San Marcos — I’ve run in hot races before, so when I arrived at River Ridge Parkway for the Firecracker 5K on Thursday night, I wasn’t surprised. The temperature hovered right around 89 degrees, but with humidity, it seemed like 95.

The last 5K I raced was in Delaware under a heat advisory. They delayed the start of the event for an hour in an attempt to mitigate the heat. It was still 102 degrees at 8 o’clock at night.

That race, usually a pretty crowded summer series run, only had 25 entrants. The heat, coupled with a holiday weekend, scared people away.

When I arrived for the Firecracker 5K, I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout. There were already tons of cars in their spots and plenty of spectators waiting with their family or friends. Thirty minutes passed and even more cars arrived, bringing swarms of people.

At the start, there were more than 100 people on the line, ready to run a 5K, on a holiday weekend. It’s something to which I was not accustomed.

Maybe it’s because people in Texas are used to running in the heat. I always heard you haven’t experienced summer until you move to Texas and well, yeah, I can say that’s true.

But there were runners there, of all ages, ready to tackle the flat course and to have the distinction of finishing a 3.1-mile race. Awards were offered in all age categories and they didn’t have any left over. There was an eight-year-old boy racing with his mother, fathers running with strollers in front of them and retirees challenging their bodies.

It was great to see men, women and children, no matter their age, on the course. You rarely see young children run a full race in Delaware. They are usually signed up for a "Mile Fun Run" or any short distance before the real event.

Another thing I personally noticed was how simple it is to fall out of shape. Several years ago, I would have no problem running a 3.1-mile race. I was in shape from training for cross-country and track.

Since I moved down to the Lone Star State, I focused on developing more muscle since I lost 10 pounds while living in Maine. I have rarely run down here and if I did, I only did a few miles at a time, if that.

I ran the River Ridge Parkway course on Tuesday night and I couldn’t believe it. After running the first mile, I was winded. I was sucking wind after one-and-a-half miles and I stopped after two. I really thought hard about if I would embarrass myself in the 5K.

The older you get, granted, I am only 23, the easier it is to lose what you once had. It’s horrible to see former teammates of mine, only two years after their last race, lethargic and letting themselves go.

I was told a story of a 50-year-old man who felt his was out of shape and got back into running daily. He’s been running ever since and said he has never felt and looked better.

It goes to prove, no matter the age and no matter how far you think you are out of shape, it’s possible to get back into it.

It was a wake-up call for myself on Tuesday. The roads are endless, but our lives are not.



Tyler Mayforth is a sports writer at the Daily Record. You can reach him at tmayforth@sanmarcosrecord. com