It was very windy and pretty chilly. We huddled around for a few minutes before the Corps of Cadets Parsons Mounted Cavalry fired the cannon to start the race.

I was about 10 feet back from the start line and took off in a sprint.

Got clear of the crowd and tried to settle into a steady pace. It's a short race and not much strategy; just go as fast as you can and not slow down.

A stiff headwind at times and a couple of slight hills made it interesting. Worked up a little sweat, but my hands were very cold.

The fast folks were out in front, and I was passed by a couple of college-aged kids towards the end, hung on and finished strong.

Not much. I went into this race with the idea to go as hard as I could and even risking blowing up. Puking at the end would have been acceptable.

Kept my cereal down, but I developed a raw throat and slight cough from the effort. Kind of strange.

I PR'd, so that was good.

Put my warm-ups back on and walked around. Drank some Gatorade. Waited for the drawings for the prizes.

The number of contestants and my placing are estimates. I'm pretty sure there wasn't anybody older than me that finished in front of me. (The old guys are easy to spot in this crowd.)

Probably "won my AG" today. ;)


General athletism. I'm not a college kid.

A decent night's sleep and standard food routine probably would've helped.


This race is put on by the Texas A&M Traditions Council that sponsors and supports the distribution of Aggie class rings.

Nothing sophisticated at this race; no chip timing, just a big clock at the finish line, and no formal age grouping.

After the race they draw for some nice door prizes and the grand prizes; four Aggie class rings (~$500 each), two for females and two for males. I was running for my oldest son who hasn't graduated yet, but my name wasn't drawn. ;(

A nice way to spend a Saturday morning.