October 25, 2009 An emotional journey for local runner The Red Ribbon 5K and Family 1K were again a success. The highlight of the event is the Kids Run for a long 1K distance. Every child received a medal from officials from the Sheriff’s Office and the San Marcos Fire Department for finishing, and a fire hat from the firemen there. This is one race where every young child is a winner. It was quite a crowd at the finish line; and I think some of the parents were more proud, and some were surprised that their youngsters could run that far. It was a very fun event. Every once in awhile a runner enters a race that really stands out for them and leaves a lasting memory. One local runner has had some success lately, and one race was a mixture of emotions along the way. Ros Hill entered the Elgin Stampede 5K a few weeks ago, and took first overall in the race with a winning time of 17:46. Ros is in that 46-50 year age group, and he gave some of the younger runners something to think about. Ros ran another race down in San Antonio this past weekend. The race was held at the AT&T Center and was the Spurs Fast Break 5K. This was a bit more challenging as a race event compared to Elgin; and Ros took first in his age group with a 17:44 and was seventh overall out of 818 runners entered. Here is where mixed emotions were felt during a race. Ros was on a good pace and doing well in the race, when at one of the aid stations Spurs star Tim Duncan was handing out water. How could you possibly pass up a chance to say “Hi” to Tim Duncan, and get a drink of water at the expense of taking several seconds off of your finish time? Ros hesitated, but kept on running; and it was a good decision with the first-place finish. Getting the award was a reward, as Manu Ginobli was there to have his picture taken with Ros as he got his award. If you can’t have a drink from Tim Duncan, at least it is nice to have your photo taken with Manu Ginobli. He mentioned that all of the Spurs players were there to hand out water at the aid stations; and even Coach Popovich was there to be a part of the festivities and work part of the race. The race was to benefit some of the veterans from the war, as many of them participated in the event. These veterans that were disabled started about 5 minutes ahead of the main group of runners. Ros said it was a real honor to run with some of these men that have been injured and disabled in the war. Ros mentioned that as he passed each veteran, he patted them on the back and said, “Thank you” to them. Some, he said, had bad burns; others were in wheelchairs, and some others ran with amputated limbs. It was a real change going from seeing a Spurs player to running alongside a veteran that had a disability. Ros mentioned that the course was nice and flat that made it easy running. The streets were lined with bright orange cones to guide you along the certified course. He mentioned he had never seen so many cones at one race before. I wonder if it is the same course that I rode to certify a few years ago. We didn’t have the cones out; but we were on a few streets that needed cones to make sure runners followed the course. Ros is a personal trainer; and with these results in races as well as other training techniques, he is definitely a person that practices what he preaches. This Sunday is the Country Roads Half Marathon, and results of that race will be in a future column. It looks to be a great day with cool temperatures and challenging hills now and then for the runners to run. A number of local runners have entered; and Ros Hill will try his skill at leading the race on the bike instead of running. 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!