Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/JkUjT9c1jziSKnRdA

Before The Start:  My 31^st race of 2026 was the Aid The Silent 5K held on June 6^th in Boerne, Texas, as the Boerne Main Plaza.  Aid the Silent is “a Texas-based nonprofit that helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children and teens receive equal access to opportunity by providing financial assistance to enhance communication methods; gain access to education resources; and to improve their overall health, both mental and physical, that leads to individual growth socially, educationally and spiritually.”   I always try to do this one every year, as I had surgery for a cyst behind my left ear and that left me a bit ‘hard of hearing’ in that ear.  Since this event started, I’ve done them all, except for one, when I had a slight foot injury and had to take some time off to recover from that.  This event always has a nice turn-out. Per the results posted by my friends of iaap, the company that did the timing and results, there was a total of 739 finishers for this 5K.  I had picked up my packet before race day, so after arriving at the race site I wandered here-and-there around the plaza grounds getting some pre-start photos and chatting with other participants, volunteers, vendors/sponsors, personal friends that were there, and so forth. As this is also a dog-friendly event, handing out some treats to the dogs that were in attendance. I was soon very popular with all the dogs there, lol.  Prior to the main start, a Kid’s run was held.

On The Course:  We started right on time at 8 a.m,.  I did my usual thing of run-8-minutes/walk 2-minutes, and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. The weather for us was overcast, with some dark clouds, and just a bit of light, spitting rain, which did not amount to much at all. Our start temperature was 78 degrees, with virutally no wind at all, and humdity of 84%, making it feel quite muggy.  The course for the first couple of hundred yards was pretty flat and then we wend down a fairly short hill. This put us onto level ground for a while as we all surged toward our first turn-round on the course.  After making the Turn-Round #1, we then went back the way we had come out, heading in the direction of the start/finish line, but did not go that far.  We turned right onto a street that took us into another nice neighborhood, and this area had us going up-and-down some hills on the route; they were not very long hills, for the most part, but some of them were pretty good climbs, up-and-down. We had a second turn-round point in this area, and then turned onto another street that took us through another nice area. After winding through here, we then went down a fairly long hill that took us over a bridge that crossed Cibolo Creek, with some nice views of the water on each side of the bridge. After the bridge, we then climbed yet another hill – a short one, thankfully, lol, and that took us onto an off-road paved “greenway” trail, with views of Cibolo Creek on our left, and also took us under an overpass. We continued on the greenway trail, went down a winding part of the course and then crossed over a wooden bridge, from which I could see the hotel that was near the Boerne Plaza, so I knew we were almost done.  The last part of the course had us winding upward on the paved trail as we made our way back to the Boerne Plaza. We came out in front of the hotel, made a right turn that took us past the plaza restrooms and some port-a-potties. That took us back to the road we had started on, where we made a left turn and then could see the finish line ahead of us.  I ended up with a chip time of 44:17, 44:59 gun time, and finished 19^th out of 36 in my 60-99 males age group.

After My Finish: I stood  back from the finish line so as not to interfere with others crossing it, and got a few photos of some others coming in. I also got a few photos in the finish area with some friends and other participants who had finished.   After that, I wandered around the plaza area again, enjoying some of the post-race treats and drinks offered by some of the vendors and race sponsors while continuing to get some more ‘after’ photos, and chatting with friends and other participants who had done the 5K, as well as supporters, sponsors, etc, and also handed out some more dog treats. There were awards for the top 3 in each age group, and all participants got a very nice finisher medal.  I do so many events during the year that I get a lot of finisher medals, which I usually give away to kids, which I did this year too. I was chatting with a couple who had done the 5K while pushing their daughter in a stroller so, hey, I gave my finisher medal to the young lady, as she ‘participated” also in her own way. 

Epilogue:  Well, my ‘streak” of doing every one of the Aid The Silent 5Ks was broken due to that recovery period I had to take one year, but I still did okay by doing every one of them but that one, and I will continue to keep this event each year on my race calendar.  It’s a very well-done race for a good cause. The course this year was certainly different from the other years – and a bit more challenging too, lol, with some of those up-and-down hills;  but it was also lots more ‘scenic’ than the old course, with some nice views of the creek, and also going on that greenway trail.  All finishers get a really nice finisher medal, and the race shirt is very nicely done too.  Another reason I like this event is that I am a member of the YMCA, so post-race, I was able to go to the Boerne YMCA and take a shower and get into some dry clothe, so did not have to drive home to San Antonio all sweaty-wet; very nice.  Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants:  Aid The Silent; all the vendors and sponsors that help pay for it all; all the volunteers out there for us, as well as the law enforcement officers along the course for our safety; the bike lead guy who led the up-front runners – and that guy had to work too, cuz the first overall guy ran a 5:36 pace, zowie!  Also, thanks to all the residents of the neighborhoods we went through for their patience and understanding as we invaded their space for a few hours.  I would certainly recommend this event to others, and I most certainly will continue to keep it on my race calendar each year.

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.  

Photos are here:

Before The Start:  My 30^th race of 2026 was the Andiamo El Taco 5K held on May 31^st at Mission County Park in San Antonio.  This was my 2^nd race of the weekend, after doing Fishers Faithful 5K on May 30^th at Retama Park.   I got an early start and arrived at Mission County Park around 6:30 a.m and got some good parking.  I picked up my packet and then wandered around getting some pre-start photos and also handed out treats to some dogs there, as this is a dog-friendly event, and chatted with some of the vendors, volunteers, etc.    This event sold out, with a nice turn-out of 373 finishers per the results shown by race company iaap who did the timing and results. We had a sunny day for this, although it was a bit warm with a 73 degree temperature at the 7:30 start time and the humidity was a whopping 93%.  Prior to the start, there was also a “stretching warm-up before the start.  The National Anthem was played and then we all got lined up to go. Because of so many participants, we crossed the start line in ‘waves” with groups of participants crossing the starting mat about every 15 to 20 seconds.

On The Course:  The course was on the paved greenway trails alongside the river.  This is a very hilly course. We started with a downhill, with the river on our right, then had a very short flat part of the course and then began climbing in earnest. The course took us South along the paved trails and after about a half-mile we began the hills in earnest, both uphills and downhills, and did have some nice views of the river on our right on the way to the turn-round. I did my usual 8-min-run/2-minute walk thing and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. The turn-round was a stone bridge that we did not cross over. We turned around at the bridge and then returned to the finish the way we had come out, with the river views on our left on the way back, and did all those hills again in reverse of the way we had come out. Since we had gone downhill when we started, the finish was an uphill climb and we only got to level ground after we crossed the timing mat.  I ended up with a chip time of 42:28, finishting third in my 70-99 males age group.

After My Finish: I stood a little back from the finish line so as not to interfere with others crossing it, and got a few photos of some others coming in. I also got a photo with a lady and her friend, with whom I was in the same proximity on the course for most of the way back to the finish. After that, I headed to my vehicle to get the iced-down water and gatorade I had brought with me and found a nice quiet spot on the park pavilion where I relaxed a bit and got rehydrated. The vendors/sponsors did have some drinks and eats, for a price, but kind of costly in my opinion – $12, for example, for a freshly squeezed lemonade; I like lemonade, but not for $12 a glass, so was glad I had brought my own drinks.  However, one good thing Andiamo made arrangemens for  was  free tacos post-race and that was very popular; so popular the line in front of the taco truck was pretty long.  After rehydrating, I then wandered around some more, getting some post-race photos of other participants; supporters; and some of the vendors who help pay for the races; and also handed out some more dog treats.

Epilogue:  This is a nicely done event put on by Andiamo; a hilly, but nicely thought-out course, very well done, with a staggered start that spread us out a bit. The whole time on the course, at any given time where I was, I never saw anyone impeded. There were also professional photographers on the course taking photos of participants – much better than my photos, I am sure, lol.  Mission County Park is also a nice venue for a race. It has 2 pavilions there; a playground for the kids; indoor restrooms and water fountains on both sides of the park; there is also plenty of places to sit and relax for a bit post-race.  All finishers got a very nice finisher medal; and the race shirt is nice quality.  I would definitely do this one again and would recommend it to others.   Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants, e.g., all the many volunteers there for us, doing race-day packet pickup; my friends with iaap race management who did their usual great job with the timing and results; our MC who not only did a great job for us, but also ran the 5k, and then continued her MC duties after she finished. Also thanks to all the vendors/sponsors for their support in helping make this event happen.

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.  

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9Tbgssh4p64NzNe6A

Before The Start:  My 29^th race of 2026 was the Faithful Fishers 5K, held on May 30^th at Retama Park in Selma, Texas. Retama Park is a huge park that is a horse-racing venue. This was a fairly smaller event, participant-wise, with 55 participants, both runners and walkers.  Faithful Fishers organization has a mission to “raise up Christian leaders who affect change in their homes, churches, and communities locally and around the world.”   This event supported the organization’s upcoming international missions in Thailand, Pakistan, and Kenya in 2026. The race was scheduled for an 8 a.m. start, with race—day packet pickup starting at 7:30. I was thankful it did not start right on time, as I had some issues in getting to the park because of all the ongoing road construction in San Antonio and being “detoured” off of some of the roads each of us had planned. My running friend, Woody, who was coming from Pleasanton, told me he had that issue also. We both finally did get there and got our packets. I also had time before the start to get a few pre-start photos.  Timing and results were done by my friends of e-Dragon Productions, and they also did the race-day packet pickup. After getting myself ready for the start, I wandered here-and-there, getting a few pre-start photos.  After that, our MC gave us the low-down on the mission of Faithful Fishers, and then an opening prayer was given by a chaplain there, and The National Anthem was played.  After that my friend, Erik of e-Dragon, gave us the low down on the course and the route we’d be doing.  We then lined up in the start area and got going.

On The Course. We started near the main building of Retama Park, where there was a ticket entry gate close-by, as well as indoor restrooms, and some seating for park customers to watch the horse races. We did not run on the horse races track, we went onto an access/service road that was adjacent to some of the track, passing by some horse stables on our left. I did my usual run/walk thing of 8-minutes run/2-minutes-walk, and took on-course photos during my walk breaks.  I can’t run a whole 5K non-stop anymore due to my spinal arthritis becoming active; I knew it would happen someday – and that did happen when I was in my 50s – , as I was a “March of Dimes” baby, born with dislocated hips, and then wore braces on my legs until I was 4 years old; so my doc told me no more non-stop running; use the run/walk method.    The first part of the course took us to a turn-round point – and we had a nice, although distant, view of the Grandstand seating across the field. After the turn-round we went back the way we had come out, re-passing by a water station we had passed after we first started; thanks to the two water station volunteers who had to stay out there until the very last participants went past them. After getting back near the Grandstand area, we made a left turn and went in front of the seating there, where there actually were a few people sitting there, cheering us on. We exited the grandstand area by making a right turn onto the pavement of the huge Retama Park parking area, going past a park entry area where park tickets are sold.  My friend Johnny was the volunteer here and gave me a shout-out. After passing by him we then made a right turn onto the edge of the parking area and then proceeded to do a loop around the outer edge of this huge parking lot. Once we got back to where Johnny was, we then went back onto the grounds that took us once again past the grandstand area. We then made a left turn, going past the gate where we had exited the park when we first started. We passed by his fence gate and made another left turn that took us to the finish line; whoo!  With my run/walk and photo stops, I ended up with a chip-time of 44:35, averaging 14:23 per mile. My miles were pretty consistent, lol: Mile 1: 14:31.  Mile 2: 14:13 – I pretty much ran mile 2 nonstop- and Mile 3: 14:34, with a stop to take a photo of the adjacent race track we passed by.  I was 42^nd overall out of 55 participants.

After My Finish:  I did a cool-down walk and then went and got my “ice bag” I had brought with me, that had iced-down bottles of water and some Gatorade.  My friend Woody sat with me for a while – I had brought some cold Gatorade for him too – and chatted for a bit post-race as we just relaxed for a bit. After that, I started wandering around again, chatting with other participants, volunteers, event organizers, supporters, etc., and getting some ‘after photos.  Several people also asked to have photos with me and I was happy to oblige. Standing with an old-dog like me, lol, they all looked great.

Epilogue: E-Dragon Productions, owned by the Burciaga Family, always does a great job with their events. My experience with friend and co-owner Erik, his wife Kristine, and their ‘super-volunteer’ Stephanie – she is the Volunteer Extra-Ordinaire who has volunteered for more races than I’ve run.  E-Dragon also puts on some really good quality races too, so be sure to check out their race calendar; however, be warned: I once took a photo of the definition of the word “flat” and gave it to Erik as he doesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word, lol. Some of his races – especially those at Pearsall Park – can be very challenging, but also rewarding too. I am pretty much limited from doing “extreme courses” these days – including off-road trail runs – due to this darn spinal arthritis – but I do fairly ok on the paved trails.  Also, many many thanks to all the rest of those out there for we participants, e.g., the many volunteers there for us; our Race Director; the law enforcement officers there for our safety; the bike lead guy – who really had to pedal like crazy to keep ahead of that speedy first guy; some of the Retama Park staff members that were out there too; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here; thank you all!

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.  Also, tomorrow (May 31), I am doing my 30^th race of the year – the Andiamo Taco 5K at Mission County Park; see you there if you are doing that one!

Photos are here:    https://photos.app.goo.gl/t881pMsAPp5qQkCE9

Before The Start:   My 28^th race of the year was the American Hero 5K held on May 24^th at Comanche Park in San Antonio.  This was my 2^nd race of the weekend after doing the Hometown 5K the day before this one at McAllister Park in San Antonio, which had a very hilly course. This event was a multi-race event, with a half-marathon; a 25-K 5-person relay; a 10K Ruck event; and the 5K.  I arrived at Comanche Park a little after 6:30 pm, about an hour before the 7:30 start time.  I had already gotten my packet at the Friday packet pickup so after arrival, I enjoyed getting some pre-start photos while I wandered around chatting with other participants; supporters; race-day volunteers; my friends with event company iaap that did the timing and results for this event; and several of the race sponsors/vendors that had some booths set up.

On The Course: Prior to the start of the main events, there was also a Kids Run.  After that, all participants lined up for the race start. All participants from, regardless of which event they were doing, all started at the same time. There were 119 finishers for the 5K; 8 finishers for the 10K Ruck; 16 teams of 5 people each for the 25K 5-person relay (80 total participants); and 17 participants for the half-marathon, making a total of 224 participants for this event. The National Anthem was played, and then there was a Moment of Silence, giving thanks for those who served in the military, and in honor of those who made the “ultimate sacrifice’ while serving.  After that, all participants got started. I did my usual thing of run-8-minutes/walk-2-minutes and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks.   The course was done on the park’s paved greenway trails.  The start took us toward the park’s vehicle parking lot, where we turned left onto a paved trail that first took us past the parking area.  We wound to the left after that, going on a fairly flat course and then went downhill and under an overpass, with a view of Salado Creek on our left. After the overpass, we had some more flat terrain for a short while, passing by a water station.  After the water station the course went downhill. I saw some of my speedier friends coming uphill toward me as they headed back toward the start/finish area to either start their next lap, or finish up, if they were doing the 5K, which was an out-and-back. When I got to the 5K turn-round, I saw that my iaap friend, Jose of iaap was at the 5K turn-round; this good to see, as he’s been dealing with some medical issues, so I was happy he was feeling well enough to be out-and-about again. After my turn-round, I then headed back the way I had come out to finish my 5K. I was feeling pretty good – even though my legs were feeling a bit that hilly 5K the day before – and pretty much ran most of the last half of the 5K non-stop. I took one stop to take a photo from a bridge we ran over on the way out and then again on the way back – that darn thing shakes when several people are on it; and as I got nearer to the finish I saw my friend Krista on the course heading out again. I asked her if she was doing the 5K, and she jokingly said “Yes I am; 4 times!” lol. Well, that told me she was doing the half marathon, so I wished her luck and went on my way.  The last part of the course put us on a paved trail that took us past where the finish line was, and then looped us back onto a park service road and that road took us to the finish line.  Per my Garmin, I ended up with a chip time of 42:48 – 42:42 per the iaap timing, which is probably correct, as old-time Garmin 35 is a few seconds off, but I still love it anyway, lol. This gave me first place in my 70-99 males age group; I was the only one in this group, lol.

After My Finish:  I got some photos of others finishing and/or continuing their event if they were doing one of the longer events.  The finish line volunteers gave me my finisher medal and my “running crush” volunteer, Stephanie, gave me a nice iced-down towel to help cool down. I then wandered around getting some after-photos of happy finishers and their supporters; some of the vendors/sponsors supporting the event; and others there.  I also enjoyed sitting with my friend, Gilbert, and chatting with him. If he’s at a race I’m doing, he always has a banana and a chair for me to relax in for a little while. There were plenty of vendors there who had all kinds of goodies and drinks, including Shiner Bock Beer; these watermelon-flavored and lemonade-flavored drinks that helped really well in rehydrating; Kiolbassa Sausages; and much more.

Epilogue: E-Dragon Productions, owned by the Burciaga Family, always does a great job with their events. My experience with friend and co-owner Erik is that he is always striving to make everything “just right” for all the events his company puts on; we’re all human and sometimes mistakes are made – none that I experienced personally for this event – and the e-Dragon events are very well done; although, lol, some of Erik’s events are quite challenging as they often have some really serious hills included in the route – especially when the event is at Pearsall Park. I don’t think Erik even remembers this, but I once took a photo of the word “flat” in the dictionary and gave Erik the definition, as apparently, he doesn’t know the meaning of the word, lol. Glad he has a good sense of humor. His wife, Kristin, is also very involved and she is great too. Mucho thanks to them, and to all the people involved that made this one happen for we participants, e.g.,  all the many volunteers; all the sponsors and vendors; the law enforcement officers at the event for us; the “lead bike” people for the faster participants; our MC, Anthony Zamora who did his usual great job; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all!

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/A3X3aszeaPdnumyj6     

Before The Start:  My 27^th race of 2026 was the Hometown 5K held on May 23 at McAllister Park at Pavilion 5, where the main dog park is located at the park.  After you enter the park from the Wurzbach Parkway, this is the first pavilion area you come to; it is across the street from the main baseball fields at the park.  In addition to the 5K, there was also a half-marathon; 10K; and a 1-mile walk, as well as a Kid’s Run, done before the start of the main events.  All events started together at 7 a.m.  I arrived about an hour before start time, got my race packet, and then wandered around chatting with other participants, friends, volunteers, supporters, etc., and got a few pre-start photos.  This event was put on by Best Races Company which, per their website, “has a mission to help people set goals of a 5K, 10K, or Half-Marathon”.  The company operates in more than 25 cities.  I’ve done a few of their events in the past, and they are always well managed, with some very nice routes – some a bit challenging, like today’s, with all those hills, lol , and some courses a bit easier,

On The Course:  The weather looked like it was threatening rain, but Mother Nature was kind and did not rain on us, but it was warm and humid, with a temp of 69 degrees and 90% humidity. All courses were out-and-back and all participants for all events started together. The course was done on the paved greenway trails at the park. I did my usual run/walk thing and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. The route took us past the park’s major dog park on our right and then we went downhill going in the direction of The Wurzbach Parkway. An underpass took us below the parkway and then onto a paved greenway trail where we made a left turn, heading in the direction of Ladybird Johnson Park. After coming out from the underpass, the hills began. We climbed a fairly steep hill, went around a curve, and continued to climb up another hill. Once we crested this hill, just past Mile 1 marker, we then had a level path for a short bit – a very short bit, lol – and then all participants headed down a long hill, as we proceeded toward our respective turn-round points.  The 10K and half-marathon participants ended up going into Ladybird Johnson Park for their respective turn-rounds. We 5K participants did no go that far; we stayed on the long downhill, went around a curve and then had a short downhill before reaching our turn-round point. We then went back to the finish line in reverse of the way we had come out. The toughest part of the course was after we went through the Wurzbach Parkway underpass and came out on the other side; since we had come downhill from the start, the return to the finish was a long, steady continuous climb until we finally reached level ground with about ¼ mile to go. From the 5K turn-round, I mostly ran all the way non-stop, ignoring my Garmin watch beeping at me for walk breaks; and taking just some very short stops – less than a minute each –  to get a few more photos. I ended up with a chip time of 44:05, averaging 14:13 per mile. Per my garmin, my fastest mile was a negative split of 12: 54 for Mile 3. My longest mile was Mile 2 at 15:27 – those darn hills on the way back, lol – and Mile 1 was 13:55.  My time was good enough to place 3^rd in my 70-74 Male Masters age group, which was nice, but I met my major goal, at my age: finish standing up and no medical people waiting specifically for me at the finish line, lol.

After My finish:    I got my finish line “swag” medaI, did a short cool-down walk, and then wandered around chatting with other participants and supporters and getting some after photos. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I was very popular with the dogs present, as I gave them dog-treats, with the permission of their humans.   There was no awards ceremony. I found my results by asking one of the Best Races staff members and he looked it up on his phone for me. Results for this event are also posted on the RunSignUp website.   If you did place, then you got a nice pin for placing in your age group. I’m not sure what the overall winners got.

Epilogue:  I enjoyed doing this event – even with the hills, lol – and Best Races folks and their volunteers did a nice job of organizing everything, from what I observed. This may, of course, not be the viewpoint of all participants, but from my personal interactions for this event, I was just fine and everything went pretty smoothly.  I would definitely recommend this event to others and would do it again; and I’m sure will do some more Best Races events in the future as long as I am able to. Mucho thanks to all who helped make this one happen for we participants:  Best Races folks; all the many volunteers out there for us; the EMT folks on hand “just in case”, as well as the police officers there for our safety; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Also, as the course was open to park patrons not participating in this event, much thanks for the patience of other runners, walkers, and cyclists doing their own thing, as we invaded these park trails for a long while.   

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.

Photos are here:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/C4RfrTtveSV6yuW98

Before The Start: My 26^th race of 2026 was the JFS Run Wild 5K held at the San Antonio Zoo on Sunday, May 17^th. Put on by Jewish Family Services (JSF) San Antonio, this event supports providing mental health and social services to individuals and families of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds in San Antonio. There were 142 finishers for this 5K; 62 males and 80 females. Race company Athlete Guild did the timing and results for this event. The start time was 7:30 a.m.  We had to arrive at the Zoo fairly early to get into the gates by 7 a.m.; after 7 a.m., the gates were closed. I arrived very early, around 5:45 am. Since I had already picked up my packet on the Friday before race day, I was able to relax and take a short power-nap in my car, lol.  After that I headed over to the race area where race day registration and race day packet pickup was ongoing.  We went down the cobblestone path that ran alongside the Zoo grounds, and entered a gate to the left.  I saw my friend, Nick, of Athlete Guild, and got a pre-start photo with him. After that I wandered here-and-there, chatting with some of my friends and other participants who were also doing this event.  I also got a few pre-start photos of some of the volunteers; race-day packet pickup and registration volunteers, and some of the participants and their supporters.

On The Course:  The weather for this one was cloudy and overcast, with a temp of 76 degrees and humidity around 88 percent. Before the start of the 5K, there was a Kid’s Run.  After that, we 5K participants, both runners and walkers, lined up for our 7:30 a.m. start. The 5K was a 5-lap course entirely on the Zoo ground, with variety of surfaces that included cobblestones on one part and then mostly a concrete surface.  The majority of the course was pretty flat, but we did have a couple of inclines – nothing one could really call a hill – and the course took us by several Zoo animal exhibits that included birds, a couple of monkeys (I think) hanging on their cage wire, watching us all go by, and on lap 4 as I passed a pool, I noticed a couple of eyes right above a pond, with a snout submerged in the water; alligator or crocodile, I think;  spooky, but kind of cool too. I did my usual thing of running 8-minutes running/2 minutes walking – can’t run totally non-stop anymore since the flare-up of my spinal arthritis – and took photos during my walk breaks, after my Garmin beeped to tell me it was walk-break time. I felt pretty good overall.  For the first 4 laps, I behaved myself and took my walk breaks.  Lap 5, I pretty much ran non-stop and ended up with a chip-time of 44:54 averaging 14:27 per mile.  Per my Garmin: Mile 1 – 15:09   Mile 2: 1633.  Mile 3: 12:59, zowie. I guess I was ready to be done, lol.
My age group was 50-99 males; crazy right? There were 10 in my age group, and I was dead last with a finish chip time of 44:54.  My speedy friend, Bob, won the age group by 4 seconds, wow.

After My finish:    I wandered around chatting with other participants and getting a few more photos with some other finishers; some of the finish line volunteers who were handing out the finisher medals; and with more finishers, and their supporters.  After that, I went ‘touring’ a bit in the Zoo area around us and got a few more photos of some the Zoo “residents’ that included some pretty cool birds. There was a Zoo employee I chatted with on this jaunt. She was getting ready to feed a couple of parrots and they knew exactly who she was. The two parrots were at the top of the cage, and the lady called them by name and told them to move down to the feeding place and down they went, after her command; pretty cool. I also got a photo of a very large spooky-looking bird; not sure what it is but pretty cool-looking. 

Epilogue:  The course was a tad short, but no big deal for me. I enjoyed doing this event and I would do it again and recommend it to others. The finisher medals are nicely done and the race shirt is very nice quality.  Since I do so many events over the year, I usually order a youth medium shirt and then donate it to a kid; usually a disabled kid, as I was a disabled kid myself for a while, born with dislocated hips.  All the JFS folks out there as course marshals, water stop volunteers, race-day registration, etc. were all great.  I enjoyed seeing again my friend, Nick, of Athlete Guild and his wife, and the other Nick of Athlete Guild who did the timing and results for us.  Post-race, there were also a variety of snacks and drinks.  Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participant, e.g., all the many volunteers; Athlete Guild for the timing and results; all the JFS personnel out there for us; the sound-and-music guy there for us;  and the EMT lady on sight for us, just in case; the Zoo staff members I saw along the route who were working at their jobs (cleaning cages, setting things up for the “regular” Zoo visitors before the Zoo opened, and so forth);  and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all! It was also nice to have available in-door actual restrooms – beats porta-potties every time, lol.

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/AXN24SaknxSoXxMv7   

Before The Start:   My 25^th race of 2026 was Girls On The Run 5K, held on May 2^nd at Mission County Park.  Girls on the Run is a program “inspiring participants of all abilities to recognize their individual strengths while building a sense of connection in a team setting.”  Between this weekend and last weekend, this was my 3^rd race at Mission County Park, after doing the Run To Remember 5K here last Saturday and then the Scallywompus Siesta 5K on Sunday.  I knew this one was going to be pretty crowded, so I got up pretty early to get some good parking. The start time for this 5K was 9 a.m.  I arrived at the park around 7 a.m. and did get some really good parking very close to the start/finish chute. This meant I would probably be one of the last to leave, but that was okay; that usually happens with all the events I do, lol, as I tend to stay quite a while and take quite a few before, during, and after photos. Top-notch race management company iaap did the timing and results for this one, as well as setting up the start/finish line chute, which was VERY long as, per their posted results, as there were 1,086 finishers – runners and walkers – for this one.  I’d already picked up my race packet before race day so after arriving I wandered around, chatting with other participants, race day volunteers, law enforcement officers there, and some of the race sponsors that had tables, booths, etc., at the event. This  a dog-friendly event, so I also handed out a few treats, and was soon very popular with the dogs there.  After all the storming on Friday, Mother Nature was very kind by providing us some beautiful sunny weather with low humidity and temp of 62 degrees at start time. A young lady beautifully sang The National Anthem before we got started.

On The Course: Because of the number of participants, the course started in the parking lot in front of the pavilions and was done in “waves” with about a 2-minute wait between each wave being started. I had gone up a bit closer to the start mat to get a couple more pre-start photos, so actually started with the second wave, which was okay, even though I am not the speediest runner, lol; far from it. We went over the start mat, passing by a stand near the start/finish line where the Spurs Coyote was cheering everyone on, and then went a short ways down the street, making a left turn onto a paved sidewalk that took us to Padre Drive. We made a left turn onto Padre Drive – a very wide street that allowed the race participants to begin spreading out – and went past Mission County Park #2, going down a very flat road until we came to Pyron Avenue.  We made a left turn here, went down a fairly steep-but-short hill, then went up the other side. After cresting this, we wound around on this street and then under an overhead bridge that was our turn-round point, with a nice view of the river on our left – and then on our right after we made the turnround.  We then went back to the finish line the way we had come out. I did my usual 8-minutes-running/2 minutes walking thing, taking some on-course photos during my walk breaks. After making the turn-round, I pretty much went non-stop to the finish, with just a few quick stops of less than a minute to get a few more photos on the way back. Overall, I felt pretty good and ended up doing negative splits, finishing with a 35:22 chip time, zowie, which was good enough for 2^nd out of 4 in my 70-79 males age group.

After My finish:  I stood back from the finish line, away from the timing devices and to give room to other finishers coming in and got a few photos of others finishing.  After that, I then wandered here-and-there, handing out some more dog treats and chatting with other participants, supporters, sponsors and vendors, race day volunteers – some of them for quite a while, so I hope I did not bore them too much, lol – and also enjoyed some post-race treats that included some fresh fruits – banana for me – various types ‘snack bag” items (chips and so forth) and there was also a taco truck that had tacos for the participants and a vendor that had ‘shaved ice” of various flavors, which was very popular and had quite a long waiting line. There was also entertainment provided by some very talented dancers; and H-E-B’s mascot, Buddy, was there for photo ops.   The race shirt is very nice quality, and the age-group medals are really nicely done. The goody bag also included a ‘Girls On The Run” pop-up hand-held fan.    

Epilogue:  This is a very well organized event that I would recommend to others and will do again in the future. With this many participants, big kudos to the organizers who kept everything well under control, and also on their choice of the course route, which allowed we participants to spread out on nice, wide-course route roads where from what I saw nobody got impeded, fell down, etc. Post-race activities were also well-done.  The age-group-placer medal is also really nice. Mucho thanks to all involved who made this one happen for we participants, e.g., Girls On The Run staff members and coaches; the many volunteers at this one, at both the pavilions and on the course; the law enforcement officers and the EMT folks there for our safety; iaap for the start/finish line setup and all the results; our MC, Lana, who did a great job; the official photographer who was taking photos in the pavilion where the stage is, that had a backdrop for photo ops; and, as this course was open to other non-participant users, the patience of cyclists and other runners/walkers as we invaded the course space for quite a while; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!  

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/vb6kKu8zD2pZfLgZ7

Before The Start:   My 24^th race of 2025 was the Siesta 5K, held on Sunday, April 26 at Mission County Park in San Antonio. This was my 2^nd race of the weekend after doing the Run To Remember 5K on April 15^th, also held at Mission County Park. Put on by Scallywompus, this event included a half marathon; 10K; 5K; 5K competitive walk; and a Kids Run. These races were the last events for the Texas Hill Country Series which included a total of 4 races at various locations. I only did this 5K out of the 4 5Ks in this series. The events included a half marathon; 10K; 5K; 5K competitive walk; and wheelchair 5K, with post-race awards for the overall winners and age-group awards for the Top 3 placers in each age group. The 5K had the largest event, with results showing a total of 580 finishers.     The half-marathon started first, followed by the 10K and then the 5K and the 5K competitive walk. The 5K didn’t start until 8:35 a.m. but knowing that there were going to be a lot of participants for these events, I left very early, arriving at the park around 6:40 a.m. and got some pretty good parking. After getting my race packet, I just relaxed for a while in my vehicle and after that I wandered around the race venue chatting with friends, other participants, some of the vendors, my friends of iaap who were doing the timing and results, etc. and getting a few pre-start photos.  This is a dog-friendly event, so I also handed out a few dog treats.

On The Course:  All the events started right on time.  The course was done on the paved trails of the Riverwalk.  All the events started on the park’s large pavilion patio, taking us across the patio grounds an access trail that went downhill to the park’s paved Greenway Trail.  The 10K and 5K courses were out-and-back, with the 10K participants going across a bridge to reach their turn-round point and then coming back the way they’d come out. The turn-round point for the 5K events was the bridge, so we turned around at the bridge, not crossing it, and then returning the way we had come out. The half marathon participants crossed the bridge and then made a right turn, heading on the other side of the river back in the direction of the pavilion. If I remember correctly, they then crossed a bridge to return to the park’s side of the river and then went to the finish line.  After we 5K participants started, we were on the right side of the trail going to our turn-round, with some of the speedier 10K participants coming toward us as they headed for their finish. It was VERY crowded; this trail is just not made to accommodate so many people at once on it. Several of the “more experienced” 5K participants, including me, kept calling out to the 5K participants ahead of us to stay to the right, as the 10K folks had the “right-of-way” on the left as they headed for their finish, but it wasn’t much help.  I saw several of the 10K participants get impeded, as 5K folks moved to the left to get around slower people in front of them, and I saw quite a few of the 10K people having to move to run the grass on their right to get around these 5K participants coming toward them; it was crazy.  This trail is just not large enough to accommodate that many participants all at once; as the 5K had the most participants, my suggestion, if they do this event at this park again, is to have the 5K folks do a staggered start in waves, to allow everyone to spread out a bit.  Meanwhile….I did my usual run/walk thing and in the more crowded areas did my walk breaks on the grass and took some on-course photos. This is a very hilly course and as noted, my second time of this weekend doing this course, as my Saturday 5K was also held on this course. These hills are no baby hills either; some of them are quite long up climbs and down descents, and we went under a few bridges. After the first water station, most of the 10K folks had finally gone past us, so we had a bit more room for everyone to spread out bit. After we made the 5K at the turn-round, it was back to the finish the way we had come out.  There was still some 10K folks heading for their finish, but as we were now all going in the same direction to the finish, it was much less crowded. I did just a few more photo stops but, for the most part, after the turn-round, pretty much ran non-stop back to the finish. I ended up with a chip time of 44:22, averaging 14:17 per mile and had a negative split for my last mile. There were only 3 in my 70-74 males age group, so I ended up 2^nd.  On the way back to the finish I also encountered my friend, Daisy, who was doing the competitive-walk 5K and she finished ahead of me; she walks faster than I run, lol.  Way to go, Daisy.

After My finish:  I stood back from the start line, out of the way of the timers and the official race photographers and got a few photos of others coming into the finish, including several of my personal friends. After that, I began wandering around again, chatting and getting some after-photos.  I was chatting with a friend when I suddenly heard my friend, Anthony, who was doing MC duties for this one, announce my name as 2^nd in my age group;  oops….didn’t even realize the awards had started, so hustled over to the “presentation” pavilion that has a big stage in it, and got my 2^nd place award and photo taken. After that, I wandered around this pavilion, chatting with other participants and the vendors/sponsors who had booths or tables there, and getting some more photos. Several of these sponsors had several types of post-race goodies, and on the outside patio there was also available Kiolbassa Sausage, my personal favorite. Alamo Beer also had a presence, making these alcohol concoctions for those who wanted them; they kindly made me a non-alcoholic one of just fruit punch, since I can’t have “hard liquor’ because of a medication I am on. I had a nice chat with them. I am a big fan of Alamo Beer as co-founder Eugene is a fellow cancer survivor and when I had my prostate cancer – the same type he had – he was SO helpful with me in answering all my questions and helping me know what to possibly expect.   

Epilogue:  As usual with Scallywompus, this is a really nice event with a great party afterwards; however, with the turn-out as big as it was, I would suggest a different venue for this event or, as mentioned a staggered start for the 5K; the Mission County Park trail is just not sufficiently large enough to accommodate so many participants; I was thankfully surprised that nobody got knocked down or hurt during that first mile of the course, as we were all packed in like sardines in can until we went underneath the last bridge that took us down the hill to our turn-round. Other than the course issues ag the beginning of the 5K, it is a very nicely done event, with lots of scenic views of the river on our right going out and on our left going back.  The other thing I might suggest is use the 5K course that was used for my Saturday 5K here, in which we did a short jaunt through the parking lot in front of the pavilion and then went on this trail that was over a half-mile long. This allowed everyone to spread out a bit and by the time we went on a downhill to the main trail, we all had plenty of maneuvering room, which was really nice. I realize, as someone told me after the race, this is a ‘certified course’ which some of the more competitive runners – lots more competitive than me lol – can use for certain things, so I get that; but even so, that is just too many people to have this fairly not-so-wide trail; glad that nobody fell down or got hurt.  Other than that, everything was very nice. The park has great facilities; the after-party Scallywompus throws is always great; very nice finisher medal. Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants:  iaap for the timing and results; my friend Anthony Zamora who did his usual great job as MC; my friend Meghan who helped with the timing and also beautifully sang The National Anthem before the start; our music-and-sound man, Paul, doing his usual great job; Pushbutton Photography for the ‘official’ photos; the law enforcement officers there for our safety; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here; thank you all!

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.

Photos are here:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/YCNySCuVFscYXEbs5    

Before The Start:  My 23^rd race of 2026 was the Run To Remember 5K held on April 25^th at Mission County Park in San Antonio.  There was also a 10K and, after those races, a 0.5 ‘beer walk’ for which participants had to carry a full glass of beer; the one who finished with the fullest glass is the winner. This event was started by the “Beard vs Beans” brothers, Matthew Skinner (beard) and Miguel Martinez (beans) as a way to raise awareness and donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of San Antonio.  Each of the brothers host a race during the year “The Longest Day” event hosted by Matthew, and this one put on by Miguel.  As I remember it, the one who raises the most during his event is the winner. If ‘beard wins’ then Miguel must grow some facial hair for a while. If ‘Beans’ wins, then Matthew must eat a full plate of beans.  This is a personal cause for the brothers, having lost family members  to this disease.  This is one of my favorite events and also has personal meaning for me as I too had family members with Alzheimer’s.    I usually register for the events of the brothers as soon as the info is posted by each brother for his event.  For this one, I was REALLY early, lol, the first to register when it was announced and got Race Bib #1.  I jokingly told Miguel that, at my running pace, I sure hope he doesn’t expect my placing to match my bib number. I arrived at race site around 6:15 a.m., getting some nice parking and then enjoyed wandering around chatting with friends and other participants and getting a few pre-start photos.

On The Course:  The 10K participants started at 7:15 a.m., with the 5K following at 7:30 a.m. The temperature was 75 degrees with the humidity around 88%,  with overcast skies, so it was pretty darn warm. Per posted race results by race management company iaap, there were 55 finishers for the 10K and 314 finishers for the 5K. The course, laid out by my friend, Erik Burciaga, was really nice. Most events done at this park start on a downhill from the park pavilion area and it makes for a very crowded start and takes a while for the pack to start spreading out and settle into their paces. For this 5K, we did a short stint through the parking area in front of the pavilion area and then proceeded onto a trail from the parking lot.  This trail was pretty long and pretty roomy too, allowing participants to spread out a bit, which was nice. This meant that, by the time we got to the trails that took us alongside the river, we had plenty of maneuvering room to settle into our individual paces. This was the first used this long trail at a race before getting down to the main Riverwalk trail; and I sure wish other race companies – such as Scallywompus and Andiamo, for example, who do several races here – would use this course instead; it is so much more user-friendly and probably safer too, than sending a “bunched up” group of participants down that start hill near the pavilion area, where it takes us a while to get spread out. I really liked this course, and feedback I got from other participants after we completed the 5K was the same- wish more Race Directors would use THIS course.  We still had several hills since, after getting onto the course wit the river at our right, we pretty much used the “standard course” for events here, which took us in the direction of a bridge that crosses over the river that is the usual turn-round. With us starting differently we did not go that far, so the turn-round was a bit less distance than that bridge.   I did my usual run-8-minutes/walk-2-minutes and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks, and also got a few photos of the nice  river scenery on our right, going out, on our left going to the finish. There were two water stations on the course; thanks to the volunteers at those for us.  I was wondering how the course was going to finish since, if we went all the way back the way we’d come out, that would put us at almost 4 miles; how we finished was we went up that long hill that most races here use to start and finish. This took us back to the pavilion area; We then did a short jaunt on a sidewalk that took us back near the parking area and then made a left turn to go through the timing chute, very cool, and well thought-out. My last mile I had pretty much ran non-stop to the finish,  with just one quick stop to get a photo of some participants heading up the finish hill. I ended up with a chip time of 44:02, ending up 2^nd in my 70 – 99 males age group – there were only 4 in my age group, and 3 minutes and change behind the first person in our age group. 

After My finish:  I stood back from the start line, out of the way of the timers and the official race photographers and got a few photos of others coming into the finish, including several of my personal friends. After that I took a rest, going to sit with my friend Gilbert, who always has a post-race banana and bottle of water for me and a chair where I can sit and just wind down for a bit. After that, I began meandering around again, getting some more photos, and also found a vendor that had post-race popsicle treats…man, that tasted great, nice-and-cold and went down well on a humid day.

Epilogue:  The races of the brothers are “keeper events” for me and I try and sign up for them as soon as they are announced.  There are lots of goodies at this one too, including Kiolbassa Sausage (my personal favorite) on-a-stick; cold beer; various fruits and drinks; really nice finisher medal for all finishers and unique Beard vs Beam award medals for all those who placed. This is a dog-friendly race, but for this one I only saw one dog there, a service dog, and I did give its human a treat to give to the dog. There were even a couple of costumed characters there, including Andy Armadillo, with whom I got a photo.  On a humid day like this, that person in the costume must have been really warm.  Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants:  all the many volunteers for packet pickup; manning water stations; being course marshals; serving up the post-race goodies for us, and so forth; our “official” photographers from Pushbutton Photography; our MC and my friend, Anthony Zamora, doing his usual great job; friend Erik for this really great-and-well-thought-out course; my friends of iaap race management company, doing their great job as usual for start/finish line setup, timing, and results; the police and medical folks there for our safety; our music-and-sound guy, my friend Paul; to all the sponsors supporting this event; and, of course ; and, of course, big kudos to Miguel and Matt for creating this event.   

Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.

Photos are here:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/wwiVo412m4tv1dfu6 

Before The Start:    My 22^nd race of 2026 was the Loteria 5K held on April 19^th at McAllister Park with a start time of 9 a.m.  This event was put on by race management company iaap. This was my 2^nd 5K of the weekend after doing Our Lady of the Lake University Confetti 5K the day before this one. On Saturday afternoon and Saturday night San Antonio and several other spots along the San Antonio-Austin Corridor got some major pouring rain, making me think if this does not quit by tomorrow, this race might be called-and-postponed; however, by Sunday morning we had dry weather and some sunshine and a pretty brisk wind, with temperatures in the upper 50s. I headed over to the park, arriving around 8:20 a.m.  I noticed while going through the park, there were lots of puddles and many muddy areas, and he wind was pretty brisk, but at least it was not raining on us; we even ended up getting some sunshine too. I got my race packet and then got a few pre-start photos.  This is also a dog-friendly event, so I also handed out a few dog-treats.  

On The Course:  We started right on time   Per posted results, there were 181 finishers for the 5K; a pretty nice turn-out considering the weather we had, plus lots of other Fiesta San Antonio events scheduled, including other races. The course was on paved street and some of the paved trails at the park. We started from the Buckhorn Pavilion area – right across from the park’s lower soccer fields – and then past the baseball field that was adjacent to the soccer fields. We then went onto a paved road that would have taken us to Becken Pavilion if we had gone that far on the road. Just down from Becken Pavilion, we made a left turn onto one of the park’s off-road paved trails, where there were two volunteers at a water station. I noticed the paved trail to the left – one that would have taken us past a police substation – was totally flooded, wow. We made a right turn onto the trail and this did take us past Becken Pavilion. We crossed over a paved road here and then continued on another paved trail on the other side of the road. This part of the trail took us past another water station, and then onto a paved trail that was at the back of the lower soccer fields. I could hear our MC, Lana, on her loudspeaker announcing the arrival of the faster runners at the finish line. This trail wound us back to the paved trail where Becken Pavilion was. We passed that pavilion again, then went back to the water station, and then back onto the road we had started out on and this took us back to the finish line in reverse of the way we had come out. I pretty much ran the last mile non-stop, ignoring my garmin signaling my walk breaks, and ended up with a chip-time of 44:04, ending up first in my 70-99 males age group, and a negative split for the last mile, nice. Also, Mother Nature was kind for the last part of the race and for all the post-race activities, giving us some nice sunshine, although the wind was still blowing a bit.

After My finish:  I stood back from the start line, out of the way of the timers and the official race photographers and got a few photos of others coming into the finish, including several of my personal friends. After that, I wandered around chatting with others there; getting some post-race photo; handing out some more dog-treats and just having an enjoyable and relaxing time. There was also a costume contest – winner recognized by the most applause from the crowd and won $100 as the prize.   

Epilogue: iaap puts on some really good quality events and this one was no exception. It also was very entertaining, seeing the variety of costumes at the event. One lady was even dressed as a fruit vendor, with this big piece of designed cardboard at her back and a cardboard ‘table: at her front; how she ran so fast with that thing on amazed me, especially when we had some wind in a couple of areas; het she ran really well and she finished ahead of several people; if I remember correctly, I think she even placed in her age group. Various snacks and drinks were offered post-race; the race shirt is very nice quality; and the finisher medal all finishers got is very well done also. The course was, for the most part, very flat with just a couple of very minor up-and-down inclines; nothing you could really call a hill at all.  With all that precipitation the night before the course was well thought-out, keeping us safe and dry. I will do this one again and I certainly would recommend it to others. Mucho Gracias to all those who made this one happen for we participants:  iaap staff; all the many volunteers out there for us; our sound-and-music people; the law enforcement officers there for our safety; all the vendors/sponsors that helped make this one happen; and thanks to non-participant patrons of the park as we invaded their space for a while as they did their own thing.          
Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it safely and have much success. If you’re a fellow runner/race participant and see me at an event, give me a shout-out; love chatting with my fellow runners, and if you are so inclined, we can get a photo together for my race report I do for each of my events I sign up for. Stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy what you do. Cheers.