March 28, 2010 Wet weather doesn’t dampen local races With the weather being almost perfect for runners recently, it is easy to forget that the last two races in San Marcos were held under less then great circumstances. The ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon and the “Speak Up For Kids” CASA 5K a couple of weeks ago were run under the threat of heavy rain showers in the late morning. Fortunately, the rain did not start until after the race was over and the clean-up crew was almost packed up and ready to go. But even the threat of rain kept a number of runners away from the race. This last Saturday, the Wonderland School race, the Wonder Run 5K, was met with much of the same conditions, except that the rain was already falling at the location. It was raining quite hard; and since I had to lead the race on the bike, I dressed in a full rain suit, ready for wet conditions. As a race director, you always wonder if any runners will show up when it is raining. This day was made a little more serious, as there was also lightning along with the rain. Kathi Keyes, the race director, had things in order, and volunteers from the San Marcos Runners Club were on hand to lend support. David Alexander had a laptop computer and was checking out the radar on the Weather Channel website. It looked like the rain was about to pass through, and clear weather was behind the red and green sections on the screen. Kathi decided to delay the start of the race until 8:30 a.m.; and luck was on her side, as the rain had subsided and the sky was clearing. It was still chilly and windy, but no rain or lightning. Were runners there to run in the rain? Not as many as last year; but a number of runners were there and ready to go. The road was wet but not slippery; the aid stations were set up, and the turnaround point was manned and ready for the lead runner. The good thing about hosting the race at the Wonderland School is that Jimmy Fife was on hand to open up the school, and let the runners and people working registration inside where it was warm and dry. Once the race started, everything went smoothly; runners were rewarded with finish awards, and I think almost every runner came away with an award of some type. The really amazing thing was the fact that they did not have to cancel the kids’ 1K run. Several kids were there; and rain or not, they were determined to run. Kathi Keyes borrowed my bike, and loading up an orange road cone on the handle bars, pedaled out to the turnaround point to drop off the cone, and then pedaled back and organized the kids run. Hardy runners come in all sizes and ages, it seems. The lead runner was right behind me as we approached the turnaround point and said, “Is this all there is? It doesn’t seem very long.” The one thing that made it seem that way was that the course was slightly downhill on the way out, and a little more uphill on the way back. He finished strong, but a little slower on the return leg. There was another race in San Marcos that morning at the River Ridge complex with the Race For Relief 5K. I have not heard how that race went; but knowing that the area does not have the advantage of getting under shelter of a building during the early registration time, it would take some hardy runners and volunteers to make the race a success. Knowing how runners and race organizers do not want to let entry fees and pre-race efforts go to waste, I am sure the race was held one way or another. Hopefully, the next races in our area will be under more favorable conditions with cool mornings, clear skies and big turnouts. The month of April has a full calendar of nearby races; and with many runners using the Capitol 10,000 race as the official start of the spring and summer racing season on April 11th in Austin, it looks to be a busy and fun summer of racing for runners. Check out the calendar on the San Marcos Runners Club web site for races coming up in our area. 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!