The 4th Annual Seton Soles 5K

As most of you know by now, my little brother, Jimmy Viator, passed away on April 12th. I actually wrote this report before his death, but just didn't have the time or energy to post until now.   On April 9th I ran in the 4th Annual Seton Soles 5K Walk / Run at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, in Plano TX. The race benefited the Monsignor Henry V. Petter Endowment for the Support of Peace and Justice in Collin County. Other churches helping out include Legacy Church, Collin Creek Community Church, and West Plano Presbyterian. There was a 1 mile fun walk before the 5K, as well as a "familypalooza" with a DJ, inflatable games and about 20 sponsor booths. The Knights of Columbus men and Simply Fit Meals served food, while Welch's sponsored the drinks. Everyone seemed to have a great time at the event.   This was a Run-On! sponsored race, as well as a www.dfwruns.com race. DFW Runs is lead by Eric Lindberg who will also be marketing a September Prostate Cancer race called Dash for Dad. I hope to see you there, and also at the upcoming Dadfest on June 18. My former prostate support leader Justin Sucato, who passed away on my birthday in November, suggested the Dash for Dad race to me, so it's even more special to me now. Thank you my friend, I miss you. Justin, who has 4 sons that he was very proud of, knew that this hereditary disease might one day affect his sons. He was a great researcher of Prostate Cancer and a great supporter of those that are affected by this terrible disease.   There were 950 runners and walkers at the event. The final total of runners with chip timers in the 5K was 637. I have never seen so many people walk in the 1 mile before. Many races I go to have a fun run / walk, but usually there are only about 15 - 30 participants. There were over 200 people that participated in the 1 mile fun walk, some of which had 5K bib #'s. I guess some runners may have changed their mind at the last minute, probably due to the heat. It was about 70 degrees at race time. My oldest son, John, and his girlfriend came to watch me run and take pictures.   The start of the race was in front of the church, with the finish line inside of the church parking lot. This race had no turnaround. The course ran through the neighborhood then back around to the church. I started in the first row. There was a runner from my age division right there with me. After the start he soon passed me up; it was too hot to try to keep up with him, and I just ran my race. He ended up winning 1st place. My time at 1 mile was 7:54. I ran with a lady decked out in Run-On! gear for a while, making my way to the next mile marker. At the 2 mile marker, my time was 15:57 (8:02 / mile pace). At this point, I was starting to feel fatigue.   We circled around then back on to the long straightaway to the finish line. At about 2.8 miles I hit a wall; I usually save a little energy back for the last mile but I was exhausted. I arrived at the 3 mile in 24:03 (8:05 / mile pace). With only .1 mile to go, and my family waiting for me, I did my best to finish strong. Despite my efforts, several runners started to pass me up. I finished as best as I could in the time of 25:25. It took over 1 minute and 20 seconds for the last .1 mile which is considerably longer than usual. I finished 2nd place out of 20 in my division and 80 out of the total of 637 runners.   At the award ceremony they honored several groups with their total donations to the Monsignor Petter Endowment Fund, and the first few finishers. For a while, I thought I was going to get shut out like the last time that I finished 2nd place. But after the ceremony the rest of us that placed were handed our awards. When I got back home, I put the award around my dog, Rocky's, neck. He was happy.   I'm going to be running in the Relay for Life on April 29th in Arlington, and have set up a donations page. Please do not feel obligated to donate anything. However, if you already plan on donating then please feel free to do so through my page.   Place    Bib#    Men Overall    Overall    Total Time    Pace 2/20      213        62/316         80/637      25:25         8:11     I run to raise awareness for prostate cancer and to benefit my community. www.runningforacause.tumblr.com