https://photos.app.goo.gl/EM9q1ZJt2xLWAaPD7

Before The Start:   My 36^th race of 2022 was the Schertz Jubilee 5K held on the 4^th of July, 9:15 a.m., in Schertz, Texas.  This was my 3^rd 5K of the 4^th of July weekend, after doing a 5K on Saturday and one on Sunday. The late start time for this one allowed me to sleep in a little longer, with me arriving at the race site about 40 minutes before start time.  Having previously picked up my race packet, I spent the time before the start chatting with friends and other participants and getting some pre-start photos.  San Antonio – which is known as Military City – has several 4^th of July events around the local area, including races; considering that, this one got a pretty nice turn-out with 188 finishers, runners and walkers.  Course set-up, timing and results done by top-notch race management company, Athlete Guild.

On The Course:  The course is a loop course, starting near the city’s community center and going along the city’s 4^th of July parade route. Many parade spectators were already positioned along the route.  We began the 5K before the parade started, running in front of hundreds of cheering spectators. Pretty cool.  As this was my 3^rd race of the weekend, I mainly just took it easy for this one, chatting with spectators along the way and, with a pocketful of dog treats, stopping on occasion to hand give a treat to each doggie I saw – with the permission of its human, of course. The humans thought this was quite humorous and lots of laughs and nice chats ensued along my way. After leaving the two primary streets the parade would be on, we entered a really nice neighborhood with wide streets and lots of shade. Texas July 4^th can get pretty warm – 81 degrees at start time – but a lot of cloud cover and a pretty nice-blowing wind made it actually feel not too bad at all. I ended up running into the finish with a fellow veteran and his grandson, finishing with a chip time of 43:05, averaging 13:52 per mile. I was dead last out of the 4 people in my 65-69 Males age group, and thoroughly enjoyed myself on the course; lots of interaction fun with the crowd and other participants.

After My Finish:  First, a cool-down-walk. After that, enjoyed a banana and some water and Gatorade Zero to rehydrate a bit.  I then got some post-race photos of happy finishers, supporters, Team Athlete Guild, etc. Very nice quality race shirt.  There were also some very festive participants, decked out in various holiday attire. Dog-friendly 5K too; I saw a couple of dogs on the course.

Epilogue: This isa fun event which I have done in the past and will continue to do.  Yes, a later start than most 4^th of July races, but going along that parade route is quite a rush and a lot of fun. Lots and lots of smiles at this one.  Post-race goodies included hot dogs, various fruits and other treats, and more. Our MC, Mark Purnell – in my opinion the top race MC for our local races and beyond; he MCs quite a variety of events – did his usual great job, as did the Athlete Guild Team. All the volunteers too were great.  Thank you to all who were involved in making this event happen for we participants: sponsors; Athlete Guild; Mark, and his dad John, who started this one way back when; all the police officers, EMTs, and firefighters who were out there for our safety; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all!