Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:        https://photos.app.goo.gl/knysCErH7d4c4dY68

Before The Start: My 36^th race of 2026 was the Cerveza 5K held on Sunday, June 28, 2026 at Mission County Park.  This was my 2^nd race of the weekend, after doing the Big Red and Barbacoa 5K at Comanche Park on June 27^th.  Race start time was 7:30 a.m. with the course being the San Antonio Riverwalk paved trails near the park. Per the results posted by race management company iaap that did the timing and results for the 5K, there were 448 finishers; 172 males and 276 females. The largest age group was 40-49 females, with 53 participants. I arrived at the park with just over an hour to start time, got my packet and then got some pre-start photos. I saw at this event several of my friends who, like me,  had also done the Barbacoa and Big Red 5K. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I handed out some dog treats too, and was very popular with the dogs there, lol. Prior to the start of the main event, there was a Kids Run, and a pre-start warmup and the playing of The National Anthem.

On The Course:  I knew I would not be placing today because of 2 reasons:  (1) I saw several of my speedy friends at this event who are in my age group and (2) Andiamo only gives age group awards to the overall male and female winners and the Top Finisher in each age group; I don’t remember the reason why they do that for each age group, but no big deal for me; at my pretty sedate running pace, lol, I usually just run against myself and my previous times. We got started right on time. This is a VERY hilly course. The flattest part of this course is when you cross the the timing matt and then again when you get to a flat part of the course just before the 5K turn-round and then after you cross the finish line. Right after we went through the timing area, we immediately made a left turn and right off the bat went down a hill. We then had a level part of the course for maybe 50 yards and then began climbing uphill. I did my usual thing of run-8-minutes/walk 2 minutes, since with my spinal arthritis, I can’t run a whole 5K non-stop anymore,  and took some photos during my walk breaks. On the way to the turn-round, we had some nice views of the river on our right, and on our left on the way back to the finish. We also went beneath several very tall bridges – 3, if I remember correctly – that had active vehicle traffic going over them at times. One of our longest climbs was the hill that took us up past a water station. After passing the water station, we then went down a very long hill that took us underneath a very high bridge and then a long downhill that took us onto a flat part of the course – mabye about ¼ mile that took us to the 5K turn-round by a bridge that crossed the river. We did not cross over the bridge; the turn-round was in front of the bridge. After that, we then went back to the finish in reverse of the way we had come out -with the river now on our left – and we now had to climb up to that bridge we went under on the way out, and then back up to the water station; this was the longest hill on the course.  With this many participants it did get a bit crowded at various spots, and as usual for the San Antonio public parks, it was also open to other users – walkers, other runners, and cyclists – who were not race participants, but from where I was at any given moment, I never saw anyone get impeded;  everyone out there was mostly really good about it, calling out when bikes were back; making way for faster runners along the course, and so forth. I’ve been doing training runs, where I’ve been practicing running non-stop most of the last half of a 5K course and I mostly did that for this event, with just a few really quick photo stops for less than a minute, and then was running again. Finally saw the start/finish area and ran up that hill non-stop and crossed the finish line, ending up with a chip-time of 43:54, averaging 14:08 per mile, with, per my Garmin,  splits of 13:56 (Mile 1), 14:23 (Mile 2) and 13:22 (Mile 3). I ended up 7^th out of 9 in my 70-99 males age group and, LOL, met my 2 primary race goals: Finish Standing Up and no ambulance specifically waiting for me.      

After My Finish: I stood near the finish line – away from the timing devices – and got some photos of others finishing, including some personal friends. After that, I got some water and then went and sat in my vehicle for a while with the a/c on full blast, lol, for about 5-10 minutes as I rehydrated; ahhh, that felt much better.  After that, back to the race area, where I enjoyed a banana and a tasty electrolyte drink, and wandered here-and-there  getting some post-race photos of other finishers, supporters, vendors, etc., and handing out some more dog treats. There were all kinds of post-race goodies; tacos, palettas (popsicles), some kind of fresh-squeezed lemon-ade drink, and lots more. One lady did the 5K dressed in a white “wedding-type” outfit as she and her husband were celebrating their 30^th anniversary on this race day;  I saw her on the course and she was running pretty good too in that outfit; she went zipping right by me, lol, and finished way ahead of me. Congrats to her and her husband, who also ran the 5K.

Epilogue:   Andiamo does put on some good events and all finishers get a really nice finisher medal.  The race shirt is really nice quality and “clean” – no sponsors listed on the back of it.  The course, as noted, is challenging, but also rewarding as you really do get some very scenic views or the river and surrounding area, unlike some of the city parks where riverbeds or creek beds tend to be pretty dry.  From what I personally saw, the race-day packet pickup crew was very efficient; the volunteers were all great; and our MC not only did a great job announcing for us, she also ran the 5K herself, and then continued her MC duties after.  Nice to have actual indoor restrooms – there were 2 sets, one on each side of the park’s pavilion – and there was this ‘photo thing’ where you stood on a platform and the camera circled around you; it made me dizzy just watching that darn thing, lol. Mucho thanks to ALL who helped make this one happen for we participants:  all the Andiamo staff members and the many volunteers there; our MC who did a great job for us; the law enforcement folks there for our safety, as well as the medical folks – and that poor-guy EMT who had to cycle up-and-down that hilly course, bet he got a workout too; all the race sponsors, of course, helping to make this event happen for us; 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/pPsQy7ehTkkQW3ZG7

Before The Start:   My 35^th race of 2026 was the Big Red and Barbacoa 5K held on June 27^th at Comanche Park in San Antonio, with a start time of 8 a.m. The company partnered with my friends of iaap that did the course set-up, timing and results. There was a total of 453 finishers for this event, 172 males and 276 females.  There was also a Kids Run before the start of the main event. It was a warm-and-sticky day for this one with a temp at start time of 76 degrees and humidity at 88 percent; sunshine, and very little wind at all. I arrived at the race venue with just over an hour to go until start time.  I’d picked up my race packet on Thursday so after arriving I wandered here-and-there chattinng with friends, volunteeers, and other participants and getting a some pre-start photos. This is a dog-friendly event so I also handed out some treats to the doggies there.

On The Course: We started about 10 minutes late.  There are primarily two different routes that can be used for races here. One takes you to the left, which is pretty darn hilly, and you end up going down a long hill, then across a bridge and then up a pretty steep hill that takes you under an overpass on your way to the turn-round; and then you have to do go back to the finish in reverse, which makes for a darn long uphill climb, before you finally reach level ground and go to the finish. The other course takes a right turn out of the start chute and then a left turn onto a trail that goes past a parking lot on the right. This trail has much more relatively “flat” parts than the other course does, so I was happy that after the start we turned right and did the course on this trail, as this is my personal preferred course for this park. I did my usual run/walk thing of 8-min-run/2-min-walk and took some photos during my walk breaks.  We crossed over two bridges on this course; the one closest to the start/finish was pretty stable and hardly shook at all.  The second one we did, which was closer to the turn-round was pretty darn shaky, especially when several people are on the bridge at one time; good grief. I’ve never understood why the engineers who help build these parks can’t figure out how to ‘stabilize’ the park bridges; gee, they ARE professional engineers, right? You’d think they’d figure something out, good grief; maybe it has something to do with how much that would probably cost. Anyway….I felt pretty good the whole way – except for the few minutes on that one darn shaky bridge, lol.  There was a downhill – not very steep at all though and not nearly as long or as steep as the one on that OTHER course – on the way to the turn-round and when we got to the turn-round we then, of course, went uphill, but it went pretty quick, and then we pretty much had a fairly flat course all the way back to the finish, with just some vey mild inclines – nothing you could really call a hill –  including one very short one as we went back to the finish.  With about maybe ¼ of a mile to go, I fell into place beside a young lady and we pretty much stayed with each other to the finish; she momentarily stopped to walk a bit and I got slightly ahead of her, but she soon caught up to me and we were neck-and-neck right near the finish line, until she just edged me out, finishing about  3 – 5 seconds ahead of me, good for her, and that was kind of fun; got photo with her after we finished.    My age group was 70-99 male. Since I had seen 3 of my speedy friends there – all in my age group, I knew I was not placing today, lol. I ended up with a chip time of 43:54, averaging 14:08 per mile. Per my Garmin, my mile times were 13:19 for Mile 1: 14:18 for Mile 2: and 13:43 for Mile 3, ending up 7th out of the 9 participants in my age group.

After My Finish: I stood near the finish line – away from the timing devices – and got some photos of others finishing, including some personal friends. After that, I got some water and then went and sat in my vehicle for a while with the a/c on full blast, lol, for about 5-10 minutes as I rehydrated; ahhh, that felt much better.  After that, back to the race area, where I enjoyed a banana and a tasty electrolyte drink, and wandered here-and-there  getting some post-race photos of other finishers, supporters, vendors, etc. I did not get to enjoy any Big Red or Barbacoa, as I don’t drink soda anymore and, because of stomach issue side effects from one of the cancers I had, the “spiciest” thing I am allowed to eat is….plain yellow mustard; nothing spicier than that.

Epilogue:  This is a really nicely done event – in spite of that humidity, lol – with a very nice finisher medal to all finishers and a very nice quality race shirt; there were lots of post-race goodies; they even had palettas (popsicles) of various flavors and those I can have, lol, so I enjoyed a cold one post-race and I also had this very good electrolyte drink – forgot the name of it – which was pretty tasty. Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants: iaap for the course setup, timing, and results; all the race day volunteers out there for us; our MC – whom I’ve known for a while, but his name went right out of my idiot-old-man-brain; the law enforcement officers there for our safety; all the race sponsors of course; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all so much.  Oh, also, as the park, during races, is still open to the general public – other runners, cyclists, etc – thanks to them too for their patience as we participants invaded their space for quite a 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/jhh2ANjJsU8jKDKt7

Before The Start:   My 34^th race of 2026 was the Big Kahuna 5K held on June 20^th at Southside Lions Park. There was also a Kids Run and a 10K. Posted race start time was 7 a.m., but that was changed to 7:30 a.m., as part of the 10K course was flooded due to heavy rain the night before the event, so race folks had to check that out for safety reasons. The result was part of the 10K course was impassable so the 10K participants ended up doing 2 laps on the 5K course.  I had picked up my race packet the day before the even so upon arrival I found some parking – which took a while as this event was sold out.  I found a spot about a 10 minute walk away from the start/finish area, which was nice, and  after getting to the pavilion where everthing was happening, I  wandered here-and-there, getting a few few pre-start photos and chatting with race day volunteers, friends, and supporters of particicipants. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I handed out a few dog treats too.   

On The Course:  Before the main events started, there was a Kids Run.  After that, since the 10K folks had to do 2 laps of the 5K course, they started about 5 minutes before the 5K folks started to spread all the participants out a bit, which was nice  for this one, so that staggered start between the events at least got we participants spred out a bit on the course., which was helpful, as per RunSignUp, 556 total participants were resgistered; however, after the 5K one of the Bigfoot volunteers who was tabulating the results told me there was a total of 400+ showing in the results for 10K and 5K, so I guess there were some no-shows for the race. We did get a few sprinkles of rain  and no downpours on us at all, thankfully. It was pretty humid though, with a temp at start time of 74 degrees, no wind and humidity at a whopping 83%.  I did my usual run/walk thing and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. It had rained pretty heavily the night before this event, so there were some muddy areas on the course, as well as some small puddles of standing water. The course was done on the paved off-road trails of the park. The first part of the course was pretty flat, with just a couple of mild inclines, nothing you could really call a hill. The first part of the route took us on an off-road paved trail heading in the direction of the lake that is adjacent to the park. At about the ½ mile point, we crossed over a park road and this took us on another set of paved trails that headed us in the direction of Comanche Park on Rigsby Road.  We did not go all the way to that park, but the route took us underneath an overpass; then down a hill, and over a stone bridge – and we could see the creek bed water was VERY high and swift-moving – and after the bridge we then made a left turn and went up a very long and fairly steep hill – not as steep as, say, the hills in Hilotes or Eisenhower Park, but still a pretty good climb – to get to the 5K turn-round point. After making the turn-round, we then went back to the finish in reverse of the way we had come out. I took a couple of quick photo stops on the way back to the finish, but for the most part ran the return-to-the-finish half of the 5K non-stop.  Per my Garmin, I ended up with a finish time of 45:32, averaging 14:30 per mile and my last mile was a negative split. This was good enough for me to finish first in my age group; however, when I checked the race results on RunSignUp website, it noted that my name – I register as Scotty Dogg – and results could not be found, so don’t know what’s up with that. One of the volunteers at the race did look me up on her phone in the results and she told me my chip-time finish was 44: 18, so don’t know why I’m not in the RunSignUp results, but no big deal.

After My Finish: I did a short cool-down walk and got some hydration into me. After that, I enjoyed wandering here-and-there, chatting with participants, supporters, volunteers, handing out some more dog treats, and getting some after-photos. It was still very humid, but Mother Nature was kind and did not pour rain on us.  About all we had was just a few light sprinkles off-and-on. Finally it was time to head out. I tend to stay quite a while at the race-site post race, which is okay because then, by the time I leave, most people have already left, so very little traffic to deal with when getting out of the park.  Also nice to be a veteran, as JBSA Fort Sam Houston is not that far of a drive from the park, so I was able to go to the gym and take nice relaxing shower and get into some dry, clean clothes and not have to drive home all soggy-sweaty, very nice.   

Epilogue: This was a really nicely organized event by the Bigfoot folks and all their volunteers. Packet pickup the day before the race was a breeze, it took me a total time of less than an hour to get down there, get my packet and then get back home, probably because it was Juneteenth Day, a holiday in San Antonio, so there was very little ‘rush hour’ traffic out. The race route is very nicely thought out and can accommodate a lot of participants. The race shirt is very good quality and the finisher medal all finishers receive is really nicely done. I would certainly do this one again and would recommend it to others.    
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/soKsZZ7sFnW5QxVF7

Before The Start:  My 33^rd race of 2026 was the Texas Sun Showdown 5K held on Sunday, June 14^th at McAllister Park in San Antonio. This event included a half marathon, team relay events (2-person and 4-person teams, if I remember correctly), and the 5K.  The half marathoners started first, followed by the relay teams, and then the 5K was the last to start. This event was put on by e-Dragon Productions. The timing and ressults were done by iaap, a top-notch San Antonio-based race management company. Per iaap results, there were 144 finishers for the 5K; 44 finishers for the half-marathon; 18 teams for the 4-person half-marathon relay (72 total participants); and 7 teams for the 2-person half-marathon relay (14 total individuals), so a very nice turn-out for this one.

On The Course:  All event courses were on the park’s paved roads and paved off-road trails. Because of some rain the day and night before, the start times were delayed a bit as the course was checked for standing water and other possible course impediments (debris, etc).  For the majority of the event, we did have a pretty clear day with bright sunshine, a temperature of 78 degrees, and due to the possible threat of more rain, the humidity was a whopping 90%, making it feel VERY muggy for this event. The park roads and trails for the most part, thankfully, do have a lot of shade cover so that helped a bit. e-Dragon folks and race volunteers had marked in chalk the various paths to be taken for each event.  I did my usual thing of 8-minutes-run/2 minutes walk and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks.  The 5K marked directions were pretty easy to follow, as we basically just made a big loop through the park.   The 5K route took us from the start past some soccer fields on our right, then past a youth baseball stadium. We then went straight up an asphalt park road heading in the direction of Becken Pavilion. Just past Mile 1, we made a left turn onto a paved trail that looped through some woods on either side and then took us near a police sub-station adjacent to the park.  This trail eventually did take us past Becken Pavilion. We went by that and then crossed an asphalt park road, going by a water station on the course, and then back onto an off-road paved trail just past the water station. This trail looped us through the park a bit, eventually taking us onto a trail that put the lower soccer fields on our left. After following this trail, we came out onto the first paved road we had gone onto after the start. We made a left turn on this road, and then went back to the start line in reverse of the way we had come out, passing by the baseball field and soccer fields again and then into the finish chute.  I ended up with a chip-time finish of 43:40 averaging a 14:03 pace, and ended up 3^rd in my 70-99 males age group, as there were only 3 in my age group, lol.  I’ll take it. 

After My Finish: I got my finisher medal and then stood well back from the finish line so as not to interfere with other race participants – especially the relay folks who were making the baton exchanges as they came into the finish area and got a few photos of others finishing and got a few more photos in that area. I then wandered here-and-there, chatting with other participants, volunteers, supporters, etc, and got a few after-photos.   There was also some very nice post-race goodies, including 2 types of beer, and also pulled-pork sandwiches, which were pretty good.  I can’t drink alcohol anymore (darn cancer side-effects I am still dealing with), but the Shiner Bock folks there had a really good non-alcoholic beer and, wow, that stuff really does taste like actual beer, very nice.

Epilogue:  This is a well-done event put on by e-Dragon Productions – and their second one of the weekend too, as they also oversaw The Longest Day 5K that I did on Saturday, the day before this one. Kristine Burciaga, if I remember correctly, served as Race Director for both, and did a great job with each. All the many volunteers there also did a great job for we participants; from what I saw, race-day packet pickup went pretty smoothly; the Awards ceremonies for each event were nicely done; and lots of post-race goodies from the sponsors and vendors. The finisher medal with ribbon is huge and very nicely done, and the race shirt is really nice quality. Our MC, Anthony Zamora did his usual great job for us, as did iaap and all the many volunteers there. Also, thanks to the law enforcement officer out there for our safety; and, as the park was still open to all park users, including non-participants, thanks to the non-racing patrons for their patience as we participants invaded the park for quite a while.  Iaap, as usual, also did a great job for us. Thanks, also to any others involved that I may not have mentioned here.

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/PQYusjRgbgFp374X8  

Before The Start:  My 32^nd race of 2026 was The Longest Day 5K, held on June 13 at Comanche Park in San Antonio, Texas.  There was also a 10K and a 0.5K beer run. This event, started as a friendly rivalry between brothers Matthew “Beard” Skinner and Miguel “Beans” Martinez as a way to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research to help find a cure.  It’s personal for them.  The event was inspired by their grandmother, Elvia Gonzalez, who battled Alzheimer’s for over 20 years. Each puts on a race – “The Longest Day” for Matt and  “Run To Remember” for Miguel.  Whichever brother’s race raises the most funds, then the other brother has to overcome some type of challenge set by the brother whose event raised the most funds.  All proceeds from each event go to support the cause. This is a very popular event that has grown quite a bit over the years.  I try to do each of their events every year, as I have family members who dealt with Alzheimer’s.  They usually get a nice turn-out for this race, which has grown over the years.  Per the posted results of race management company iaapThere were 198 finishers for the 5K and 67 finishers for the 10K. The 0.5K Beer Run after the main events, was a ‘fun run’ with the winner being the one who spilled the least amount of beer while running or walking with a full glass of beer.  I had picked up my packet the day before the event so after arriving at the race site I wandered around chatting with participants and supporters; handed out some treats to dogs there, as this is a dog-friendly event; and got some pre-start photos.

On The Course:   For this one, it was a bright, sunny day, with a temp at start time of 78 degrees with the humidity at 83%.  It did ‘spit’ rain on us for all of about a minute or so, and then stopped. The start time of The 10K participants started first a 0730, with the 5K starting after them at 0735. The course started on pavement as we made a loop through the parking area and then proceeded onto the off-road greenway paved trails at the park. I did my usual thing of 8-min-run/2-min-walk and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. The start of the course was fairly flat for about the first ½ mile or so, and then we went on a long downhill on the way to our turn-round points. After that downhill, we then crossed a short bridge with a view of Salado Creek that flows through some of the park. After that bridge we then had a pretty good uphill climb, then went underneath an overpass and had another pretty good climb that leveled out as we neared a water station on the course. After the water station, we then had a downhill to the 5K turn-round point.  The 10K participants, of course, had a longer downhill to their turn-round point as they were going farther than we 5K participants.  After the turn-round we then did the course in reverse, which meant that long downhill we did to get to the bridge on the way to the turn-round point was now a long uphill for all participants, 5K and 10K. After finally cresting this hill, we then had flat trail ahead of us. We passed by a couple of course marshals and that put us on the trail on which we had first come out  We did not do the loop around the parking lot that we had done at the start. We went in that direction but instead of looping through the parking area, we made a right turn near another course marshal, and then proceeded along the outer edge of this parking area and that took us to a right turn where we then headed for the finish, and then made a left turn that took us to the finish line. Whew!  Per iaap results, I finished with a chip time of 43:26 averaging 13:59 per mile, and I was dead last, lol, out of the 5 in my age group, which is okay; at my age I made my 2 primary goals for every race I do: finish standing up, with no medics waiting specifically for me.

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 of some friends and other participants who had finished, including my friend Sandy, who did the 1OK on her 80^th birthday; wow,  impressive and awesome  She and I got a photo togther and she jokingly told me “We sure have been doing this a long time, haven’t we?”  lol.  Yes we have; her a little longer than me as I’m 72. She rocks.  

Epilogue:  The two brothers are awesome, putting on these events for such a good cause. They have a lot of fun with these events and always keep their sense of humor. I’m curious not to see which brother will win the challenge and what the other brother will have to do.  These two are, lol, very inventive in tasking the losing brother with a unique challenge. These races put on by Matt and Miguel are very well done, and will always be on my race calender each year. Very nice finisher medal to all finishers; lots of post-race goodies, including water; beer; various fruits; grilled sausages; and more. The race shirt is very nice quality, although I did not request one, as I have done so many races over the years – I started my running life on April 15, 1983 – I am running out of drawer space, lol. I did wear a past Run To Remember 5K shirt for this one, which displays Miguel and Matt on the front of it.

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen: Matt and Miguel for starting this and making it happen each year, along with all their many volunteers and race sponsors;  iaap for doing the timing and results; the official photographers out there for us; law enforcement officers there for our safety; and, as this course was still open to non-participants who were doing their own thing in the park, thanks for their patience as we invaded their space for a while; also big thanks to e-Dragon Productions, who did their usual great job with course route selection, and keeping us all informed; also thanks to our MC whom, if I rememer correctly was friend Tony; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Also, special thanks to my friend, Stephanie aka Super Volunteer, who is a volunteer each year at more races than I run in a year; she is awesome; and to 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/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.