2010 FoGISP Fun Run

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The day began just before daybreak for the FoGISP volunteers who were all bundled up against the cold morning air. The enrollment setup allowed runners to sign in, pick up their "goodie bags", have a light breakfast and then mingle before the start time.

Participants began arriving before 7:00 AM, and even Tom Linton got up before breakfast to get all 114 of the serious runners started off northward down the north/south park road toward Como Lake. By the time the pack got turned back around at Como Lake and turned back southward onto the east/west park road heading west for the entry into Clapper Rail trail, they had become well stretched out, and Dale Lee, the eventual winner, had a sizeable lead which he would keep for the rest of the course.

The runners said that they enjoyed the grass trails between Oak and Butterowe Bayous and footbridges across Butterowe and through the marshes at the ends of the bayous even if the scenery was a distraction from the serious business of winning a race. They even breezed by the observation tower without going up and enjoying the view. Coming out of the Clapper Rail circle, Mr. Lee had widened his lead and headed for the nest scenic diversion around the arc of the pond at the old amphitheater.

13 Year old Brielle Eskridge is from Clovis, NM was the first female to finish the race. She sweet talked her grandparents into to leave the snow in Clovis and bring her to Galveston just so she could run in the race. In addition to besting all the ladies, Brielle finished ahead of a lot of men who came straggling in well behind her.

However, I'm sure that quite a few shared the exhiliration of the young lady with her hands in the air no doubt exclaiming "Look world I made it." The vent proved to have an international appeal. One runner who is former Galveston resident brought his wife and in-laws from Shanghai, China to watch him run, and a son traveled from the UK to join his father here so that the son could run. That afternoon after the race, the father and son were scheduled to fly back to the UK. I hope they made their flight. There were Canadians here as well. People came from far flung places in Texas too, Galveston, Tiki Island, Texas City, Santa Fe, Dickinson, Friendswood, Webster, Seabrook, Houston, Allen, Austin and San Antonio. We can all be proud that our promotional and organizational efforts were so well rewarded.

FoGISP is indebted to Kim Bachmeier and Steve Whitcher, the proprietors of Fit to Run in Galveston, for their invaluable advise and direction in organizing the run and their sponsorship of the event. We are also pleased and honored that relatives of Gayle Cantrell came from Florida to help us dedicate the race to the memory of the deceased Lewis and Gayle Cantrell who organized the first GISP run in 2005.

Thanks!!!

FoGISP appreciates the generous donors who made the race possible.

                                                   Jamacia Beach Hardware             Pirate's Beach Property Owner's Association

Treasure Trove

                                                                                   Galveston Insurance Associates