November 8, 2009 Tons of races on deck for the upcoming holiday season The results from the Country Roads Half Marathon are finally posted; and there were a few San Marcos runners that had entered and did not get mentioned last week. In the female 30-34 age group Jessica Diaz, a fitness athlete, ran the full 13.1 miles - even though she had only managed a run of six miles prior to the race - and finished in 2:15:38. It’s amazing what having overall fitness can lead to in other forms of exercise. In the female 40-44 age group Lisa Medina crossed the finish in 2:13:41; and in the female 45-49 age group Laura Mason ran in at 2:29:40 that was good for second place. In the female 50-54 age category Elma Minor ran a 2:31:01 time for a first-place finish; and in the female 55-59 age group Teresa Medina ran across in 2:33:14 for the second-place finish award. Gina Moore Eben took the Female Overall Senior Master award with a 2:08:24 time. For the male runners, Andy McCoy took second in the male 30-34 age group in 1:54:42, and David Beckworth managed a first place in the male 35-39 age group with a 1:39:25 finish time. Eric Rindahl had a second-place finish in the male 40-44 age group with a 1:46:49 time, and Eddie Quinonez ran in at 1:56:21. Britt Van Dine ran a first-place time in the male 45-49 age group with a 1:50:30 finish; and Greg Pannell also had a first-place finish in the male 55-59 age group with a 2:07:09 time. The well-known Wurst 5-Miler was held over in New Braunfels, and several San Marcos runners participated in that race. Richard Powell had a third-place finish in the male 20-24 age group with a 28:18 time; and Britt Van Dine managed a fourth-place finish in the male 45-49 age group with a 32:22. Neal Lucas had a fourth place also in the male 15-19 age group with a 35:43. The women had Eva Sanders taking a first-place award home in the female 60-64 age group with a 45:50; and Laura Mason ran a 50:32 in the female 45-49 age category. A total of 784 runners made for a great turnout, and to finish in the awards category was quite an accomplishment for the local runners. The next race here in San Marcos is the Thankful Turkey 5K out at the River Ridge course on November 21 starting at 8:00 a.m. The 5K race is sponsored by the Bluebonnet Lions Club. Registration starts at 7:00 a.m. on the day of the race if you have not pre-registered. The cost until November 14 is a very low entry fee of $15, and after that the cost goes up to $20. A nice T-shirt is promised to the first 150 runners to enter, and some door-prize drawings until they run out. Texas State students can enter for a cost of $3 less as an incentive to get some collegiate runners entering the race. There is usually a good turnout for this race, as the awards are the type you cannot hang on the wall or place on a shelf; award winners will receive a nice-sized turkey, a ham, or a pie for being one of the top three in an age category. Just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays! The Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon is on November 15 down in San Antonio; and I have heard from several runners in San Marcos that they are planning on taking part in that race. It is a nationwide series of races, and this is the 6th race in that series. Nelda Pannell will be entered, and she has completed all of the previous half marathons up to this point. That is quite a challenge to enter that many half marathons and to travel to all parts of the United States to complete the series of races. I think Nelda received a price break if she entered all of them, and she was up for trying all of them for that lower price to enter a race. She might save enough to buy the new pair of shoes she will need for running all of the races. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and then some of the holiday festivities that follow closely after that, it is a good idea to enter the Thankful Turkey 5K to make an effort to keep the weight down. Also run the Sights and Sounds 5K on December 5 to keep up that activity level. No use having to make that New Year’s resolution to lose weight again if you can get a good head start with the local 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!