Earlier this year, Muna and David Mitchell of the Austin Runner’s Club, came up with the idea of the “Sprint Series,” combining the Daisy 5K, Statesman Capitol 10,000, Schlotzsky's Bun Run 5K, Texas Round-Up 10K and Chuy's Hot to Trot 5K races into a competition to help keep runners motivated, much like the Distance Challenge held in the fall. It was a great idea, and along with the fun of ranking the leaders, it has helped boost participation in those races.
As we head into the Chuy’s 5K, the final race of the the Sprint series, there are 131 runners remaining who have done each one.
Leading the way for the men is Michael Budde, while Body Therapy’s Lucy Rojas is just ahead of Claudia Spooner for first place in the women’s rankings.
Master’s action has been exciting--At the Texas Round Up 10K last weekend, Scott Birk pulled into first place, two seconds ahead of Scott McIntyre, while the indefatigable Anne Flanagan (51) is still well in the lead for the masters women.
Other notables include Dick Wilkowski, 64, who is holding off longtime rival Jon Wisser, 62, in the 60-64 category, while John Perkins leads the way in the 70 and over group.
The Chuy’s race kicks off on May 10 (8:15 a.m.) at their new restaurant location, just south of William Cannon, adjacent to MoPac. It’s a new course, and it’s pretty flat, so the competition should be hot.
