Houston Chapter’s Lone Star Stampede Is Biggest And Best Ever (Slideshow)

By Lynn Freehill in Blog on May 8, 2011 at 3:39 pm | No Comments

Can’t see the slideshow? Click here.

The 33rd annual Lone Star Stampede sponsored by the Texas Exes Houston Chapter on Saturday was the biggest and baddest in the race’s big, bad history.

A record high of 920 runners raced 5K or 10K, up from 650 last year. Around 40 kids also participated in a children’s fun run at the family-friendly event.

The race started and finished at the University Co-op in Uptown Park, near the Galleria. In between, the course took runners around the stately homes of Tanglewood.

Coworkers Josie Salazar, ’76, and David Leal, BS ’02, ran their 6.2 miles with foam Longhorns on their heads. 

When Leal couldn’t find any pre-made foam horns, he made some himself using craft foam, fabric, and lots of sticky stuff. “Hot glue is your friend,” he said.

This was the duo’s fourth race of the year, after Salazar got Leal into running in January. Depending on the race theme, they’d run as bumble bees, in foam cowboy hats, and styled as space shuttles.

But for his first-ever 10K, Leal knew the Longhorns had to be sturdy. “I didn’t make it the whole way with the rocket,” he said. 

Most of the runners wore more standard athletic gear, but there were plenty of UT touches to the morning.

Six orange-vested members of the Longhorn Alumni Band pepped the racers up with “Texas Fight” and other school songs before the race.

Afterward, there was a bounce house, play-doh, and balloon horns for the kids. 

For the first time, the Lone Star Stampede was a qualifier for the popular Houston Half Marathon.

“There are a lot of little details — everything from calculating the number of gallons needed for water stops to getting donations for food,” organizer Stephanie Magers said. “It’s a lot to do, but I had a good team.”

Proceeds of the race go to scholarships. To get involved with the Houston Chapter, click here. Join the Texas Exes here.

Photos by Marisa Vasquez