Photos are here:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/c6QoVzVEb7A9Dwma9

 Before the Start:  My 22^nd race of 2025 was the Siesta 5K, held at Mission County Park #1 on Sunday April 27^th.  This was the 4^th race of the “Hill Country” series of races put on by Scallywompus. One can sign up for the whole series or for each one individually.  There were several events at this one, including a half marathon, a 10K, a competitive 5K walk, a 5K and a Kids Run before the main events got started.  The half started first, followed by the 10K and Competitive 5K walkers, and then the 5K started last, at 8:30 a.m. Weather was fairly pleasant, with temps in the 60s and we did have some cloud cover. I arrived around 6:15 a.m., so I had plenty of time before the 5K to get some pre-start photos. There was quite a number of participants: 225 for the half; 245 for the 10K; 469 for the 5K; and 33 for the competitive 5K walk. 972 total participants, plus all the volunteers, vendors, etc, made for quite a crowed park. Thankfully, the park is fairly large with two pavilions, indoor restrooms, water fountains, etc., so we had some maneuvering room. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I was quite popular with the canines since I carry dog treats with me.

On the course: The 5K was the last event to start. The course was out-and-back. We left the pavilion and took a downhill onto the paved concrete trails of the Mission Reach Riverwalk, with the river to our right as we headed toward our turn-around point.  I did my usual run/walk thing, 8-min-run/2-min-walk and got some photos during my walk breaks.  The 10K participants also used this course, so we saw some of them on the course; they did 2 loops of the course, whereas we 5K folks just did one simple out-and-back. Most people whip along on the downhills, but for me, with spinal arthritis, downhills actually slam my back more, so I preferred the up-hills, taking it easier on the downhills. Overall I felt pretty good and went clipping along at my usual 12 – 14 minute miles.  The trail is fairly wide to accommodate a lot of people, but with this many participants, it did get a tad crowded in a few spots. Even so, most people were pretty good about it, adjusting as necessary, and making room when the faster participants came along. I ended up finishing with a chip time of 42:29, averaging 13:51 per mile and was 2^nd in my 70 to 74 males age group, since there were only 2 in my age group, lol. The other participant was 30 minutes and change, so left me eating his dust. Lol.

After My Finish:  Got some water and Gatorade in me, did a cool-down walk and then wandered here-and-there, chatting with other participants and getting some post-race photos. There were a lot of vendors at this event, giving away some small free items. There were also massage tables, sausage wraps, Shiner Beer, margaritas and lots more.  My friend placed in the post-race costume contest that was put on since this is Fiesta San Antonio time and won a very nice bottle of high quality vodka. Finisher medals to all finishers, and age-group placers got a nicely designed souvenir glass or cup.   

Epilogue: This is a very nicely done event. The park’s pavilion area is large enough to accommodate lots of people and it’s also nice to have indoor restrooms, and there were also water fountains, although there was plenty of bottled water too.  All the courses are done on the San Antonio Riverwalk, so you get some nice views of the river. Very nice quality race shirt, and finisher medals to all finishers.   As noted, lots of goodies too, and our Music Man was playing the tunes for us. The Scallywompus motto is “Come for the race. Stay for the party.”  They aren’t kidding, either; one heck of a nice after-party at all their series of races. If you’ve never done a Scallywompus event, give it a try; you might just like it.

MUCHO thanks to all the people who made this one happen for we participants, including all the many volunteers it takes to put on the Scallywompus events; the police officers and EMT folks out there for our safety; Pushbutton Photography for the ‘official’ race photos; our music and sound-man, Paul; and iaap for the course setup, timing, and results; our MC, Anthony Zamora doing his usual great job; all the race sponsors and supporters, of course; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all so much!  Hope to see you at a race sometime.  I’ll be easy to find…the one surrounded by dogs who want some of those treats, lol.  To all, happy running, walking, or whatever your exercise passion is. May you all stay safe and healthy.