AUSTIN RUNNING: BROM HOBAN

Calendar is full of spring races

By Brom Hoban
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Monday, February 18, 2008

The Cowtown Marathon remains to be run this Saturday in Fort Worth, but for the most part, the Texas marathon season is winding down.

For those who just finished the AT&T Austin Marathon, it's time to recover, rebuild and map out a spring schedule. And for all the runners, a large number of racing opportunities are coming your way. March 1 alone has five 5K's to choose from.

On the calendar over the next month:

• An old standby, the 17th annual Concordia Luth-A-Run Homecoming 5K Run will be at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Concordia University. It's a low-key event with a flat course that simply circles the campus three times. Contact: (512) 486-1362, www.concordia.edu.

• The March 1 slate begins at 8 a.m. with the Rodeo Rumble 5K at the Travis County Expo Center on a couse of rolling hills. Contact: (512) 919-3000, www.rodeoaustin.com.

• The St. James Missions 5K Run/Walk at 9 a.m. on March 1 is a chip-timed event that starts at St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 3417 E. Martin Luther King Jr.Blvd. "It's a very hilly course. I've run it, and I'd say it's pretty challenging," said race director Bobby Clemmons. Contact: (512) 926-5097, www.stjamescmbc.org.

• The Texas Independence Day 5K Run, also at 9 a.m. on March 1, features a moderately hilly route around the Capitol and through downtown Austin. Contact: (512) 804-8983, www.runtex.com for more information.

• The Hendrickson Hawk Hustle Hometown 5K gets under way at 4 p.m. on March 1 at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville. Starting and finishing on the school's track, much of the run takes place within the school complex on a certified course. Contact: www.pflugervilleisd.net/HHS.

• Looking for a longer race? Try the ARA Moe's Better Half Marathon at the Tanger Outlet Center in San Marcos at 7 a.m. on March 2. No question, this is a tough course, but a fair one. The long steady grinds east of Interstate 35 are not too steep to run well on, and the low-key tone of the race is a welcome change from some of the larger events. Partnering with Moe's Half, the CASA 5K will start at the same location at 7:15 a.m. Contact: (512) 396-2584.

• The STAR Flight 5K in Zilker Park is at 8 a.m. on March 8. The course has a flat first mile, circling the soccer fields, but has a few little climbs as it enters the Park Road adjacent to Barton Springs Pool. Contact: RunTex at (512) 472-3254, www.runtex.com.

• The Shamrock Shuffle 5K at Decker Lake at 9 a.m. on March 15 is almost a cross-country run. "It's all on grass, like the Danskin course out there, and it does have some hills," said race director Colleen Limbocker. Contact: (512) 797-7817.

• Also on March 15 is the Austin Runners Club Daisy 5K at 8 a.m. At 31 years, it's the oldest 5K in Austin and has a special twist: Women start ahead of the rest of the field, and timed male runners start three minutes back. The first person across the finish line receives the Daisy Challenge Award. The somewhat hilly course starts and finishes on East Fifth Street. Contact: (512) 577-1453, daisy.austinrunners.org.