Cap 10K: 2012

Posted on March 26, 2012 by janis

Today marked the 35th anniversary of the Capitol 10,000, affectionately known as the “Cap 10K.” This annual race is the largest 10K in Texas and the fifth largest in the US. The announcer said that over 23,000 participated in this morning’s race, although some web sites are putting the number closer to 25,000. Bill has run in this race for several years now but today was only my second Cap 10K.

We delayed leaving our apartment to take pictures of the crowd, so the national anthem was already in progress as we made our way across the Congress Avenue Bridge. The starting area was jammed but we eventually squeezed into the mob and slowly shuffled up to the starting line, passing it about ten minutes after the race had begun.

The race course made a giant loop around downtown Austin and ended at Auditorium Shores. Much of the course was flat except for a few small hills. Bands played along the way and many bystanders cheered us on. Participants were encouraged to wear costumes and some did; ballet tutus and superheroes seemed to be most popular. Two roadside groups handed out small cups of beer and another gave out bacon samples for some reason.

Scott MacPherson was the men’s winner, finishing in 29:50. Kara June won for the women with a time of 35:02.

Here is my second favorite section of the race course: looking down 15th street towards the Lamar Street overpass.

And my favorite part of the race? The finish line, of course!

Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon: 2012

Posted on February 20, 2012 by janis

After several gloomy, rainy days, today’s cool and clear weather was near-perfect for the over 18,000 runners who participated in the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon. I read that Lance Armstrong ran in the Half-Marathon but did not see him go by. As in previous years, the race benefited local organizations who handled the water stops along the way: “26 miles for 26 charities.”

The race course started and ended near the Texas State Capitol. Siyabonga Nkonde was the first runner to pass by our apartment building around Mile 2. He later finished first in the Half-Marathon (1:04:58). Allison Mendez won the women’s Half-Marathon (1:18:14).

The men’s marathon winner was Edward Kiptum (2:22:50) and the women’s winner was Shannon Bixler (3:02:28). Bill and I walked up to the finish line about four and one-half hours into the race and watched the many runners who were still coming in.

Local musicians played all along the race course. Bill and I stopped to listen to a few songs by Dale Watson and his band since we had heard them a few months ago at a South Austin honky tonk, The Broken Spoke.

Austin Gorilla Run: 2012

Posted on January 22, 2012 by janis

This morning Bill and I enjoyed watching the second annual Austin Gorilla Run. Proceeds from this race benefit the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, which provides veterinary educational training for Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Participants in this 5K race received a gorilla costume as part of the entry fee. Dressing in costume is half the fun (the gorilla suit seems to not count as a costume). The free brunch at Fado Irish Pub is the other half.

Austin organizers were hoping to set the Guiness World Record for “Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Gorillas.” The current record is 1061, set at the 2009 Denver Gorilla Run. We have not heard anything official yet, but Bill and I are guessing that the record was broken today. The 2011 Austin race had 800 participants and we thought today’s race had more gorillas than last year.

Before the race started, the three finalists for Individual Best Costume were called to the stage . . .

Gorilla and Grapes

Guerilla Gorilla

Gorilla Unicyclist (who was dangerously close to the edge of the stage)

. . . followed by the finalists for the Best Group Costume.

Work Gorillas

Mexican Gorillas

Mardi Gras Gorillas

Here’s some of the other creative costumes . . .

Pirate Gorilla

Another Pirate Gorilla

Gaga Gorilla

Ready for a Night Out

Baby Gorilla

Dian Fossey Fans

Supergorilla

Toga Gorillas

The race started about 9:30 AM. Most gorillas walked or ran. Some gorillas biked, some skated-boarded, and a few unicyled. Two gorillas pogo-sticked.

Thanksgiving Day 2011

Posted on November 25, 2011 by janis

Our Thanksgiving Day started with an unusual sight: a very thin band of fog had settled to the southwest of downtown Austin and advanced towards us until we couldn’t see the Long Center across the lake. The clouds were completely below our apartment with clear blue skies above us.

But the fog burned off long before 9:30 AM when the annual Thundercloud Sub Turkey Trot got underway. Over 21,000 people, including Bill, participated in this 5-mile race. I decided to take pictures and get our turkey in the oven instead.

The Turkey Trot is one of the largest races in Austin. It took 30 minutes for everyone to just shuffle across the First Street bridge to the starting line. A sea of people stretched for blocks and blocks up Lavaca Street. The race route looped west towards Mopac, along Cesar Chavez and back across the bridge to the finish line.

Austinites love to dress up in costumes. I saw pilgrims, turkeys, and even a taco go by.

By noon, the race was over and the roads were open again. We ate our Thanksgiving meal in the mid-afternoon and then took a walk over to look at the Gingerbread Village at the Four Seasons lobby. (I’m saving those pictures for a separate entry.) After our little outing, we ate some yummy apple pie baked by our church’s youth group.

We are starting to see some stunning sunsets again after months of drought and cloudless skies. Yet another reason to be thankful today!

Austin Race for the Cure 2011

Posted on November 14, 2011 by janis

This morning’s weather was perfect for the Susan G. Komen Austin Race for the Cure. Today’s race started at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and looped around the State Capitol grounds. According to the race announcer, there were 29,000 participants, although local cable station YNN put the actual total around 22,000. In either case, it was an impressive turnout.

The timed runners started at 7:30 AM. Untimed runners and walkers could begin any time between 8 and 10 AM. Our team was in line before 8 AM but we didn’t actually reach the starting line for at least ten minutes.

We called ourselves “The Triumphant Team” and had four breast cancer survivors and 14 friends/family members. Many teams had matching T-shirts but since this was our first time to walk together, we just wore the race shirts. Maybe next year we will be more organized.

Enthusiastic cheering squads were stationed along route to give encouragement to the runners and walkers. Therapy dogs were also available for petting.

Teams held hands or linked arms and celebrated as they crossed the finish line. And for good reason: an estimated $1.5 million was raised by today’s Race for the Cure for breast cancer treatment, screening and education programs.

LIVESTRONG Austin 2011

Posted on October 15, 2011 by janis

This weekend is the annual Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin, benefiting Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Foundation. On Saturday morning, the 5K Walk/Run starts early on the First Street bridge and loops through south Austin. The Livestrong bike ride is on Sunday morning about 20 miles west of Austin near Dripping Springs in the Texas Hill Country. Bill has participated in this ride for four years now. We picked up his ride packet this evening.

Years ago Lance started this event as “Ride for the Roses” with his cycling buddies. He still attends each year (and rides a lot further than Bill is planning to). Lance still has a home in Austin and a ranch in Dripping Springs. His ex-wife, Kristin, lives in Austin with his three oldest children.

Lance’s Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop on Fourth Street is the center of this weekend’s LIVESTRONG Challenge activities. Mellow Johnny’s sells (and rents) bikes and anything cycling-related. Bill has taken his bike to their repair shop for tune-ups. The building even includes a little coffee shop for cyclists who want to linger after those long, long rides.

Mellow Johnny’s offers free guided bike tours each week. Bill likes the intermediate 20-25 mile rides. As a result, he now has a pretty good idea of how to safely and easily bike around and in and out of downtown Austin. They also have an easy six-miler up to UT and back which I want to try….that’s more my distance!

Austin Triathalon

Posted on September 6, 2011 by janis

Downtown Austin was bustling before dawn this morning for the AVIA Austin Triathlon. Participants had dropped off their bikes at Auditorium Shores yesterday during race check-in. From our apartment Bill and I could see the bikes glistening under the streetlights last night.

Triathletes registered for either the Olympic or Sprint distance. The Olympic distance course was a 1500 meter swim, 40K bike ride, and a 10K run. The Sprint course was a 700 meter swim, 27K bike ride, and 5K run.

Swimmers were grouped to leave every four minutes starting at 7:00 AM. The last group was scheduled to start at 9:02 AM but I’m pretty sure their start was closer to 9:30 AM. According to the organizers, the “official” water temperature in Lady Bird Lake was a balmy 83 degrees. Lots of boats, kyaks, and paddleboards were ready to give assistance.

After swimming, the triathletes ran up the dock to their bikes. The bike course went across the Congress Avenue Bridge, up to the Texas State Capitol and back, west on Cesar Chavez and back across Lady Bird Lake on the First Street Bridge. The riders really had to slow down to negotiate some of the tight turns. But I didn’t see any accidents.

The running loop wound through Auditorium Shores, nearby Butler Park, across the First Street Bridge and back across the river. It was getting hot by this time. Volunteers dosed the runners with Super Soakers…after asking permission first.

I watched at the finish line as the top men and women finished the Olympic distance. James Bonney from Austin led the men with 01:56:14 and D’Ann Arthur from Dallas was the top woman with 02:06:02.

Austin Marathon

Posted on February 20, 2011 by janis

The Austin Marathon wound through the streets of Austin this morning. Over 20,000 runners participated in either the marathon or the half-marathon. A separate 5K race took a completely different route. Temperatures were around 60 degrees … my favorite running temperature, but too warm for real runners.

The race route went by our downtown apartment building … twice. The race started
up near the Texas Capitol and headed into South Austin over the Congress Avenue bridge. Bill and I watched near City Hall for a while and then headed upstairs for a quick breakfast.

After running a good six miles or so in South Austin (down to Ben White Boulevard), the runners headed back across Lady Bird Lake over the First Street Bridge. By this time, Bill and I had finished our cereal and were back at the bridge to watch the leaders come across. The crowd went wild when the pace truck announced that a local elite runner, Keith Pierce, was in the lead. Keith had won the 2010 Austin Marathon.

Livestrong sponsored this year’s race. Lance Armstrong ran the half-marathon but I was not quick enough to get a good photo as he went by. Bill spotted former Austin mayor Kirk Watson but neither of us saw Texas Governor Rick Perry, who was reported to be running as well.

Bill had to leave early so I went up by myself to the finish line near Congress Avenue and Eighth Street. Our mayor Lee Leffingwell and our congressman Lloyd Doggett held the tape as Keith Pierce crossed the finish line. His time was 2:29. Desiree Ficker led the women’s field with 2:50. Some of you may have heard that a few years ago, Pat and I didn’t want to let Desiree register for the Capitol of Texas Triathlon because she hadn’t brought her license to her autograph signing. At her entourage’s urging, we did relent. Hopefully she won’t remember that little incident if we ever get to meet her again.