By Brittany Anderson
KYLE —A bit of friendly competition between local law enforcement and the community over the weekend helped raise over $8,000 for families in need.
The Kyle Law Enforcement Association (KLEA,) alongside 501(c)3 organization For the Love of Go, held the Blue Santa’s Dam 5 Miler and 5K race at Five Mile Dam Park in San Marcos on Sept. 24.
Over 100 runners participated to benefit KLEA’s Blue Santa program, which provides hundreds of families in the Hays County area during the holidays with food, clothes, toys and monetary donations.
Joe Deleon with his granddaughter Brianna Yanez, 4. Joe and Brianna ran together in both the Blue Santa and Beat the Heat races.
First, second and third place awards were given out for competing age groups — ages 1-10, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-69 — for both males and females in the 5K and five mile races.
In the 5K male race, the fastest Kyle PD runner was Pedro Hernandez and the fastest Kyle FD runner was Cam Saucedo — with Saucedo taking the lead with a 6:42 run time.
The race was a follow-up to the Beat the Heat 5K on Aug. 27 at Mary Kyle Hartson City Square Park, put on by the Kyle Professional Firefighters Association (Local 4567,) Kyle Fire Department and For the Love of Go. In this race, 336 runners competed and raised around $4,000 to benefit local firefighters and families in need of assistance.
Both races were part of the larger Red and Blue Challenge. Runners who participated in both Beat the Heat 5K and Blue Santa’s Dam 5 Miler and 5K were entered into a $200 drawing to be donated towards a police or fire department of their choice.
Sammy Cortez won the $200 drawing, donating to the Kyle FD.
For the Love of Go also said that steps from the race were in memory of Kevin McConville, a 17-year old Hays CISD student who died from a fentanyl overdose in August. McConville’s family sponsored the event, and his picture was also on the back of the race shirts.
Freddy Rolon, Kyle Fire Department chief of training and operations, and Adrienne Simes with dogs Sky and Blu. Simes placed first in her age group for the 5K, with Sky and Blu also taking home Top Dog awards.
Other sponsors that made the race possible included Kyle City Council member Michael Tobias, Tracey Dean with AMSOIL, Gecko Contracting, H-E-B, Great Clips and Bread Basket. Bad Ass Foods also provided pancakes to runners, and DJ Vincent provided music.
A full list of results for the race can be found at www.athleteguild.com/running/san-marcos-tx/2022-blue-santas-dam-5-miler-and-5k/results.
For more information on Kyle’s Blue Santa program, visit www.kpea.us. More information on For the Love of Go, including upcoming events, can be found at fortheloveofgo.com.
