INTRO - I am Scott aka Scottydog, runner since 1983, cancer survivor, retired Air Force, 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.

SHORT VERSION REPORT

My 32nd event of 2013.   The Veteran's Victory Run honors all veterans everywhere, active duty and retired, living and those who have passed on.  Event supports the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) , one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. The South Texas AAU is one of the largest chapters in the country and gives kids, who might not otherwise have had the opportunity, to play and compete in sports activities.  There was a 5K and 10K for this event, starting and finishing at Universal City Park.  Universal City is where Randolph Air Force Base is located.   About 75 - 100 participants, runners and walkers.  The 5K, which I did, actually ended up being a little short, at 2.85 miles, but that was okay, it still made for a nice morning run, especially as we had an early start time of 7 a.m., which was much appreciated as the temp was already 73 degrees at that time and the humidity was around 83%.  I ended up with a finish time of 31:03 - not speedy at all - and was first in my age group.  Gotta love doing small races sometimes!   Some nice 'swag' in the goodie bag, and a pretty nice race shirt:

Closeup of the logo

LONG VERSION WITH PHOTOS

BEFORE THE START

With the 7 a.m. start, I was up at 5 to have a breakfast of Cheerios, and then head over to the start area to get my bib, shirt, etc.  Still a bit dark around 6:30 a.m. as I wandered around and got some pre-start photos.

Start/finish line area

Me by one of the flags that were around the park pavilion

Rod and Regina, two of our great race organizers that got this race going

"Buddy" the mascot of H-E-B (a store like Wal-Mart), which is huge in South Texas and a very active supporter of community events.

Participants and Supporters pre-start

For those of you who like tattoos, this lovely lady allowed me to take a close-up photo of her very detailed arm tatoo.  I think she might like pirates or pirate movies...

ON THE COURSE

Rod gave us some course instructions and told everyone that this year there WAS a big turn-around sign for the 5K because last year someone - yeah, it was me - had missed the 5K turn around point last year and had done the 10K instead.  I took my 'faux pas' bows,  and added to the instructions for everyone "Be sure NOT to follow me!"  which got us all started off with a laugh at my expense.  The course goes through a very pleasant neighborhood adjacent to the park, and is quite hilly in spots.  For the 5K, not so bad.  That 10K route however, as I recalled from last year is quite brutally hilly.  So I had great admiration for the folks doing that one, especially one lady who pushed a stroller along that whole 10K course.

On the way to the 5K turn-around point

The 5K turn-around point.  At this junction, those of us doing the 5K turned around here, the 10K folks went right to continue doing their course.  The lady volunteer in blue was funny, she remembered me from last year, had kept an eye out for me and when she saw me, she called out  "You are here!  Turn-around here!"  lol.

On the way back to the finish.  I did not realize it at the time, but the guy in gray in the first photo was some of my competition in my age group.  If I remember correctly he finished 2nd on our age group.  He and I ran for a couple minutes together and had a nice chat.  I played 'leapfrog" with the lady in the 2nd photo, and finally passed her after our last hill, and finished just a bit ahead of her.

AFTER THE RACE

Apologies for the 'TV dream sequence look" in some of the photos, it was very humid, and I kept forgetting to wipe my lens before each photo.

The Stroller Tattoo Lady and her hubby did the 5K and finished WELL ahead of me.  Quite speedy, especially pushing a stroller on those hills.

This is the young lady I played leapfrog with on the course, here with a friend

One nice touch for this race: you could submit the name of a Veteran and they put the name on the sign and then all the signs were along the course to honor your chosen veteran.  After the race, you could take the sign home.  I submitted the name of my friend, Dr. Susan Fondy, US Army...except...that I spelled her last name wrong (it's FONDY, not Frondy)...DUH...Old Man Brain Dump! .  Oh well, I'm sure she knows I love her to death and will forgive me.  Those of you who have been around these forums for a while probably know her by her forum name SusanRachel. I am going to mail this sign to Susan.

Another participant with her chosen honored veteran

This lady (red shirt, hands raised, can just see '32" on part of her bib), bless her, was the last one in - she did the 10K - and a bunch of kids went out keep her company on her run in to the finish line, and the rest of us all lined up near the finish line and cheered her in.  I can relate, lol, since I was the one dead last last year, after I 'inadvertently' did the 10K instead of the 5K.  She has a lot of heart! Never give up!

With her friends, after she finished.

More "Happy Finishers" and Supporters

Some ladies from Planet Fitness were there, and let me have a photo with them.  Since I was sweating a LOT, I kept my hands in front, no 'hugs' today, so I would not get them all smelly and "icky." 

Active Duty Air Force and Retired Air Force.  Guess which is which...

A photograph of the official photographer, a very nice lady

Some of the Awards Winners

This lady did the 10K..pushing a stroller all the way, up and down those brutal hills!

EPILOG

This was the 2nd year for this event and I'm on a streak, I've done this event both years..even if I did go longer than intended last year, lol.  I plan to keep my streak going, I really like this event.  Very friendly, nice area to run in. lots of good folks, volunteers, supporters, and participants.   I hope this one gets more publicity and grows in the future, especially as it honors Veterans, and San Antonio is such a huge military town.

Awesome RR as usual, Scotty!  One of these days, I wil be running the same races as you when I move!  I cannot wait and I am looking forward to the day I am mentioned in one of your RRs.

Thanks for racing for our veterans.  I'm sure Susan will be very proud of your sign (as per your FB post!)

Nice job, Scotty.  That older kid should have been running, not riding in the stroller.

Scotty, great race.. The sign is a very nice touch.. ** Psssh, nothing a marker can't fix.. or duct tape.. R **

Great event, and great cause.  I say it every time, but the amount of races you do baffles me.  Have you ever calculated your racing budget? lol  I wonder why the race ended up so short?  That seems odd.  Way to go on that AG win!  I know you're always saying how "chunky" your city is, but you'd sure never know it seeing all your race pictures.  Kudos to those folks for getting out there and improving their lives.

Good stuff Scotty!  The area looks really nice.  Your motto should be, "Have running shoes and camera.  Will travel" lol!

Great report Scptty and congrats on the AG win. What a great way to honour SR.

Congrats on AG win.  And how many were in the AG?

5, actually.   Hard to believe they were all slower than me, lol.