Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/3nWPzpJBsB63s2YL8   

Before the Start:   My 3^rd race of 2025 was the Bigfoot Classic 5K, held on Sunday, January 4^th   at McAllister Park in San Antonio. There was also a 10K and a 15K and a 1-miler that several kids there did, as well as some adults.  Start time was 9 a.m., so after doing a previous 5K the day before this one at Lady Bird Johnson Park, I got to sleep in a bit as I live very close to McAlllister Park.  I’d also done the New Year’s La Cruda 5K on New Year’s Day.  I knew parking was going to be a bit crazy, as there were a lot of registered participants, so I arrived at the park with just under an hour to go to the 9 a.m. start time. Thankfully, I had taken the advice of the Bigfoot folks and picked my packet up the day before.  This allowed me to wander around, chatting with friends, other participants, supporters, race crew members, etc., and get some pre-start photos.  This is also a dog-friendly event, so I also handed out some treats, with the permission of the dog’s human.  I was very popular with the dogs, lol.

On the course:  Idon’t know exactly how many total participants there were for these three events, but it was a lot – I’d guess over 500 and maybe even higher than that. Our start/finish area was at Pavilion 5, which is the area right across the street from the upper baseball fields at the park.  The National Anthem was played and then we got going right on time.  The event was done on the paved Greenway Trails at the park.  I did my usual run/walk thing and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks.  The first part was flat, for about ¼ of a mile and then we began descending down a fairly long hill. We then had a bit of flat on the course, and that took us underneath an overpass on the Wurzbach Parkway. After exiting that overpass tunnel, we then made a left turn, following the greenway trails that took us in the direction of Lady Bird Johnson Park. We had some flat here for about ¼ of a mile and then we REALLY began climbing hills; these were pretty steep, first going up one hill, then around a short curve and there was a second part of the hill. After we crested the second hill, it was flat again for a bit, and we had some nice views of the surrounding area from up this high.  After this flat part, we then made a right turn and started downhill – a pretty steep hill too – to get to the turn-round point. The participants who had already made the turn-round were coming up the hill toward us as they made their way to the finish. This was a bit of a winding trail, where we 5K folks went around a curve to our left, then one to our right and then went down another fairly long hill that got us to the 5K turn-round, where the was a water station, so thanks to those volunteers out there for us. We then went back to the finish the way we had come out;  so, of course, after the turn-round, this long downhill we did to get there was now a long uphill – the longest of the 5K course.  We then were back on the top, flat part for a while, until we go to those first two hills we’d climbed and went down them.  After that, it was fairly flat until we went back under the overpass because, since we’d gone down on the way out, we know went UP on the way to the finish. I was surprised to see that I’d caught up to my speedy friend, Ralph, who was walking a bit. He usually finishes way ahead of me. I jokingly called to him “Hurry up and finish, Ralph! You have to take a photo of me finishing. I guess he took me at my word, lol; he did start running again and finished way ahead of me. We had one more very short flat part as we headed to the finish, then rounded another curve and there was one hill left.  Once we crested this, we could see the finish line ahead, and the last part of the course, thankfully, was flat.  I ended up running most of the last 1.5 miles, ignoring my watch beeping for walk break, with just a few quick stops to take a photo or two. My chip-time finish was 40:27, and I was first in my males 70-79 age group – so I must have been the only one in it, lol. I’ll take it.

After My Finish:  I got my finisher medal and a Bigfoot Pin for being first in my age group. I then got some water in me and wandered here-and-there, handing out more dog treats; chatting with other participants, supporters, volunteers, etc., and getting some after photos, including a couple with Bigfoot.  I then went and stood near the finish line to get a photo of my friend, Peggy when she finished the 5K. She walks about as fast as I run and I have this joking thing going on with her, lol, that since I’m a runner and she’s a walker, I should be able to finish before her, which does not always happen.  Her brother was there and I told him I was worried because she usually finishes pretty soon after I do. He told me I’d have a long wait, lol, since she was doing the 10K for this one. Well, okay, then; so I wandered around some more, had a few post-race goodies, got more photos, etc. She finally did come in, so I got a finisher photo of her, and we got a group photo of us with mutual friends that were there. I even saw and chatted with a few other participants that had also done the same 5K I did the day before this one. Finally, time to call it a day, so headed on home and got a nice hot shower and then was lazy for a while, eating lunch and watching some football.

Epilogue:  I like the local Bigfoot folks, they’ve always been good with me about letting me wander here-and-there, even near the timing tables, to take some pre-start and post-race photos, and I always tell them to go to my blog – they know where it is – and feel free to save/share any of the photos I take at their events. They let me wander around like I’m part of their crew, lol. There were a variety of post-race snacks; water; Gatorade; and other things.  They don’t have an age-group awards ceremony, you just get your Age Group Award Pin and go on your way; although they do have a really nice backdrop where you can get your photo with Bigfoot. Overall, their events are nicely managed; some may not agree, but I’ve never had an issue with them. There is one of those ‘code things’ where you can get your race results on your phone, but since I am basically a technology idiot, lol, I just go to the RunSignUp website where their results are also posted, including results from other cities where they have events.  The finisher medal is very nice, and the race shirt is nice quality.  II would do this one again – I did it last year too – and would recommend it to others.

Mucho thanks to all who were out there for us, e.g., all the Bigfoot crew members; the many volunteers out there for us; Bigfoot – guy must have been really warm in that oufit – who patiently allowed photos with him to all comers, whether it was the nice backdrop provided or just somewhere in the race area.  Also, thanks to the law enforcement park police officers there for our safety; and to all who sponsored this event; and thanks to non-participating park patrons using the park – cyclists, other runners, walkers – for their patience with us as we pretty much flooded that trail that connects eventually to LBJ Park; and to the first aid folks there, just in case; and anyone else involved not mentioned here. Thank you all!

Whatever your goals are, may you always be successful, and stay happy and healthy while working on reaching them.   Maybe I will see you at a future event sometime!