Haltom City Wipe-out by Duncan Stewart

The 18^th annual Haltom Stampede 5K and 10K were run today, February 14, 2004 – Valentines Day. It’s one of my favorite races because it’s well organized, the shirts are nice, and the buffalo trophies are pretty cool. Of course, other people like them, too, so the race usually has good competition. Well, Mother Nature decided to add a little something to the mix today – namely, 4 inches of snow! The drive there required very careful attention, as it was snowing and slippery, and several vehicles went off the road. The road conditions in Haltom City were a mess of snow, slush and water. The weather conditions didn’t faze the hard-core runners, though, as several of my competitors were there, including fellow Strider Lee Rebodos.

The mayor fired the starter’s pistol for the 5K and off we went! It was quite a bit more chaotic than usual because everyone was trying to run in the relatively clear tire tracks. Slush was splashing all over the place, and elbows were being traded. During the jockeying that accompanies the first mile, I had just passed two guys and had my sights set on the 2^nd master, when I went around a corner and wiped out, landing very solidly on my right knee. Ow. No, make that OW! I also went splashing down into a pile of slush and completely soaked my gloves and tights. As I struggled up after a brief moment, one of the guys I passed asked if I was alright (that was a nice gesture!) I grunted something, then started to run again, slowly. Something didn’t feel quite right, but this was a race and I didn’t want to drop out. I soldiered on the finish, eventually passing both those two guys again (one kicked past me in the last 100 meters – darn!), but wasn’t able to catch the other masters runner. I staggered to my truck, cranked up the heater, and held my frozen fingers and toes to the vent. I felt faint, dizzy, and in pain. What – the 10K starts in 15 minutes?! Fortunately I had brought an extra pair of shoes, socks and gloves, so I put these on, guzzled some sports drink and trudged up to the start. Ugh.

Too soon for my taste, the 10K gun went off. One of the masters guys who beat me in the 5K was also running the 10K, as well as two other masters runners who had skipped the 1^st race. I was much more careful going around the corners in this race, and did not have any more mishaps. I didn’t beat the “fresh” masters, but as a moral victory, I obliterated the “double up” guy. My times for both races were slow, slow, slow. It was an experience I will remember for a long time, as at times the driving snow was so intense I could barely see. Maybe permanently, if the road rash on my knee leaves a scar! Lee also ran both races and took home two buffaloes, but hurt his foot in the process. I think he might have been the target of some snowballs, too! There were quite a few folks out making snowmen and enjoying a rare Texas snowstorm. Lee still toughed it out on a very challenging day. I was impressed!