Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/WTgmLhUvNCifvQSs5

Before the start:   My 21^st race of 20024 was the Life Is Good 5K, held on April 13^th at the River City Community Church in Selma, Texas. There was also a 10K and a Kids Run. This event supports the Pregnancy Care Center, an organization that provides assistance to women with unplanned pregnancies.  You can find all their information at their website via a search of the organization name. This event also was the Charysse Solorio Memorial Run for my friend, and friend of many in the running community, who sadly passed away recently from her cancer. She worked with the Pregnancy Care Center. She and I were treated at about the same time for each of our respective cancers and often gave support to each other via FB, etc.  She was one of the nicest, kindest people I have ever met and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.  Start time of 8:15 a.m.  I arrived about an hour before start time, got my packet, and then got a few pre-start photos as I enjoyed chatting with volunteers, the timing crew, sponsors, other participants, etc. The event was managed by Soler Sports, owned by my friend Lisa Soler, with iaap, a top-notch local race management company helping to lay out the course and doing the timing and results. My very strong-runner friend, Tony Garcia, was also there helping Lisa out with the event. Our MC was my friend, Anthony Zamora, who is not too shabby a runner either.

On the course:  The event started and finished in a concession stand area near the stadium that is located on the grounds. Prior to the church taking over this property, it used to be a venue for concerts, and other events.  I recall a few years back attending an Aerosmith rock concert at this stadium when it was Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The church’s campus is pretty large, with 100 acres.  The route for the 5K was one loop around the grounds – mostly parking lot and road areas – and the 10K was 2 loops on the grounds. I started out running with my friend, Chris, but when my watch beeped for my first walk break, she surged on ahead and I never caught back up to her after that, although, since we did some out-and-backs, I was able to see her a few more times and cheer her on.  We started on a downhill and then the course was mostly flat, as we did a few out-and-backs, went past some of the stable areas and outside pens of Retama Park, San Antonio’s horse racing stadium, and then finished up by going behind some of the buildings near the amphitheater – which took us up a short hill –  and then coming back to the start/finish in reverse of the direction we had started.  For what they had to work with – mainly parking lots – the race folks did a good job of laying out a course for we participants.  I ended up with a chip time of 36:53, averaging 11:53 per mile, and was first in my 70-99 males age group, mainly because I was the only one in my age group, lol. 

 After my finish:  Got some water, and the race also had post-race breakfast tacos, so enjoyed one of those, and also wandered around getting some post-race photos and chatting with other participants, friends there, supporters, some of the sponsors, etc. . My friend, Woody, did the 10K and won his age group, and I thought it was funny, lol, that his 10K finish time was faster than my 5k finish time. Woody is definitely a strong runner.

Epilogue:  This is a really nice event for a great cause; just wish Charysse could have been with us, she really loved this event; may she rest in peace. Sometimes when I am on social media, I still stupidly keep checking for her name-and-posts before it hits me again that she is not with us anymore. She will always be missed by many in our running community. The course, as noted, was nicely laid out, and with the huge campus grounds we all had plenty of maneuvering room, that’s for sure. I had a lot of fun with this one, and even give treats to a couple of dogs, lol. As we headed to Mile 2, there were these 2 dogs out in a fenced in-area where there were some supply buildings – they were not chained or anything like that and had plenty of room to roam in the big yard they were in – barking at all the participants passing by.  They barked at me too until I took treats out of my pocket and then they were SO friendly, lol, and each one gently took one from my hand, and then I was off and running again.  I would definitely do this one again and would recommend it to others . Very nice quality race shirt; huge finisher medals and award medals – given to first overall in each age group – an a nice array of post-race goodies, with breakfast tacos, coffee (for me personally, coffee…yuk, lol), and other items.  Mucho thanks to all the ones who made this happen for we participants, including Tony; Lisa; our MC Anthony; Pushbutton Photograph, the official photographers; Pregnancy Care Center staff members; all the sponsors that helped make this one happen; iaap; all the many race-day volunteers; and anyone one else involved that I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much!  OK, nap time for me, lol; I have another race scheduled the day after this one.