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Buffalo Boogie has record crowd for 20th anniversaryBy Charles Clines
The Buffalo Boogie 5K & 1-Mile Run celebrated its 20th anniversary Saturday, May 12, at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge and the record turnout of about 1,100 enjoyed an overcast morning and cooler temperatures of about 70 degrees. Usually, I'm taking photos at the race for the website, but I was a participant this time and running with my 9-year-old granddaughter Gracyn. She was trying her first 5K while my other granddaughter, 11-year-old Adia was running her second 5K with my son-in-law Dustin. We couldn't have picked a better morning, though the two girls were a little peeved at me because I had thought this was an 8 a.m. start instead of 8:30. They could have slept a little longer. This is a great race for novice runners, because the first two miles of the course is either downhill or level. The overhanging trees on both sides of the course make great shade, if needed, which we didn't. About a mile-and-a-half into the race, there was a lone musician entertaining the crowd of runners and walkers. This race also caters to dog owners and several were entered. A registered dog -- $5 to enter -- receives a bandana. There were all kinds of the four-legged participants, and a few were being pushed along in strollers. Beginning at the 2-mile mark, the loop course begins going back up to the finish. That's when Gracyn had to take her first walk break and then it was jog/walk to the finish, though she did sprint the final .1 of the 3.1 miles. Heading toward the finish, participants saw several bison behind the fence, next to the course. Winning the male and female overall titles were Brian Collard, 17, of Azle in 17:18 (chip time) and Eva Contreras, 37, of Fort Worth in 19:57.5. Brian won the race two years ago, too, and Eva's sister Maria Martinez won the female title last year. David Baldwin, 43, of North Richland Hills won the male masters title, finishing in 18:43.1 and Kathy Harmon, 42, of Springtown won the the female masters award with a 22:45.4. It's probably a good quarter of a mile back from the finish to the food, vendors and live band. There were bagels, bananas, oranges, yogurt, coffee and water.The band was good and, thankfully, wasn't a band that tried to rupture ears. There is a great, fast shuttle service for those who park at the remote areas across from the nature center. Once again, the event was well-organized and results by RunTIME Racing Services were posted in a timely manner. Don't be surprised if another record turnout is set next year. See results. *** Agustin Hernandez nips Clint Bell at Forest Hills raceBy Fiona Green
Although the crowd showing up for the Lion's Club 5K in Forest Hill on Saturday morning, May 12, was a fairly small one, it included some of the top runners in the area, no doubt attracted by the promise of a fast, flat course and cash awards. While the course was designated afterward as a 3-mile distance rather than a 5K, the times were nonetheless impressive. Claiming the overall title and $100 was 41-year-old Agustin Hernandez, who covered the course in a speedy 14:53, edging out Clint Bell by four seconds. Claiming the male masters' title and $50 was John Ball, 59, in 20:07. On the ladies' side, youth triumphed over experience as 16-year-old Olivia Olguin narrowly beat masters winner Cora Turner, 43, of Alvarado in 19:07, 15 seconds in front of Cora, who earned $50. Olguin, a junior at Martin High School in Arlington, has a 5K PR of 18:49. She currently runs around 50 miles a week, including a 12-mile-run on Sundays. On those runs she is often accompanied by her father, Martin, a former high school runner who cycles alongside, encouraging her to maintain a steady pace. Hernandez, who is no stranger to the winner's circle, is clearly in excellent shape and proof that age is no excuse for slowing down. Two weeks ago he ran a 15:12 in Laredo to earn $500 for his overall victory. Hernandez is running approximately 95-100 miles per week, incorporating strength and core training into his routine. While he enjoys the 5K and 10K distances, he is targeting the DRC Half in the fall and White Rock Marathon in December. *** Female is first at Dash & Dine and masters runners shine at Five & DimeBesides the Buffalo Boogie and the Lion's Club 5K, there were, as always, several other road races in the D-FW are on May 12. And there were some interesting results. At the Dash & Dine 5K in Dallas, Kendall Howen, 18, of Dallas was the first finisher with an 18:09 gun time, beating male winner Anthony Harris, 34, of Arlington, who had a gun time of 18:46.3. At the Five & Dime, the 5-mile overall female was masters runner Leana Sloan, 49, of Grapevine with a 36:37. In the 10-mile race, another masters female was first female across the line as 60-year-old Linda Kelly of Dallas with a 1:17:19. And another masters runner, 46-year-old Laura Nelson of Grapevine carted off an overall female award with a 19:53 at the Fort Worth Runners Club's Mother's Day Run. The Forest Hills Lions Club race, which lured some fast runners with $100 as the top prize, came down to just four seconds for the male title. Agustin Hernandez, still one of the top runners in the area at 41 years old, nipped another top area runner, Clint Bell, with a 14:53 over the 3-mile course. Bell finished in 14:57. The female race was close, too, as Olivia Olguin, 16, nipped masters runner Cora Turner, 43, by 15 seconds by posting a 19:07. At the Head For the Cure in Plano, former Dallas White Rock Marathon winner and a previous Olympic Trials qualifier 50-year-old William Moore won the male title with a 16:41.9, beating Grant Buley, 16, of Wylie by about 9 seconds. The results have again been corrected. The first correction replaced the female overall winner with another runner, but Run Far Racing Services said the correction should have been the female masters winner and has resent the results. *** Bob Smeby leads parade of Masters victoriesMasters runners also had another good Saturday (May 5). The oldest (but still very speedy) winner was Bob Smeby, 55. He was the overall male winner at the Derby Run 5K in Plano by finishing with an 18:15 to hold off Joe Hansen, 30, by 41 seconds. The female winner also is in the 40-older crowd. Meg Penrose of Richardson, 46, won the overall female title with a 20:53. At the Love Run in The Colony, Steven Franks, 43, of The Colony took the overall male title with a 22:52.30; Fiona Green, 47, won the 10K female title (and fake coonskin cap) at the Mayfest 10K in Fort Worth. A side note at the Mayfest 5K: Cathy Buchanan beat Laura Nelson for the female masters title. Under Laura's tutelage, Cathy has been steadily improving and ran a 20:46 while Laura finished in 21:04. Another fast masters effort was from Marilyn Burnham, 43, of Southlake. She won the Kiwanis Run For The Kids 5K in Southlake with a 19:56. And at the McAfee St. Jude 5K in Plano, Monica Rankin, 40, of Murphy was the overall female winner with a 21:46. *** Two female overall winners at Heels and HillsOn a warm (mid to high 70s), but mostly overcast Sunday (May 6), about 1,300 finished the Heels and Hills Half Marathon, 10K and 5K in Irving. Two of the overall winners were females. Taking the male and female titles in the half were Aaron Singh, 31, (1:40:57) and Jillian Norman, 34, who beat everyone across the finish line with a 1:36:43. Masters winners were Hans Brinks, 49, (1:46:19) and Jennifer Asxline, 43, (1:36:51). Winning the 10K overall races were Kris Nance, 35, (42:03.3) and Chelsea Ross, 28, (42:22.7). Topping the masters divisions were Kim Andres, 59, (42:15.4) and Ian Maung, 45, (44:48). In the 5K, Joseph Burnham, 32, (22:30.1) and 12-year-old Danan Barnes (20:11.4) were the male and female winners, with Danan beating everyone. In the masters divisions, Greg Nicholson, 57, (23:45.1) and Beth Patterson, 46, (28:43.7) won. *** Sausage and beer and good times at Muenster and other eventsBy Charles Clines Well, I missed Muenster's Germanfest and didn't get to eat the great German food or drink some of the suds, but several from the DFW area made the annual pilgrimage on April 29 and came back with their just rewards. In a close race for the 15K female overall victory, Kim Stark, 37, of Rockwall edged Laura Nelson, 46, of Grapevine by 20 seconds with her winning 1:07:07. Sheila Natho (aka Sparkle Plenty) was third at 1:08:43. Ryan Kaiser, 33, of Dallas had an easier time of it in the male division by winning with a 57:47. First and second, respectively, were Gono Enriquez, 27, of Ardmore with a 58:51 and Gary Anderson, 50, of Fort Worth with a 59:41. Several good times were logged Saturday (April 28) at the Plano Pacers' Hall of Fame 8K with Kenny Stice, 18, winning in 29:14.3. Chris Crawford, 51, flirted with a 6-minute mile pace to win the masters in 30:54.2, and 69-year-old Bill Shaw of Frisco was right at a 7-minute mile pace with a 34:30.3. A race after my own heart -- Love to Run and Eat -- in Rockwall was led by Clint Bell, 32, with a 16:28. Some of the faster efforts were posted at the Franciscan 5K in Arlington. Overall male winner Gabriel Ngwin, 27, ran a 16:05 to hold off Dane Batzel, 34, by 34 seconds. Former White Rock Marathon and Olympic Trials qualifier William Moore, 50, took masters honors with a 16:41. Carolyn Bell, 23, also posted a speedy time at the Girls On The Run 5K in Carrollton with a 19:07.8. And several youngsters got a taste of mud and obstacles at the Dirty Scurry in Fort Worth over a 1.2-mile course. *** It was difficult to beat the heat and hills at Beat The HeatBy Fiona Green
The combination of hills, wind and humidity resulted in some slower than usual times at the Beat the Heat 5K and 10K in Las Colinas, Saturday, April 28. One person who was unaffected by the conditions was 10K overall winner Bryan Wales of Crossroads. Wales, a father of three, ran a personal best of 39:15. He started the race at a modest pace before picking it up after the first mile. After that he never looked back, finishing ahead of runner-up John Myers, 47, who came in with a 42:17. The 30-year-old Wales, who was using the race as part of his training for the Utah Valley marathon in June, is more familiar with the 5K distance and usually clocks 18 minutes. His time Saturday assured him that his marathon training is coming along nicely. Also finishing in the top 5 was 20-year-old rookie runner Joe Crum of Crossroads who covered the course in 44:40. Crum, an avid kayaker and rock climber, was encouraged to enter the race with a work colleague who also finished in the top 5. Crum is in the Army National Guard and participates in field training one weekend per month and one month per year. He now has his sights set on a half marathon. (Note: Fiona won the female title with a 46:36.) The 5K winners were newcomers to the podium. On the female side was 29-year-old Ashley Stark, a teacher at Las Colinas Elementary School who was showing support for one of her third grade students. Ashley, who covered the course in 26:44, is a regular runner who has raced several half marathons. On the male side, Michael Poulos, 40, took top honors in 25:00. Poulos is returning to running after an injury and is building up his mileage in preparation for the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon in June. Proceeds from Saturday’s race go toward Family Promise of Irving, a group that assists displaced families in the Irving area, helping them improve their circumstances while preserving family values and personal dignity *** Cobb Park Mile was a straining test(For older reports, visit the Archives)
So, just why is Laura Nelson grimacing so much? Well, that's what happens to faces when they're attached to a body that's running as hard as it can for a mile. Laura was among about 30 runners who tested themselves at the first Cobb Park Mile at the refurbished Cobb Park in Fort Worth on Sunday morning (April 22). Laura, 47, this website's 2010 Female Runner of the Year and the 2011 Female Masters Runner of the Year, won the women's division with a speedy 5:47. Demery Cox, 26, took the male division by zipping to a 5:07. His dad, Ricky, 52, won the male masters title with a 5:26 and Cathy Buchanan, 50, won the female masters title with a 5:52. A Dedication Ceremony was held the day before to show off the renovated park. See a slideshow of the event. Photos were submitted by Movin' Pictures. Flash is needed to view the pictures. *** Marine of Year defends title at Coleson's F.R.O.G. runBy Fiona Green
On a cool, crisp Saturday morning (April 21), over 500 runners gathered for the 2nd annual Coleson's F.R.O.G. Walk By Faith 5K and 6 mile runs. The events were organized by the parents of Coleson Young, a 4-year-old who was diagnosed two years ago with a brain tumor. After surgery, radiation and a lot of prayer, Coleson is now cancer free and healthy. Following his recovery, his parents decided to dedicate their time to helping others going through a similar experience and founded Coleson's F.R.O.G. (Fully relying on God). Last year, with the support of surrounding communities and local businesses, they raised over $5,000 and Walked by Faith with over 300 participants. They used the money to provide and serve monthly meals at the Ronald McDonald House. Additionally, they were able to assist families with lodging, gas cards and family fun time. Organizers earned top marks for this event, which featured a 1K fun run followed by The 5K and 6-miler. The event was excellent value for the money. The $20 entrance fee (for either race) included an attractive T-shirt, coupons for post race pizza and hot dogs, unique medals and the chance to win some great raffle prizes. The 6-mile overall winner was Ranjeet Singh, a Marine stationed in Fort Worth. He maintained a steady pace throughout the race to defend his overall title with a 41:38. The 28-year-old was modest in his success, congratulating others on their times. Such modesty and genuine interest in others is what led him to be chosen as Marine of the Year, a fact mentioned by his staff sergeant, Emmanuel Munoz, who finished third overall. Crediting his fitness level to his Marine training, Ranjeet has completed several marathons and has set himself a goal of running a sub 4-hour marathon. His closest so far is 4:01 but as a friend pointed out, he probably would have achieved his goal in that race if he hadn't stopped to help a fellow runner who was experiencing difficulties. There is no question that he will achieve his goal in the near future. We wish him luck and thank him for everything that he and his fellow Marines do for us. (Note: Fiona won the overall female title with a 42:45 and she was second overall.) The two races started together with the 6-miler consisting of almost two loops of the 5K course, which wound through Lake Worth neighborhoods. Taking an early 5K lead were overall male winner and runner-up, 38-year-old Jorge Garcia and his 12-year-old son Jeremiah. Neither Jorge, who ran a 21:56, nor his son, who finished in 22:06, are regular runners although Jorge ran in high school. The female overall 5K winner was 31-year-old fitness instructor Stephanie Turner of Roanoke, who originally set out to run the 6-mile race. Knee problems however forced her to reconsider and switch to the 5K. Stephanie has a medial meniscus tear and is due to undergo surgery this month. Aware that she will have to rest post surgery, she was keen to squeeze in a few more races before her operation. Today, however, the pain was simply too intense for 6 miles. Considering her third mile felt more like a walk than a run, she was satisfied with her win and 23:34 finish. ***
***Runners escape severe weather at Big D MarathonIt appeared early Sunday morning (April 15) that thunder, lightning and rain would threaten the Big D Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K at Fair Park in Dallas. But the worst of the storm passed over and the race was on even though it was raining. Winning the male division in the marathon was Spaniard Noel Fernandez Marcos, 35, with a course record time of 2:38:26.06, and taking the female overall title was Briseida Ramos, 28, of Lubbock with a 3:02:23.04. Gary Anderson, 50, of Fort Worth won the male masters title by finishing in 3:00:59.63 and Freda Allen, 48, of Cincinnati, Ohio, earned the female masters title with a 3:51:53.03. Gary had won his age division at The Cowtown Marathon by running a 2:58, his fastest time since 2007. In the half maraton, Matt Buchhorn, 25, of Georgetown won he male division with a 1:20:45.24 and Heidi Hamilton, 29, of Grapevine won the female title with a 1:30:03.69. The male and female masters winners were Joel Toland, 47, of Rowlett (1:30:40.43) and Amy Lindgren, 43, of Frisco (1:39:25.88. Male and female over 5K winners were Josh Terry, 31, of Dallas (18:23.64) and Jessica Smith, 34, of Trophy Club (20:37.79), and masters winners were Pete Carton, 46, of Dallas (21:10.04) and Angela Eusery, 44, of Grand Prairie (21:38.71). *** Masters runners rise to top in area racesWow! The 40-older crowd had a big day on Saturday (April 14). Now fewer than nine masters runners earned overall titles in DFW area races. Cora Turner, 42, of Alvarado led the way with a 20:25 to win the female overall title at the Greater Fort Worth Race For The Cure at Ridgmar Mall. While she won by more than a minute, the men's race proved to be quite exciting as Joshua Trevino, 28, of Dallas won for the second consecutive week with a 15:53. Kolin Styles, 25, of Weatherford and Clint Bell, 32, had a duel for second with Kolin winning by a second with a 16:11. But regarding the masters. Besides Cora Turner, other masters winners included Dallas Casa Superhero 5K male winner Andres Hernandez, 45, (17:38); Run For The Rescue 5K female winner Laura Nelson, 46, (20:39.6); White Rock 5K female winner Candace George, 43, (22:15.75); Run For Cover male winner David Rove, 47, (20:35.2) and female winner Lita Alessandra, 50, 22:43.1; Seton Soles male winner Steve Purser, 47 (19:15); The Maverick Stampede male winner Greg Rankin, 45, (19:05.11); and Freedom Run female winner Tellie Cobos, 44, (20:59). *** Joshua Trevino, former Bell runner earn airline tickets at Easter Run, Run For The Riders
The Easter Run/Walk Run For The Riders didn't have as many speedy runners as usual on a breezeless, slightly warm Saturday morning (April 7) at the Stockyards in Fort Worth. Apparently the Dallas Cup 5K in Frisco, which was offering cash prizes ($300 for first) for the first three male and females, lured many of the faster competitors, and there were several other events, including the Victory Over Violence and the DRC Tal Morrison Classic, that caused runners/walkers to be spread throughout the area. So, that gave the 10K male winner Joshua Trevino an easy victory and his second roundtrip airline ticket in three years. Joshua ran a 33:25.2. The female winner, former L.D. Bell runner Meghan Gebke, also cruised to victory to win the other ticket with a personal-best of 41:06. Meghan, now living in Portsmith, Va., is visiting her family. Meghan said she has won a few overall titles in smaller races but never an airline ticket. "I'm really excited about winning the ticket. Being in the military, things can get kind of tight.'' Trevino said he'll use his ticket to fly to Oregon and spend the summer training and living with friends. In the fall, he'll start a job as an elementary teach in Phoenix, Ariz. Winning the masters titles were Mickey Richardson, 41, of Azle with a 57:13.7 and Leana Sloan, 49, of Grapevine with a 45:30.4. Leana has been battling back from health problems for a few years and showed she's returning to form. In the 5K, Gabriel Zambrano, 18, of Fort Worth won the male title with a 16:42.9, and Teresa Howard, 50, of Clyde won her first overall female with a 24:29.7. Usually that time won't win an overall title, so understandably Teresa said she was surprised. She said she has been training for longer distances and hasn't been focusing on the shorter races. Gabriel is mulling a couple of collegiate offers and trying to decide where he wants to go. A Kids Run and an Easter Egg hunt followed the 5K and 10K. See a slideshow. (Flash is needed to view the photos). More photos will be available at Movin' Pictures. See results. At Victory Over Violence, participants ran only 2.75 miles rather than 3.1. Speculation is that the lead runners might have turned around too soon, causing everyone to follow. *** Sherman, Ulrich win Dallas Cup 5KLogan Sherman of Dallas nipped Enoch Nadler of Richardson for the overall victory at the Dallas Cup 5K in Frisco. Logan crossed the line in 15:23.5 and Enoch came in at 15:23.7. The hair difference was a $100 difference as first paid $300 and second $200. In the female division, Wendy Ulrich of Melissa won with a 19:42.1. Sarah Kincaid of McKinney was runner-up with a 20:27. Male and female masters winners were Agustin Hernandez, 40, of Irving with a 15:30.4 and Yolanda Hopping, 49, of Flower Mound with a 22:07.8. ***Becky Angeles second female at Rock 'n' Roll DallasBecky Angeles of Murphy, who ran the marathon in the Olympic Trials this year and was selected as this website's DFW 2011 Female Runner of the Year, finished second at the Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon on Sunday, March 25. Becky ran a 1:21:04 to finish behind Mattie Suver of Austin, a University of Oregon graduate who ran a 1:17:39. Mattie also had won the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon last year. In the male race, Sammy Kiplagat, 38, a Kenyan living in Hidalgo, ran a 1:05:44 to take the overall title. Samuel Kosgei of Santa Fe, N.M., was second in 1:06:00. The top two finishes by DFW runners were Benazzouz Slimani, an Italian residing in Garland, and Logan Sherman of Dallas. Slimani, winner among other events of the 1008 Miami Marathon, was fourth with a 1:06:24 and Logan was fifth in 1:08:25. Logan had won the Cowtown 10K in February and was runner-up at the St. Paddy's Dash Down Greenville on March 17. More than 14,000 participated in the race that started at City Hall in downtown Dallas and finished at Fair Park. *** Andrew Montes wins third Joe's Run 10KMaybe Joe's Run 10K should be renamed the Andrew Montes Run. For the third consecutive year, the Colleyville resident won the 10K even though he was clocked with a slower-than-usual 35:00.55 over the 6.2-mile loop course that starts and finishes at Rosedale and Hemphill. Andrew, 24, had placed fifth in the Cowtown 10K in February with a 32:59 and won Joe's Run last year with a 34:04. Mark Miller, 34, was Andrew's closest pursuer and came in second with a 36:58.72. Winning the female 10K was Magaly Soto, 35, who won the Impossible Possibilites St. Patrick's Day 5K last week for her third female overall victory this year. She rinished with a 40:42.06. Winning the male and female masters titles were Michael Fussell, 54, with a 37:36.17 and Martha Sanchez, 45, with a 46:11.54. In the 5K, Elizabeth Eder, 24, won for the second consecutive year even though she too posted a slower time. She finished with an 18:26.70. Last year she zipped to a 17:44.6. Winning the male 5K race was Dane Batzel, 34, of Arlington. He topped the field with a 16:42.59, edging runner-up Brent Williams, 19, of Arlington by about five seconds. Male and masters winners were Marcin Wedalarski, 50, with a 17:15.17 and Laura Nelson, 46 with a 20:12.68. This at least the eighth masters title Laura has won this year, as well as at least five overall awards. See results.
*** Melissa Cook enjoys the green again at St. Paddy's Dash Down GreenvilleGreenville Ave. turned into a green wave of runners and walkers Saturday morning in Dallas as many of the 5,035 finishers in the St. Paddy's Dash Down Greenville 5K were decked out in green. It was Melissa Cook of Flower Mound who got to take home a lot of green, though. For the second consecutive year, Melissa won the female division to earn $150 and her 16:31 time also gave her a $250 bonus prize for beating 17 minutes. She won last year with a 16:43. Her husband, Andrew, was unable to defend after winning the male title last year. Andrew, the Flower Mound cross country and track coach, said he has a hernia and is scheduled for surgery at the end of the season. Winning the male overall title was Jacob Phillips of Dallas with a 15-minute clocking, beating Logan Sherman of Dallas by 12 seconds. Jacob wasn't able to cash in on the bonus for males, however, as the bar for that award has been set at 14:20. The runners-up -- Logan and D'Ann Arthur of Dallas (17:41) -- won $100 each and the third-place finishers -- Enoch Nadler of Richardson (15:24) and Katherine Devlin of Dallas (18:15) won $50 each. Custom Irish Coffee Glasses were awarded the top three and the top three in age divisions.. Greenville wasn't the only place where the green was showing. The Impossible Possibilities St. Patrick's Festival at Trinity Park in Fort Worth also had plenty of green-clad runners, spectators and festival visitors. Gabriel Ngwin easily nailed the male overall award with a speedy 15:45 over the 5K course. Magaly Soto won the female trophy with a 19:48. Masters winners were the 2011 Masters Male and Female Runners of the Year selected by this website -- James Jackson (17:18) and Laura Nelson (21:03). *** Coach, student come in 1-2 at Just For the Heck of It XIVCathy Buchanan credits Laura Nelson for her progress for most of the past two years. So, it seems only fitting that the two were the first females across the finish line at Saturday's (March 10) Just For The Heck of It XIV -- Race Against Hunger III 5K at Mike Lewis Park in Grand Prairie. Laura, 46, this website's 2010 Female Runner of the Year and the 2011 Female Masters Runner of the Year for the DFW area, won with a 20:02, and Cathy, 49, came across the finish line 28 seconds later and with a 5K PR. A couple of years ago, Cathy probably would have been about three minutes behind Laura. But Laura saw potential in Cathy and gave her some running advice and after applying them, along with a lot of hard training, her times have dropped steadily. The male winner on the overcast, cool morning was Jacob Bradley with a 17:29. Runner-up Bryan Girouard, 41, took the masters award with a 19:15. *** March off to a bangJust a week after The Cowtown set a record of more than 25,000 registered participants, more than 2,700 runners/walkers finished the Dallas Running Club's Trinity River Levee Run 10K and 5K on a cool, great-for-running Saturday morning (March 3) to help kick off a new month. A couple of close races highlighted the runs as Kim Rogers-Tracy held off Jayna Henstort and Janice Moore to win the female 10 overall award with a 40:28. Jayna (40:39) and Janice (40:46) came in second and third. On the male side, Matt Carey had a wider margin of victory as he won in 32:24 and runner-up Jacob Phillips came in at 33:05. The female 5K race also had a tightly bunched finish as Dawn Charlier Grunnagle beat Becky Angeles by 14 seconds with a 17:41. Sonya Correa was third, just two seconds behind Becky. The Esperanza 5K had another dash to the finish to decide the overall female title as Jeniffer Pope, 25, nipped Laura Nelson, 46, by three seconds (gun time) by crossing the line in 20:16. Joshua Trevino wasn't as closely pressed to win the male overall trophy with a 15:41, 32 seconds ahead of Silva Garman. A couple of masters runners (40 older) took center stage at the first A Run In The Park 5K in Southlake. Don Nelson, 56, won the male overall title with a 20:08.6 and Marty Martin-Donaldson, 46, came from Amarillo to win the female award with a 21:52.8. This weekend (March 3-4) had at least 14 were on tap throughout the area. Later in the month, the Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon on March 25 should again be a big attraction among runners. A couple of my favorites are the Impossible Possibilities St Patrick's Day 5K Festival at Trinity Park in Fort Worth on March 17 and Joe's Run in Fort Worth, which features great hand-painted penguins as awards, on March 24. Both are great for competitive runners, casual runners/walkers and for the whole family. Also, on March 17 is the popular Dash Down Greenville in Dallas, which offers prize money. Expect fast times, costumes and a big crowd. Another event that has grown so much that about 7,000 are expected on March 31 for the Firefly Run 5K in Plano. Participants in the night run/walk will be lighting up the streets with the LED lights and reflective material they'll receive. There a numerous other races, so check out the Calendar to find one that appeals to you. *** |
