Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N31my2c7rP4ZzE7U7

Before the Start:  My 62^nd race of 2025 was the Oh My Quad 5k, held in New Braunfels, Texas at the Guadalupe Brewing Company on Saturday, October 4^th.  I had planned to go up on race day morning but then found a notice from TXDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) that starting on Friday, October 3^rd at 9 pm they would be doing some road construction at the Schertz, Texas exit until 7 in the morning.  Since that is right on the way to the race site, I decided I would just get a motel room on Friday night and go up then, which I did. This worked out nicely. I stayed at a very nice Super 8 Motel just off of Walnut Street frontage road, got settled in, and then went to the brewery to get my packet.  When I got there, one of the owners, Keith, recognized me. He had put on a 5K several years ago at San Marcos High School for the Air Force Jr. ROTC detachment there, and I had done that event.  I got my packet, and he then  asked me if I had a tutu; um, no.  He told me it was a tutu run, so talked me into wearing one for the race, lol.  After that, I went back to the motel, stopping to get some take-out dinner and then enjoyed eating dinner in this very nice room while watching a couple of movies.  I got to sleep early, got some nice rest and then was up at 5 a.m. getting ready.  I didn’t want to sit around the hotel room, so just heading out to the brewery, and was actually one of the first ones to arrive, so got some great parking.  Some race day volunteers were already there, getting ready for race day packet pickup and setting up the course with cones, and so forth.  I got a few photos of these volunteers, and a few other photos.  Around 6:30 to 7 a.m., lots of people began arriving – participants, vendors, etc. – so I enjoyed chatting with them and getting some pre-start photos. This is also a dog-friendly event so, with the permission of the humans, I handed out dog treats to several dogs, which made me very popular with them, lol.   

On the course:  This is the first time I’ve done this event which, apparently, is very popular. There was a total of 302 finishers, per the results list on RunSignUp.  We had a pretty sunny day, with a temp of about 78 degrees and the humidity was pretty high up there. The course is an out-and-back done on paved roads. We started on the road, going over a timing strip that activated the timing device that was put on our shoe lace; first time I’ve ever used one of these. For the most part the course was pretty flat, with just a few up inclines; nothing you could really call a hill. The longest “up” part of the course was a gradual up incline on the road where we headed to the turn-round. I did my usual 8-min-run/2 minute walk thing and got some on-course photos during my walk breaks. The course was still open to traffic, but there was very little during the event; from where I was on the course at any given time, the drivers I saw were pretty careful about it all, giving us ample room.  There were also lots of police vehicles on the course, so that may have had something to do with that too. After making the turn-round, I got a few more photos on the way back and then, after hitting Mile 2, I ran nonstop to the finish. I ended up with a chip time of 40:28 and a clock time of 40:59, which is about right, as my old-time garmin is just a little off…but I love the darn thing, lol, so keep on using it.  My time was good enough for 2^nd in my 70-and-up males division. One thing I loved and found very entertaining: one lady had a goat with her and she walked the course with her goat.

After My Finish:   I stood near the finish arch and got a few photos of others finishing. After that, I went to enjoy the after-party and let me tell you, the brewery owners put on a really nice after-party, with some music; post-race beer, of course, many different flavors; various vendors there, with products; and more. I wandered around chatting with others and getting some after-photos. I also handed out more treats to the dogs – and the goat even enjoyed one, lol.Epilogue:  This was my first time doing this event, but it won’t be the last. It is one of the “friendliest” events I have ever done, with lots of camaraderie between participants, supporters, vendors, etc. We also had a very good MC in quite a costume, who kept us apprised of things, and also did the awards ceremony – even though he did the older people last, so at our age, we had to wait quit a while, lol, to get our awards. I always suggest to race directors, old people first since we need to get home after a race to get our nap in, lol.  The race shirt is nicely designed; the age group award medal is nice too; and they also had some give-aways post-race, very nice. As noted, dog-friendly event – and goat-friendly too, lol – and a very nicely laid out course with plenty of room for everyone. There are even indoor restrooms, but fairly small, so there were plenty of porta-a-potties too, so the lines went pretty quickly. The doors to the brewery building were open, so it was nice to stand in there a few minutes to cool down post-race. Anna and Keith, the brewery owners, really do a great job with this brewery and with this event.  I will do it again, and I certainly would recommend it to others.   Mucho thanks to all who made this event happen for we participants:  the brewery staff; the many volunteers; all the law enforcement folks out there for our safety; the patience of the residents whose space we invaded for quite a while; our MC for doing a great job; our timing and results guy; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much! Whatever your exercise passion is, may you always have much success and stay safe doing it.  Maybe I’ll see you on the road or at a race sometime, if you are a fellow runner.