INTRO

I am Scott aka Scottydog aka Scotty Dogg, runner since 1983, cancer survivor, retired Air Force, employee of University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), friend of dogs, fun-runner, and all-around goofball.  In 2003 I had spinal arthritis flare up and ever since then I’ve done the run/walk method since it hurts my back too much now to run continuously with no walk breaks.  I’m on what I call my “2F Plan” which stands for Fun and Finish.  At events that I now do for fun I carry my camera, chase “Great Legs” to help motivate my slow old man self to keep moving forward, and take pictures before, during, and after the race. Sometimes I even get a nice post-race sweaty hug from one of the Great Legs ladies.   I then do a pictorial race report of my events.  I also carry dog biscuits with me to treat any dogs I may meet at a run, hence my nickname “Scottydog.” Here is yet another of my Race Reports With Photos, and my thanks to all the people I interacted with for their graciousness and good humor in letting me take photos of them.

This was my 48th race of 2015 and the 2nd of two races I did for the weekend of Sep 26 - Sep 27, after having done on Sep 26, 2015, Head for the Cure 5K.  On Sep 27th was the Siclovia (sick-low-vee-ah) 5K.  Siclovia is a San Antonio event that supports getting out and exercising in whatever form, walking, cycling, running, etc; and once at various times over the year, some streets in downtown San Antonio are closed for a period of 5 or so hours and people can go up and down the streets during that time doing their exercise of choice to their heart's content.  Vendor booths, food booths, food trucks, etc., are also along the route, so it really kind of turns into an 'exercise street carnival."  This particular 5K kicked things off for the day long Siclovia with an 8 a.m. start.   About 200 or so participants, maybe a bit more than that, and age group awards given to the first 2 finishers in each age group.  I finishes this 5K in 32:27, which was good enough for third in my 60-69 age group.

BEFORE THE START

The event started and finished at Alamo Plaza.  A nice, sunny day, but the temp was only in the upper 60s and there was a nice 'crisp" fall feel to the air when we started; nice!   I got on-site with about 40 minutes to start time and did my pre-start photo thing.

Our start/finish venue gave us a good view of The Alamo

Yours Truly in front of The Alamo, and then with a friend

Human is the major sponsor of Siclovia, in partnership with our local YMCA

Volunteers, participants, supporters, etc.

Two of my running pals, Bernadette and Tanya - both much speedier than me!  Tanya was an overall female medal winner and Bernadette got a medal in her age group

Getting ready to go

ON THE COURSE

From Alamo Street, we veered over to Broadway.  Then it was down Broadway, heading in the direction of Brackenridge Park, to a turn-around point near Grayson and Broadway.  Then to finish, back the way we'd come.  Nice wide-open streets with no traffic at all and plenty of room for all.

Going up Broadway

Bernadette heading back to the finish after having already made the turn-round point...I was still on my way there, lol

Looking behind me..

Made the turn-around and I am now heading back toward the finish, with people on my left heading to the turn-around

Looking behind me..

We passed by the Pearl Brewery area, which used to be a local  brewery, but is now an upscale shopping, restaurant, apartments, etc., area

After that, it was non-stop running for the last 1.2 miles or so back to the finish!

AFTER THE FINISH

The first folks I saw after the finish...the water volunteers

These folks were handing out red bandanas...which came in handy for me to wipe my camera lens, as I was sweating so darn much. Thank you ladies!

"Happy Finishers" et al......

On the way back to my car, I took a leisurely walk through the downtown RiverCenter area near River Center Mall.  Very peaceful early on a Sunday morning before all the businesses started opening and tourists started flooding the Riverwalk.

EPILOG

Siclovia is a fun event and always held on Sunday to impede as little as possible traffic and local businesses.   The 5K is always well managed and iaapweb.com does their usual great job of course setup, timing, results, etc.   I always try to do this 5K whenever I can...not too many events are done in the downtown venue near The Alamo, so it's a very nice change-of-route from most local events.  Mucho thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers, organizers, law enforcement out there for us, etc., all the folks who made this one happen for we participants.  Definitely recommend this one to my fellow runners and walkers!

That's a great idea to encourage people to enjoy exercise.  Fun to be in that part of town without the usual crowded streets.  You can actually look around and see things!