INTRO  

I am Scott aka Scottydog aka Scotty Dogg, runner since 1983, cancer survivor – caught very early, so I actually had a fairly easy time of it - , retired Air Force, employee of University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), friend of dogs, fun-runner, and all-around punster and 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.  My only goals for a race these days are finish everything I start, have fun along the way, and finish standing up with no ambulance waiting for me.  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 – unless it’s a mean dog; then the biscuit goes in one direction and I go in another.  Hence my nickname “Scottydog.”

And a big thanks to runningahead.com for allowing me a “home” for my many many MANY race reports and photos.  Great site, free training log; calendars; running routes; maps; conversation forums for runners; and much more

I don’t have great camera skills and take photos with a camera that is like me - old fashioned, lol - so sorry if a photo appears a bit blurry, etc.  However, they are free to save, share, etc.

Here is yet another of my photo reports.

Link to photos only:

http://s166.photobucket.com/user/scottydog69/slideshow/2018%20Race%20Reports/2018%20Race%20Number%2066%20Zero%20Prostate%205K?sort=2

Full report below.    

BEFORE MY START

My 66^th race of 2018 – and 3^rd race of the Sep 14 – Sep 16 weekend – was the Zero Prostate Cancer 5K held at Mission County Park in San Antonio held on Sunday Sep 16.  Start time of 8:15 a.m.  There was supposed to be a 10K too but due to all the ‘fallout rain’ we got from Hurricane Florence activity, all the 10K folks were moved to the 5K as the back end of their course was quite flooded.  I arrived with about an hour to go to start time and it was absolutely pouring in the park area.  I just sat in my car and waited; and sure enough, after about 20 minutes it lightened up quite a bit.  Took a dry shirt and towel into the pavilion with me to change into after the race and then got a few pre-start photos.

Deja Vu...back at the same pavilion that I was at for my Saturday race at Mission County Park

Our MC, Mark, doing his usual great job

Pre-start entertainment as we wait

Some of the volunteers...prepared for the wet....sorry about the blurry look, i think I had water on my lens and forgot to wipe

Me with one of the race staff.  This was my dry shirt.  I had a singlet underneath that I  did the race in.

The unofficial photographer got a photo of the lady official photographer and her assistant

Various participants, volunteers, etc

With MC Mark Purnell

My friend Albert - 75 and still going strong - with friend Arturo - who we think is an agent for Men In Black.

My friends here are walking fools.  They walk quite long distances too.  He is actually a brain cancer survivor.

My speedy friend, Ed.  Water did not slow him down at all.  He placed.

With my speedy friend, Don.  You think I do a lot of races in a year?  This was Don's 77th race of the year.

My friend Bernadette - her 78th race of the year.  Looking a bit wet as she went out and did a warmup run before the race.

My friend Tony with the Alamo Beer.  You wanted beer for breakfast?  They gave it to you, even pre-race.

Tony with friend Jose, one of the iaap race company co-owners

Gene - founder of Alamo Beer - and Tony.  This is good stuff...my favorite beer, and locally brewed.

My speedy friend, Woody (2nd from the right) did the same 5K on Saturday that I did.  And here we are, back again on Sunday .

Getting ready to start.  My speedy friend Bethany - who does a lot of triathlons - in the front ready to get going.

In the stat crowd looking ahead

And looking behind...

ON THE COURSE

The race venue for this one was the same as my race I’d done on Saturday morning. The difference was that Saturday’s race was done on the Riverwalk Trail behind the park; this event was done on paved roads, starting out in front of the park.  There was actually more rain today than the one on Saturday.  Around the half-mile mark we got rained on pretty good for about 5 minutes, but that soon passed.  After that we pretty much enjoyed splashing through wet streets and some pretty darn big puddles too.  We also went down into a dip near the local area creek where shallow water was flowing across the road – about ankle high.   Some people diverted up a nearby hill to part of the Riverwalk Trail system and crossed a bridge there, but the majority of us just said heck with it, we’re already wet, and splashed on through both going out and coming back.  I really thought I was going quite slow and would finish in about 38 – 40 minutes but found myself surprised to finish in 35:43 chip time.  I was 11^th in my 60 – 69 age group, which was quite large due to the 10K folks being moved to the 5K.  I was quite happy with that and glad to be still standing after all the water hazards, lol.

My first walk break, a bit over a half-mile.  At this point it began pouring on us, but was a passing shower thank goodness, and only lasted about 10 minutes.

Where I am heading for now...

Thanks, Volunteer

Jeez,  I had not even got to a mile and this guy was already heading to the finish.  He won the event in 17-something.

The 'incliney" part of the course

Turn-around point.was under the bridge..we had a few large puddles to negotiate around here

I am heading back toward the finish now, on the right side of the road

Looking behind me...

Looking ahead...my prostate cancer surivor friend Bill, almost to the turn-round

Volunteers at the water station

At the bottom of this dip was the ankle-deep water most of us ran through coming out and going back.  The bridge crosses over a creek, but the creek was really overflowing and there was water all over the road.

After that, I ran nonstop back to the finish and surprised myself by getting done in 35 minutes and change.

AFTER MY FINISH

The weather cooperated for us post-race and did not rain on us at all.  Quite a pleasant after party with lots of goodies, including hot dogs, Alamo Beer, water, Powerade, Bloody Mary’s, various kinds of fruits and energy bars, and more, and also food trucks there too if you wanted to purchase something from there.  I found my towel and dry shirt, got dried off and into my dry shirt, and relaxed a while eating a banana and sipping some powerade and then water; and then, feeling much refreshed, was off to take some after photos.

Before I went to get dry, I got a photo with this lady.  We ran most of the last 1/2 mile of the course together.

With my speedy friend Bethany who finished waaaaaay ahead of me

Happy finisher and her support person

Wet but happy finishers

Honors and memories.  Richard Tietz, a well known runner in our running community for years, died not too long ago of brain cancer.  He was really a great guy.

One of the post-race goodies...

Happy finisher Don.  I think he placed.

Here's a motley crew, lol

With friend and survivor, Bill, survivor, veteran, combat medic;   his first race in a while, just recently recovering from a knee injury.

Yeah, now I can enjoy that beer..

With Race Director, Joni, who overcame challenges to get this one done today

Bernadette, as usual, placed

Pooled water on the patio of the park in the pavilion area. Kiddies using it as a wading pool.

San Antonio NBA Spurs Coyote came out for the kids run

More happy finishers, etc.

And finally...a big thanks to the race organizers for the local area Zero Prostate Cancer 5K - a race that is held in several cities around the country at various times - Joni  and her husband Dr. Reyna, here with MC Mark.

EPILOGUE

I have done this event in the past a few times and it is always well organized and nicely done. Really nice tech tee race shirts too.  This year, of course, with the weather the way it was, the organizers had a challenge, but they sure came through, everything appeared to go off without a hitch and – safety first – the organizers and race people were all over the course in their little 4-wheeler vehicles making sure the course was do-able, and watching out for participants so nobody would get injured.  Where I was on the course at any given time, even with some challenging spots along the way, I did not see anyone slip or fall.  Everyone just went right along at their chosen pace, whether running or walking, and seemed to be doing just fine. The only glitch I heard about was the medal handout volunteers were only giving medals to the first 2 places in each age group; I found out later they actually were supposed to give to 3^rd place too; the Race Directors, who are really great people whom I know personally, put out the word for 3^rd place people to get hold of them and those people would get their medal, so nice.    I like this race – and have a personal interest in it – especially at my age, with my prostate, lol – as I recently found out my PSA is a bit high, so a biopsy might have to be done.  This on top of my heart stuff I am currently dealing with, oh yah.  I tell you what, getting older sure ain’t for wimps, lol.   I also have prostate cancer survivor friends, so I do this one in honor of them too. I would definitely recommend this event to others.

Mucho thanks – especially with the weather the way it was – for all the people that made this one happen for we participants:  iaap race company for course set up, timing, etc; all the volunteers and sponsors and vendors that braved the weather to be out there for us; the law enforcement folks that stood out on the streets in all that wet keeping us all safe until the very last person came in; the medical folks on hand there for us; and anyone else I may not have mentioned here.   Thank you all so much!