Photos are here:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/xJifJKCx7hP89d9q8

 Before the Start:  My 30^th race of 2025 was the American Hero 5K held on May 25^th at Comanche Park in San Antonio, Texas. This was my 2^nd 5K of the weekend, after doing a 5K the day before. Events also included: 25K Relay, with 5 members on each team; half-marathon; 10K Hero Ruck; Wheelchair 5K; and a Kid’s Fun Run.  The Relay was the main event. The Kids Run started at 0700., with the Wheelchair 5K starting at 0715 and all the other  events started together at 0730.  I got to the race site just a bit past 6:30 a.m.  I had picked up my packet on Friday, so upon arrival wandered here-and-there, chatting with friends, other participants, volunteers, etc., and got some pre-start photos. There were also a few dogs there so, as usual, I handed out dog-treats to them. Per the results posted by the excellent locally based race  management company iaap, which also did the timing – there were 27 relay teams (135 total participants); 32 half-marathoners; 67 5K participants; none in the wheelchair event; and 4 doing the 10K Hero Ruck; so a grand total of 238 participants, not counting the Kids Fun Run; so not too bad a turnout for a very warm and humid day.

On the course:     The weather was pretty warm with a start time temperature of 79 degrees and the humidity waw a whopping 80 percent, with very little or no wind.  All the courses were out-and-back done on the paved trails of Comanche Park. Thankfully, these trails have quite a bit of shade, so that was helpful, although it was still pretty darn warm. After doing a VERY hilly 5K the day before this one, I was thankful, there were no major hills on the course; mainly just some gradual up or down inclines, and we had two bridges to cross, that went over Salado Creek flowing through parts of the park. The only thing I don’t like about the course is the second bridge on the course shakes just a tad when it is crossed, since I have a mild form of vertigo called BPPV that can be activated by the motion of amusement park rides, seesaw, swimming with my head in the water – so I use and aqua-jogger when I am in a pool – and shaking bridges!   Never-the-less, when I got to that bridge, I go over it; yes, pun intended, lol.  As usual, because of my spinal arthritis now which does not like me running nonstop, so I did my usual thing of 8-minutes-running/2 minutes walking and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. Got to the turn-round point and headed for the finish – safely crossing Shaking Jello Bridge once more. Stopped at the water station on the course for a quick cup, thanked the volunteers there, and then on my way again. The last mile in, I pretty much ran all the way in, with one quick photo stop and then got back at it. I ended up with a chip time of 44:19 and had a negative split for the last mile. I was  2^nd in my age group, as there were only two in my 70-99 males age group, as there were only two in my age group. The first guy finished 16 seconds ahead of me. Guess I should not have stopped to take that last photo, lol; but it’s all good.

After My Finish: Got a few photos of others finishing, then got some water to start rehydrating, and did a short cool-down walk. I was parked fairly close to the start/finish area, so went and sat in my vehicle for about 10 minutes with the a/c on full blast as I drank my water. Ahh…..felt pretty good after that. I then went back to the race area and got a few after-photos of participants, volunteers, sponsors/vendors, etc. and also handed out some more treats to the doggies there, as well as enjoying a post-race banana from my fruit vendor friend, Gilbert, and a drink – nonalcoholic since I was driving –  from the Shiner Beer folks    

Epilogue:  e-Dragon, owned by my personal friends Erik and Kristine, really does a great job with all their events. They usually have some great swag – the event race shirts are AWESOME – and the age-group award is this really nice medallion that has on the back of it a code you can use for a registration discount for a future registration of an e-Dragon event. The pre-race warm up was done by this very flexible guy from Camp Gladiator who led people into doing all these various positions, most of which I could not do at all, lol, because of this darn arthritis; guy was like a pretzel, the way he could curl around; I admit, lol, to being a bit envious. The course was very well thought-out, with enough room for all to maneuver around – especially at the beginning when the trail was most crowded – and, as noted, lots of shade along the way. The race bibs are personalized with your name; however, since this is a Memorial Day, a holiday which is primarily dedicated to honoring and remembering the fallen military personnel who gave their all while serving their country, I put a tag on my bib honoring Captain Mary Klinker, whom I inadvertently met when I was stationed in the Philippines in the 70s. She was there to assist with the evacuation of refugees in 1975 during the time of the Fall of Saigon, and I was helping as a volunteer on some of my days off from work.  When I went to the Flight Line at Clark Air Base, Captain Klinker noticed my ear was bleeding and ordered me to report to the base hospital, which I did. I was found to have a cyst in my ear and ended up having surgery for that and was in the hospital for 3 days.  The second day I was in the hospital, I saw the news that the Operation Baby Life C-5 Galaxy, scheduled to return to the Philippines with a plane-load of children, had crashed on takeoff. Captain Klinker had been at the back of the plane taking care of some of the children, and she was killed in the crash. My operating doc told me If I had gotten onto a plane, I possibly might have had my eardrum ruptured; so with this random meeting, Capt. Klinker may have inadvertently saved my hearing. I always remember that and always wear her name on my race bib for any Memorial Day run I do.  As for this e-Dragon event, I will certainly do it again and would recommend it to others.  As noted, super-nice race shirt; uniquely designed race bibs; dog-friendly; lots of post-race goodies, including Shiner Beer; Kiolbassa sausage wraps; fresh fruits; various chips; and more.  Mucho thanks to all the ones who made this one happen for we participants, including the two police constables and the EMT folks out there for our safety; all the many volunteers for packet pickup days; course marshals; water station folks; sponsors; iaap for timing and results; the official race photographers; and anyone else involved not mentioned here. Thank you all! May all of you stay safe at whatever your chosen activity is and be successful with your own personal goals.  Hope to see you sometime at a future event.