Chamber holds annual H-E-B Summer Run to Fun

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press

Nearly 200 people showed up on Saturday despite the heat to participate in this year’s annual H-E-B Summer Run to Fun 5k.
H-E-B Plus! teamed up with the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce to host the annual chip timed event which began at 8 a.m. at South Park. The race is a part of the Cen-Tex Race Series. Medals were given to the top three male and female winners in each of 15 age brackets. Plaques were awarded to the top male and female finisher.
Shawn Griffin crossed the finish line first with an impressive time of 18:14.9. Rico Flores finished in 2nd place with a time of 18:25.7, and Andrew Collins came in 3rd with a time of 18:31.4. Brianna Miller was the fastest female with a time of 22:38.4.
Charlotte Heinze, a member of the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, said that H-E-B is a strong supporter of our community and that partnering with H-E-B for events like the Run to Fun helps show support to our citizens.
“We always like to promote great health and wellness,” said Jennifer Cotter, Administrative Assistant for H-E-B. “It keeps people active and gets them outdoors. It’s a family event. They can bring their kids and family and just have a nice run or walk around the neighborhood.”
Many did choose to race alongside family. Some mothers ran while pushing their toddlers in strollers, some siblings raced alongside each other, and some parents participated with their kids.
Audrey Martin (12) crossed the finish line nearly side by side with her father Adam Martin.
“It was fun,” said Audrey Martin. “We each had someone to motivate us.”
“She’s considerably faster than me, and this time she allowed me to run with her and it was a big thrill for me,” said Adam Martin. “We stay pretty active as a family…It’s always fun to be out here. When there’s 200 people out here, it’s kind of exciting.”
Saturday’s run presented the usual challenges of Texas weather, but many of the racers anticipated that and still enjoyed the fun of completing the run.
“This is always a tough race. It’s hot and it’s really curvy. All those curves are hard,” said Shawn Griffin, the fastest finisher in Saturday’s race. 
He said he runs in most of the Cen-Tex races because his wife works for Carlson Law Firm which is a major sponsor of the Cen-Tex Race Series.
Brianna Miller was the fastest finishing female. Miller is recovering from a recent knee injury, so she said completing the race was a little more challenging than usual, especially since she doesn’t like running along paved routes.
“Before the knee injury, I wasn’t the best runner,” said Miller. “Since I had the chance to rehab and learn more about my body, as well as my education at Mary Hardin Baylor, I’m learning a lot more about exercise and the benefits of it. I just like to challenge myself.”