Photos are here:    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qeqpg1ocZJ8rKTLF7      

 Before the Start:  My 29^th race of 2025 was the Hometown 5K put on by Bodies Race Company, which has locations in 36 US cities, including San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Woth, Houston, and Wichita. The timing and results was done by Bigfoot Running.  There were three events for this race: half-marathon, 10K, and 5K. The race location was Pavilion 5 at McAllister Park in San Antonio, with an early start time of 7 a.m.  Pavilion 5 is the pavilion near the large dog park in the park, and across from the park’s baseball fields. For the 5K, there were 157 total finisher, per the RunSignUp website.  I arrived at about 6:15 a.m., got my packet, and then got a few pre-start photos.  There was quite a large turnout for this event.  I encountered several of my usual running friends who do a lot of the same events as I do ove the year.  We did have some cloud cover, with a mix of sunshine, and the temp was right around 70 degrees, so not too bad for a Texas Spring day in May. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I was soon very popular with the dogs there, since I carry dog treats with me when I do a training run or a race.

On the course:  Everything started right on time. All events were on the park’s paved trails, starting at the Trailhead near Pavilion 5. There was a Kid Run before the start of the main events.  The National Anthem was played and then all 3 events started together right at 7 a.m.  The course was on a paved trail that took us past the dog park on our right, then down a hill, going in the direction of Wurzbach Parkway. We went beneath an overpass to get past Wurzbach Parkway and then up a small incline to a trail intersection where one could go left or right.  I was hoping the 5K would go right, in the direction of Jones Maltsberger Road, as that would have been a very flat course; not to be though, lol. We went left, and the hills began in earnest; and these are no baby hills, either, lol; not quite as bad as Helotes Hills or Eisenhower Park, but still fairly challenging.  I did my usual thing of run-8-minutes/walk-2-minutes, since I can’t run nonstop anymore, as I was a “March of Dimes” baby, born with a birth defect, and he result was some degree of spinal arthritis and Degenerative Disc Disease as I got older, so it’s tool hard on my back now to run a course nonstop. During my walk breaks I took some on-course photos. From the hills, there were some nice views of the surrounding countryside and on the way to the turn-round, we could see on our left part of the Wurzbach Parkway. Overall, I felt pretty good, and did go nonstop for most of the last mile.  I ended up with a chip time of 42:11 which was good enough for 2^nd in my 70-74 males age group, since there were only two in my age group, lol.  The first guy, Jerry, was way ahead of me, with a 29 minutes-and change finish. On the last hill we climbed to get back to the finish, I passed 3 young ladies walking – in their teens, I think – and joked with them…”Umm, I’m an old man, surely you young ladies can get to the finish before me.”  They took me at my word, lol, and ran right off, leaving me way behind them. They finished a good 3 or 4 minutes ahead of me.  Good for them!

After My Finish:  After I crossed the line, I then got a few photos of others coming in; did a short cool-down walk, and then it was off to get some hydration in me and just relax for a few minutes, as well as handing out a few more treats to the dogs there.  After that, I got some photos of the Happy Finishers – you ever notice…more participants are smile after they’re done than before the start or on the course, lol – and chatting with friends, other participants, supporters, volunteers, and getting a few more post-race photos. Epilogue:  This was a really nicely done event, well put-on by the company and Bigfoot Running. The course was a bit challenging at times – I can only imagine what the 10K and half-marathon folks had to deal with – but well thought out, with plenty of room for all.  All finishers got a really nice finisher medal – the thing is huge, and the circle part in the middle of it spins around when you tap it – and there were some nice post-race goodies – burritos, if I remember correctly – as well as lots of water and a few other things, bananas, etc. The shirt is very nice quality, on the back listing all the cities where Bodies Race Company has locations; quite a few all over the US.  Mucho thanks to all the people who made this one happen for us; Bodies Race Company; Bigfoot Running; all the many volunteers out there for us, as well as the Park Police officers out there for our safety – they even recognized me when I arrived, lol, as many races as I do in a year, so I guess that is a good thing, lol – and, as the course was still open to the public during the event, mucho thanks for the patience of all the other users of the park  not doing the event – other runners; cyclists, walkers, etc. – as we invaded their space for a while; and to anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all!  Next up for me: another 5K the day after this one.  Whatever your exercise passion is, may you always enjoy doing it, stay injury-free, and always be safe while doing it.   Maybe I will see you at a future event sometime.