February 10, 2008 As half marathon draws closer, more people are getting involved The interest in the ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon and the “Speak Up For Kids” CASA 5K Fun Run out at the Tanger Outlet Center on March 2nd is starting to see some runners and business people get in the spirit of the events. Meetings between the organizers are starting to pin down various needs and duties of volunteers, and we’re hoping that all the planning that goes into a race works out perfectly. There are always unseen events that can occur, but hopefully they will be at a minimum or very small. One year a tree blew down across the road and blocked the path the runners would follow; and another year the lead bike took a wrong turn and most of the runners ran the course in reverse. These were minor things that were corrected, but you have to be ready for interesting challenges when putting on a race. There are still some openings for volunteers if you want to promote San Marcos and the racing community and help raise funds for a worthy cause. Contact Tricia Schneider at CASA (512-392-3578) if you want to help out; or give me a call (512-396-2584) and we will make sure you are put on the list. Volunteers get a nice shirt for helping; and, depending on the number of after race memorabilia, maybe even a big coffee mug. One item that has been brought to my attention is the idea of various groups or businesses in town forming teams to compete in the CASA 5K run. This is a fun run, and every runner will get a medal for entering. Some people like to get a special award for running fast; but the race is a fun run and is meant to raise some funds for CASA, and this way everyone can be rewarded for entering. The best team to enter from what I have heard is from Conley Car Wash & Detail. According to Erin Conley, if you join their team, they will give you a Conley Team T-shirt to run in and also pay your entry fee. What a bargain that will be, as you will get a race T-shirt on top of that and come away with two nice T-shirts! If you are interested, contact Rebecca Conley or Jason Dixon by February 15th at 512-738-0811 for information about joining their team. I can imagine they will have a very good representation with on offer like that. I have heard that other groups, like the City of San Marcos, might form teams; and maybe the Parks and Recreation Department will have some good runners enter. Hopefully, as we get closer to race day, more businesses and other groups will get in the spirit of the event and get teams together to run a short and easy 3.1 miles. The schedule of events planned so far is that the runners in the half marathon will leave at 7:00 a.m. That will be followed by a Kid’s 1K Fun Run within the Tanger Outlet Center itself right after that, at around 7:15 a.m. When the kids finish in about 15 to 20 minutes, the 5K runners will start their portion of the race at around 7:30 a.m. The other event that a number of San Marcos runners take advantage of is the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon down in Corpus Christi on May 17th. The San Marcos Runners Club is looking for a fast team to see if they can finish in the top 10 teams (well over 1,000 teams enter, so that is a real nice accomplishment if it works). Randall Wood is heading up that effort; and another mixed team (both men and women) is forming to see if they can run a good race in that category. If you are a relatively fast runner and want to be part of a team, contact Randall at 665-5512 and he will let you know whom to contact. If you just want to be part of one of the most fun events in running and have a nice weekend at the shore, check out the San Marcos Runners Club web site and get some information on entering. The teams consist of six runners each, and there are various team categories, such as masters men and women, mixed masters, open and a host of other combinations for a team. Think of over 1,000 teams of six runners each, and you can imagine some of the organization that it takes to find a team member at the hand-off station. That’s where very distinctive shirts or outfits come in handy when you look for your team member. Register early and reserve a room very early, as they fill up fast. Teams come from all over the United States, since it is the largest relay race in the country. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!