Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HRCiucCzzec5qGoR6

Before the Start:   My 54^th 5K of 2025 was the 911 Remembrance 5K held in Windcrest, Texas at a small park located In Windcrest, Texas.  There was an option to do a 10K, 5K, and 1-mile walk. Start time of 8 a.m.  I arrived at the park with about 40 minutes until the start time, got my bib and race shirt and then got a few pre-start photos.  I am not sure of the exact number of participants as this race was “old school’ timing with we finishers putting our finish time on a card after we crossed the finish line, and then the race organizers figured out who placed in their respective age groups. It is a fairly smaller event, with the atmosphere of friends/family gathering together to do a nice group outing. I got my race bib and my race shirt and then got a few photos before the start.  Windcrest Firefighters and local law enforcement officers were also present.  The firefighters had brought one of their trucks for which they raised a ladder and then flew the flag from it in honor and remembrance of those lost on 9-11.   All participants lined up for the start and a few minutes before we got going, all of us together sang The National Anthem, very cool and moving.  At 8 a.m., our race director gave us a GO and we were all started on our respective routes.  The weather cooperated by not raining on us, but it was warm with a 78 degree temp and humidity about 83%; we did have lots of cloud cover and gray skies, which was nice.

On the course –    All the routes were through a really nice neighborhood area of Windcrest, with wide streets, some very nice homes, and lots of maneuvering room. The course was done on the paved streets in this area. It was a loop course.  At my pace, the faster runners were soon way ahead of me an out of sight. I pretty much ended up doing my run/walk with just a few other participants near me, and sometimes I had a street all to myself. I did my usual 8-min-run/2-min walk and took a few photos during my walk breaks. I spent most of the course chasing my friend, Rick, who was pretty much ahead of me the whole way. After I passed the half-way point, I changed to 8-min-run/1 minute walk and made up some time.  I did see some residents out doing their own thing – cycling, walking, running, etc., and some of them had dogs with them, so I handed out a treat to each dog I met, if its human gave me permission to do so.  This didn’t help my finish time, lol, but what the heck. After I passed the 1.6 mile mark, I then began to run more nonstop. Overall, I was feeling pretty good. From the Mile 2 marker to the Mile 3 maker, I went non-stop and got the closest to Rick on this mile, just a tad after the Mile 3 maker,  However, in the yard across the street, there was a cool very tall skeleton in a yard, “walking’ its skeleton dog, so I stopped to get a photo of that, and never did get close to Rick for that last part of the course. I ended up finishing in 40:33, which was good enough for 2^nd place in my 70+ males age group.

After My Finish:   I did a cool-down walk, sipping some water as I went along, and then went and filled out my “finish-time-card” and left that with a race volunteer. After that, I enjoyed chatting with other participants and supporters and getting some post-race photos.  Lisa, our Race Director, and her volunteer person, got all the results tabulated from the cards and then announced the placers in each age-group. There were only 2 in my age group and my running community friend who finished first in my age group is quite speedy, he was way ahead of me, lol.   Epilogue: This is a laid-back but really nice 5K, with a really good course, very nice quality race-shirt, and really nice finisher medals. All finishers got that medal and the age-group placers also got a very nice placer medal that is different from the finisher medal.   There was post-race water for participants, and a few small “goody’ things.  Lisa and her organizers did a really good job with this one. I will definitely do it again and would recommend it to others.   Much thanks to her and all the people who helped her get this organized; also thanks to all the firefighters and law enforcement folks out there, and I think there was also an EMT on hand too, just in case, so much thanks there too.  Whatever your passion is, may you always stay happy and healthy doing it and have much success with it.  Maybe I will see you at a future event sometime, or you may see me, lol; if so, give me a shout-out; I always enjoy chatting with my fellow participants.