August 30, 2009 Darnd’st Du draws 220 athletes to San Marcos Last Sunday, the Darnd’st Du duathlon was held out at the Tanger Outlet Center. The event called for the athletes to run a 5K race; mount a bike and pedal 30K; and then run another 5K to finish the challenge. There were over 220 entrants, and 212 finished the challenging course. You can see highlights of the race on www.videosomething.com and hear comments from some of the athletes. This year the event was able to raise $4,000 for CASA as has been previously reported in the San Marcos Daily Record. One of the primary reasons the race is so successful and able to contribute the proceeds from the race is that Tanger Outlet Center allows the event to be held without charge, and provides staff and facilities for the athletes. The support from Tanger Outlet Center is much appreciated by race organizers and athletes. A large number of the athletes hang around after the race to take advantage of the many stores to shop. There were four local athletes that entered the race. Liesela Austin came in 5th in her age group with a time of 2:35:23. Doug Framke ran a fast time of 1:41:14, and was followed by Mike Quiroz with a time of 1:45:43. Eva Sanders was the winner in the over-60 age group with a first-place finish in a time of 2:27:36. All of the local runners were satisfied with the event; and for a couple of them, it was the first time to try a duathlon. The next race here in San Marcos before the busy race month of October is the Country Roads 10K & Kids Run, held on Saturday, September 12 out at the Country Estates subdivision just off Ranch Road 12. This is an increasingly popular run with the runners in central Texas because of the scenic course and the great drawings for prizes after the race. A nice thing this race offers is that the Country Estates swimming pool is available for runners that need to cool off after the run. David Alexander, race director, is expecting about 150 runners to show up for the race. This year, Subway of Central Texas is a major sponsor; and since this race is the only fundraiser for the San Marcos Runners Club, the sponsorship is very much welcomed. The San Marcos Runners Club helps other organizations in San Marcos with putting on their races at no charge, and provides all the equipment for the race. Much of this equipment costs money and contributes to making the race a success and a well-organized event for the runners. Entrants will receive a long-sleeved hi-tech shirt with the race logo on it, for a very low entry fee of $20 before September 5, and $25 after that and on race day. The Kids Run is about a 1K+; and if they want a race shirt, the entry fee is only $7.00. If they just want to run and not receive a T-shirt, the entry fee is $1.00. The race is a 10K distance (6.2 miles) and is certified to be accurate. For runners, the 10K distances are becoming somewhat few and far between. It seems most race organizers favor the 5K distance, trying to draw in more of the new or beginning runners. Since the marathon season is just around the corner, the build up of the 10K distance is a welcome distance for more of the runners. While it helps to be in condition to run 10K, it is not impossible to enter and finish if you are a beginning runner and wanting a new challenge from the 5K distance. There will be water stops along the course, and a few residents of Country Estates often sit near the road to cheer the runners on. The weather reports do not seem to be predicting a cool race day; but with water, a few cheers to encourage you along the way and a nice easy pace on the back stretch (it seems to never stop going uphill on a slight incline), a runner can be successful in completing the 10K distance. The race shirts are a great design and will be worn by runners long after the race is over. Entry forms can be located at the San Marcos Runners Club web site: www.sanmarcosrunners.org. 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!