May 3, 2009 Two races in one day: It must be spring in San Marcos Last Saturday there were two races right here in San Marcos. The first one was the Race for Relief 5K out at the River Ridge course. The weather was cool and the wind was calm for the race; and the race was a real success for race organizers as 200+ runners showed up to run. The large majority of entrants were Texas State University students, but a few local runners were also present. The course is flat, and the lead runners ran a good time for the course. I have not been able to locate a site where the results are posted to record local runners and time. I was at the race leading the way on the bike, and had to leave before results were announced as I also had to lead the second race that was about to start. I got to the Wonder Run 5K race up at Wonderland primary school. This was a smaller turnout with about 40 runners, and most of them were from San Marcos. It was a simple out-and-back course, but I wanted to ride the course just to make sure I knew what to expect. I found out that there were a few small hills in the run on the way out, but overall it was basically downhill. That means the way back is a gentle uphill; not much so you might notice, but I remember that I did not have to pedal on the way out on the first half of the course and could just coast along. That was not the case on the way back to the finish line. The nice thing about an out-and-back course is that you get to see all the runners in the entire race. There were about four runners that I recognized running that were at the first run also. Not a bad day’s running when you can run a race at 8:00 a.m. and another one at 9:00 a.m. on the same day. Jarrett Gooden claimed first overall for the men in 20:16, and Monet Moreau was the first female finisher. Monet had a healthy lead over the second place runner, as I saw her on the course and she had an easy smile on her face as she was running. Monet is only 12 years old, and is a great example of running for fun and getting to enjoy racing at the same time. Both races were considered a success; and talking with Wonderland organizers, they are planning on making this an annual event and hopefully attracting a larger turnout. The funds go toward helping fund educational projects at the school. This was a good event, as there was a family fun run/walk and a kid’s trot for the youngsters. All in all, the event had a good turnout for all three races. The Race for Relief had a nice benefit check to send to their beneficiary in Africa. From now on for most of the summer, for anyone that wants to run on a weekend and not have to drive very far, a simple check of area web sites such as the San Marcos Runners Club and RunTex in Austin will find a calendar of races in the area. Probably next up for local runners is the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon in Corpus Christi, as there are usually two or three teams from here that make the trek to the beach and enjoy a fun running weekend. If you are interested in signing up for a team, you might contact the San Marcos Runners Club and David Alexander for information on that race and getting a team together. I did hear about the Runners Club’s “Predicted Time 5K” last Tuesday. It started out as a club fun run, but the word got out; and between 40 and 50 runners showed up to try their luck at predicting how fast they could run a 3.1 mile course. Local marathon runner Gina Moore came out tops in the race with a time just two seconds off her predicted time. After running marathons in every state and several countries, Gina knows her pace very well; and for this race it paid off. 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!