Runners brave chilly weather to race in Wags & Whiskers 5K benefiting Stephens County Humane Society
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
It was chilly and overcast Saturday morning, Dec. 13, as 19 runners, ranging in age from 12 to 86, gathered in the Breckenridge City Park, along with Humane Society volunteers and others, for the 11th annual Wags and Whiskers 5K and Furry Fun Run.
“Well-behaved pets” are allowed in the Humane Society’s annual race, but just one dog took part this year. Lucy accompanied Diane Moore Davis on the run. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The overall winner by almost three minutes was 18-year-old Gabriel Garcia from Breckenridge who came in with a time of 19:26.1, two minutes and 44.2 seconds faster than the next runner. Garcia is a senior at Breckenridge High School, where he is a member of the Cross Country team. Fellow BHS senior Brysen Hash came in second with a time of 22:10.3.
The Top Female Finisher – Overall with a time of 31:20.9 was 34-year-old Laura Bowers of Haskell.
Participating again this year was 86-year-old Mary Kaplan of Llano, who came in 14th overall. In the past, Kaplan was accompanied by her husband, Hal Kaplan, who often took pictures of her races. Last year, Hal died, and at Saturday’s race was a folding camp stool embroidered with his name and an image of a camera.
The annual fundraiser for the local Humane Society features a 5K route through the neighborhood south of the Breckenridge City Park. Participants are allowed to bring their pets along for the run, but this year there were mostly human runners with just one dog running along on the 5K.
The overall results are listed below. To see the results for each age category, click here and scroll down to the second section.
Wags and Whiskers 5K Results
Gabriel Garcia of Breckenridge, 19:26.1
Brysen Hash of Breckenridge, 22:10.3
Brasen Shook of Breckenridge, 26:15.6
Greg Biddison of Breckenridge, 30:25.3
Laura Bowers of Haskell, 31:20.9
Noe Mancilla of Graham, 31:24.9
Alex Kielar of Breckenridge, 32.34.5
Martha Martinez of Colorado City, 32:36.6
Reyse Hash of Breckenridge, 34:55.5
Jamie Hicks of Eastland, 36:53.5
Delette Gazaway of Blanket, 37:06.6
Joyce Mehan of Eastland, 37:11.8
Karen Williamson of Eastland, 39:37.6
Mary Kaplan of Llano, 45:30.2
Christie Gardner of Georgetown, 46:00.6
Diane Moore Davis of Breckenridge, 46:37.2
Dale Garner of Abilene, 47:68.0
Mindy Bailey of Honolulu, 48:30.3
Terry Savoie, 48:30.7
(Times listed are “Chip Time” as listed on the Race Day Event Services website.)
Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the event.
Gabriel Garcia crossed the finish line almost three minutes before any other runners in Saturday’s Wags & Whiskers 5K benefiting the Stephens County Humane Society. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Several of the runners in this year’s Wags & Whiskers race pose for a picture with their medals on Saturday morning. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Runners participating in the 11th annual Wags & Whiskers 5K take off from the starting line Saturday morning. The race benefits the Stephens County Humane Society. Click here to see more photos from the event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
