Saturday, May 31, 2014

June is Run-Bike-Run Month

June is a big run-bike-run month for endurance athletes in the San Angelo area with three classic events on the schedule.

The action kicks off on June 7 with Run in the Sun, continues on June 14 with the Tour de Burma cycling event, and wraps up on June 21 with the Stop, Drop, and Roll 5-mile run at the East Concho Volunteer Fire Department.

Run in the Sun is a road running event that started 42 years ago, back in 1972. Over the years, it was 
held in various San Angelo locations before being moved to the present-day downtown San Angelo course that’s nationally certified to USA Track and Field standards.

It’s also one of the oldest 8K (4.97 miles) running events in the nation and has served as the Texas 8K championship race on multiple occasions.

Run in the Sun will again be the Road Runners Club of America 8K Texas state championship race for 2014.

State 8K champion titles will be awarded to the overall female/male, masters 40-plus female/male, grand masters 50-plus female/male, and senior grand masters 60-plus female/male. Runners will also be competing for first through third in age group and top military female/male.

The 8K run will start on Concho Avenue near Miss Hattie’s restaurant, head west to Irving Street, turn left on Irving and then immediately back to the right onto River Drive.

Runners will follow the winding River Drive past Kid’s Kingdom and the Santa Fe golf course, under Beauregard, past Central High, and on to the halfway (4K) mark before turning around and following the same route in reverse back to the finish line on Concho Avenue.

Visit www.roadlizards.org/events/run-sun for full Run in the Sun information and online registration.

On Saturday, June 14, the action shifts to cycling with riders taking on their choice of 40K, 60K or a 100K bicycle tour distances during the annual Tour de Burma.

Although this year’s Tour de Burma is a cycling tour (not a race), it traces its history back to a 2003 event called the Concho Valley Road Race which took place over parts of the same general course.

The Tour de Burma race continued as a combination race and tour through 2008, attracting cyclists and race teams from all over West and Central Texas. The event was changed to a tour-only in 2009 and has remained a noncompetitive ride since then.

This year’s Tour de Burma will begin at 8 a.m. with riders starting from the Family Power Sports location at 4160 Houston Harte Expressway.

Cyclists can choose from three bike tour routes, ranging from an easy 40-kilometer (24 mile) distance, an intermediate distance 60K (37 mile), or a challenging 100-kilometer (62-mile) course.

The 60K route for the tour will be the classic Burma Road ride that goes out Arden Road, out and back over the Burma Road hills, and then returns to town via Arden Road.

Cyclists doing the longer 100K distance will follow Arden Road to Burma, do an out and back over the Burma hills, then continue west on Arden Road to a turnaround point past the Middle Concho River before reversing course to follow Arden Road back to the start/finish location.

The long 100K course will be challenging, with cyclists facing both the hills on Burma Road and the hills near the Middle Concho River on Arden Road.

Full information on Tour de Burma, including course maps and registration information, is posted at http://angelobike.org/tour-de-burma.

Running will take the spotlight again on June 21 as regional athletes gather at the East Concho
Volunteer Fire Department located at 777 Abernathy Road near FM 388 for the annual Stop, Drop, and Roll 5-mile and 1-mile races.

This event serves a great cause with all proceeds benefiting the East Concho VFD.

The Stop, Drop, and Roll Run has become a favorite family event over the years with many returning participants. Sparky the Fire Dog will be the official race starter, the course will run on low-traffic roads though Riverwood Estates Subdivision east of San Angelo, and will finish back at the fire department building with a complimentary Fire Fighters Cool Down from firetrucks.

Go to www.roadlizards.org/events/stop-drop-roll to view detailed Stop, Drop, and Roll information and to sign up.

Remember — June will be a busy month as you Run in the Sun, bike the Burma hills, and Stop, Drop, and Roll for a good cause.


Upcoming Events
 June 5: Road bike time trial series, angelobike.org
June 7: Run in the Sun 8K, roadlizards.org
June 14: Tour de Burma, http://angelobike.org/tour-de-burma/
June 21: Stop, Drop, and Roll, roadlizards.org
July 4: Christoval VFD 5K, roadlizards.org/events/christoval-vfd-5k/
July 12: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
July 26: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org
Aug. 10: Olympic and sprint distance triathlon, Spring Creek Park

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