Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/pHEsuJdeLGwqNH9o9     

Before the Start:   My 17^th race of 2025 was Give Cancer The Boot Survivorship 5K held on Saturday,  April 5, at UT Health Mays Cancer Center in San Antonio.  This is an event celebrating survivors, so survivors get free entry to this event. The race start time was 9 a.m. It looked a bit iffy at first, as local weather forecasts call for strong winds and some rain in the morning on race day.  It did rain on race day early in the morning but by the time I arrived at the race site with friends Carolyn and dog Lucy, the rain had stopped, and we had lots of sunshine. The wind was blowing pretty steadily though, making it feel a tad chilly.  I had previously picked up my race packet at the packet pickup on Friday, so after arrival I wandered here-and-there, chatting with friends there, other participants, supporters, volunteers, etc., and got a few pre-start photos.  There was an area across from the start area that had all kinds of vendors; a massage table;  food booths, sponsor booths, and much more. There was also a film crew interviewing survivors; they did an interview with me and also with a few of my survivor friends. Also happening before the start was a dancing exhibition by Folklorico Dancers; and Rowdy Roadrunner of UTSA showed up, so I made sure to get a photo with him as I am a UTSA staff member with just over 28 years’ service.  Rowdy and I go back a long way, lol. Sparky the Fire Dog was there too, so I also got a photo with this ‘fellow dog’, lol.  Lots going on before the start, which was nice.

On the course:  Prior to the main event, there was a Kid’s Run, so we cheered them on.  The National Anthem was played and then we 5K folks lined up for our start. At packet pickup, my friend Scott, co-owner of Athlete Guild, had told me there were 1200 registered so far. However, after we finished, I saw the results listed the total finishers at 552, so maybe some did it virtually, or ‘ducked out’ due to the weather forecast predicting rain and lots of wind. Well, we did have a windy outing, but no rain at all;  “abundant sunshine” as some forecasters say, with a temp of 63 degrees.  I did my usual run/walk thing – can’t run nonstop anymore due to spinal arthritis – and took on-course photos during my walk breaks. I felt pretty good the whole way, and ended up running most of the last mile non-stop. There were 7 in my 70-99 males age group. I ended up 3^rd with a chip time of 40:48, averaging 13:08 with my run/walk method and photo stops along the way, and I met my two primary race goals:  finish standing up, and no ambulance waiting specifically for me, lol. 

After My Finish: A volunteer handed me my finisher medal, and then I stood  a short ways up from the finish timing mat and got a few photos of others finishing, including a few personal friends.  I then got some post-race water and also ate a banana, and then began wandering around again – good doggie that I am, lol; we loose doggies always wander around, right?  – and got some post-race photos of happy finishers, supporters, volunteers, friends, some of the Athlete Guild folks, etc.  I usually stay quite a while after I finish as I interact with othes. 

Epilogue:   This is one of my favorite events of the year and it is really cool and very special to interact with other survivors and share with each other our particular stories.  I know and appreciate that our families and friends give/or have given great support to we survivors and that is SO helpful; but, really, if you have not personally experienced cancer – and I hope you never do – you can’t truly understand what a patient goes through in dealing with his/her emotions; the worries about if this treatment will work; the nervousness of having a recurrence; dealing with the side-effects, which sometimes can be long-lasting – I still have side effects from my 2021/2022 prostate cancer – and so forth. I am retired military so my treatments were at BAMC, and the medical people at BAMC literally saved my life; and I bet survivors of the UT-Health System feel the same way about their teams. God bless the medical folks there for us.

My next event after this one will be pretty quick.  On my race schedule: Get Your Rear in Gear 5K, April 6^th at Morgan’s Wonderland.  This one is for Colon Cancer Awareness and support. I always try do to this one every year too, as this was my first cancer way back when.  Thankfully it was caught so early I had a pretty easy time of it, but I am on a schedule that has me now getting a colonoscopy every 3 years; oh yay, lol, it’s so nice drinking that tasty prep stuff; even so, better safe than sorry! Much thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants; primary sponsors UT Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center, and all the other sponsors for us, listed on the back of the shirt (I have a photo in my race report listing them all); Athlete Guild for the course setup, timing, and results;  all the many volunteers and vendors out there for us, as well as the law enforcement officers out there for our safety; our MC, my friend Anthony Zamora; and our Music-and-Sound Man,, my friend, Paul; both of them doing their usual great job; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all! Hope to see you sometime at a future event