March 9, 2008 ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon a success once again Last Sunday the ARA - Moe’s Better Half Marathon and “Speak Up For Kids” CASA 5K Fun Run were held out at the Tanger Outlet Center. A total of close to 500 runners showed up to run, with 300 in the half and almost 200 in the 5K. The weather was almost perfect as far as temperature and cloud cover were concerned. The only item that bothered the runners was the stiff wind they had to run into for the first five miles. I talked with a number of the runners afterward, and all had positive comments about the race and the scenic course. What makes a race successful is the people volunteering to make everything work. I keep thinking from years past that I have to be everywhere at once to make sure things were covered. Last Sunday I arrived at 4:30 a.m. to get ready to set up the course. Mike Schneider was already there getting tables set up for registration. His wife, Tricia, was getting things in order so that when the volunteers showed up, everything would be ready. Doug Kangas from Tanger arrived about 15 minutes later with a cart to be ready for anything that needed to be done. He has volunteered for many of the races out at Tanger and is really appreciated. Tanger staff personnel Kevin and Sylvia were also there setting up barricades and finding coolers and tables for the volunteers to use. David Alexander arrived around 4:45 a.m. with a large trailer to carry mile markers, cones, etc. out on the course to set things up. David, Tom Lawler and I went out to pound in the mile markers and paint some directional arrows for the runners. Tom was a great volunteer for this race; he showed up on Saturday to help with the packet distribution to pre-registered runners at Tanger Outlet Center, and showed up again on Sunday at 5:00 a.m. to pound in the mile markers. He ran the 5K race with his daughter, and then helped with getting things ready for the finish line. When a runner came down with cramps in her legs near the finish and couldn’t run, Tom was there to help massage the cramps and get some electrolytes into her to relieve the cramps in her legs. David and Mike were out on the course during the race to make sure there was enough water for the runners and that everything was going well. Mike Schneider gave his vote for the best aid station to the APO sorority at mile 11, where smiles, music and encouragement were helping the runners in the final miles of the race. Randy Cook and his crew of Kiwanis volunteers took care of getting tables out for the aid stations and manning a few of the tables themselves. Crews from Gary Job Corps and Best Buy and the Exercise and Sports Science Majors Club at Texas State were helping out by handing out water and getting the timing chips off of the runners after the race. Linda Alexander and volunteers from CASA were manning the registration tables for runners who were signing up that morning. With all of the necessary things that make a race a success covered by very capable volunteers, I almost felt in the way. I kept waiting for my cell phone to ring and hear of a problem somewhere, but it never rang; and the volunteers were some of the best ever for a race. What a great way to put on a race! Local and area runners who competed in the half marathon included Tim Bayliss, who finished 5th overall and 2nd in his age category of 25-29 years in 1:24:17; Daniel Chidester garnered a 3rd-place finish with a 1:41:42 in the male 20-24 age group; Kathryn Futrell ran in 3rd in the 20-24 female age group in 1:50:13; Gina Moore ran a nice 2nd place in the female 55-59 age group with a 2:07:21, and Eva Sanders had a 3rd-place award in the female 55-59 year age with a 2:14:46 time. Daniel Garza ran a nice 1:54:24; Teresa Medina came in at 2:30:33, and Laura Mason ran in at 2:47:10 after finishing the AT&T Austin Marathon just two weeks earlier. Elizabeth Black-Wills ran a fast 1:56:30; Ryan Bradley took first place in the under-19 age group with a 2:09:06; Ingrid Dehn had a 3rd place in the female 50-54 age group with a 2:00:13, and Amanda Disel ran a 2:01:12 in the female 20-24 age for 5th place. William Friesenhahn ran a 2:12:31; Jenna Jurica ran in at 2:00:19 for a 4th place in the female 20-24 age group; Erin Kibodeaux took 2nd in the under-19 female age group with a 2:22:46 time, and Lee Laszewski ran a 2:00:11 for first in the male 60-64 age group. Bianca Martinez came in 4th in 3:18:40; Bryan Schneider ran a quick 1:43:02; Meagan Sledge ran a 2:23:22 in the female under-19 age group for a 4th place; Brian Weber ran a 2:10:29 and Leanna Whitworth ran a 2:27:44 time. All in all, it was a successful event, and the volunteers are to be congratulated on making the two races a success. Both CASA of Central Texas and the Kiwanis scholarship program will benefit from all the runners who took part in the races. 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!