August 28, 2016
138 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, November 24, 2013
138 - Run For Wellness - Heights, January 4, 2015
138 - Run For Wellness - Heights, April 5, 2015
138 - Run For Wellness - Heights, February 5, 2017
137 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, October 21, 2012
137 - Run For Wellness - Heights, November 2, 2014
134 - Run For Wellness - Heights, July 6, 2014

131 - Run For Wellness - Heights, October 2, 2016
130 - Run For Wellness - Heights, July 5, 2015
129 - Run For Wellness - Heights, September 7, 2014
128 - Run For Wellness - Heights, June 4, 2017
127 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, October 30, 2016
125 - Run For Wellness - Heights, May 3, 2015
122 - Run For Wellness - Heights, July 2, 2017
121 - Run For Wellness - Heights, September 4, 2016
118 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, July 23, 2017
113 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, June 26, 2016 (moved from Freedom)

111 - Run For Wellness - Heights, April 3, 2016
111 - Run For Wellness - Heights, May 7, 2017
104 - Run For Wellness - Heights, April 6, 2014
103 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, February 14, 2016
102 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, September 25, 2016
100 - Run For Wellness - Heights, May 4, 2014
100 - Run For Wellness - George Bush, November 29, 2015
97 - Run For Wellness - Heights, March 2, 2014
94 - Run For Wellness - Heights, July 3, 2016
91 - Run For Wellness - Heights, August 7, 2016

91 - Run For Wellness - Freedom, November 27, 2016
85 - Run For Wellness - Heights, May 1, 2016
82 - Run For Wellness - Heights, November 6, 2016
73 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, February 19, 2017
73 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, June 18, 2017
57 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, January 15, 2017
54 - Run For Wellness - Heights, January 3, 2016
54 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, July 16, 2017
50 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, January 10, 2016
50 - Run For Wellness - Heights, January 1, 2017

47 - Run For Wellness - Heights, March 5, 2017
44 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, April 10, 2016
43 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, April 9, 2017
40 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, May 21, 2017
30 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, May 8, 2016
25 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, November 13, 2016
22 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, August 14, 2016
21 - Run For Wellness - San Jacinto, September 11, 2016

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer 5K Most Finishes (2005-2016)

- 10 -
James Leonard
Theresa Bueno

- 9 -
Ben Sopchak

- 8 -
Gary Prazak
Kay Duplichan
Suzy Seeley

- 7 -
Bruce Taylor
Daniel Gonzalez
Delores Dunham
Grady Harrison
Jacob Tonge
Kevin Lang
Paul Wappler
Sherri Richey
Valerie Murphy

- 6 -
Harve Truskett
Heather Foley
Jose Estrella
Juan Murillo
Kelva Kelly
Lenord Burns
Linda Akhter
Marcia Brittain
Marisol Murillo
Sonia Rocha
Tim Nolan
Vanessa Servantes

Sources:  eztoregister.com, athlinks.com

Maribelle's / Outrigger's Multiple Finishers (2003-2017)

- 12 -
Moffatt, David

- 11 -
Cotropia, Keith
Nicodemus (Chapman), Pauline
Padilla, Don
Rachlen, Wayne
Wappler, Paul

- 10 - 
Alvarado, George
Alvarado, Jorge
Bell, Susan
Dement, Beverly
Harvie, Ben
Hinton, Gloria
Mack, Sam

- 9 -
Lang, Kevin
Mahon, Kathleen
Melanson, Joe
Montgomery, Margaret
Taylor, Bruce

- 8 -
Alvarado, Brian
Bell, Britt
Conklin, Dave
Ellis, Robert
Felan, George Z
Jantowski, Cindy
Melanson, Billie Kay
Mescall, Ruth
Milbourne, Andrea
Rodgers, Brendan
Wadzeck, Larry

- 7 -
Ahrens, Elizabeth
Alvarez, Jim
Bittinger, Chris
Cayton, Samantha
Lancer, Karen
Mangan, Mike
Montoya, Monica
Moody, Janice
Redding, Roger
Richards, Judy
Tonge, Jacob
Torregrossa, Jack
Weaver, Brandon
Womack, David

Maribelle's / Outrigger's Winners (2003-2017)

Men - Overall
2003 - 15:37, Gabriel Rodriguez
2004 - 15:45, Joseph Routt
2005 - 15:40, Rudy Rocha
2006 - 16:32, Brett Riley
2007 - 16:18, Rudy Rocha
2008 - 15:29, Sean Wade
2009 - 16:19, Junior Mitchell
2010 - 14:49, Drew Bean
2011 - 15:20, David Smith
2012 - 15:52, Anthony Aguinaga
2013 - 15:42, Matthew Perri
2014 - 15:24, Matthew Perri
2015 - 16:21, Peter Lawrence
2016 - 16:50, Peter Lawrence
2017 - 16:28, Peter Lawrence

Men's Masters - Overall
2003 - 16:40, Joe Melanson
2004 - 16:43, Joe Melanson
2005 - 16:57, Tom Sherwood
2006 - 17:02, Gerardo Mora
2007 - 16:45, Gerardo Mora
2008 - 16:59, Gerardo Mora
2009 - 16:28, Gerardo Mora
2010 - 17:55, Joe Melanson
2011 - 17:07, Tom King
2012 - 16:41, Peter Lawrence
2013 - 16:20, Peter Lawrence
2014 - 16:26, Peter Lawrence
2015 - 16:45, Junior Mitchell
2016 - 18:44, Peter Mullin
2017 - 17:49, Chris Robbins

Women - Overall
2003 - 17:43, Sita Waru
2004 - 19:19, Heide Mairs
2005 - 19:18, Laura Bennett
2006 - 19:06, Lea Carruthers
2007 - 17:04, Nichole Jones
2008 - 21:02, Julie Blanco
2009 - 19:28, Susan Walters
2010 - 18:46, Virginia Jones
2011 - 16:59, Lauren Smith
2012 - 18:03, Virginia Jones
2013 - 18:34, Virginia Jones
2014 - 19:45, Annie Hernandez
2015 - 16:54, Lauren Smith
2016 - 17:11, Lauren Stroud
2017 - 16:57, Lauren Stroud

Women's Masters - Overall
2003 - 20:22, Julie Groff
2004 - 20:56, Bonnie Jo Barron
2005 - 21:03, Bonnie Jo Barron
2006 - 20:56, Bonnie Jo Barron
2007 - 22:07, Monica Montes
2008 - 21:33, Suzy Seeley
2009 - 25:37, Cynthia Cobb
2010 - 19:08, Laura Bennett
2011 - 23:44, Laura Bennett
2012 - 20:54, Sabra Harvey
2013 - 22:48, Private Profile (Athlinks)
2014 - 21:38, Jetola Anderson-Blair
2015 - 18:41, Amy Castillo
2016 - 23:06, Karen Williams
2017 - 20:47, Cristy Moreno

Sources:  On The Run, Athlinks.com

Running in Arkansas: Downhill. Well, Sort Of.

Run 8 miles.  Drive 370 miles.  Race 3.1 miles.

That was my Saturday.  And I'm perfectly happy with it.

I already had plans to roam this weekend.  I just didn't know where.

I usually have a couple of different plans at any given time for just about every weekend.

And often, they're not set in stone.

Awhile back, I had discussed with Waverly about maybe making the weekend a mini-vacation since we didn't take one of regular week long annual summer vacations this year.

My father and I had also talked about making a baseball trip weekend.

Shortly after he and my Mom got back from visiting my grandmother in Pennsylvania, he let me know that he didn't think that he would be up making the trip to Alpine to see Kokernot Field.

The Alpine Cowboys of the independent Pecos Baseball League play there and this weekend was the last home series of the year.

We were also going to then drive up to Cleburne to see the new ballpark of the new American Association of Professional Baseball team called the Railroaders.

So on Friday I asked Waverly if there was anything that she wanted to do.

She asked me if I would run with her on Saturday morning as she had eight miles on the books.

Many of you have this storybook-like existence of me as a father to Waverly, but she'll tell you that I'm not perfect.  I mean I feel like I do well, but I don't a hit a home run every time.

My first reaction was that I honestly felt like I couldn't keep up with her.

She assured me that she had been running 11-minute miles.

After coming back from dinner early Friday evening, I assured her that I would get up and run with her, but that I would still probably make a road trip on Saturday and Sunday.

We ran eight this morning.  About 10:45 per mile on the way out, even though she in the 30-and-change mark at the 2.89-mile water stop.  And then right about 11 per on the way back.

It was humid as all get out, but it really didn't bother me too much because the majority, if not all, of my miles are typically in the very early evening right now when it is 90-plus.

We had breakfast together and by 10 a.m., I had been home, showered, packed, the car loaded and off I went.

Right at 370 miles later, including a stop at the Marriott Courtyard here in Texarkana, and I was at the Spillway Dam area at DeGray Lake a little bit northwest of Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Or actually, the northwest part of Arkadelphia as the physical address of Skyline Drive, which we ran on, was Arkadelphia.

Therefore, I can't count the 29th running of the Dam Night Run 5K as a race in my 300th North American city, town or census-designated place.  I still had fun, however.

The race is advertised as "flat and downhill ... very fast".

Ah, I think the most appropriate course definition - like for the 3M Half Marathon in Austin - is "net downhill".

Maybe I might have gone faster if I hadn't run eight this morning or driven 370 to get there, but I was only about 12-13 seconds faster than the 5K I did in Zapata two weekends ago.

There were two modes of transportation to get to the starting area -- two small school buses were being used and a number of flat bed lumber trucks with lumber stacked in the middle that people could sit on both sides.

I opted for the full Arkansas experience -- open-air lumber riding!

Plenty of time to just walk and not really run to warmup.  I figured having run eight earlier that I would just go when the gun went off.

And literally the local law enforcement discharged a weapon from the driver's side of the lead vehicle!

They actually had a "25-30 minute" pace sign as well as 30 and greater.

I positioned myself between the two and was about 33 seconds to get across the line.

A woman who had a race staff singlet on that I talked to before the race said that there were about 700 runners or so signed up.  (633 runners and 58 walkers were timed.)

The course was not as downhill as it was prounounced to be, yet I tried to push things as much as I could to take advantage of it where it was.

Therefore, I was a little disappointed that mile one came through in 9:08.

The second mile, which ended right before the road goes over the dam, I covered in 9:11. 

At the almost near eight-minute mark I had actually stopped to catch my first breath, but I saw the teardrop off the road to the right as two where the second mile would be and I pushed as much as I could.

The bridge across the top of the dam is obviously flat, but there was an uphill coming off of it.

It got the better of me.

There was one semi-steep dip in the last three-tenths of mile three before a hard left and just over a tenth of a mile sprint to the finish.

I veered all the way to the right of the two-lane road, which was completely closed to traffic, so that I could not make such a hard left-hand turn.

By doing so, I actually - once the turn was made - had to step into the grass on the inside left to pass a couple of girls.

Mile three was 10:23.  Ugh.

So I booked it to the finish with a 46.62.  If accurate, that's like under an eight-minute mile sprint to the finish.  Wow.

Total time was 29:29.85 on my watch.

The official timer had 29:29.44.  Nice.  Pretty darn close.

I was 342nd out of 633 runners.  229 of 312 men.  And 14 of 22 in the 50-54 age group.  When they entered my zip code, their database put me in Conroe, TX for this race.

A guy three spots behind my in my age group and his son, who won his 20-24 age group, were there from Bixby, Pennsylvania.

Even though today was a long days of sorts, I feel completely rested after a solid sleep last night which was on the heels of late night Thursday evening travel home from Decatur.

Looking to get up and attend church at First Baptist Church of Texarkana, which turns out is less than a mile here from the Marriott Courtyard. 

They have an 8 a.m. service which I hope to be in.

Lots of changes coming for me as it relates to races in the weeks and months ahead.

I do now have a couple of marathons on the books - Nebraska State Fair Marathon in Grand Island, Nebraska in four weeks and the Bismarck Marathon in North Dakota three weeks after that.

If all goes well, they will be marathons in states numbers 34 and 35 and my first out-of-state marathon in nearly four years.  The first one will be hot.  The second could be could as lows in mid-September do get into the forties.

Ah, you won't hear me complaining.

Thanks for reading - and all of your support and friendship.

Running In Texas: Hico, Stephenville, Comanche, Brownwood, Goldthwaite

It is 1 a.m. and I'm up writing in a hotel room in Killeen.  Living the dream, right?  Ha!

So my plan for today was to run in two out-of-town five-kilometer races and also log a mile in another six counties because the races were 12 hours - and 30 miles - apart.

Knowing, though, that I needed to get some rest, especially after running in the first four counties was hot, I used the minimum amount of Marriott Rewards points to get a nice room at the Courtyard here.

I was going to get a couple of hours sleep, drive 75 minutes to the north to Clifton for a race that had been postponed, run the race and then come back here - and plot my moves to keep myself entertained for Sunday.

Like Friday evening, when I went to sleep early knowing that I was going to get up and drive four hours, I couldn't wind down.

I had received an e-mail from a competitive and talented runner in the greater Houston area that had a legitimate issue with a race and their prize money decisions. 

The event production company working with the race had already reached out to me seeking my input - because of the breadth of my work with so many races.

Being respected - not necessarily always well-liked - is something I appreciate, therefore, I felt it important to respond to the individual as soon as I could and share my thoughts.

The bottom line on that issue is that I thought it was the race organization's leader that made the call on what were unconventional and not-so-clearly spelled out prize money awards.

The athlete was slighted.  The race production company put in a rough spot.  And the individual that was being the face for the race organization - a charity - in even a more difficult spot.

Lots to learn from.  Hopefully they will.  Solid event.  Great organization that helps people, but these are issues that are easily sorted out. 

I've worked with another event production to do so in the past so I know it can be done.

Again, I appreciate the respect that I'm given and I value it highly.

So I cancelled going to the race in Clifton.  I needed to rest, which I have.

As I get older, I don't want my daughter to have to worry about Dad pushing himself unnecessarily in things that are while enjoyable to him also don't have to be done.

If you know me well or even see me from afar, you know that my involvement in our sports is to encourage others.

I do that either through promoting or recognizing the accomplishments of others - or both.

Yet I like to get out and do what I do.

I was at a birthday party in February and a fellow runner in the community asked my thoughts about them taking so many pictures on the race course.

While even though I'm not as fast as others and I think we should all race when one is put on, my response was is that as long as you don't unncessarily burden the event and do so within the course (time) and resource (aid stations) limits put down by the event producer - have fun as it is your discretionary income that you're spending.

I traveled to Hico, Texas for the Old Settlers' Race To Remember 5K, which is part of the town's 131st annual Old Settlers Reunion.

Started a year before the town's incorporation in 1883 (and not held during four years of World War II), organizers and the town claim that it is the oldest event of its kind in Texas.

The course was a little old too.

I would say that it must have been the Stagecoach Route of 1886.

It was different is what I would best say.

It might have been a little long.  A runner with an electronic device had it at 3.16 miles, which makes my 33:21 time a bit more palatable.

We left the historic downtown area and went south and did a loop in the Bosque River RV Park, where it looked like some of the Reunion's activities were held.

We came out of the park heading north and then we were running cross country, through the grass under "the 281 bridge" (which literally had about seven or eight feet of cleareance).

We ended up on some city streets and did a turn around on Railroad St. (looking at Google Maps now while running).  This was my major complaint with this course.

Had I known this is where it went and if Waverly was with me, I would have stayed with her or not let her run.  This was an area - and you have to plan for the worst of anything - somebody could have been pulled off the course and nobody might have known with as few as runners as there were.

If somebody was running without a chip (this race was timed), nobody would have known that a runner who had come into town that wasn't known to locals was attacked and possibly sexually assaulted.

I've gotten blamed - even recently - of thinking too much, but Jay and Joy Hilscher changed part of their original route before the first TIR in March of 2008 when we did a dry run in October 2007 because a part ran at night - away from vans - along the railroad line.

Again, Rafael Resendiz-Ramirez, the serial killer, had been known for traveling around the United States by freight train and commiting his murders near railroad lines.

When we ran that stretch, I asked Jay if the vans were going to be allowed back there (which was pitch black without a head lamp) and he had said that they weren't.

Inevitably, Jay and Joy had runners stay along the highway, which passed the place in Borden (I think it is) that supposedly has really good hamburgers.

Long story short, I finished the race in 33:20, according to the official timer, Pro-Fit Event Services, which does a really good job (except entering my name as John versus Jon on the form I filled out!)

And I was first in the 50-54 age group.

I hope they gave my award to somebody, perhaps a youngster.

I got a bite to eat at the Koffee Kup Family Restaraunt a couple of blocks away from historic downtown and got the pancake stack, which was a mistake.

Three of the largest pancakes I've ever seen.  I hate wasting food, especially with so many that go without, but I only got through about one and a half in total.

So that was a race in Texas city, town or census-designated place #137 and north American city of town #299.

Tonight's race in Clifton would have been in a new county, Bosque, for #74, but staying safe on the roads from being rested is more important than hitting some arbitrary goal that might not be made with Texas having 254 counties.

So the secondary goal came about and that is to run at least a mile in all 254 Texas counties.

I go to the county courthouse, get a picture and then take off and run for about six-plus minutes in a given direction - as long as a dog or something doesn't alter that - and then return.

I post the picture on Instagram.  I'm "walksports" there, if you wish to follow.

And then if I have data in the locale that I'm running, I'll post the mile-plus to MapMyRun.

If I don't, I manually note the streets that I turned on and then add them to MapMyRun later.

Today, I added Stephenville (Erath), Comanche (Comanche), Brownwood (Brown) and Goldthwaite (Mills). 

I had as potential targets San Saba, Brady and Gatesville, but after I got done in Brownwood I determined that I could get this hotel room for the minimum number of points and decided to aim my car towards Killeen.

Driving by Goldthwaite, a Texas high school football power of the past, was along the way.

I almost passed by it, but instead got out of the car, took the proverbial picture and set off for 13 minutes of running in 99 degrees temperatures.

I like my "me" time.

In this sense, even though I socialize fairly well, when I choose to, I'm enjoying this process of seeing different parts of Texas that I might not get to.  And there's certainly lots to go.

So the tally is that I've run a race in 73 Texas counties and I've added a mile in another 25 for a total of a mile or more in 98 of Texas' 254 counties.

And a mile or more in 169 Texas cities, towns or census-designated places.

More fun to come.  Stay tuned.

2017 Race Statistics

34 races in 2017. (180.23 miles)
23 of those were new to me. (Goal is 50)
11 races announced (12 if you count the IMTX Aid Station)
  1 was a member of the media (Houston Marathon)
47 races ran, announced or was in attendance for so far.
  1 DNS - Big Little JC 10K (wiped out from announcing CB&I)

294 North American cities or towns to run a race in.
134 Texas cities or town to run a race in.
  72 Texas counties to run a race in. (182 to go)
  53 of those the race was actually in the town of the county seat
  20 additional Texas counties to run at least a mile in. (162 to go)
154 Texas cities or towns to run at least a mile in.

Dad's Day 5K Finishers

2017 - 830 finishers (511 men / 319 women)
2016 - 798 finishers (466 men / 332 women)
2015 - 872 finishers (483 men / 389 women)
2014 - 900 finishers (482 men / 418 women)
2013 - 975 finishers (547 men / 428 women)
2012 - 860 finishers (477 men / 383 women)
2011 - 853 finishers (492 men / 361 women)
2010 - 602 finishers
2009 - 726 finishers (443 men / 283 women)
2008 - 492 finishers (304 men / 188 women)
2007 - 397 finishers (247 men / 150 women)

Sources:  Mychiptime.com, eztoregister.com

No Label Brewing 1st Street 5K Legacy Finishers

Adams, Emmalee
Adams, Tyler
Bangerter, Wes
Benavides, Roland (50-59)
Benavides, Roland (70-99)
Bormans, Connie
Caldwell, Tonya
Castronovo, June
Castronovo, Tony
Chapa, Jesus
Chapa, Pedro
Cronlund, Jenny
Decesare, Robert
Dlabaj, Mary
Duong, Amy
Duong, Peter
Freeman, Susan
Furman, Lynn
Furman, Robert
Gammack, Graham
Gehringer, Mark
Goedeker, Erin
Goedeker, Tim
Griffin, Jenny
Harlan, Jeremy
Harlan, Nikia
Harley, Jason
Harvey, Trisha
Heaton, Laura
Henry, Sabira
Hermis, Brandi
Holcomb, Nancy
Johnson, Stephen
Joyce, Jamie
Joyce, Travis
Krause, Tina
Lopez, Herb
Lopez, Marta
Lopez, Romeo
Luther, Ron
Manning, Matthew
Mcculloch, John
Mckinzie, John
Mclean, Meghan
Medrano, Imelda
Moore, Steve
Nielsen, Jacob Thymann
Peloquin, Terion
Perry, Natalie
Persson, Earin
Powers, Kathleen
Prevallet, Craig
Reynolds, Patricia
Rhoads, Lori
Rhoads, Steve
Royal, Jeffrey
Russell, Justin
Schramm, Mary
Sherbon, Tim
Smith, Helen
Stein, Kari
Terrell, A.J.
Tice, Scott
Tubbs, Corbin
Walker, Kimberly
Walker, Kyle
Walton, Michael
Webb, Jordan
Wexler, Andrew
Wexler, Mike
Whitlock, Cathy

Sylvan Beach Triathlon: Annual by the Numbers

Battle of San Jacinto Triathlon, Duathlon and Aguabike
2006 - 205 overall - 154 tri - 28 du - 23 aquabike
2007 - 120 overall - 84 tri - 26 du - 10 aquabike
2008 - 185 overall - 125 tri - 60 du

Sylvan Beach Duathlon & Triathlon
2009 - 174 overall - 122 tri - 52 du
2010 - 284 overall - 201 tri - 83 du
2011 - 302 overall - 221 tri - 81 du
2012 - 303 overall - 207 tri - 96 du
2013 - 291 overall - 184 tri - 107 du
2014 - 393 overall - 245 tri - 102 du - 46 youth
2015 - 469 overall - 324 tri (308 + 16 relay) - 98 du - 47 youth
2016 - 378 overall - 263 tri (238 + 9 relay + 7 clydesdale + 4 athena + 5 PC) - 115 du (111 + 4 PC)
2017 - 365 overall - 258 tri (228 + 8 relay + 8 clydesdale + 7 athena + 7 PC) - 107 du (104 + 3 PC)

Relay teams count as one finisher.

Green 6.2 Age Group Bests

Male
14-Under - 43:46, Lauge Rasmussen, 11, 2015
15-19 - 33:21, Carlos Arias, 16, 2011
20-24 - 33:13, Lane Boyer, 24, 2014
25-29 - 29:50, David Fuentes, 27, 2014
30-34 - 30:23, Haron Lagat, 31, 2015
35-39 - 32:42, William Blancett, 35, 2011
40-44 - 30:49, Sammy Kiplagat Cheptoo, 40, 2014
45-49 - 37:56, Steven Karpas, 47, 2013
50-54 - 38:07, Abelino Jeronimo, 51, 2012
55-59 - 45:03, Jeff Howard, 56, 2013
60-64 - 39:23, Peter Mullin, 60, 2013
65-69 - 48:57, Dan Green, 65, 2013
70-74 - 57:11, Robert Mendoza, 71, 2017 (replacing 1:00:40, Jon Parker, 74, 2010)
75-79 - 1:03:13, Jon Parker, 79, 2015
80-84 - 1:07:35, Jon Parker, 80, 2016

Female
14-Under - 44:02, Abbie Harrelson, 14, 2013
15-19 - 43:56, Maria Gonzales, 17, 2012
20-24 - 36:22, Raquel Tidwell, 23, 2011
25-29 - 35:48, Amy Shackelford, 27, 2014
30-34 - 38:25, Heidi Hullinger, 31, 2014
35-39 - 38:50, Melissa Hopper, 36, 2014
40-44 - 40:44, Kirsten Stefan, 41, 2015
45-49 - 42:20, Naomi Whymant, 46, 2016
50-54 - 44:09, Sabrina Tillson, 51, 2015
55-59 - 47:23, Suzy Seeley, 55, 2014
60-64 - 50:50, Yong Collins, 62, 2017 (replacing 51:51, Vicki Jones, 60, 2011)
65-69 - 56:34, Kathleen Swinson, 66, 2014
70-74 - 58:59, Kathy McWilliams, 72, 2017 (replacing 1:29:59, Ziznedth Kelly, 70, 2014)

Sources:  eztoregister.com (2010-2013), mychiptime.com (2014-2016)

Austin 10/20 - Finishers Numbers

2012 - 6,050 (3,965 women / 2,085 men)
2013 - 4,810 (3,177 women / 1,633 men)
2014 - 3,716 (2,438 women / 1,278 men)
2015 - 3,097 (2,013 women / 1,082 men)
2016 - 2,980 (1,960 women / 1,020 men)
2017 - 2,872 (1,876 women / 996 men)

Sources:  mychiptime.com (2012-2017)

Run Thru The Village 5K Race Analysis

Ran the inaugural Run Thru The Village 5K this morning that was produced and presented by CHI St. Luke's Health at their new Springwoods Village Hospital, which is located just north of the Grand Parkway and west of Interstate 45.

First and foremost, this race should hire me.  I understand how important image is, recognition of sponsors and volunteers as well as participants and getting races started on-time.

Beautiful environment currently to race in.  Will definitely see if and how that changes as the build out of the Village continues.  As more businesses and housing developments continue to open, this race - and others - will have to go to the roads.

However, the paved trail - of which most of the race was run on - can handle runners three abreast, if necessary.  So, there's room for growth.

Excellent course design and certification by Logan Burgess, one of the best.  As part of his work, the mile - and kilometer - markings (thoughtful given the international community that works with ExxonMobil) were clearly visible; however, the event producer could have done a better job communicating the course before the race, the fact that it was a certified course and could have placed visible markings to have been seen from afar to call attention to them.

What else could have been communicated before the race from a safety and liability standpoint is that there were places - not many - where footing was loose.  It is that old adage about knowing the potential dangers and not doing enough to communicate what they are or were.

Parking was plentiful.  Kids fun area was setup well and there were a few vendors with a stage.  Clearly the presentation to support the image that the hospital and health system aims to present matches.

Course control met acceptable standards.  Law enforcement control at both Holzwarth intersections where runners crossed.  Since it was on the south side of Springwoods Village and there aren't any other businesses or housing development open, none were needed as we ran east to west on Springwoods Village.  There was one point coming back towards the hospital as Holzwarth was crossed where a volunteer would have been beneficial to direct runners back on to the road as continuing on the sidewalk put you in the grass.

However, verbal communication and presentation has room for growth.

Order custom bibs.  You do all of these other things well to present your image well, but you use generic bibs.  Build this into the race budget for 2018 now.  Make them go hand in hand with the financial investment you made in medals, which are too much for a 5K ... but they were nice and I actually grabbed one to have when the race grows.

You have the best timer in Texas, RunFAR, and the data presented to them - how and when - can use improvement.  Recent article from Brooks Running on the recent Running USA report indicate that people want immediate results (even though they can get that with a watch on their wrist).  Put on a race first and people and attention to your facility and causes will follow.  Trust me:  It works.

Start the races on-time.  Minor on a day like today, but as this race grows the race timeline has to be managed.  If you want runners to come out and spread the word, this is a must.  If you want to be just a community fun run, then starting at 8:03 and 8:33 a.m. is acceptable.  Doing the former is pleasing to both pools of supporters.

Excellent national anthem.  And people were respectful and were still for a change.

Abandon the registration method both pre-race and on-site race day.  Compliance and Risk Management surely can come up with ways to meet acceptable audit controls by allowing the timer, which has registration functionality, to manage that for you.  It was cumbersome to do on race morning when you had people waiting behind you that wanted to get signed up too.  Or use a service like Active.com, RunSignup.com ... something other than the in-house.

A lot, but I think that's everything.

Otherwise, great day to run and race.  Great to be able to do a race less than two miles from my house - and on a day when there were three races (that all started at the same time) within 3-4 miles from where I live.

How did I run?  Timer has 30:15, but no chip offset.  My watch has 30:13.96 with a 7.39 offset, but I might have been off a second or two.  So I'm calling it 30:08!  Not bad, but the course - along Springwoods Village - was a little bit of an uphill.

8:50.26 on mile 1.  9:55.78 on mile 2.  10:21.38 on mile 3.  59.15 on the last tenth of a mile.  30:06.57.