Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hCEPtcPeSvZgK6wa9

Before The Start:   My 53^rd race of 2022 was the Harp and Shamrock 5K, which had originally been scheduled in March 2021, but the Pandemic pushed it back a couple of time and those of us who kept our original registration finally got do to this event on October 29, 2022.  Event was held at Southside Lions Park East. RunSignUp showed 114 participants registered. Results for actual race day showed 58 total participants finishing.  With a start time of 8:30 a.m. I got to sleep in a tad more and arrived at the race site around 7:30 a.m. on a brisk morning.  Temperature was in the mid-50s. I picked up my race packet, got myself ‘arranged’ and then got a few pre-start photos. Lots of people there that I personally knew, so this event was like a really nice ‘get-together’ of family members and friends, something nice about doing these less-populated races at times.

On The Course: For those familiar with this park, for this one we did not start and finish at the main pavilion.  We started and finished at the pavilion closer to the park’s playground and indoor-restroom building. We went along the park’s paved trail for a bit, then crossed a park road, proceeded across a bridge in the park, and then headed for our turn-round point, which was on a trail that would have eventually taken us to Comanche County Park if we had stayed on that trail.  We came back the way we had come out from the start, with the exception that this time when we went back onto the trail that circles the park’s nice man-made lake, we made a left turn and went on a trail that gave us a nice view of the park lake – which I stupidly did not take photos of, duhh…I think mainly because I could ‘smell finish line” now and just kept going  until I was done..  I passed by the park’s main pavilion on our right and then after a slight curve in the trail, there was the finish line ahead.  My friend Terri came out to run in with me a bit and then went back again to run in another friend, so nice of her.  After she left, my very speedy friend Sammy – who had finished way ahead of me, lol –  ran in with me, veering of just right before I crossed the finish line. I ended up 6^th out of 7 in my 60 – 69 males age group, chip time 40:12, and I had negative splits too, nice.

After My Finish:  Got a banana post-race, did a short cool-down walk as I ate that and drank some water, and then I enjoyed a post-race Guinness; I don’t know which ‘flavor’ it was, but dang that thing was really good; going to have to get some of that. Of course, as I usually do, I also wandered around chatting with other participants and friends and getting some post-race photos. This was a smaller event, but a very enjoyable and fun one. 

Epilogue: Very nicely done, and I much like this course a lot better than the one usually used, that brings us back exactly the way we had come out.  With this course, you get to see a bit more of the park and also have a nice lake view. Very nice quality race shirt for participants, and a small, nicely designed finisher medal to all finishers.  There was also a post-race raffle – I didn’t win a thing, darn the luck – and some nice post-race goodies too.  Some of the volunteers were also in various costumes too. Very nice weather for this one too – a bit brisk before we started, but once we got going, very nice, cooler with less humidity.  One of my favorite events, from the time when this event used to be done in Brackenridge Park and always had a huge turnout.  Hope this one grows again for next year, it really is an enjoyable one. Mucho thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers, organizers, park police out there for us, Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas that puts this one on, and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here  Thank you all, so very much!