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Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot returns and we love it!

Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot returns and we love it!

by | Nov 25, 2021 | Blog

Pam at Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot

Pam LeBlanc jumps with happiness at the finish of the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. Chris LeBlanc photo

It felt great to get out and run the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot this morning.

I logged a slow time – 2 minutes slower than 2019 and 4 minutes slower than 2017 – but I’m OK with that. I’ve been focusing on other things and haven’t put in the miles lately.

It’s always fun to head downtown and watch the turkeys on parade. Here are the highlights of this year’s run:

 

Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot runners

Runners in costume prepare for the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. Chris LeBlanc photo

  1. Running across the MoPac access bridge just as a train locomotive rumbled past and blew its horn.
  2. Gazelle’s running coach Gilbert Tuhabonye’s smiling face as I ran past him on Cesar Chavez Street.
  3. The guy who ran the entire race in a plush turkey suit. That had to be hot and heavy.
  4. Listening to Rob Hill call out everyone’s names (including mine!) as we ran past on the First Street Bridge.
  5. Listening to the patter of thousands of running shoes on pavement. I love that sound!
  6. The beating of drums on the porch of a church that we passed.
  7. The signs people held along the way, including one that said, “Hurry up and finish so we can drink!”
  8. The weiner dog in a red knit cap.
  9. That feeling of finishing a run. I’ve missed it!
  10. Running through downtown Austin with thousands of people just happy to be back on the streets after so many race cancellations.
    Runners at turkey trot

    Runners prepare for the 2021 Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. Chris LeBlanc photo

 

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Cap 10K goes virtual in 2021, marking third consecutive year without in-person race

Cap 10K goes virtual in 2021, marking third consecutive year without in-person race

by | Feb 1, 2021 | Blog

This year’s Statesman Capitol 10,000 will go virtual. Chris LeBlanc photo

The 2021 Statesman Capitol 10,000 is going virtual once again.

It will mark the third year in a row that the in-person race has been cancelled. A strong storm swept through on race day in 2019, forcing organizers to call it off, and the pandemic spurred cancellation of the popular spring event in 2020.

“Both in the interest of the health and safety of our participants and in anticipation of the city of Austin significantly modifying or canceling our large-scale in-person event, we are moving our 2021 Cap10K race to a virtual format,” said Jeff Simecek, Statesman Cap10K race director. “We are grateful for our running community’s continued understanding, as well as their support of our race and beneficiary, Marathon Kids.”

The race, the largest 10K in Texas and the sixth largest in the nation, was scheduled for April. 1. Now participants can run any of 10 different routes between April 11 and 30.

Contactless drive-through packet pickup is planned for April 9 and 10. That event will feature live music, giveaways and more. Packet mail delivery is also available for $11, which will cover the cost of postage.

The Cap10K’s training program, Austin’s Coffee House 10K Sunrise Coffee, is under way and features new training routes  and helps support local businesses.

Registration is $40 for adults. One dollar from every 2021 Cap10K registration goes to Marathon Kids, which helps elementary students run a cumulative marathon spread out during the school semester. Participants can also make an additional donation when registering, which the Statesman will match up to $10,000, at Cap10K.com. For more information go to Cap10K.com/virtualrace.

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These running shoes are perfect for Texans

These running shoes are perfect for Texans

by | Jan 29, 2021 | Blog

Brooks made a special edition version of its popular Launch model for the Houston Marathon. Photo courtesy Brooks Running

Imagine wearing a pair of Texas flag-themed sneaks the next time you make a dash across the Lone Star State.

Brooks designed these limited edition running shoes as part of a line of merchandise it created for the Chevron Houston Marathon. The race, scheduled for Jan. 17, was cancelled because of the pandemic, so Brooks offered the shoes to running stores around the state that carry the brand.

Here in Austin, Fleet Feet Austin, 211 Seaholm Drive, nabbed a small supply. When the store’s operating partner, Ari Perez, tweeted a photo of them this week, he triggered a mini-run.

The blue and white shoes – a special version of the popular lightweight, neutral balanced Launch line – feature red soles and a white star on their toe box. They sell for $100 and come in men’s and women’s sizes. (And if Fleet Feet sells out before you nab yours, check Academy, Zappo’s and the Brooks website, which all have limited supplies.)

“I think it’s beautiful, right?” Perez said. “Hey, man, that’s Texas on your feet!”

Perez has already stashed a pair in his closet for safekeeping. He says he’ll break them out for special occasions, like Texas Independence Day on March 2. I think they’d go great with a pair of those groovy Texas-flag shorts that were popular a few years back.

Perez, by the way, says he’s noticed a bit of a running boom lately, related to the pandemic. People who normally would head to the gym for a workout are exercising outside instead.

Keep an eye out. Some of them might be sporting a little bit of Texas on their toes.

 

 

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Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita Run goes virtual – and the trail will remain one-way at least through May

Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita Run goes virtual – and the trail will remain one-way at least through May

by | May 6, 2020 | Blog

That’s me, posing with an unidentified runner, at the 2018 Moonlight Margarita Run. This year’s race is going virtual. Photo from 2018 race by Chris LeBlanc


The Trail Foundation’s biggest fund-raiser of the year, the Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita Run, is going virtual.

That means you can run the 5K race on your own time, wherever you want. The party half of the event will take place in October, and everyone who registers and runs the virtual race now will get a couple of free drinks then.
“Apart but together we can still celebrate the Trail while keeping our city safe,” said Heidi Anderson, director of The Trail Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to maintain and improve the beloved 10-mile Butler Hike and Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake. “The Trail Foundation is grateful to everyone who is registering and supporting our efforts to ensure the Trail is in the best condition possible, even during these unprecedented times.”
These unprecedented times, in case you haven’t heard, have meant a temporary conversion of the Butler Trail to a one-way route. People are discouraged from using the trail at all right now, because it’s difficult to maintain a 6-foot social distance on narrow stretches of the pathway, but asked to travel clockwise if they choose to do so.
“The trail, at the Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s direction, will remain one-way at least through the end of May, and then they will re-evaluate,” Anderson said. “Our counters actually show that the majority of folks are complying. Depending on the day, between 75 and 85 percent of folks are moving clockwise.”
In the meantime, the one-way signs that were put up a few weeks ago are still disappearing. Another round of signs to replace them will go up today and Thursday. (Seriously, folks. Leave the signs alone. It’s a waste for the foundation to use its donations to keep replacing signs torn down, thrown away or swiped as souvenirs.)
As for the race, once you register online at https://eventdog.com/a/eventpage.php?eID=31787&refData=website, the foundation will send you links to create a virtual bib and submit your results. Everyone who signs up gets a T-shirt, and the first 700 will get a $10 Maudie’s Tex-Mex gift card.
You can run or walk any route you choose – on road, trail, treadmill or track – as many times as you want between June 4 (that’s the day after Global Running Day) and July 4. Send in your best time to compete against other virtual participants.
I try to do the race every year. I love the combination of fun and food, and the festive, outdoor atmosphere. I hope to see you at the October party.

About Pam

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Catching up with Paul Carrozza – and the new Power Your Purpose 5K

Catching up with Paul Carrozza – and the new Power Your Purpose 5K

by | Feb 26, 2020 | Blog

Chalk up two Paul Carrozza sightings in one week for me – the first, a sit-down meeting to discuss the new Power Your Purpose 5K; the second, a sweaty, unplanned fly-by during my 8-mile run through Northwest Hills early Monday.

Carrozza, you may remember, owned and operated RunTex, a gear shop he spent 25 years building into the hub of the Austin running scene. The flagship store was evicted from its longtime home on Riverside Drive in 2013.

Since then, Carrozza has focused on what he does best – coaching. He currently heads the cross country, track and field, and swimming and diving programs at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, and leads the Born to Run training programs at Ready to Run, 3616 Far West Boulevard, where he recently launched a program specifically for runners over 50. (As a side note, his son Crayton just broke the 4-minute mile at the University of Texas.)

Carrozza is now teaming with the Whole Planet Foundation, which provides “micro loans” to help people start or expand their own businesses, to stage a new 5K run.

Jennet opened a small shop in front of her home in Uganda with a micro loan. Photo courtesy Whole Planet Foundation

The Power Your Purpose 5K and Soiree is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 14 at Camp Mabry, 2210 W. 35thStreet. After the race, participants will get international food and beer from countries where the foundation has made its loans.

This year’s event is limited to 500 people in Austin, but look for it to spread around the United States – and beyond – in coming years. Early registration is $40. To sign up go to https://www.classy.org/event/power-your-purpose-5k/e235441.

Proceeds will help fund institutions that make the loans, which average $175 for first-timers in countries including Bangladesh, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Cambodia. The loans have provided a boost to help a woman in Haiti set up a small store in her front yard to sell pastries instead of carrying them in a basket on her head. They also helped a woman built a small fruit stand.

The foundation made $5.8 million in disbursements in 2018. Nearly 90 percent of loan recipients are women; the repayment rate has held steady at 96 percent.

“We’re all about empowerment,” says Jason Martinez, fundraising program manager for Whole Planet Foundation.

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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