Paul and Mike's Excellent Mile

25/07/2025

Again, I want to thank all of the sponsors who helped support the Ronald McDonald House of Amarillo at this year’s Excellent Mile.
Our sponsors and our volunteers are a huge part of what makes this event so successful.

I encourage you to contact these businesses, if have a need for their services.
Please show them some love, for their continued support.

Acme Body Shop
Archer Law Firm
Cynthia Barella Graham, Attorney
Cross Pointe Auto
Crown Trophy-Chad is great!
Freeman and Nance Law Firm
Get Fit
Go Run Texas 325-to go explore TX
Herrmann Law Firm
It’s About Timing
M&R Liquor
Teddy Jacks
Two Loons Warehouse
Shirt FX- Scot does amazing work!

22/07/2025

For anyone who’s ever directed a race, you know how great race volunteers are essential.

Once again this year, we couldn’t have pulled off our Excellent Mile without the help of these generous folks:

Michael Renteria
Janice Pylant
Terry Lopez
Dean Vey
Rita Snodell
Leslie Lopez
Anne Jones-Thomas
Luke Oliver
Shelley Cunningham

A huge and heartfelt “thank you” each of you!

21/07/2025

Quick recap of last weeks’s Excellent Mile results:
Overall winner – Ian Carter – 4:13.2. New course record!
Previous record was 4:13.9, 2005.

Overall female – Kelly Ann Sutterfield – 4:53.1. New ladies’ course record!
Previous record was 4:56.4, 2021.

Masters winner – Jeff Lewter — 6:02.
Sorry Jeff, we missed your picture

Masters ladies winner. – Tracy Striley — 7:30. Also, Tracy and Laveta were the best dressed runners last Saturday.

Thank you to everyone that came out and supported our Excellent Mile and the Ronald McDonald house of Amarillo.
If anyone did not get their race shirt, their award or travel bag, please let me know. I’ll make sure we get them delivered to you.

Come see us next year!
It’ll be fun.

17/07/2025

A big THANK YOU to everyone that supported or came out to volunteer, participate or cheer during our Excellent Mile last weekend.
Thanks to you all and our sponsors, we were able to raise over $5100 for the Ronald McDonald house of Amarillo.
If you haven’t seen their video from race day yet, be sure to check it out!

This year’s sponsors were:
Acme Body Shop
Cross Pointe Auto
Cynthia Barella Graham, Atty.
Go Run Texas 325
Herrmann and Archer, Attys.
M&R Liquor
Teddy Jacks
Two Loons Warehouse

And a huge thanks to Scot at Shirt FX and Chad at Crown Trophy.
They make sure that our event always looks good, top to bottom.

17/07/2025

11/07/2025

A few notes about tomorrow’s Excellent Mile:

There are three heats.

The first heat at 8 AM is for masters runners over 50.
The “fast” heat for younger runners is at 8:30.
Walkers and kids have a heat at 9 AM.

You can pick up your packet today at Get Fit, between 4:30 and 5:30.
If it’s easier, you can get your race packet in the morning, beginning at 7 AM.

Packet pick up and post race celebration is at Thompson Park—picnic area 18, close to the 1/2 Mile mark and across the parking lot from Wonderland Park. 

09/07/2025

Packet pickup for our Excellent Mile will be at Get Fit this Friday 7/11, from 4:30-5:30.

If it’s easier, you can also get your packet on race morning in Thompson Park, at the half mile point.
That is near picnic area #18.

Race day schedule:
Masters runners (50+) – 8 AM.
Open runners (up to 49 y.o.)– 8:30 AM
 Kids and walkers – 9 AM

Breakfast burritos by Teddy Jacks.
Beverages from M & R and Teddy Jacks.

Entertainment by Logan Ellis.

The awards will be passed out about 10AM or so. We will have music and refreshments and fellowship in the meantime.

Come join us!
T-shirts and canvas gym bags guaranteed, for the first 200 entrants.

There is still time to enter online at RunSignup.com
You can also enter Friday at packet pick up. 

01/07/2025

If you would like to support the Ronald McDonald House of Amarillo, but are not able to run our Excellent Mile on 7/12/25, we do offer a virtual option.

Race day directing activities are so hectic that I’m planning to run my virtual mile in Thompson Park on Friday 7/11/25, at about 8AM.
If there are others of you that would like to meet me for that time trial, just let me know. Having some company always helps distract from the agony.

I’ll be sure that you get all of the appropriate race goodies, T-shirt, and swag. Of course, you are welcome to run your own race, wherever you are.

Be sure and sign up, so you get all of the this year’s items.
Shirts and gym bags are guaranteed for the first 200 to sign up. Check us out at RunSignup.com

And — thank you so much for supporting RMcDH Amarillo and for supporting local running.

28/06/2025

How to run a fast 1 mile race:
-Running a fast mile is different from a 5K or a half marathon, so I recommend a different preparation routine.

-First, you’ll need some extra warm up time.
In longer races, you can use the early miles to warm up and get loose.
If your race is just 1 mile, you need to arrive at the start line aleaady warm, maybe a bit sweaty and ready to go, from the gun.
Jog around a bit—maybe a mile or more, do your stretches, loosen up those joints and get ready to go.

-Second, Don’t start too fast.
Pace yourself during the first quarter. Don’t try to lead the race, unless you can run in the 5 minute range.
That is especially true in our race. We start with a big downhill, so I would say RELAX in that first quarter mile and just focus on your breathing and maintaining a steady cadence/foot turnover.
Few things suck worse than starting too fast and then trying to hang on for another 3/4 of a mile. (I have made that mistake, before.)

-Third, Take advantage of the other racers. If there is someone going about your pace, try to key on them. Hang off their shoulder and use the “push me – pull you“ method to maintain your rhythm.
Find your happy place.
Embrace the pain, because it will hurt, but it won’t last long.
A mile is short, so the event will be over in just a few minutes.

-Fourth, At about the 3/4 mile mark, you can go. Just go.
Even if you get short of breath and tired here, you’ll be able to reach the finish, so just gut it out until you get there. There’s a small downhill in our race, at about the 0.8 mile point. Just before the last left turn, you can go and let gravity help you across the line.

-Next, Run all the way through the finish line.
High-five and fist bump everyone who finishes around you.
Cheer for the folks behind you.
Get some water and enjoy the post-race events.

-Lastly, Hang out afterward.
Cheer for and encourage the other runners, kids and walkers as they go by.
Grab a breakfast burrito and enjoy the live music.
Be sure to thank and tip your servers and singers!

27/06/2025

Just now, I was gently reminded (thank you Aimee) that I had forgotten to announce our theme for this year’s Excellent Mile.

Lately, Paul and I—and our families—have had a lot of discussions about this. Many times, we’ll do the movie of the minute or a current event. Sometimes, it’s a running theme or a motivational quote.
This year, we decided on a Tom Cruise theme—“Cruising the Excellent Mile“. He does a LOT of fast running in his movies, especially lately. I think he’s showing off, at 62 years old.

We’re going to include a selection of quotes from some of his movies:

“Your mission, should you decide to accept it….“

“You can’t handle the mile (truth)”

“You had me at mile (hello)“

“I’m a very good miler (driver)“

“Sometimes you just have to say what the F*^k, make your move.”

“I feel the need, the need for speed”

Do you guys have a favorite Tom Cruise movie?
A favorite quote?
If you’re really nice, or generous with the Amarillo Ronald McDonald house, we could likely include that in our design.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday 7/12/25.
Entry is available at RunSignup.com.

21/06/2025

After 30 years of putting on our Excellent Mile and about 38 years of racing against each other, Paul and I have been described as being like an old married couple that argues a lot.
I suppose that’s a fair description.

Anyway, after several weeks of back-and-forth discussions and brainstorming and dozens of texts, we finally decided on this year‘s race theme.

Thankfully, we have a great team to help us put this event together.
We will have custom designed T-shirts and canvas gym bags this year.
Race shirts and gym bags guaranteed for the first 200 entrants.

We’ll probably even let you know what the theme is, within the next few days?

In the meantime, you can register at RunSignup.com.
Packet pick up will be at Get Fit on Friday 7/11/25.

16/06/2025

As part of our Excellent Mile each year, I order a little something extra for our participants.
This year, we’re giving away nylon workout bags/ travel bags.
They’re big enough to hold plenty of gear. There’s a special pocket for your shoes, so they don’t come in contact with your clothes.
Three different handles you can use to carry it, along with the required water bottle holder.

Come join us on 7/12/25 and get yours!
Entry available at RunSignup.com