September 28, 2008 Country Roads 10K goes off without a hitch last weekend Last Saturday the Country Roads 10K was held out at the Country Estates subdivision with almost perfect weather for the runners. A good crowd of 136 runners ran through the roads of Country Estates and enjoyed sticking around after the race for almost as many gift drawings as there were runners. David Alexander and the San Marcos Runners Club put this race on to raise funds for the club that, in turn, helps other organizations with their fundraising races. The purchase of large cones for direction signs, finish line area, mile markers, a sound system, etc., are all used in helping others put on a race at no charge. This race is really the only fundraiser the club does for itself, but the money goes to making races in San Marcos some of the best in the entire area. While the Country Roads 10K is a very popular race, a good number of local runners are helping with the organization of the race and do not run so that others can take part in a well-run race. The winner this year was Juan Colunga from Killeen in a time of 35:32 for the men; and the winner for the women was Erin Ruyle from Georgetown in 44:37. The Masters Champion for the men was Stan Hatch of Spring in 42:55, and the women’s Masters Champion was Bernadette Beck from San Antonio in 52:28. Area runners who did well include Edward Suarez in second in the 19 and Under division in 47:02 and Edward Lomeli from Kyle in third in 47:55. In the male 20-29 age division Austin Helms ran a 48:18; Joe Garza ran in at 49:59 and Austin Westfall from Kyle ran a 1:19:37. Jessica Thompson took third for the females in that age division with a 52:14 time; Andrea Friesenhahn from Kyle ran 58:18; Lauren Huff ran in at 1:02:16, and Kyle residents Natalie Ball in 1:05:44 and Alicia Westfall in 1:19:36. In the male 30-39 age category, Joe Merchant took third in 44:03 and John Ortlieb from Kyle was fourth with a 44:44 time. In the female category Silvia Clark ran a 56:40; Bessie Hamilton finished in 1:00:16 and Wimberley runner Tamara Berger ran a 1:19:07. In the male 40-49 age group, Darryl Jiral ran a 1:01:59 and Bill DeSoto ran in at 1:12:48, with Martindale’s Tommy Machado coming across the finish in 50:30. Angie Burke took first in that age category for the women in 54:18 and Polly Haynes from Kyle crossed the finish line in 1:21:12. The male 50-59 age had Mark Middleton from Wimberley run in at 58:11, and the running Pannell’s, Greg and Nelda, ran across in 1:01:05 and 1:17:57 respectively. It should be noted that Nelda walked the course and still had a good time. Mary Arizpe from Wimberley ran a 1:08:15 for that age group. Richard Earl gathered in a first place in the male 60-69 age group with a 57:49 time. In the 70+ age group, John Perkins from Cedar Creek ran a fast 49:19 for first, and Vonda Lee Adorno made another appearance at our local runs with a first-place finish in 1:10:04 for the women’s over-70 age group. October is just around the corner, and there are lots of races in San Marcos and nearby towns for runners to take advantage of. The Red Ribbon 5K and Family 1K is on October 18 out at the River Ridge course, and that is always a good turnout and fun run. The course is flat and fast for runners looking for a PR time, and the Family 1K always has a large turnout for the “Drug Free” week that follows. The week after that is the “From Here to Eternity” 5K Run on October 25 starting at the Lamar Annex and heading up through the cemetery and back again for a good run. Awards are handmade small tombstones with the place engraved in the cement that runners always enjoy. There are also runs in Austin on the 25th with the LIVESTRONG 5K, and Wimberley has the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and School 5K Trailblazers Run for a real experience in running a trail course. November 1 is the New Braunfels Wurst 5-Mile Run run that is always a popular event. 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!