Photos are here:        https://photos.app.goo.gl/EfcuSP6zC7sqAUJi8   

 Before the Start:   My 59^th race of 2025 was the Legacy of Courage 5K held on Sunday, September 21^st at Ladybird Johnson Park in San Antonio, Texas. This was my 2^nd  5K of the weekend, after doing the 911 heroes run on Saturday at Mission County Park in San Antonio. This event, put on by Bigfoot Running, included a half marathon, quarter marathon (6.55 miles), a 5K and a 1-miler. There was also a Kid’s Dash before all the main events started.  The event, held in Ladybird Johnson Park, supports The Outdoor Disabled Veterans Program, a Texas-based nonprofit organization that provides hunting, fishing, and other outdoor experiences for disabled veterans, with an ultimate goal to offer therapeutic benefits for veterans’ mental and physical health.  Start time for all events was scheduled for 7 a.m. I arrived a little after 6 a.m., got my race packet and got a few pre-start photos. One of the race volunteers told me there was a total of 200 registered between all the events; a few people were no-shows, so there ended up being around 194 finishers between all the events, if I remember correctly.

On the course: There was a slight delay in the start, so we ended up starting closer to 7:30 a.m. The start/finish line was located right at the end of the park’s parking lot that bordered the traffic circle in the park.  The National Anthem was played and then we got going. After crossing over the starting matt, we then proceeded down short inclined paved trail and made a left turn onto the park’s paved concrete greenway trails, heading in the direction of the Los Patios Shoppes area. I did my usual 8-minues-run/2 minutes-walk thing and took a few photos during my walk breaks, but not as many as I usually take as, for this event, I decided to see if I could run a bit more nonstop than I usually do. After getting to the Los Patios area, we went across the Loop 410 frontage road, then went underneath the Loop 410 overpass, continuing on a paved trail. This wound us around to a short uphill incline and after getting to the top of that, we 5K folks got to our turn-round and then proceeded back to the finish the way we had come out. I also had a ‘wardrobe malfunction with my darn race shorts tie-string keeping coming loose, so had to stop a couple of times to tighten it up, but I pretty much managed to run the last 1.5 miles nonstop to the finish Per my garmin, I ended up with a chip time for the 5K of 48:34, averaging 15:17 per mile.  I tired to find my “official chip time finish via the Bigfoot website and also via RunSignUp, but they are both notoriously bad about making it easy for participants to find online results. I did check with a race volunteer at the event and he verified to me that I had finished 2^nd in my 70 and over age group and got a nice Bigfoot pin that was the award for the age group placers. I

After My Finish:  Did a cool-down walk and went to my vehicle and got some iced-down Gatorade and water I had brought with me and drank those while I sat there with the a/c on full blast to help me cool off after being in that high humidity.  After that, I then returned to the race site area to chat with other finishers, participants, volunteers, supporters, etc., and get a few after-photos.

Epilogue: I am not fond of the course that was laid out for this one. The majority of race companies that hold events in the park use a course where the start/finish line is sent up closer to the small hill we went down to get access to the paved trails; and then we go out to the Los Patios area and right at the 410 frontage road, participants turn around and head back the way they came out, without having to go across the 410 frontage road. This is a much better course, in my opinion. However, since this course does cause the park’s traffic circle to be closed to traffic, it may be that if this course had been used then Bigfoot might have had to pay for Park Police officers to be on site for participant safety, and that can get pretty expensive. Well, it is what it is, and I managed to enjoy myself. The Bigfoot employees are pretty nice folks; there was lots of water post-race, and a table full of various post-race goodies, such as pretzels, some bananas, if I remember correctly, and a bit more. There was no awards ceremony; you basically went to where the packet pickup table was, gave the volunteer your bib number and if you placed in your age group, he gave you your award. I ended up 2^nd in my 71 and over age group – and I forgot to ask him what my official chip-time was – and got a very nice Bigfoot Pin. The race bibs are nicely done and the race shirt is very nice quality, even though it only lists the Half-marathon on it; no mention of the other events on the shirt. Lots of good, fun people did this event, so I enjoyed post-race getting some photos and chatting with other participants, supporters, volunteers, etc.  After that, I drove home, which did not take long at all, as I live quite close to the park, got a shower and then, after doing two pretty warm, humid races, I took a nice nap for a while, lol. 

Would I do this event again; I think I would if they used the “usual” course for 5Ks done at this park.  Meanwhile, mucho-thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants, e.g., the Bigfoot folks there; all the race volunteers; the water station lady on the course; the one police officer that was out there for our safety at the 410-frontage road crossing; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Maybe I will see you at a future event sometime. Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it with much success, and forever stay safe doing it.