Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y8bdtMRp99LDj6f16
Before the Start: My 18th race was the Get Your Rear In Gear 5K held on Sunday, April 6th at Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio. This was my 2nd cancer 5K event of the weekend, after doing Give Cancer The Boot 5K on Saturday, April 5th. Put on by the Cancer Coalition of Santonio. With headquarters in Minnesota, the Cancer Coalition, via several satellite locations, such as San Antonio, has a mission to raise awareness about colorectal cancer, doing this primarily via its Get Your Rear In Gear 5K which is held in several US cities over the year at various dates and times. The 5k main event start time was 8 a.m., with race day registration and packet pickup starting at 6:30 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony and then a Kids Run at 7:50 a.m. I arrived around 6:45 a.m., got my race packet, and then got a few pre-start photos.
On the course: The event started right on time. The weather for his one was a bit different than my Saturday morning 5K, which had lots of sunshine, a temp of 62 degrees, and just some wind in certain places along the course. This is Texas, so the weather can change hourly, lol. On Sunday morning in the San Antonio area, we woke up to temperatures in the low 40s, with a “feels like’ temp of 39 degrees, and a very strong-blowing wind. BRRRR! Thankfully, we did have a lot of sunshine and at various points along the course, the wind actually remained fairly calm. The start and finish was in front of the Morgan’s Sports Complex, across the street from the main Morgan’s Wonderland Park, and nearby to Heroes Stadium. This was primarily a loop course, with one out-and-back part on the course. The first mile took us out of the start area and then down to Morgan’s Wonderland Park, where did a loop around the man-made lake in the park. We then exited the park, went back the way we had come out, and then turned onto a road that took us toward Morgan’s Wonderlands MAC (Mult-Assistance Center) which helps those with various disabilities and special needs. After passing the MAC, we then went past Heroes Stadium on our left, crossed over an intersecting street and the went onto an access road that has a fairly steep hill that intersect with the Wurzbach Parkway. Thankfully, we had a turn-around before that steep hill, thank goodness. We then proceeded back the way we had come out and then turned into the parking area of Heroes Stadium. After doing a short jaunt through this, we then were back on the road going in the direction of that Wurzbach Parkway intersecting road; however, at the intersection, we made a right turn, taking us onto a road going behind Heroes Stadium. This road was our last half-mile of the course that took us back to the finish line. I ended up with a chip time finish of 40:59, averaging a 13:12 per mile pace with my run/walk method, and also stopping on a couple of extra times to take some photos. I was first in my age group, primarily, lol, because I was the only one in my 70 to 79 males age group, lol. I’ll take it.
After My Finish: Got some water, did a short cool-down walk, and then wandered here-and-there, chatting with other participants, volunteers, supporters, and getting some post-race photos. There was quite a lot going on with the awards ceremony, various types of goodies, lots of photo-taking, and more. There was also a table where survivors could get a grab-bag of goodies that included things like a big cookie, small plants, and more. Nicely done.
Epilogue: This is one of my ‘Always Do’ events, as colon cancer was my first cancer – at age 29 – out of the three I’ve dealt with. Thankfully, I was VERY lucky because it got caught so very early, thanks to a relative who advised me to get tested; so I ended up needing very little procedures; all I required was a local excision, thank goodness. This was found the same year I started my running life, so I have this ‘superstition’ that as long as I keep running I will not have a recurrence; thus, I took all my running shirts and had a print shop put on the front-and-back “I BEAT CANCER. NEVER GIVE UP!” as a self-motivation method. It does help me mentally and I’ve beaten 2 other cancers: skin cancer; and then prostate cancer, which was my most difficult one, with radiation 5 days a week for 7 weeks. I thank the Lord for the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) medical staff that treated me for my last two types; they really did literally save my life. Now, with modern-day testing procedures, it is so much easier for people to catch these things early, so I would encourage everyone to get tested early, especially if you have a family history of relatives with ANY type of cancer.
MUCHO thanks to all who made the one happen for we participant: The Cancer Coalition; iaap for the timing, results, etc.; our MC there for us, who did a wonderful job; all the many volunteers who were packet pickup volunteers; course marshals; start/finish line volunteers; announcers; our sound guy; the police officers there for our safety; give-away volunteers – there was a table where survivors got some nice swag post-race – and of course, all the sponsors listed on the back of the race shirt, that truly make this one happen with their donations for the cause; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned. Thank you all! Hope to see all of you again next year. May you all be happy, healthy and safe.
Scottydog Reports 